Mayor Clint to Unveil Charity Gain

Next week, an announcement of an extraordinary move in the big-time charity game.

Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood will break the news that International Variety Clubs--which last year raised more than $28 million--will be getting a big boost from the corporate world.

Drexel Burnham Lambert, the investment banking firm, becomes the first corporate sponsor of the international charity group in its 60-year history, and the corporation has committed the involvement of its 10,600 employees throughout the country.

In this time of shrinking federal support for charities, the innovative and large-scale response of a private-sector corporation is seen as a major breakthrough. For those involved in putting together the Variety Clubs-Drexel Burnham Lambert combo, folks like Variety Clubs VIPs Monty Hall and Joseph Sinay, there is the hope that other corporations will follow suit, both with Variety and with other charities.

In the United States there are 35 Variety Club tents, 52 throughout the world, all of which do fund raising to aid handicapped and underprivileged youngsters, with support going to hundreds of hospitals and charities.

Robert E. Linton, chairman of Drexel Burnham Lambert, said that “Variety Clubs has a superb reputation and it accomplishes so much, but it doesn’t get the recognition it truly deserves. We are delighted we will be able to help.”

HEARTBREAK, HEARTBURN--Author Nora Ephron will get the question, since she’s a member of the Beverly Hills High School Class of ’58. Love to see the “Heartburn” author’s reaction when she gets halfway down the one-page sheet for reunion biographic information. It’s either a sign of the times--or the locale--but it does ask the respondent, how many times have you been married? How many years did the longest marriage last? We would add: And how many novels did you get out of the break-up.

BOOK BURNING--People might want to think that the radical right is banning books only in the South, but it’s the Midwest and the West where controversies over books in public schools are the hottest. That’s what the group brought together by People for the American Way board member Bob Burkett heard from both Art Kropp, the new national head of the organization, and from William Bradford, the Washington attorney involved on a pro bono basis in the recent schoolbook trial in Mobile, Ala. The fund-raiser for the Legal Defense Fund for People for the American Way brought together such established political entities as Grace and Harold Willens, Michael and Marjorie Fasman, attorney Lisa Specht, “People” founder Norman Lear, Rep. Mel Levine and his wife Jan, attorney-couples Joe Golden and Judy Gandel and Aileen Adams and Geoff Cowan, and Romona Ripston, who heads back to the ACLU next week. Burkett told the group and said afterward that his involvement began six years ago, shortly after the birth of his daughter, Rebecca, when his wife Sally told him that as a father he had a responsibility to do something about the emerging Moral Majority and what that meant for his daughter’s future.

PLEASE, SIR, MORE--Movie exec Jerry Weintraub has always been direct--whether he’s managing major actors or putting together a studio. So the glitzy, glittery invite for his birthday at his Malibu estate Blue Heaven on Sept. 26 is clear that his 50 years of “Dreaming, caring, loving, sharing” will not go unnoticed. Unlike many celebrity parties where the honoree insists that no presents be brought or that donations be made to charity, this invite states “Ladies . . . look smashing, and don’t forget the gift.”

IT’S ABOUT TIME--The newly formed Foundation for the Promotion of Mexican Cultural Heritage hosts a buffet reception Monday night at the Regency Club. Antonia Garcia-Lopez, the wife of the Mexican ambassador here, promised that the event would be the first of many that would be aiming at acquainting North Americans with the life and culture of Mexico. The stylish foreign-service veteran was clear that for many, especially in a city like Los Angeles with a large immigrant population, it is easy to forget or ignore the rich history and the ongoing cultural life of the United States’ Latin neighbor. The formation of the foundation last month marked the beginning of a series of events that will involve both the diplomatic community and those of Mexican heritage living here. The Monday-night event, co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, will honor Miguel Leon Portilla, professor of history from the National University of Mexico.

GETTING READY--The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights is set for Oct. 11. But on Sunday fund-raising efforts get under way, when Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Abbitt and Peter Scott host a luncheon at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

THE WRIGHT STUFF--House Speaker James Wright left La Costa Thursday, after finishing a week of the resort’s “life fitness” program. The Texas congressman and his wife Betty were avid participants in the program, according to a staffer at the spa near San Diego--including showing up for the 6 a.m. morning “power walk” on the golf course. Included in the regimen were classes on managing stress, relaxation, nutrition (including tips on grocery-store shopping and eating out) and exercise.