Life Is Just a Bowl of Bowl Parties
Mix the Rose Bowl and the Freedom Bowl with your leftover Christmas turkey bowl. Everything’s coming up roses. Victory. Cheers.
USC is leaving a path “strewn with roses” on its way to the Rose Bowl New Year’s Day. USC President Dr. James H. Zumberge and his wife Marilyn have turned the rose decor over to designer Jacob Marse for their special “Return of USC to the Rose Bowl” party tonight at their residence in San Marino. Candlelight will reflect through the paneled rooms of the former Seeley Mudd estate for cocktails. Then more than 100 will dine under a domed tent. The dessert will be miniature chocolate baskets filled with rose confections.
Handmade plates featuring a single rose have been designed as favors for guests. They’re sure to become collectors’ items, but USC trustees chairman George Scharffenberger and his wife, Marion, and trustee Carl Hartnack (national chairman of the Campaign for USC) and Roberta Hartnack, want this to be memorable.
ARIZONA GALAS: Arizona State University President Russ Nelson and his wife Bonita are staging all sorts of football frolic. Prominent Orange County alumni are invited for the cocktail reception at the Westin South Coast Plaza on Tuesday, and then the Nelsons entertain a very few at dinner before the Freedom Bowl the next day at Anaheim Stadium.
PAST PERFECT: Peter and Kasey McCoy’s Christmas party was a bundle of warmth and fun--their best ever, friends were saying. Jane Gosden looked for her 2-year-old adventurous son, and, two evenings later at Bonnie and Art McClure’s party hosted with their son Mark, bustled about looking for him again. At the McCoys’, Betsy Bloomingdale sat in the living room talking with William Evans of Kansas City; Jerry Zipkin, close friend of the McCoys during their Washington days when Peter was chief administrative assistant to Nancy Reagan, zipped in from the airport, and joined in the next evening at Marvin and Barbara Davis’s big do.
Michael and Suzie Niven, Patrick and Patty Doheny, Noorna and Henry Eversole (he in his metal Christmas bow tie), Jeff Rhodes, Tally and Bill Mingst, Pam Clyne, Hutten and Ruth Wilkinson, Michael and Alana Jackson, listened to the costumed players of medieval instruments. Bob Ray and Kathy Offenhauser brought their son Madison (who brought his friend, personable Chris Henry), before they left for a New York Christmas. “We love the city during the holidays; it’s so wonderful then,” Bob Ray said.
At the McClures’, high on their Bel-Air hill, the wind nearly drove guests over the cliffs. Inside, it was all toasty, while guests Norman and Susan Barker, Bill and Billy Williams, Jim and Clunie Holt, Joan Williams, Tink and Jim Cheney, Pierce and Joan Graves and dozens of the young set stuffed and chatted.
CELEBRATION: An invitation for a holiday party with the Pizzinats--that’s Art, Julie, Vicki, Chris, Sheldon and Jason--in San Marino means the whole family (two or a dozen) comes for cheer, yummies, nog, music, red and green. Two pretty young things--Ashley Brittingham and Leath McCormick--compared poufs and jeweled sweaters.
Peter and Eliane Berger (with some of their children), John and Dorothy Shea (with Carrie, Jim and Alison), Roy and Elaine Reeves (with Stewart), Joanne Albrecht (with Scott), Dorothy and John Matthiessen (with Matty), Randy and Carolyn Stockwell with their three, John and Barbara Poer with theirs, Norman and Rose Mary Mitchell (with Carrie and Kinden on crutches from a basketball twist), were among the merriest, joining Cece Williamson (with Chandler and Fred), Bill and Janine Myers, Kingston and Veva McKee for smoked salmon and conviviality.
SEASON’S CHEER: Rose Mary and Norman Mitchell’s beautiful pre-Christmas dinner with the nearly three-hour cocktail hour had a little to do with the weather. Guests caught in that huge rainstorm were late from everywhere. And what a party (one of a series). When everyone finally was served, the Sagittarians found themselves in the spotlight--Norman Mitchell, David Davis (Holly is a Sagittarius, too, but was still on a cruise with her mother), William Wegge III--and a bunch more--all gathered around the antique piano for some happy birthday toasts.
Standing on the Kappa side singing birthday wishes were Rose Mary and Kathleen Losey (she helped redecorate the Mitchell home), Gabrielle Davis, Cheryll Wegge--all Kappas together at USC--and Eileen Zimmerman. More were Barclay and Susan Perry, Bruce and Carolyn Ludwig, Carolyn and Bob Volk, John and Mary Anne Sturgeon, Connie and Terry Lynch, Phyllis and Jess Marlow, Frank and Joan Thompson, Faith and Jim Porter.
Those who tried to make two parties that night spent a good deal of the evening on the freeways. Some arriving from Newport Beach for Lynn and Hugh Evans’ baby shower for Susie and Latham Watkins were delayed almost three hours. The social must be strong.
At Barbara and Chuck Schneider’s Christmas Cheer in Beverly Hills, guests were wall to wall. In the patio room former Atty. Gen. William French Smith and Jean chatted with Walter and Pat Mirisch before the Smiths went on to dinner at Chasen’s.
Nearby, Rocco and Marion Siciliano were ecstatic about their trip to Antarctica. They’re anticipating minus 20 degrees. But they’re prepared. Recently they invited Antarctica expert James Zumberge and Marilyn for dinner for four, and Zumberge gave his full lecture with slides to the Sicilianos after dinner with orders, “Now, don’t interrupt until I finish my speech.” That’s friendship.
Elsewhere at the Schneiders were Joan and Paul Selwyn, Mia and Dan Frost, Peter and Helen (her hair tucked with holly) Bing, Lester and Pam Deutsch, Betty White, Jackie and Sid Rosenberg.
FESTIVITY: There were few no-shows for Ann Lieberthal’s drop-in coffee and tea. Her invite was a poem with the admonition, “But, remember, if you don’t come we’ll probably talk about you,” and chatter about “wrinkles and how much you hate all the skinny people who exercise.”
The English scones and whipped cream, the wonderful coffee cakes were being devoured with the coffee and white wine. Her husband, Columbia mogul Gary Lieberthal, returned from a brief trip to Neiman-Marcus (with directions from Ann) and was the center of attention too with his parents, Naomi and Milton Lieberthal, visiting from Cincinnati, and chatting with television producer Marla Kell . . . .
On a very busy night, volunteer stalwart Ann Shaw took over the Wilfandel Club House to welcome friends for holiday cheer. . . .
Harriet and Charles Luckman filled the dessert table high at their penthouse home on Sunset for a merry time. . . .
Mildred and Evelle Younger invited the Citrus College Choir to sing for their cocktail buffet and caroling party.
THE ADVANTAGE: Sometimes the weather plays havoc. On the other hand, most agree it can spice up a party royally: All rally to survive and party. That was the very situation at opening night of “Hollywood & History,” the Costume Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art party. At the last moment, co-chairmen Ann Johnson and Maggie Pexton Murray and the powers decided to move the party inside. That meant, of course, that the guests (who had assigned seats) picked up their dinner at one location, took the elevator and were then seated among the Matisses, the Sisleys. “It was glorious,” Maggie Russell said. The security guards were thick as could be; the dining was lovely.
HAPPY, HAPPY: Janie Messler put husband Joe in a glittery spotlight the other evening in Pasadena for his 75th birthday. Good chums--Maggie and George Jagels, Frank and Kay Dale, Arthur and Mary Louise Crowe, Larry and Fran Jeffries, Harry and Lurabelle Laughlin, Harriet and Jim Gamble, Dr. Charles and Helen Ann Langmade, Dr. George and Phyllis Hjelte and John and Ginny Cushman were among the 120.
Mary Rood catered, but Janie made the peanut pumpkin soup, and it was a smash, guests going back four and five times.
ESCALATION: The Four Seasons Biltmore celebrated its 60th birthday by playing host to the Santa Barbara Symphony Assn. with a black-tie fund-raiser.
The dinner, said Fritz Koeppel, hotel general manager, was “our way of saying thank you to the community for its support of six decades.” Dinah Shore sang. Hotel chef Luis Caner prepared salmon tartare, pheasant consomme, medallions of veal, salad with citrus and walnut oils, thimbale of Bavarian chocolates. Ardis O. Higgins, symphony president, expects the gala will net more than $75,000.