Las Floristas ‘Goes Gold’ on April 22
Flowers enhance the world. Fifty years ago Lucy Toberman and Ella Mae Manwarring, both giants of volunteerism still living in Hancock Park, co-founded Las Floristas. It doesn’t seem possible, but Las Floristas “Goes Gold!” on April 22 at the Beverly Hilton. And a floral golden dazzle is being planned by decor chairs John Daly and John Pew. By custom, 10 towering floral headdresses will be worn by mannequins and judged by a jury.
Bob Hope has said yes to the post of honorary chairman. Las Floristas established an audiology suite at its clinic for handicapped children at Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in Hope’s name in 1981.
President Mary Richardson, ball chairman Barbara Gershon and co-chairman Maggie Simms will have an announcement at the ball--that the major 50th anniversary project, the new Las Floristas Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology--will be dedicated at Rancho in October.
Honorary member Alice O’Neill Avery will donate the trophies that will go to top floral designers--Modesto Busto, Maxx Cooper, Jim Delamore, Wayne Gray, Don Honold, Clark Jellison, Robert Jones, Mark Massad, Gary Twemlow and the Al Ezra/Tim Holland/Randy Duncan team. The florists will design the headdresses for Katherine Bentley, Carolyn Flynn, Jade Higgins, Sue Jarvie, Diane Kordick, Beth Lane, Pamela Markovitz, Linda Taw, Sandy Wessel and Kathy Wills.
The Southern California Floral Assn. will make millions of blooms available for the ballroom decor. Linda Taw and Shirley Renick are parade chairmen, planning the historical retrospective by Sam Tagashira and Bob Martine and the guest mini-headdress competition. The real gold will go to Rancho.
FLOWERS, TOO: The National Arts Assn. Orchid Ball on April 29 salutes Andre Previn, director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The ball is generally acclaimed as one of the prettiest of the season, featuring tables decorated with masses of cymbidiums donated from the gardens of co-founder Marion Malouf, who often cuts them herself.
Ball chairman Suzanne Dillard has engaged the Nelson Riddle Orchestra for dancing. Artist Kalman Aron will present a portrait of Previn.
The ball was founded in 1969 by Florence Malouf (Marion’s sister), board chairman. It supports students in the fine and performing arts with scholarships to Southern California colleges. In addition, works are contributed to the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms in Washington.
DATE CHANGE: Due to congested schedules and so that cabaret singer-pianist Steve Ross can entertain (courtesy of Henry and Ginny Mancini), the LA Alive! Music Center patron party at David Murdock’s has been changed from April 27 to May 4.
Murdock’s gardeners are prepping the profusion of spring flowers at the multi-acre estate. Lots of $1,500 patrons including Martin Manulis, Peter and Annette O’Malley, Ernie and Stanton Avery, Mia and Dan Frost, Erlenne and Norman Sprague Jr., Francie Brody, Giney Milner, Lili and Richard Zanuck and Keith and Bill Kieschnick have already accepted to be patrons.
IN THE MOOD: The Golden Key Foundation supporters (they enrich Reiss-Davis Clinic) were in a happy mood the other evening at the Beverly Hilton. Well, they should have been. They had Bobby Short at the piano with Beverly Peer on the bass fiddle and Robb Scott on the jazz drums. “I’ve Got My Eyes on You,” “Honeysuckle Rose” “The Carioca,” “Tea for Two.” Cole Porter never sounded so great, not even at New York’s Carlyle, where Short’s a hit.
Lilting to the music and the success of the night were Betty Deutsch, president, who took nine tables of guests, and Ruth March, chairman, who had Arthur Simon trim the Hilton with palms, sweet peas, orchids and little French lamps.
During cocktails the committee stepped up on stage to surround Bobby Short--Phyllis Wiseman, co-chair (in a pretty Carolyne Roehm gown), Bernice Blackman, Leah Superstein, Charmaine Gordon, Louise Escoe. Looking on was Dr. George Konheim, president of Reiss-Davis Child Study Center. Over cocktails, too, a crowd drooled about the Sotheby’s preview of magnificent jewelry and Impressionist paintings, picking up info from Sotheby’s Lisa Hubbard, Barbara Pallenberg and Grace Russak.
Helping the night’s success were Nancy and Tim Vreeland (senior designer/architect of the Home Savings Tower going up at Figueroa and Seventh), Henry and Margot Bamberger, Patsy Klein and Daniel O. Selznick, Barry and Carol Kaye, Kathy and Maurice Meyers, Ned and Sue Fenton, Gilman Kraft, Lexie and Richard Whitman, Gina Deutsch, Don and Judy Tallarico, Shelton Ellis and Rosanne Sachson, Charles and Barbara Schneider, Sooky and Sam Goldman, Joan and Arnold Seidel.
PAST TENSE: The newly formed Foundation Board for the International Guiding Eyes, Inc. (which trains guide dogs for the blind), staged its first major benefit, the preview night of the annual Altadena Historic Homes Tour.
KICKOFF: Hollywood Bowl Volunteers kick off the 1988 Bowl season April 19, lunching with music at La Canada-Flintridge Country Club.
Volunteer chairman Vera Panosian and kickoff chairmen Judy Bartholomew and Eileen Hein will highlight new opportunities for volunteers who can help July 25 through Aug. 16 in the “Mornings at the Cottage,” a new program headed by Debbi Grossman. The volunteers staff the Childrens’ Open House Theater, organize Carriage Clubs to the bowl, publish the Hollywood Bowl Cookbook, support the Bowl museum and plan opening night fanfare.
18th ANNUAL: With Peter Brosius of the Mark Taper Forum’s Improvisational Theatre Project (a theater for young people which explores improvisation to build a script) directing entertainment in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and on the Music Center Plaza, the Blue Ribbon’s 18th Holiday Festival on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and April 20 and 21 promises to be fun as well as educational for 30,000 fifth-graders from Los Angeles schools. The ITP will perform “The Bear That Wasn’t,” a story of personal identity based on Frank Tashlin’s book. Then come the improvisational activities--”Mirrors” and “Machines.”
The Ribbon coterie that has spent months planning logistics is chaired by Louise Escoe, assisted by Pam Clyne. Mary Tabakin has coordinated extensive bus arrangements, Vanya Rohner will rule the Plaza area, Alison Greenberg the Pavilion.
PLAUDITS: Richard Schwartz, president of Rocketdyne, will receive the Nelle Reagan Award for his guidance during the formation of the Olive View Medical Center Foundation on April 22 at a black-tie affair at the Registry Hotel.
The same evening Dr. Anna Fisher, physician and NASA astronaut, will be presented the foundation’s Award for Health Education and Research. (She orbited the earth 127 times in the space shuttle Discovery.)
The crowd will dance to L’il Elmo and the Cosmos. The late Nelle Reagan, mother of President Reagan, volunteered at Olive View for many years . . .
Coro Foundation honors distinguished community leaders April 21 at its dinner at the Century Plaza. Kudos will go to David E. Anderson, president and CEO of General Telephone of California; Alice Drucker, executive director, Los Angeles Youth Programs; Dan Garcia, partner, Munger Tolles & Olson, and Fred Nicholas, president, Hapsmith Co. Chairing the event will be Bruce Karatz, Martin Melone and Cristina L. Rose . . .
Madlyn Rhue goes center stage today in the second of back-to-back luncheons staged by Volunteers in Multiple Sclerosis (VIMS) at the Internatinal Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton. Ed McMahon was emcee Saturday, Arte Johnson is today. Holly Mitchell stages the fashion “Glitz and Glamour” show.
THE BOYFRIEND: Shakespeare League of Pasadena presents “The Boyfriend,” the spoof of 1920s English musical comedies, Friday and Saturday at the historic San Gabriel Civic Auditorium. It’s a biggie: The league is celebrating its 60th anniversary and its 42nd annual benefit production.
Originally members wrote and staged plays for their families. Today they stage a semi-professional production with full orchestra and for 24 years have given proceeds to the Assn. for Retarded Citizens-San Gabriel Valley.
SPRING FASHIONS: I. Magnin presents spring fashions Thursday at the Beverly Hills Hotel to aid the Sister Servants of Mary Guild, according to guild president Mary Lawry.
END HUNGER: Dennis Weaver and Valerie Harper of Love Is Feeding Everyone joined The Lifesavers at the third annual celebrity fashion show luncheon at the Beverly Hilton with none other than Nina Blanchard (model agency fame) on the runway showing Saks Fifth Ave. fashions, as well as celebrities Susan Dey, Joyce DeWitt, Shelley Fabares.
