Campaign ’88 Gets the Star Treatment

For a long while after Gary Hart dropped out of the presidential race, it seemed as if Hollywood might never recover.

Gone were the days when Warren Beatty could be spotted leading his pal, the candidate, through chic Westside gatherings; when stars like Jack Nicholson and Debra Winger and Steve Martin rallied crowds of supporters. The popping of paparazzi cameras as Morgan Fairchild and other stars strutted into assorted fund-raisers was suddenly silent.

But Hollywood is recovering from its Hart break. While many Hart supporters and other organized groups such as the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee and Assemblyman (D-Santa Monica) Tom Hayden’s Network have remained on the sidelines in the presidential race, others have thrown their support behind Democrats Michael Dukakis or Jesse Jackson.

Active campaigners for Dukakis have included Richard Gere in Iowa and Sally Field in Los Angeles. Entertainers from the music, TV and film industries have helped Jackson raise money; TV mega-star Bill Cosby hosted Jackson-for-President commercials and performed at a fund-raiser in Iowa; Spike Lee directed a film noir -ish anti-drug spot for Jackson in New York.

Most of Hollywood, and its money, leans liberal. But Republican George Bush has attracted a few heavy hitters from the entertainment industry, including independent producer Jerry Weintraub, Paramount’s Frank Mancuso and New World Pictures’ Harry Evans Sloan. Mancuso and Sloan formerly were supporters of Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kan.).

In the weeks leading up to today’s California primary vote, Hollywood has wooed and been wooed by the three men running for President. Here’s a peek at the love affair between celebrity and politics, as enduring as it is rocky--some true tales of Hollywood circa Election ’88.

Does David Addison Know About this, Maddie?

Cybill Shepherd wasn’t eager to meet Dukakis when his advance team approached her in the lobby of a Washington hotel where they were both staying. Don’t get it wrong. Shepherd didn’t have anything against the guy. It was just that . . . as Shepherd glanced down at the jogging suit she was wearing, she wondered if it was appropriate attire for discussions about homelessness or arms control or apartheid. Finally, the actress shrugged and agreed.

She followed a staffer up to Dukakis’ suite only to find that he was not alone. She spent the next couple hours talking world affairs with Dukakis and South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. “She was so blown away” that she lent her endorsement to the Dukakis candidacy, says a campaign staffer.

Moonstruck Mike

O.K., everyone can agree that a candidate for the presidency of the United States does not have a lot of time for movie-going. But even some of his supporters were surprised to learn that Michael Dukakis didn’t see his cousin’s supporting role in “Moonstruck” until the night before she won an Oscar for the performance. That belated show of support, though, didn’t dissuade actress Olympia Dukakis from becoming one of her cousin’s most dedicated and active Hollywood supporters. Thanks in large part to Olympia, Dukakis campaign staffers say they are expecting to receive extensive and visible help from her Oscar-winning “Moonstruck” co-star, Cher.

With Styron, You Get Streep

Author William Styron was so taken with Michael Dukakis that he sent out letters to his friends soliciting their support. Among those who responded to the call: actress Meryl Streep.

She Really Likes Him, She Really Likes Him

Sally Field is passionate about Mike Dukakis. She’s passionate about his concern for better education, for the jobless and the homeless and the illiterate. “And I am passionate about his intelligence and his integrity,” Field, her rosy cheeks ablaze, told Dukakis supporters at an old-fashioned political rally in Los Angeles on May 19.

But Field didn’t let her passion get in the way of some hard-headed media dodging. After the rally, while a horde of cameras was distracted by Dukakis’ exit, Field snuck out the back of the building, circled back to the parking lot, hopped into her Volvo (a baby seat in the back) and drove off. Score one for Field; zero for the paparazzi.

When the Music’s Over, Turn Out the Reporters

Stephen Stills discovered one of the dangers of national campaigning on the day of the 1984 California primary, when an engine of the plane he and Gary Hart were in suddenly lost power. (The plane landed safely in Philadelphia, though Stills told associates he “found religion” during the experience.) Fellow singer Bonnie Raitt has discovered another campaign hazard: loony media questions. During a recent concert for Jesse Jackson--featuring a number of Western singers--a local reporter asked: “Does Jesse Jackson want to become the king of country and Western music?” That question was too much even for Raitt, a longtime political activist who is generally articulate and friendly with reporters. She nearly blew her top: “We’re here because he stands for something important, not because he wants to hear some good music,” she said with exasperation.

A Glitz Alert From Chairman Diller

Fox chairman Barry Diller isn’t too keen on stirring celebrities into the political campaign mix. The support of TV and movie stars is “not only unimportant, but in some ways slightly dangerous,” Diller said during a fund-raiser for Dukakis last week at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Diller worries that too much glitz makes a candidate look like more sizzle than steak.

If This Is Hollywood, It Can’t Be Politics

Producer Jerry Weintraub bristles at the notion of being included in a story on Hollywood and politics. “This is not a Hollywood party,” Weintraub said of his $10,000-a-couple fund-raiser for George Bush Sunday night. Weintraub, who is on the Bush finance team, has known the vice president for 25 years, ever since they met on the tennis courts outside their summer homes in Kennebunkport, Me. Still, the event at the Weintraubs’ home had some Hollywood glitter: Among the guests was Frank Sinatra. For the record, Sinatra didn’t sing. But Weintraub’s wife, former supper club singer Jane Morgan, did.

The Rev. Jack s on’s Contribution to Candidate Jackson

Casey Kasem, rock ‘n’ roll countdown king, met Jesse Jackson at Sammy Davis Jr.’s house back in 1974. When Kasem and actress wife Jean decided to wed in 1980, they asked the Rev. Jackson to conduct the ceremony at the Bel-Air Hotel. The night before the wedding, Jackson spent three hours talking to and counseling the couple. “He wanted to know if this was going to be another Hollywood marriage,” recalls Kasem. The couple were as impressed with his oratorical skills as with his politics--he managed to marry Casey, a Druze, and Jean, a former Catholic, without insulting anyone. The Kasems have been stumping for Jackson ever since.

Campaign Pizza With a Big Bite

Kasem, an activist for Arab causes, is also a vegetarian. So when he and Jean hosted a Western-style fund-raiser for Jackson at trendy Spago’s Sunday afternoon, they served three kinds of vegetarian pizza (at $1,000 a slice). “This will be a nonviolent meal,” said Kasem.

Let’s Take a Commitment Sometime

Jackson got an unexpected boost from the Hollywood writers strike. Director Oz Scott had wanted to help out Jackson for some time, but between TV series and movies-of-the-week, he never had the time. A few weeks into the strike, Scott said, his calendar cleared. So, rather than twiddling his thumbs or taking long lunches, Scott directed a commercial for Jackson. In it, actress Eileen Brennan talks about the needs of working women.

Hollywood Casts Its Ballot

Following are partial lists of Hollywood supporters in each campaign:

DUKAKIS

ENTERTAINERS

Sally Field

Richard Gere

Olympia Dukakis

Cher

Michael Douglas

Cybill Shepherd

Raquel Welch

Karen Allen

Meryl Streep

Sissy Spacek

Christopher Walken

Mia Farrow

Woody Allen

Lauren Bacall

John Lithgow

Griffin Dunne

Carrie Fisher

Richard Dreyfuss

Maureen Stapleton

Telly Savalas

Leonard Nimoy

Shelley Winters

Tony Randall

Judge Reinhold

Elizabeth Perkins

Ruben Blades

Peter Boyle

Ken Olin

Patricia Wettig

Joanna Kerns

Alan Rachins

Harry Hamlin

Doug Barr

Paul Simon

Carly Simon

James Taylor

Art Garfunkel

John Ratzenberger

OTHERS

Barry Diller, chairman, Fox Inc.

Jeff Berg, chairman, International Creative Management

Oliver Stone, director

John Davis, producer

Sydney Pollack, director

Arthur Hiller, director

Arthur Krim, chairman,

Orion Pictures

JACKSON

ENTERTAINERS

Bill Cosby

Casey and Jean Kasem

Margot Kidder

Cicely Tyson

Quincy Jones

Martin Sheen

Dennis Weaver

Eileen Brennan

Tony Franciosa

Susan Anspach

Louis Gossett Jr.

Diane Ladd

John Heard

Debbie Allen

Gregory Hines

Sammy Davis Jr.

Robert Foxworth

Elizabeth Montgomery

Valerie Harper

Robert Blake

Irene Cara

Gary Busey

Byron Allen

Ned Beatty

Kris Kristofferson

Willie Nelson

Rita Coolidge

Helen Reddy

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Carl Anderson

Mary Wilson

Gladys Knight

Cleavon Little

Bonnie Raitt

David Crosby

Bob Seger

Robert Blake

Natalie Cole

Jackson Browne

Herbie Hancock

Stevie Wonder

Al Jarreau

OTHERS

Spike Lee, director

Oz Scott, director

Zev Braun, producer

Larkin Arnold, producer

Dick Griffey, recording executive

BUSH

ENTERTAINERS

Frank Sinatra

Cheryl Ladd

Tom Selleck

Robert Stack

Clint Eastwood

Chuck Norris

Helen Hayes

Rich Little

OTHERS

Jerry Weintraub, producer

Frank Mancuso, chairman, Paramount Pictures

Harry Evans Sloan, co-chairman, New World Entertainment