‘Chances Are’ Debut: Bright Lights, Big Benefit

The klieg-lighted, red-carpeted movie premiere was alive and well and happening in Westwood on Wednesday night.

“Chances Are,” the new Tri-Star comedy starring Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O’Neal and Robert Downey Jr., brought some glitz to the Bruin theater for a benefit screening that drew the film’s stars to the movie and the party that followed.

The worthy cause of the evening was the National Captioning Institute, a nonprofit organization that captions television shows and films and manufactures the decoding devices for closed-captioning on home sets for the deaf and hearing-impaired. Proceeds from the screening will allow at least 600 children in the Los Angeles area to have decoders.

Hundreds of deaf and hard-of-hearing students also saw the film that night, at a nearby theater with a captioned print of the film.

Food and Photo Requests

After both screenings, guests converged at a parking lot--the tented variety, with carpeting and buffet tables bearing salmon, pasta and brownies.

The stars made their way past photographers and hundreds of fans who had lined the streets and perched briefly at their tables. Standing guard over each one were publicists, whispering interview and photo requests in their ears for the stars to accept or decline.

Ryan O’Neal, sitting with Farrah Fawcett, was one happy camper, obviously pleased with the audience’s reaction to the film.

“My heart’s still pounding,” he said, tapping the table with his hands and grinning broadly.

“I’d do this kind of film every time if I could.”

Touched by Story

The film’s producer, Mike Lobell, turned O’Neal on to the script. “He was also the producer on ‘So Fine,’ and he told me I should read this one. He said, ‘It’s not the lead,’ and I said, ‘It’s not the lead!?’ But I read it, and it was great. I wanted to be in something with a wide audience appeal. And this touched me like ‘Love Story’ did.”

O’Neal was also encouraged by the audience’s reaction at the recent New York premiere, but admitted that New York is a difficult crowd.

“They’re tough guys. ‘C’mon,’ ” he said, imitating a growly New York accent, “ ‘get us to the Rainbow Room!’ ”

At another table sat Cybill Shepherd with daughter Clementine. “Do you want anything else to eat?” her publicist asked, and Shepherd shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat any of this,” she said, staring at plates piled with corn, chicken, vegetables, salad, pate, cheese and bread.

One couldn’t help noticing Shepherd’s weariness.

Introspection, and a Dance

“Well, you know, I got up at 5 a.m. to do ‘Moonlighting,’ and I am a mother of three,” she said. “Basically I’m a very happy person. I have a family, and a wonderful career, and I really enjoy my children. Sometimes it’s a struggle. You know, I think of who my role models are--Katharine Hepburn and Lillian Gish, and I thought, wait a minute, they don’t have any children. I think I’d better re-evaluate my role models.”

But just when Shepherd looked as if she were headed for more introspection, along came Robert Downey Jr., who got her laughing and swept her up for an impromptu dance.

Downey had interpreted the evening’s black-tie optional dress code and wore black pants cropped just below the knee with knee socks and garters. He spent much of the night hanging around with pals Judd Nelson and Josh Richman.

Also seen tenting it were others of the film’s stars: Mary Stuart Masterson, Christopher McDonald and Fran Ryan, plus Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Marlee Matlin, Riki Lake and Helen Slater. Not able to make it (due to a family emergency) was Ira C. Herbert, president of Coca-Cola USA and honorary chairman of the benefit.

Don Thieme, NCI’s executive director of public affairs and development, was thrilled with the evening’s turnout.

‘A Tremendous Need’

“There is a tremendous need,” he said, “not only in Los Angeles County, but all across the country, to address the problem of deaf and hard-of-hearing children who come from families who economically have not been able to provide a decoder for their child. . . . Closed-captioning is providing an opportunity, shown by our research, to improve one’s language skills. And you’re also talking about a socialization aspect. Think for a moment about a family where there is a hearing mother and father and a deaf child and hearing siblings. Everyone sits down to watch television, and think of the impact of that deaf child saying, ‘I have to leave the family at this point.’ ”

After making their required appearances, most of the stars called it a night as the guests stayed past 11 to dance to the live band. Judd Nelson and Josh Richman scooted out of the party and down an alley, only to be followed by photographers and young female fans in search of autographs. Somehow they escaped, loping off into the night.