Zsa Zsa Reports to Court With Army of Followers

Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor spent the day in court Monday, watching jury selection for her trial on a charge of slapping a Beverly Hills policeman.

The actress’ entourage was surrounded by more than 100 reporters and camera and sound crews when she stepped from a chauffeured car near the courthouse.

“Hello, dahlinks,” she said as she breezed into the Beverly Hills courtroom accompanied by her hairdresser, Michael Disney; daughter, Francesca Hilton, and eighth husband, Prince Frederick von Anhalt, Germany’s Duke of Saxony.

Gabor wore a black Donna Karan dress, a string of pearls and a large diamond wedding ring, which she toyed with in court.

Gag Order Imposed

Her attorney, William Graysen, estimated that the trial would take five to seven days.

Municipal Judge Charles G. Rubin immediately imposed a gag order on the case in an attempt to silence the outspoken Gabor.

Distressed by word that only six reporters would be allowed in to witness Monday’s proceedings, the international news mob swarmed Disney for information to embellish their stories.

It was “just the usual” hair style for Gabor, he said. “It’s very conservative.”

Disney added that he had begun working on the hairdo Sunday.

Gabor was arrested June 14 in after she was stopped at the wheel of her $215,000 Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible for having an expired registration, and drove off as Beverly Hills motorcycle Officer Paul Kramer was checking for other infractions.

Police said she slapped the officer when he stopped her again two blocks later.

Gabor has maintained that she was verbally and physically abused by Kramer, who she claims has a history of harassing celebrities.

She pleaded innocent July 12 to charges of misdemeanor battery on a police officer, disobeying a police officer’s orders, driving with an expired license, having an open container of alcohol in her car and having an expired car registration.

Hilton told reporters Monday that her mother has a point to make because “this guy (Kramer) really treated her bad. . . .”

“She feels confident and expects a fair trial like everyone else,” said Hilton, wearing a T-shirt bearing a photo of her mother behind bars with the words “Free Zsa Zsa” written in pink. “She is taking this very seriously.”

Von Anhalt said the entire brouhaha with Kramer amounted to a “misunderstanding. . . . She’s not used to that language. She didn’t understand.”

Some people who witnessed the incident, though, have contended that Gabor also was using profane language.

If convicted, she faces a maximum jail term of two years and a $4,000 fine.

Anticipating the worst, designer Bob Mackie said he has fashioned a $6,000 prison dress for Gabor complete with traditional jailbird stripes.

Gabor yawned as Monday’s proceedings headed toward lunch recess.

She was followed again by a crush of reporters and camera crews toward the courthouse elevator.

‘Sure It Will Be Fair’

“I’ve never done it (jury selection) before. I think it’s exciting,” she said. “I think (the prospective jurors are) all wonderful, intelligent people.”

Asked about the outcome of the trial, Gabor said, “I’m sure it will be fair.”

The jury selection process is expected to conclude today.

Rubin, who did not allow cameras into the 72-seat courtroom, asked the prospective panelists if they had heard of the Gabor case. All of them raised their hands to indicate they had.

Gabor, wearing oversized sunglasses, tried to speak when the judge asked the potential jurors whether they had a problem with people drinking alcohol.

Rubin reminded her that the questions were for prospective panelists only.

Officer Called Abusive

Graysen said he expects to call 18 witnesses on his client’s behalf. He said earlier that he intends to prove that Kramer “used excessive violence, abusive language, and has a bias toward the well-known.”

During his questioning of prospective jurors this morning, Graysen asked if they had “ever heard the expression ‘f. . . off?’ and what does it mean to you?”

The question had to do with the officer’s alleged remarks to Gabor, who claims she interpreted the phrase as meaning she should leave.

The judge overruled the question.

Graysen also asked the prospective panelists if they believe “everything (they) read in the papers?”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Elden Fox said there was no evidence that Kramer had brutalized Gabor.

“There was nothing to indicate that the officer acted in anything other than a very professional manner,” the prosecutor said.

The Beverly Hills incident wasn’t Gabor’s first run-in with law enforcement.

In January, authorities said, she spouted profanities when she was taken off an airliner in Atlanta because her two dogs were loose in the plane. A similar incident occurred in 1968 when she illegally took a dog with her to Spain.

The Hungarian-born actress, who is secretive about her age, is reported to be between 62 and 70. The former Miss Hungary was a teen-ager at the time of her first marriage, to Burhan Belge, the Turkish ambassador to Hungary.