LAGUNA BEACH : Organizer Cancels Bette Davis Service

The organizer of a beachside memorial service for Bette Davis has canceled the event, saying that mourners of the late actress should send money to help victims of the San Francisco earthquake.

Longtime Laguna Beach resident Harry Moon said Wednesday that he decided to cancel the scheduled Friday memorial service as he watched television accounts of the 6.9 temblor that killed scores in the Bay Area.

Moon had organized an informal service to be held on the shore, in the shadow of the bluff where Davis once lived. Davis, a one-time Laguna Beach resident, died at 81 on Oct. 6 in a French hospital. She had been suffering from breast cancer.

Moon had initially asked residents and fans of the two-time Academy Award winner to send flowers in honor of Davis, who once starred in the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters summer festival.

“I feel that the donations to the Red Cross (for aid to earthquake victims) would be more in keeping with the spirit of Bette Davis,” Moon said. “She was quite generous and giving to the poor and needy. I feel that her films at this time are a fitting legacy.”