The Scene: Friday night’s annual dinner and...

The Scene: Friday night’s annual dinner and roast held by the Friends of the L.A. Free Clinic. The roastee was Budd Friedman, founder and co-owner of the Improvisation chain of night clubs, and the roasters included Danny Aiello, Roseanne Barr, Bernie Brillstein, Harvey Korman, Pat McCormick, Bette Midler (celebrating her birthday), Paul Rodriguez, Wil Shriner and Brandon Tartikoff.

The Buzz: The evening was a major fund raiser for the clinic’s new building on Beverly Boulevard, which is scheduled to open for business early next year. It’s the Free Clinic’s 22nd year of operation and, as one organizer put it, “We’re not the hippy drug clinic on Fairfax anymore.”

Who Was There: Justine Bateman, Richard Belzer, Theodore Bikel, Barbara Eden, Bonnie Franklin, Terri Garr, Marla Gibbs, Hal Linden, Lainie Kazan, Garry Shandling, and Alan Thicke. Also there were event chairwoman Mimi West and co-chairwomen Ellen Hoberman and Barbara Yaroslavsky (with husband Zev).

Dress Code: A few people wore tuxedos and long dresses, but by and large most guests opted for business wear.

Chow: Guests dined on tortellini, chicken, and wild rice. Bottles of Scotch were provided as party favors.

Surprise: After dinner Bette Midler was surprised when dessert arrived with candles and costumed carolers sent over from the Walt Disney Studios, who came on stage to lead the room in a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” As emcee Garry Marshall put it, the good wishes were “from all the people at Disney, who you make a lot of money for.”

Punch Lines: Harvey Korman was appropriately merciless, saying that Brandon Tartikoff was “only here because he couldn’t bear to stay at home and watch his own Friday night lineup,” and of Friedman, “Have we had one too many charity dinners in Hollywood? There are so many glittering names in the Hollywood firmament and we honor Budd Friedman?”

Triumphs: By choosing Friedman as the evening’s honoree, the Free Clinic managed to get a dais full of entertainers who usually avoid the banquet circuit. Roseanne Barr, in particular, brought the house down with a routine incorporating words that had probably never been spoken on stage at the Beverly Wilshire, and would certainly never be uttered on her TV show.

Glitches: The pace of the evening was slow. The roast, scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., didn’t get started until almost 9:45.

Exit Line: Wil Shriner openly questioned the quality of medical care at the Free Clinic, noting that the last time he had been there, “The doctor also undressed for the exam.”