A Dinner ‘Cruise’ in Memory of Neil Bogart

Memories of “The Love Boat” were frequently invoked as some 600 supporters of the Neil Bogart Memorial Laboratories boarded a new luxury cruise ship called Crystal Harmony for a black-tie dinner cruise Saturday night.

Well, cruise may be stretching it. The ship did indeed leave its berth in San Pedro. And it did head west for about 10 miles at 25 knots. But then Capt. Kai Julsen instructed, “We will tie up at 9 o’clock.” And it was straight back to “beautiful downtown San Pedro,” as Dr. Warren Richards, head of the AIDS division at Children’s Hospital, put it. (The three Bogart laboratories there are involved with research and care of childhood leukemia, pediatric cancer and AIDS.)

So maybe it wasn’t Mazatlan, but the sea air was genuine (and a few guests swore they started to suffer from seasickness).

“This is really fun,” said Allen Shapiro, vice chairman of Rastar/Indie Prod.

“You’re out. You’re away. The last time I took a cruise I went from Tangier to Naples, but that was 20 years ago and I was younger and poorer.”

Many of the guests worked in the record and entertainment industries, including agents Bill Haber and Tom Ross, director Ivan Reitman, producers Irwin Winkler, David Foster and Julian Fowles, and attorney Allen Lenard, whose wife Marlene insisted, “This boat is everything ‘The Love Boat’ is supposed to be.”

Many people had been friends of the late Neil Bogart, who was president of Casablanca Records and Filmworks.

Bogart’s widow, Joyce Bogart Trabulus, who co-founded the organization with Carole Bayer Sager seven years ago, said she expected to raise about $500,000 at Saturday’s event.

Also attending were Neil Bogart’s son Tim and daughter Jill Olive, his sister Bonnie Ermilio and parents Ruth and Al Bogart. Zaida Bedell chaired, and Ann Van Bebber served as co-chair.

After dinner and entertainment by Whoopi Goldberg (who received the first “Children’s Choice Award” from Patrick Swayze), Melissa Manchester and comic Taylor Negron, some guests spent the night on board the ship, which is Japanese owned and flies a Bahamian flag.

Although it wouldn’t be making any movement up or down the coast, that didn’t put a damper on anyone’s enthusiasm. “We would have mal de mer if it did and what fun is that?” said David Kelton, whose wife, Lenny, agreed.