Premiere Nets $735,000 for Fund

The Motion Picture and Television Fund netted $735,000 at the world premiere of “Russia House” Dec. 4 at the Cineplex Odeon cinemas in Universal City. More than 1,100 attended the black-tie premiere and after-party. Proceeds include a $250,000 donation by MGM-Pathe Communications Co. The fund, founded in 1921, provides medical care, social services and retirement care for industry employees and retirees.

* Four AIDS charities--Hollywood Helps, Minority AIDS Project, Search Alliance and Necessities of Life--reaped the benefits of “An Evening With Noel Coward” and champagne reception at the Pavilion Restaurant at the Music Center on Dec. 10. The evening, sponsored by Center Theatre Group Cares, was presented by artists, staff, stage crews and technicians, and was hosted by Grover Dale, Amy Irving, Dale Kristien and Richard Thomas. The evening netted $30,000, supplemented by a surprise donation of $100,000 from Amy Irving, to be equally shared by the four agencies.

* Easter Seal Societies of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties were the beneficiaries of $337,258 raised by 105 teams that logged 10,286 miles at the Jesse Owens Track at Cal State Los Angeles Oct. 21. The event--the Orange Coast Title Company 24-Hour Relay--was developed by the company to assist Easter Seals in funding 25 local programs that assist disabled adults and children.

* Hathaway Children’s Services received a $25,000 grant from SHARE (Share Happily and Reap Endlessly) Nov. 6. The contribution will go to Hathaway’s new program, “Building Job Readiness Through Computer Training.”

* Spastic Children’s League of Los Angeles’ 45th annual Candy Cane Ball was held Dec. 1 at the Century Plaza Tower Ballroom and netted $75,000--increased to $175,000 by a donation from Mary D. Allen. The proceeds will benefit the Children’s Training Program of the United Cerebral Palsy/Spastic Children’s Foundation. C. J. O’Malley is league president. Nancy Dahlberg was chair.

* White Memorial Medical Center’s emergency department expansion and renovation program will receive $100,000, the net proceeds from the “Evening of Music & Memories” with John Denver Nov. 3 at the Century Plaza Hotel. The White Memorial Medical Center Foundation sponsored the fund-raiser.

* Los Angeles Rescue Mission received help from the company of “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway” when the cast and crew hosted a private Thanksgiving bake sale Nov. 20 on the ABC Entertainment Center stage. The sale, with all items baked by the participants, netted more than $1,000, enough for Thanksgiving dinners for 600 people at the mission.

* American Cancer Society is the recipient of $35,000, proceeds from the “Twice Gifted” art exhibit/auction of works by James Dean, Charles Bronson, Billy Dee Williams, E. E. Cummings and others. The event was held Nov. 30 at the Tamara Bane Gallery. The donation was given in the name of Charles Bronson’s late wife, Jill Ireland.

* ERAS Center (Educational Resource & Services) has received $19,500, raised from the fourth annual Fritz Coleman Comedy Night. The benefit was held Nov. 14 at the Comedy Store (facilities donated) and underwritten by the Rifkin Family, Cal-Mode Furniture Manufacturers and American Airlines. Prizes were donated by Ricardo of Beverly Hills. Proceeds will be used to provide scholarships for after-school care for children.

* Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA has been endowed with a perpetual trust of $2,750 per month by Olga Barbee Harris for the care of dogs in the shelter. The first installment was received Nov. 26.

* Five charities that help the needy and homeless on downtown’s Skid Row will share Downtown Dollar Days’ fund-raising proceeds of $80,000. DDD, a nonprofit organization of downtown professionals concerned with homelessness, held its second annual chili cook-off and fourth annual three-day fund-raising drive Nov. 14 through 16 at the Westin Bonaventure. The benefiting charities are Chrysalis Center, Downtown Women’s Center, Las Familias del Pueblo, Los Angeles Men’s Place and Para Los Ninos-Ninth Street School.

* Ian S. Brown Foundation for Congenital Defects held a fund-raising party Nov. 18 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire; 150 guests attended. Net proceeds of $30,000 were raised through a live auction. Proceeds will be used to provide medical treatment to impoverished children suffering congenital defects. Event coordinators were Carrie Winston, Susan Shaw and Lilly Lipton.

* Daniel Freeman Hospitals’ annual Christmas Tree Ball, held Dec. 2 at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey, netted $110,000 for cardiac monitors at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital and for obstetric services at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood. The ball was sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

* Childrens Hospital Los Angeles received 500 toys and more than $1,400 for its patients at the Dec. 2 Christmas Toy Drive at Griffith Park & Southern Railroad. The railroad owners gave free train rides to children who brought toys.

* Inner-City Arts held its Adopt-A-Class Program Dec. 2 and received donations and pledges totaling $47,900. The organization uses the arts to help bridge cultural and language gaps for children who live in the Skid Row and Central Los Angeles areas.