Informal Style Wins at ‘Games’

The scene: Premiere of “Patriot Games”--as in the CIA, as in the IRA, as in the Tom Clancy bestseller, as in the anticipated big-grossing summer flick starring Harrison Ford. The event at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Wednesday night was a fund-raiser by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Women’s Guild.

The audience review: Fast-paced and exciting, if rather implausible. “If Tom Cruise got $10 million, Harrison Ford deserves $15 million,” opined Cookie Markowitz, a member of the Women’s Guild board. “I’m wrung out,” said Keith Kieschnick. “It was almost as far-fetched as ‘Die Hard,’ ” said a producer who asked not to be identified for fear of alienating Brandon Tartikoff, chairman of Paramount, the studio that made the film.

Who was there: Hollywood Old Guard and New Guard types, including Tartikoff, Ford, Judy Ovitz--who chaired the event--and her husband, Michael; Marcia Ziffren, Women’s Guild president, and her husband, Ken; David Geffen, Karl Malden, Jake Bloom, Tony and Glenn Thomas, James Woods, Sharon Stone, Gabriel Byrne, Ed and Annie Pressman, Warren Littlefield, Harriet and Armand Deutsch, plus Los Angeles police commission President Stanley Sheinbaum, Neil and Diane Simon, Cedars-Sinai board chairman Joe Mitchell and his wife, Beverly; event co-chairs Beverly Firestein, Ruth Fox, Abby Levy, Kathy Louchheim, Paramount executives Barry London and John Goldwyn, “Patriot Games” producers Mace Neufeld and Robert Rehme, and director Philip Noyce.

Overheard: Barbara Davis commenting on producer Bobby Shriver’s new beard: “You look like an animal.”

Hospital rounds: Judy Ovitz explained why she has chaired three movie premieres for St. John’s Hospital plus this one, her first for Cedars-Sinai: “My husband is on the board of St. John’s, Cedars-Sinai and the UCLA Medical Center. We really believe in supporting hospitals.”

Money matters: More than $500,000 was raised, bringing the 35-year-old support group’s long-running total gift to the hospital to more than $9 million. “We work hard,” said Marcia Ziffren.

Style matters: It may not seem like a big deal, but after 3 1/2 decades of black-tie supper parties, the Women’s Guild decision to go casual this year was momentous. “We had our 35-year stint with formals, and suddenly the whole world changed,” said Ruth Fox. The invitation called for “patriotic attire,” which was translated into everything from red Armani suits to blue jeans and Butler & Wilson rhinestone American flag pins.

Chow: People stood around munching on hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies. “Women’s Guild was always known for very formal, beautiful affairs and all the gorgeous gowns, and I miss it,” lamented Margery Tyre, a hospital life trustee, who sat down at a table and negotiated a Dove bar. “I guess this is the new way.”

* MOVIE REVIEW

Kenneth Turan. F1