An Evening Long on Laughter

The Scene: It had all the levity promised but not the brevity. The host of the second Scott Newman Center cabaret gala Sunday honoring George Schlatter had written on the invitations and in the program, “We will get you home early.” The designated hour was 10:30, but much like any Schlatter production, the jokes wouldn’t stop and so it was 11:45 before most people were back at the Beverly Hilton’s valet parking area. But, they were still laughing.

Who Was There: Center founder Paul Newman, Goldie Hawn, Tom Selleck, Gregory Peck; Martin Short and Chevy Chase to provide some of the jokes; Berry Gordy and Suzanne de Passe with her husband, Paul Le Mat; Joanna and Sidney Poitier, Patricia and Mike Medavoy, Candy and Aaron Spelling and Barbara and Marvin Davis. A big-time crowd.

Who Wasn’t There: Honorary co-chairman Frank Sinatra, who was in New York making up Radio City Music Hall dates he had missed because of the flu. Also absent was Joanne Woodward, who doesn’t fly and so didn’t join husband Paul Newman on this one-night visit from the East Coast.

The Buzz: Politics and the election, of course, and guesses as to what liberal Newman and conservative Selleck were saying to each other, especially as they were both grinning. Other chat expressed nostalgia for the ‘60s brought by the evening’s memories of “Laugh-In.”

The Entertainment: Schlatter’s daughter Maria Schlatter co-produced with something of the anything-goes touch of her father. Highlights were Lily Tomlin as Ernestine, Newman and Henry Mancini’s piano duet, Hawn giggling her way through the cue cards and many, many clips from Schlatter’s more than 1,000 hours of television specials.

Jokes: From Schlatter: “Ginny Mancini just told me Henry has written a song called ‘Inhale to the Chief.’ ” From Paul Newman: “It’s nice to be in front of an audience. It doesn’t happen much now that my salad dressing is out-grossing my films.”

Serious Side: The screening of a public service announcement promoting the Scott Newman Center’s program of drug prevention through education and Bruce Davison’s comment in memory of Newman’s son: “Scott was a contemporary of mine and I’m glad that I’m here.”

Favors: A Sinatra CD, a Guess T-shirt and Newman’s own spaghetti sauce, salad dressing and salsa made for heavy take-away tote bags.