Charity Banks On Celebrity Castoffs

Melrose Place used to be a quiet enclave for the serious antique shopper, but now that the Fox TV series is turning the street into a household name, it seems destined to become a hot spot on the L.A. map.

It certainly was hot when a crowd of celebrity shoppers flocked to the block Sunday to check out what their fellow headliners had put up for sale.

Billed as “Out of the Closet and Into the Street,” the flea market, which included clothes, collectibles and curiosities, many donated by stars, was staged to benefit Project Angel Food. The charity serves meals and provides emotional comfort to homebound people with AIDS.

“It’s a bright light which focuses on the specter of abandonment,” said Donna Dixon, who has worked closely with the project since losing two close friends to AIDS.

A flea market addict, Dixon said she is educating husband Dan Aykroyd in the pleasures of shopping and collecting. “I’ve started him on collecting architectural banks, all those designed around the great New York buildings, and he loves collecting badges,” she said as she tried to untangle herself and her daughter, Danielle, from a clutch of balloons that Aykroyd had for some reason tied to her lacy blouse.

At the silent auction stand, Brenda Vaccaro showed off her street hawker skills. The wares on display attracted less eager bidding than might have been expected.

For this show biz crowd it was probably hard to consider Steve Martin’s Garden Grove High School sweater “priceless.” Likewise Madonna’s see-through negligee from “Truth or Dare.” Someone was quick to note that John Candy’s golf clubs from “Caddy Shack” might be considered a bargain at $200. A pen once owned by Ira Gershwin and a walk-on role in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s next movie also quickly passed their minimum bids.

If you didn’t want movie memorabilia, perhaps you wanted a pet. Puppies and kittens were up for adoption at the city’s animal shelter booth. But several stars had brought along their own animal companions.

Isabella Rossellini was with her dachshund, Ziggy. Producer Howard Rosenman was being neck-nuzzled by his small green parrot, Tucker. Another man in the crowd brought his blue parrot. Is this a trend, perhaps sparked by the new Disney movie “Aladdin,” in which the grand vizier goes everywhere with his parrot, Iago?

Throughout the 9 a.m to 4 p.m. event, entertainment was provided by such groups as Forever Plaid. Booths from many of the town’s top restaurants provided a range of food. “What are you eating?” was as constant a query as “What did you buy?”

Meeting and greeting were Project Angel Food board members Waldo Fernandez and Michael Childers. Celebrities on hand included Marlo Thomas, Tippi Hedren, Marlee Matlin, Judith Light, John Schlesinger, Burgess Meredith and Berry Perkins. Daphne Zuniga--who debuted this week on “Melrose Place”--had the honor of cutting the ribbon to open the event.

For those hoping for more, it had to be noted that “Melrose Place” star Grant Show didn’t show. Nor did Elizabeth Taylor, although her “White Diamonds” leather jacket was prominent on the silent auction stand, designated, of course, as “priceless.”