Hearty Laughter Hits Its Marx at Healthy Benefit

Proving laughter is the best medicine, Marx Brothers impersonators played doctor at the Friends of the Saddleback Heart Institute’s “Heart Healthy” dinner.

Called “Laughter, Hearts and Marx,” the institute’s fifth annual benefit attracted about 225 guests to the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach last week. The $100-per-person gala raised about $43,000 for heart care programs at the Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills.

Heartwarming Night

“The premise of this evening is to get together in a warm, cozy way,” said Bobbi Hawkins, event co-chairwoman.

The Three Marx Brothers contributed to the light mood by calling on guests to join in their comedy and magic routines. With Nurse Harpo (Brian Mulligan) and Orderly Chico (Chris Durmick) to assist, Dr. Groucho (Jess Weissman) performed a physical examination on a somewhat wary patient, Pat Perkowski, wife of Dr. David Perkowski. Then they performed surgery on a real doctor, Richard Froehlich, who gamely allowed Groucho to pull a rubber heart out of his chest.

“This a way of fostering camaraderie and saying ‘thank you’ to our supporters,” said Dr. Douglas Lyle, co-director of the institute’s catheterization lab. “It gets people away from the hospital.”

Counting Calories

The hotel ballroom where guests gathered had a romantic look, with tables decorated with bouquets of pink rose buds and centerpieces of heart-shaped ivy.

Chef Mark Bolton orchestrated a heart-healthy dinner of asparagus consomme, Kentucky limestone salad with hazelnut truffle vinaigrette dressing, breast of chicken with ginger walnut vinaigrette, duchess potatoes and vegetables and raspberry mousse. The entire low-fat meal weighed in at under 1,000 calories, and recipes were printed in guests’ programs so they could duplicate the dinner at home.

“You’ll never gain weight here,” said Karen Stevens, event co- chairwoman.

The gala is part of a national Heart Month celebration, and proceeds will be used for the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

“Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer, but it’s definitely decreased as people become more aware of prevention,” said Cheryl Jacob, coordinator of the institute’s corporate health and fitness services. “A lot more people are getting into exercise and nutrition.”

Among the guests were Charles Mann, president of Friends, and wife Jeri, Lillian Bynum, Jack and Lou Chezick, Dorothy Colver, J. Paul Denney, Carol Dolan, Nolan and Joyce Draney, Virgil Enke, Jeff and Debbie Feiner, Lee and Donna Hartman, John and Ratana King, Candy Luddy, Earl and Karen McNall, Bill and Louise Meiklejohn, William Nelson, Robert and Linda Pompei, James and Patricia Riddle, Russell Scott, Bill and Evelyn Shopp and Anne Simmons.