The South Rises at ‘Rich in Love’ Benefit

The Scene: Thursday’s benefit premiere of MGM’s “Rich in Love” at the Directors Guild, with a reception in the lobby after the screening. As a studio, MGM is in the post-Giancarlo Parretti process of reviving itself. “A faint, though creative, pulse,” was one poetic description of the situation.

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Who Was There: Co-stars Kathryn Erbe and Piper Laurie (the film’s star, Albert Finney, was in London; director Bruce Beresford was filming in Africa); producers Richard and Lili Zanuck and MGM CEO Alan Ladd Jr.; plus 700 guests including George Peppard, Pierce Brosnan, Rita Rudner, Martin Bergman, Tony Bill, Helen Hunt, Andy Granatelli, James Earl Jones, Ernest Borgnine and Morgan Freeman, who called the film “a delicious meal.”

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The Actor’s Life: Kathryn Erbe bore the brunt of the paparazzi’s flashes. “It’s horrifying,” said the actress. “There are blasts of light and people screaming at you. They yell your name and ‘Over here!’ ‘Over here!’ In fact, they were yelling someone else’s name. They were calling me Gabrielle, which made it even worse.”

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Chow: An overwhelming selection of Southern-style desserts (the movie is set in South Carolina) from Someone’s in the Kitchen: sweet potato pie, peach cobbler and pecan “tassies.”

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Quoted: “I think this is a film many people may lose patience with,” said Erbe. “It’s the kind of thing you have to meet halfway. You have to pay attention. A lot of plot points go by in a line, and, if you’re not listening, you won’t understand what’s going on.”

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Best Jab at the Film: “It’s like ‘A River Runs Through It,’ ” said one guest. “Except there’s no river and nothing runs through it.”

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Money Matters: Tickets were $100. More than $70,000 was netted for the Institute for Cancer and Blood Research. The money is needed because, “in research, the equipment is old the day after you buy it,” said ICBR administrator Susan Kane.

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Hollywood Moment: Producer Stuart Lerner, fresh from the American Film Market, talked up his product, “Bimbo Penitentiary.” “You’ve heard of movies that are cast- or plot-driven,” said Lerner. “This is a film that’s title-driven.” The follow-ups are “Coed Zombies” and “Psycho Sister Slumber Party.”

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Real-Life Drama: “This guy was asking me to marry him,” said one woman about an encounter at the after-party. “It was unbelievable. He was kissing my hand. He was serious.” She declined on the grounds that a woman should, “never marry anyone who has his picture on his business card. He’s either an actor or a real-estate agent.”