They Come Out in Force for ‘Sunset Blvd.’ Premiere

The first “Sunset Blvd.” starred Gloria Swanson with William Holden in the 1950 Billy Wilder film. The newest “Sunset Blvd.” stars Glenn Close with Alan Campbell in the 1993 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Tuesday night at the American premiere at the Shubert Theatre, Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles starred too. It was the only Los Angeles institution that attempted to sell out the Shubert’s 1,751 seats during the myriad preview nights. The evening was a sellout, with a waiting list--a dream come true for benefit chairwoman Brooke Young, granddaughter of the late Gloria Swanson.

Post-show, Young said, “Glenn Close was incredible. And the set! She captured the Norma Desmond personality. I really thought I was watching my grandmother.”

A who’s who of the Southland crowded the theater. Pre-show, 1,200 of them flocked across the street, most jaywalking, for a supper of beef stew, salmon, Caesar salad, pastas and champagne.

“This is a real body brush,” said Robin Barker, meaning it was people-perfect, the more the merrier. Charlie and Nancy Munger and Tom and Margaret Larkin ate standing up. Stanton and Ernestine Avery, George Boone and Rari and Frank Simmons and their family meshed on the crowded balcony. In the bar, where some ate at the marble bar, the crush included the Henry Yost family. On the patio Judson and Joyce Green found a table. Upstairs, Marion and Earl Jorgensen had dibs on another, while Polly Goodan searched.

Judge David Thomas, chairman of the hospital trustees, his wife, Peggy, and trustees president Anne Wilson surveyed the crowd with pleasure, while committee stalwarts Bonnie McClure and Sally Stewart devised traffic patterns and Tally Mingst and Nancy Birdwell lent benefit expertise under the marquee lights.

The musical has some poignant lines: “All you wonderful people out there in the dark.” “We taught the world a new way to dream.” “Bound to be a little suffering,” and, “She’s never known the meaning of surrender.”

For hospital devotees, there seemed to be double meanings. Among the wonderful people out there, standing to applaud for curtain calls, were Stacey Sewell and her parents, Barbara and Jim Sewell, and Dr. Vaughn Starnes and his wife, Janet. He’s the doctor at Childrens who performed the first double-lobe lung transplant in January, when Stacey, a cystic fibrosis patient, received lobes from both her parents.

Also in the crowd were Stewart Smith and Jeanne and Russell Smith and the H. Russell Smith Research Award winner, Dr. Donald Kohn, who made history this year for his team’s gene therapy procedure on a “bubble baby.”

“I had such a feeling of the audience being together,” said John Welborne.

The hospital is known for its massive numbers of volunteers and givers. Honorary chairs Hannah and Edward Carter were in one row with former Ambassador to the Vatican William Wilson with his wife, Betty, and Tom and Ruth Jones. Nearby were Jean Smith and Ross Barrett, Marcia Hobbs and Martha and Glen Mitchel.

Families were happily clustered. Will and Libby Doheny, with his mother, Onnalee Doheny, and sister Katrina Cord, in from Sun Valley, and their children, Leigh and Megan, were there. More in the crowd: Rupert and Anna Murdoch, David and Holly Davis with their daughter Jessica and his mother, Ruth Davis; Joan Williams up from the desert, Sally Keller and attorney-daughter Sarah, Rich and Megan Hernandez, Walt Rose, Bob and Faye Davidson, Janice and Bob Carpenter, Betty Keatinge, Dr. Richard and Nancy Call, Scott Brittingham and Ella McCormick (engaged to wed June 25 at Mauna Kea) and Pen and Mary Alice Tudor.

Swanson’s daughter Gloria Daly (Brooke Young’s mother) flew in from Pebble Beach. Brooke’s brothers, Larry and Chris Anderson of Montecito, and her daughter Ashley, 19, and son, Court, answered Swanson questions galore.

Of her famous great grandmother, Ashley said, “She gave us big hugs.”

*

EARTHSHAKING: Bills flew from a futuristic ATM on stage at the Beverly Hilton. The ballroom roared with the crunching grind of a fake earthquake and aftershock.

The scene was the 36th annual California Scientist and Industrialist of the Year awards banquet. Hiroo Kanamori, director of the Caltech seismological laboratory, and Edward Carson, chairman and CEO of First Interstate Bancorp, were both modest as they accepted the crystal awards presented by the California Museum of Science and Industry.

Kanamori, honored for his research into the waves and energy that earthquakes produce, said his concern was to make people earthquake-prepared. Carson, who received his award for transforming First Interstate into one of the top-performing banks in the nation--handling 11 million ATM transactions per month--said he dates from “the pen-and-ink era.”

Carson’s wife, Nadine, and Kanamori’s wife, Kay, looked on. Among those lauding the recipients were museum President Roger Kozberg, emcee Franklin Ulf, USC President Steven Sample, museum executive director Jeffrey Rudolph, Donald Shellgren and Marvin Holen.

*

VOILA: More than 500 Francophiles (including L.A.’s new French Consul Gen. Jean-Maurice Ripert) sipped the just-released 1993 Beaujolais Nouveau flown in (compliments of Air France) for La Grande Affaire chaired by Sheldon Ausman (with wife Sandy by his side) at the Biltmore. The Crystal Ballroom was converted into “A Night at Maxim’s.” Master Chef Jean-Pierre Chavant from Grenoble supervised the French cuisine. John Gavin, former ambassador to Mexico, and wife Connie led the festivities.

A net of $100,000 is anticipated to aid the California Medical Center-Los Angeles emergency department, which treats 31,000 patients a year.

*

CHRISTMAS FAVORITES: Hollygrove Home for Children presents “Santa on Ice,” a family ice show (with Diane Keaton as honorary chair) Dec. 4 at Pickwick Ice Center . . . Angels Attic in Santa Monica celebrates its 10th Victorian Christmas with a gala tea from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

*

NEWEST: Chanel President Arie L. Kopelman heralded Chanel boutique’s new four-story home on Rodeo Drive at an American Film Institute affair.

*

TRIBUTES: Los Amigos del Pueblo, Merchants of Olvera Street, the Charros, Los Amigos de Los Angeles and Mariachi Los Camperos hosted a mariachi Mass to honor the memory of El Padrino John Bowles, who died this month . . . Roger and Erika Greaves took kudos from the Valley Cultural Center at its Golden Horn Award dinner at the Promenade in Woodland Hills.

*

ESCALATION: Cast members of “Guys and Dolls” joined the pony watchers at the autumn opening of Hollywood Park . . . Junior League President Ann Zimmerman headed the groundbreaking for the new Marjorie Hamlin Rainey league headquarters in Hancock Park. She also hosted the league’s President’s Tea in Marina del Rey . . . .

Mary Hart sang the national anthem and Dennis Miller starred at “Jail House Rock,” chaired by Bruce Meyer for the Beverly Hills Police Officers Assn. Supporters netted $240,000 . . . Christine Geller, Deedie Hudnut, Dayle Roath and Mary Flaherty exulted in their holiday gift boutique and luncheon at the Bel-Air Bay Club for Westside Guild of Childrens Hospital.

*

ON VIEW: Dr. Francis J. Moorehead presided over the opening reception of the $4-million Methodist Hospital Radiation Oncology Center in Arcadia . . . Rosemary Kramer brought the Southern California Council of the National Museum of Women in the Arts together at the Armand Hammer Museum to view satirical works by Daumier. Later everyone crossed Wilshire Boulevard for tea at the Regency Club and a blow-out of candles on the group’s third birthday cake . . . .

Ava and Chuck Fries hosted cocktails for supporters of People Assisting the Homeless and handed out invitations to an imaginary feast supporters won’t need to attend (just send money) . . . Lynn Day and Molly Siefert chaired the Metropolitan Opera National Council dinner for the Western Regional Auditions . . . .

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times is the beneficiary of the funds raised by the Alpha Delta Pi luncheon chaired by Anne Hasserjian . . . Mary Bilich and Marie Watte chaired the San Marino Guild for John Tracy Clinic fashion show . . . Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Lynn Martin spoke at the Wish List reception at the home of Margaret and William Grubman.