A Royal Welcome for Prince Edward

When a prince comes to town, Los Angeles goes a bit giddy. Flashbulbs were like sun in the eyes--blinding--when His Royal Highness Prince Edward appeared at a black-tie dinner at the Beverly Hilton last week to bestow the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) LA Britannia Award on director Martin Scorsese. Earlier, Arco chairman Lod Cook had honored Scorsese at a luncheon for about 50 at the Bel-Air Hotel.

At a paparazzi setup before the dinner, Hollywood’s luster--Emma Samms, Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Norman and Peggy Lloyd and Roddy McDowall--clustered for photos with the prince and Scorsese, along with BAFTA’s former chairman Johnny Goodman of London, International Variety Club president John Ratcliff, Variety Club of Southern California president Maureen Arthur Ruben and British Consul Gen. Merrick Baker-Bates and his wife, Chrystal. Proceeds from the event will go to Variety, which has raised more than $650 million for disabled children.

At dinner, the prince was seated between Michelle Pfeiffer and Shirley MacLaine. Scorsese’s tributes came from them and actors Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel, film editor Thelma Schoonmaker and director Arthur Hiller. Six hundred watched clips from Scorsese films such as “Raging Bull.”

Classical guitarist Lionac Boyd and comedian Sid Caesar shared the entertaining. After Caesar wowed the audience with his garbled “international routine,” the prince, who recently started Ardent Productions, an independent television production company, followed with, “I think I’ll stick to English if you don’t mind” as he gave the Baccarat crystal award to Scorsese.

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Candlelight: Some of Los Angeles’ most prestigious ball givers and fund raisers were in the spotlight Saturday evening at the 58th Candlelight Ball at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.

Amid masses of candlelit Christmas trees, Juniors of the Social Service Auxiliary honored their past presidents and ball chairwomen dating back to 1934, when the group was founded by a group of six including philanthropist Alice Avery, member of an early land grant family.

Wearing emeralds, Avery arrived by limousine from the Los Angeles Country Club, where she was hosting her own Christmas party, to join this year’s ball chairwomen Barbara Barnoski and Sally Kroener and Juniors president Chris Thorpe.

Arlis Morton, president in 1941, and Josephine Saenz Wayne (ex-wife of the late John Wayne), president in 1944, and Diane Downey, 1945, were taking longtime honors, with Marge Hegener representing the 1950s. Joining Avery among the past ball chairwomen were Mary Barry, Patty Burschinger, Gretchen Wayne, Sandi Walker, Barbara Overland, Chris Newman and Toni Hodgkiss. Also honored were former presidents Gay Goerz, Mary Kay Sexton, Chickie Byrne, Diane Vogelsang and Pat Lorne.

As always, proceeds (this year, $150,000) go to low-income families served by two Regis House community centers.

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Deck the Halls: Red dresses, red suits, red everything crowded the foyer of Caroline Singleton’s Holmby Hills home for the Colleagues’ annual holiday luncheon. Included were members of Les Amies and the Chips (Colleagues Helpers in Philanthropic Service). All three groups raise funds for the Children’s Institute International.

Colleagues president Ann Petroni graciously welcomed members Nancy Reagan, Mary Marshall, Marion Jorgensen, Harriet Deutsch, Jayne Berger, Lee Witte, Nancy Day, Joey Smith, Jean Trousdale, Marilyn McDaniel, Anne Johnson, Lupe Hinckle, Marjorie Miller, Mary Swaebe, Doris Coleman, Topsy Doheny, Billie Cosgrove and Harriet Zukas. Margaret Preissman, president of the Chips, was at a center table . . . .

Several evenings earlier, Les Amies hosted their elegant Christmas cocktail buffet at the Bistro Garden with a happy crowd of 250, including Coco Viault, Diane Murphy and Margo Hirsh . . . .

Toni Tennille starred in the 36th annual Michael Burke Foundation “Voices of Christmas” dinner-dance. The evening raised $35,000 for the Heart Institute at St. John’s Hospital and Health Center.

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If It’s Christmas . . . : Then, it’s time to buy your Boys Republic Della Robbia wreath of hand-crafted fresh California redwood, fragrant apples, lemons, pods and pine cones to aid disadvantaged and troubled teen-agers at Boys Republic in Chino Hills . . . And it’s time to consider a Five Acres Christmas tree (at 1999 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena) to aid abused children.

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Friendly Season: Friends of Banning Park celebrated over a Victorian tea . . . Friends of Robinson Gardens, including Jan Billings, president, and Cheryl Shiner, party chairwoman, gave themselves a Christmas treat at the Beach Club. Then they returned to philanthropy as Linda Pennell and Barbara Miceli co-chaired the holiday party for children of Maryvale and Hillsides homes, continuing the tradition of the late Virginia Robinson, who hosted holiday affairs at her Beverly Hills mansion for deserving children . . . Los Amigos del Pueblo has set aside Friday evening at La Golondrina on Olvera Street for a members’ dinner and posadas (nightly processions depicting the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of the Christ child). Posadas will be celebrated on Olvera Street tonight through Dec. 24.

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Look of Love: The look for the sixth annual Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament black-tie gala Feb. 5 in Palm Springs is “Romance and Roses.” Sinatra headlines the affair for 1,000 at the Marriott’s Desert Springs Hotel with Tony Bennett and Tom Dreesen on stage, too.

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Past Perfect: Loulou de La Falaise, Yves Saint Laurent’s original muse, flew in to greet members of the Costume Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and its prestigious Fashion Circle at the SRO Los Angeles preview of Yves Saint Laurent’s spring/summer Rive Gauche Collection at the Rodeo Drive boutique.

Fashion Circle program chairwoman Donna Wolff and Costume Council president Jane Ackerman watched in front-row seats as model Nicole Mitchell (Mrs. Eddie Murphy) was a bride in brilliant red ruffled satin and tulle.

Fashion aficionados who attended: Mary Beth Brundage, Paulette Burkitt, Jenny Schreiber, Sheila Weisman, Terry Stanfill, Diane Morton, Betsy Link, Joni Smith, Linda Pennell, Raylene Meyers. Loulou de La Falaise’s niece, Lucie de La Falaise, was among Paris models walking the runway . . . .

Friends of French Art lunched at the Four Seasons to hear author Louisa Jones speak on “The Gardens of Provence.” (Friends visit many of the gardens in May.) Elin Vanderlip and her daughters Narcissa Vanderlip and Katrina de Carbonnel, plus Evelyn Lambert of Dallas, Frances Brody and Vanya Rohner were in the crowd.