A Night of Wine, Auction and Song

Opera and wine have always gone together. So, a quiz. In which opera does wine “take away this unhappiness?” In which does wine “mellow hearts to surrender?” In which is sung, “Champagne is so majestic--tra-la-la-la-la?”

Never mind. It all was music to the hearts of a heartily supping Los Angeles Opera International Wine Auction crowd of 500 at the Biltmore on Sunday evening. The Bowl was transformed into a vineyard with lattices and grapes for a silent auction, food wonders and operatic drinking songs. The wildly successful live auction conducted by Christie’s Ursula Hermacinski was highlighted by honorary co-chair Joe Smith’s bid of $2,400 for six bottles of rare Australian red wine.

Toward the end, co-chairman Warner Henry tallied a net close to $175,000. The event, Los Angeles Music Center Opera’s first benefit wine auction, was the brainchild of Robert Bookman, who had noted the successes of Chicago and Houston opera wine auctions and said, “Why not here?”

An illustrious crowd: First bidder Tom Jones, Sir Anthony and Lady Tennent, David and Margie Barry, Alice Coulombe, Royce and Joyce Diener, Nelson and Sharon Rising, Joyce and Herb Rosenblum, Joan and John Hotchkis, Val and Bob Montgomery, Jamie and Julie Kellner, Selim Zilkha and Michael and Nancy Harahan.

Said LAMCO general director Peter Hemmings: “What’s so nice is that I know only 10% of the people. These are all new friends for opera.”

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D Is for . . . : What makes fund-raising so exciting is the combination of frivolity and seriousness. Pierre, a majestic standard poodle, shook hands with certain guests at Barbara Davis’ home, The Knoll, in Beverly Hills on Tuesday afternoon. Two pastel carousel horses flanked the front door. And the social pitch was high in the huge foyer with white cymbidiums and full-blown pink roses catching the vibes from a couture-conscious crowd of 70. Barbara, crisp in a pink Chanel suit with her hair tied back in a black chiffon bow, hugged everyone.

But, as all sat to lunch, the drama began. Standing next to Nancy Reagan, the hostess held up a needle and a vial: “This is a needle and this is a bottle of insulin and my daughter uses this four times a day. This is a blood meter . . . to see how much insulin you use in a day. Without this needle and without this insulin, your life would not go on. Diabetes is a terrifying and horrible disease. You are here because you can save lives.”

Who could resist Davis’ appeal? It was her way of kicking off the next Carousel of Hope on Oct. 28 at the Beverly Hilton. The biannual Carousel balls, with the generosity of her husband Marvin, tend to net $5 million consistently.

The hostess said, “I have driven you crazy. I am a pain in the neck. . . . When I called, were you really out of town a month, Barbara Thornhill?”

Then she noted two important factors about the ball. Half the benefit tables are pre-sold for $1.917 million and, “In five years we will be able to prevent diabetes from happening.”

A joyous crowd included Davis’ daughters Dana, who has diabetes, and Nancy--they will head the major auction. Friends turning somersaults to help: Betsy Bloomingdale, Joanne Kozberg, Marcia Hobbs, Natalie Cole, Lynn Palmer, Katrina Leffler (in a stunning Karl Lagerfeld), Justine Bloomingdale, Joanna Poitier, Marion Jorgensen, Jean Smith, Dr. George Eisenbarth, Nancy Livingston, Eleanor Lambert, Seth Baker, Wanda Ruddy, Marion Scharffenberger and designer Emanuel Ungaro, who popped in for a mammoth lemon meringue.

Hillary Rodham Clinton will be honorary Carousel of Hope chairwoman, and entertaining will be Neil Diamond, Placido Domingo, Jay Leno and Phil Collins--just for starters.

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What’s Success? Five million in 29 years to the L.A. Philharmonic? Hundreds of youth concerts? Thousands of children learning an oboe from a bassoon on a Music Mobile? An annual artsy Showcase of Interior Design? Thirty years of stupendous Premiere Nights?

Give the Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Committee plaudits. Friday evening, 450 shuttled black-tie to the Linda Vista area Georgian house Pegfair to see the 30th anniversary house and gardens decorated by Southland designers.

Then, headed by president Judy Frank, benefit chairwoman Susan Clayton and Premiere Night chairwoman Judy Epley, they returned to the Ritz Carlton, Huntington, for a ‘20s feathers/boas shindig under tented tennis courts.

Kerry McCluggage, chairman of Paramount Television Group, joined his wife Vickie, a Junior Philharmonic Committee member, before a 10 p.m. flight to Paris. Merlin and Susan Olsen flew in from Deer Valley, Utah. Showcase remains open to the public till May 15.

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Past Perfect: Four hundred celebrating the First Decade of the Virginia Steele Scott Gallery of Art in newly refurbished galleries at the Huntington Library, with toasts from Edward J. Nygren, director of the collection . . . Applause, applause for the Footlighters 55th Cabaret Ball at the Beverly Hilton. President Kit Joyce, Suzanne Dillard, Marilyn Silva, Rena Old, Peggy Edwards and Rosemary Herd kicked up their can-can heels high for Child Life Center at Harbor General.

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Social Whirl: Some of the world’s finest Western and horse-themed art--owned by R.D. Hubbard, chairman of Hollywood Park--will be on display to kick off the track’s Friday night racing season at a private showing April 29. The show will be on public display through May 5. *

Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Thursdays.