R S V P / ORANGE COUNTY : Shirley Jones Meets Head of the House

As carousels go, the benefit Friday for the House Ear Institute had it all--painted horses, colorful balloons and Shirley Jones, who starred in the original movie musical “Carousel.”

More than 200 guests took a ride on this “Carousel” gala, staged by the Associates of the House Ear Institute of Orange County, Children’s Center, at the Sutton Place Hotel in Newport Beach. The $150-per-person dinner and show was expected to net about $20,000 for the ear institute in Los Angeless.

Their Ears

Dressed in a sparkling, burgundy-colored gown with a thigh-high slit, Jones performed a medley of favorite show tunes, some from her well-loved movies including “The Music Man,” “Oklahoma” and “Carousel.”

“I’ve heard her twice before--she sings all of the songs I adore,” said fan Nora Jorgenson Johnson.

Between songs, Jones, the former matriarch of TV’s “Partridge Family,” talked about her grandchildren, her show business career (appearing in “South Pacific” on Broadway in 1951 was her big break) and her husband, TV producer Marty Ingels, who was in the audience.

Once event organizers had booked Jones for their gala, choosing a theme and decor was easy: They went with “Carousel,” stationing life-size carousel horses at the entry to the ballroom.

Decorations chairwoman Sandra Brodie adorned each table in the ballroom with a miniature carousel pony in bright pink, blue and yellow hues. There, among bouquets of balloons, guests enjoyed a gourmet dinner of eggplant ravioli with red bell pepper coulis , veal chop with pommeau wine sauce and lemon angel pie.

Breaking the Silence

The other star of the evening was Dr. Howard House, who founded the ear institute 50 years ago.

“It started like a little seed. I was wondering where my first patient was coming from,” said the octogenarian, dashing in a sparkling gold and black brocade tuxedo jacket.

House need not have worried about attracting patients--the institute gained an international reputation for its work on restoring hearing loss, and eventually celebrities and politicians were seeking the doctor’s services.

Many guests were House’s patients or had family members who had been treated at the institute. Gloria Osbrink, founder of the associates, has a grandson, Rory, who lost his hearing due to spinal meningitis 14 years ago.

“I prayed, ‘Lord if you save him, I’ll dedicate my life to the deaf,’ ” Osbrink said. Thanks to House’s diagnosis, her grandson wears hearing implants invented by the doctor’s brother, Bill.

“The implants bring (patients) from the world of silence to the world of sound,” House said.

Peggy Goldwater Clay, event chairwoman, has several family members who have been patients of House’s, including her father, Barry Goldwater.

“Dr. House is one of the most renowned ear doctors in the world,” she said.

Other institute supporters attending were Charles and Nora Hester, honorary chairmen; Betty Hutton Williams; John and Joanne Mullins; Sue Sprenger; George Short; Jim Johnson; Robert and Carole Follman; Ben and Barbara Harris; Jack and Patricia Groth; June Wian; Gilbert and Charlene Amelio; Ken and Toni Oliphant; Tony Montapert and Marion Knott Montapert, and Margaret Richardson.