RSVP / THE SOCIAL CITY : Not Your Regular Safari

It wasn’t the highest take financially for the Beastly Ball, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.’s fund-raiser. The 1990 ball grossed $521,619. The latest ball, “Silver Safari,” celebrating GLAZA’s 25th anniversary, grossed only $235,000.

But you have to know, that there have been two Beastly Balls this fiscal year, and the one last September grossed $280,000. Hereafter, the safari party will be held in June.

Also different: There was no animal adoption auction this year. Instead, chairwoman Mary Urquhart asked designers to transform the zoo into a Fantasy Safari Village.

Black-Tie Turf: Bobbie Galpin was chairwoman of the USC Hall of Fame II recently after inaugurating it a year before. Twenty-three superstars of USC’s sports history were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the $500-a-plate, black-tie dinner expected to raise $200,000 for athletic scholarships. USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett starred, and City Councilman John Ferraro, Mel Patton, Tom Seaver, Cheryl Miller and Marcus Allen were among those inducted.

Early Start: Although it’s still almost a year away, the 1996 L.A. Opera International Wine Auction was kicked off recently at Neiman Marcus. Chairwoman Joyce Rosenblum called the affair a thank-you to last year’s supporters who netted $160,000 for Los Angeles Music Center Opera.

Saints on Wheels: It’s amazing, but the workers, members and friends of Cuisine a Roulettes, the primary support group for Saint Vincent’s Senior Citizen Nutrition Program, a.k.a. Meals on Wheels, provide more than 750,000 meals each year to the elderly, infirm and homebound of the Central Los Angeles/Hollywood region.

Sister Alice Marie Quinn is the saint in charge. Last week a gala replenished the coffers with $60,000. Involved in the Four Seasons hotel dinner were Roulettes President Jennifer Gharavi, Daryl Twerdahl, Yadi Zeavin, Anne McKinley, Janet Fourti, M.M. Miller, Bobbe Aubert and Vivi Chesebro.

Elsewhere on the Social Circuit

* Names of Las Madrinas’ debutantes to be presented in December are: Lauren Armistead, Kelley Barker, Virginia Mielke, Laurie Miller, Mary McAdam, Lindsay Reilly, Devon Holliday, Ranee Rhodes, Margot Goodan, Sydney Clark, Mary Callaghan, Caitlin Adams, Rebecca Cannom, Tara Clougherty, Kristin Woolley, Leigh Winter, Amanda Wells, Sara Doughty, Elizabeth Grausam, Lisa LeRoy, Leslie Judd, Carolyn Leslie, Carolyn Miller, Whitney Gaunt.

Also Martha Hankey, Katherine Kirwan, Sarah Neal, Elizabeth Nesbitt, Boyden Elizabeth Rohner, Suzanne Soiret, Courtney Overland, Casey McCloud, Jennifer Luck, Danielle Lee, Lisa Geller, Kelly Gentile, Margaret Gilman, Brooke Bartholomew, Perry Hull, Casey Hogan, Leslie Judd and Kathryn Perkins.

Barbara Fountain heads Las Madrinas this year. Clare Webb is chairwoman of the December ball, and Cheryl Baker is debutante chairwoman.

* William Leonard Plunkett announced 19 debutantes at the Pasadena Guild of Childrens Hospital’s 34th annual June Ball chaired by Joni Baker at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington. Guild President June Banta and debutante chairwoman Catherine Cheney starred, too.

Four of the debs--Courtney Hammond, Courtney Lynch, Ashley Parker and Linsley Weir--were second-generation debutantes. Debutante Jill Sumner’s grandmother Catharine Sumner attended the ball.

Others presented were Elizabeth Banks, Lindsay Benter, Carrie Billings, Christina Bruce, Julia Bryson, Alicia Kahn, Victoria Krueger, Margaret Magee, Allison Newell, Lindsay Robbins, Catherine Rothenberg, Carrie Stevens, Alison Sweeney and Jennifer Trayner.

* More than 500 attended the San Marino Area Chapter of National Charity League Debutante Announcement tea at the Biltmore. Ball chairwoman Becky Garnett and Christine Benter and Charie Laugharn greeted guests. The Ticktocker debutantes have each completed 60 hours of volunteer work. They’ll be presented Dec. 22 at the Beverly Wilshire.

* Kudos to Caroline Magee, top female in her graduating class of 905 midshipmen at Annapolis. She is the daughter of Dianne and James A. Magee. She leaves soon for Norfolk, Va., to study surface warfare.

* Plaudits to Dwight Hemion, honored by the Center for the Partially Sighted for his gift of staging 14 benefits for the cause . . . and to William M. Wardlaw, feted for urban leadership at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.

* Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium, Lilly Tartikoff and Carole Wells Doheny hosted the party in Santa Monica for the new 46-member Los Angeles Ballet formed by artistic director John Clifford. The facility, at 1752 Cloverfield Blvd., has been underwritten with a $500,000 matching grant from John Herklotz.

* Costume Council members at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art met Zandra Rhodes and viewed Saks Fifth Avenue’s opera collection last week. Chairwoman Eva Elkins was overjoyed with a full house for the show and tea: Donna Wolff, Virginia Carpenter, Heather Shuemaker, Joan Gerstell, Phoebe Vacarro, Kee Flynn, Susan Perry and Nancy Wheatley, smart in a yellow Escada belted jacket.

Jimmy Murphy, director, American Ireland fund, headed the spirited celebration to honor actor/director/playwright Kenneth Branagh and to see his play “Public Enemy” at the Court Theater. Receptions and Irish dinners at Jimmy’s made it a must. . . .

David and Maria Murdock’s home in Bel-Air was the setting for the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ black-tie dinner. Mayor Richard J. Riordan was keynoter.

Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.