RSVP / THE SOCIAL CITY : Invitations With a Dramatic Musical Twist

Why disturb the summer vacations of our supporters, thought chairman Peggy Parker Grauman. “I’ll send CDs instead.”

Instead of contacting her Center Theatre Group Committee members, she mailed them Michael Feinstein singing “Isn’t It Romantic” on disc, the chief clue that there would be a “Salon at the Taper” benefit at the Mark Taper Forum on Oct. 2 celebrating the 100th birthday of lyricist Lorenz Hart.

Feinstein will star, as he has at previous salons, and Hart friends and colleagues will reminisce for 90 minutes before a supper party in the Grand Hall at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Hart wrote “Isn’t It Romantic.” Feinstein recorded it, along with other romantic tunes. Hart also wrote “Pal Joey,” “Boys from Syracuse,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “Where or When.”

“We substituted the CD for a meeting,” Grauman said over luncheon at Hillcrest Country Club. Invitations go out over Labor Day.

Since the salon series was conceived by Gordon Davidson and Nancy Olson Livingston three years ago as part of the Center Theatre Group’s 25th anniversary, it has saluted Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II and Alan Jay Lerner, all lyricists.

Anne Douglas and Hal David are honorary chairs. Judith Beckmen and Diane Morton head the inner circle leadership, and Sandford C. Sigoloff will chair the corporate committee.

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Mark the Calendar: The Scout Family Awards Dinner on Oct. 24 at the Beverly Hills Hotel will celebrate the accomplishments of three families who symbolize continuity of commitment to our community and whose lives reflect the values scouting instills in more than 42,000 inner-city youths.

Event chairman is Richard T. Schlosberg III, publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times. Ray Martin and Keith Renken are dinner chairmen. They’ve announced that the awards will honor the families of Carlton Jenkins, Franklin Ulf and Daniel Villanueva.

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Can You Believe?: “It’s black-tie, but you must wear tennis shoes,” says Cuchi Clark, energized with husband Alan to co-chair the Outward Bound benefit Oct. 14. You’ve got to understand that the tennis shoes are a necessity: 400 guests are scheduled to be involved in rope climbing and rock climbing on arrival.

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Alice and Pascal: The Alice and John Tyler Gallery opened this month at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. More than 100 works of art by the 81-year-old Los Angeles artist Pascal are on exhibit.

Pascal, always identifiable by her tall silvery blond top knot (inspired by a visit to Japan) will be feted Sept. 11 at a Corcoran reception. Her husband, James Regan, and daughter and son-in-law, Jill and Stephen Petty, will be among guests.

The collection was amassed by lifelong art collector Alice Tyler, whose husband was co-founder of Farmers Insurance. The Pascal Collection consists of glass sculptures, stainless steel sculptures, oil paintings and jeweled miniature art-to-wear crystal sculptures. The Alice and John Tyler Gallery has been made possible by Alice Tyler’s $1-million gift in 1994 to construct a permanent home for the Pascal Collection.

Elsewhere on the Social Circuit:

* Laughter could be heard for miles around the Claremont campuses recently when 400 friends attended the massive picnic on Platt Lawn for Joe Platt’s 80th birthday.

Platt swims a fast mile; he has a young man’s smile. He’s the only Ph.D. who drives a tram at the City of Hope. Next year he will be married 50 years to Jean.

One of the developers of radar, he was founding president of Harvey Mudd College and later president of the Claremont University Center and Graduate School. On Oct. 18, the latter will give him the President’s Medal, only the 12th in history and the first since 1981.

Hank Riggs, president of Harvey Mudd, organized the “one of a kind” party, but it was the alumni, Platt’s pride and joy, who turned it into a night of raucous fun and laughter, with take-offs on Beatle songs (“Hey, Joe”) and Platt’s later favorites, engaging 400 friends in table pounding, chants and silliness.

Platt, whose beloved guitar was by a tree plastered with pictures (he was famous for jamming with students at the Platt home), has recently written “Harvey Mudd: The First Twenty Years.” No rocking chair for him.

Among friends wishing him well were Trude and Joan Taylor, Stan and Ernestine Avery, Pat and Ray Kusche, Anne and Jack Waggoner, Jack and Jil Stark, John and Billie Maguire, Liz and Jim Green and Maggie and George Jagels.

* Virginia B. Braun, Lodwrick M. Cook and Jerry E. Hudson have been elected to Pepperdine’s Board of Regents. . . . Margaret Thompson is new president of the Los Angeles County Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. . . . Mark S. Louchheim has been reelected chairman of the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic.

* Summer Frolics: Suzanne Marx hosted a summer tea for her close friends. Crowded around the petit fours and teacups were Marcia Israel, Nancy Daly, Alyce Williamson, Ericka Brunson, Iris Cantor and Susie Niven. . . . Tom and Esther Wachtell had their friends don western boots for “singin’, dancin’ and eatin’ ” on their spread in Hancock Park.

* Mary Lou Loper’s column is published Sundays.