Evening for Cates a Sold-Out Event

They gathered at the James Bridges Theater in UCLA’s Melnitz Hall to pay tribute to Gil Cates--former president of the Directors Guild of America, longtime producer of the Oscar telecast, producing director of the Geffen Playhouse and former dean of the university’s School of Theater, Film and Television.

Though the school had honored Cates at the time he stepped down two years ago, the event Wednesday night was a community affair. Cates maintained that he had no idea of its scope--until his Pilates instructor said, “See you there, Gil,” at a session last week.

“This is like being at my funeral,” he initially exclaimed, surveying the chock-full 276-seat venue. At the end of the evening, the assessment had changed. “What I liked most was the scale,” he observed during the post-program reception at the chancellor’s residence. “It was like an intimate dinner party with hundreds of my closest friends.”

Who Was There: Maureen McGovern, Beau Bridges, Michele Lee, Hal Kanter, Karl Malden, UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale, Dean of the School of Theater, Film and Television Robert Rosen, Los Angeles County Museum of Art President and former UCLA vice chancellor Andrea Rich, producer Sid Ganis, attorney Bruce Ramer. (Lew and Edie Wasserman, hosts of the evening, were unable to attend.) Gordon Davidson, head of the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson, said he and Cates share “war stories over lunch” about the vicissitudes of producing theater in L.A.

The Program: After a film featuring a dance tribute from former Oscar choreographer Debbie Allen and toasts from UCLA colleagues, some former students serenaded Cates. McGovern, who appeared in his “The Last Married Couple in America,” delivered an a cappella version of “Over the Rainbow.” “In an era where everyone is into irony and jaded, I love Gil’s boyish enthusiasm,” the singer said later.

What If?: A yellowed 1987 issue of the Los Angeles Times was circulated at the party. In one story, a source confirmed a Daily Variety report that--after all the notoriety he’d gained during the DGA negotiations--Cates was thinking of entering the Democratic primary in an effort to unseat Republican senator Pete Wilson.

Dynamic Duo: Cates’ wife, Judith Reichman, whom director Norman Jewison referred to in the film clips as “gynecologist to the stars,” was to be honored by Planned Parenthood Thursday. “It’s a little embarrassing,” she acknowledged. “We have the same friends, of course--and they’ve got to show up two nights in a row. Still, it’s great, participating in your own eulogies. I told Gil that I’d treat him with great respect for 24 hours and then he’d have to pay me back.”

Final Word: Kanter, a veteran comedy writer, brought down the house with his roast. “Bless your heart, Gil,” he said to his friend. “And any of your other organs that are still reporting for duty.”