Download PDFKere the bellydancer shook her pink sequined fringes to the exotic music from the bouzouki, that popular Middle Eastern instrument, while guests dined under the stars on roast lamb and chicken a la Grecque prepared by Petros Benekos of Petros Restaurant in Manhattan Beach.
All the same, into each life a little rain must fall, yes? July showers unexpectedly sprinkled the afternoon of Corinna Fields’ al fresco party at her Beverly Hills residence, but with Corinna’s good luck, the raindrops vanished in a couple of winks. Corinna requested that her hundred-plus guests wear white, after the fashion of the summertime scene on the Aegean island of Mykonos, where Corinna owns a villa. As for her Malibu beach house, it sold to CBS chief Les Moonves.
Corinna was crowned Miss Greece, going on to become Miss Universe, edging out the Swedish, Israeli and German contestants, and she’s indisputably one of our best hostesses. She was celebrating her wedding anniversary to Freddie Fields, as well as his birthday. We lost Freddie in 2007, a beloved and brilliant agent who founded the Creative Management Agency, representing Barbra Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, and was involved with such hits as American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He produced Oscar-worthy films -- among them was Glory, which won Denzel Washington his Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The powerful CMA, in time, became ICM.
In addition to agenting and producing, Freddie loved interior design, and his houses in Malibu and Beverly Hills are evidence of a splendid talent. “I’d call his office or the movie set, and whenever he was out, I’d find that he was checking out a fabric or a beautiful tile on Melrose Avenue … design was in his heart.” Indeed, the Beverly Hills residence is a showplace, chockablock with Freddie's “finds” that please the eye, and should be photographed for one of the popular shelter magazines.
The liveliest parties include all ages, and Corinna doesn’t disappoint. Tables for eight are set around the courtyard swimming pool. For friends not only from Hollywood, but abroad. Pretty Young Things, her Share colleagues, and those handsome young sons, screenwriters Andrew and Steven and musicman Paris, whose dad is Corinna’s previous husband, Dr. Steven Zax. Freddie’s daughter Kathy Lander, whose mom is Polly Bergen, arrived with husband David, and their actress-singer daughter Natalie Lander.
Anne and Arnold Kopelson thanked us for introducing them to Culina, the excellent Italian restaurant that replaced Gardens in the Four Seasons Hotel. “We’ve been there eight times, inviting different friends, who return with large parties," says Arnold, "One night friends walked in without reservations and with a party of ten. Fortunately we were there, and finagled a table for them. What we like, besides chef Victor Casanova’s food, are the comfortable chairs – not always so in many dining rooms. And you can hear your guests talk – the room, large as it is, isn’t noisy.” Arnold complimented us on our BHC column of last week about the life and times of superagent Ed Limato, and couldn’t believe it took more than a week for the august “all the news that’s fit to print” New York Times to run an obit.
Ryan O’Neal brought daughter Tatum and her daughter Emily McEnroe, whose dad is John McEnroe, and with whom Tatum has sons Sean and Kevin. Not many may remember that Michael Jackson was among the first of Tatum’s dates. Word, by the way, surfaced that Ryan’s romance with Cheryl Tiegs is kaput.
Slim as a reed Jane Fonda came with her hugely successful mate, the music producer Richard Perry, about whom Jane’s stated that she never expected to fall in love again, and yet she has. Back they were from Paris, where she filmed If We Could All Live Together in French. Wondering, as we did, if she was fluent in the language, she nodded yes. When did she learn French? “In bed from my first husband.” He being director Roger Vadim, who discovered sex kitten Brigitte Bardot for his 1988 And God Created Woman moneymaker.
Sandra Moss came with Dawn and Spiro Ioannides, who are visiting from Athens. Spiro is Greece’s travel agency maestro, and Dawn previously was wed to producer David Wolper, with whom she has sons Mark and Michael. “They’ve rounded up financing for their film, and the true story’s an inspiration. About five orphans, who stay together and grow up to become major successes.” David Wolper produced Roots, The Thorn Birds, and the sensational opening tableaux for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Lilly Reeves, sister of Rita Wilson (Mrs. Tom Hanks), led the Greek dancing to the music of Nandos Evangelados, who also played hot Latin tunes. In life, there are always firsts, and here was a first for us – boogieing-on-down with a rabbi, the tall Rabbi Lynn Brody Strome, whose beauty rivals that of many models. Rabbi Lynn is a dean with the Academy for Jewish Religion in Westwood.
Here and there were Joanna and Sidney Poitier, Sports Club founder Nanette Francini and music executive husband Jim Urie, and Jolene and George Schlatter, who shared memories about the late Ed Limato’s fabled soirees the Friday before the Oscars. Meanwhile, California Pizza Kitchen co-founder Larry Rosenfield and Esther discussed their latest success, the newly popular L.A. Food Show on Beverly Drive. Another goldmine like the California Pizza Kitchens that feed thousands of us with good food.
In the crowd were Jackie Collins with Barry Krost, Cristina and Tony Thomopoulos, Barbara Davis, who’d attended the Dennis Hopper memorial at the Santa Monica Pier Carousel with Dennis’ first wife Brooke Hayward, daughter Marin Hopper, Ed Ruscha, Eli Broad.
Also at Corinna’s: Barbara and Don Rickles, ICM’s Toni Howard and David Yarnell, Kit and Jay Kantor, Maxine and Gary Smith, Gary Pudney who’s off to Oman this November for meetings about advancing Omar’s arts presence, Gary’s sister Judith Lawrence, Barbara Carrera, Annabel Begelman, Wendy and Alan Riche, Michael Klein, Beatrice Reed Niven, whose mom is Annette de la Renta and David Niven (who are divorced), Wendy Stark, Carrie Brillstein, Mike Gruskoff, Tita Cahn, Il Sole owner Arnold Stiefel, Caryn and Peter Mintz, Bob Shapiro, Lorna Berle, Joan and Tom Kardashian, Laura Lizer, Nikki Haskell, Betsy and Paul Mazursky, Barbara Gilbert Cowan, noting that daughter Melissa Gilbert and husband Bruce Boxleitner have moved in with her after “selling their house for a price they couldn’t refuse.”
Corinna couldn’t resist scolding those clique-ish friends who invariably stick together at her parties. “Aren't you silly, you’re like glue … why not sit with other guests and enjoy getting to know them?” (You know who you are.)
Smooth baritone that he is, the Reverend Father John Bakas sang island love songs. Father John’s the dean of the magnificent Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in midtown Los Angeles, and was an ex-police officer in New Mexico when he received “the calling.” When George Schlatter asked him, “How’s the God business?,” Father John replied, “He gets us sooner or later.”