Stars support mental health charity

It is one of the grand social and charitable events in Southern

California. It is equally one of the most significant fundraising

efforts in support of people perhaps most in need of advocacy. The

Thalians Ball attracted a sellout crowd to celebrate 50 years of

service to those suffering with all forms of mental illness. The

Saturday evening gala presented at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

Hotel, Los Angeles, was a gala to top all galas, supported by

generous patrons from around the nation, and the Southland, including

Orange County.

Established in 1955 by Hollywood stars as a nonprofit

organization, the Thalians formed as a result of a suggestion by the

late actress Jayne Mansfield. She shared with her friends the fact

that emotionally disturbed children were not receiving proper

treatment, and that the Hollywood community could do a great deal to

help.

Two indefatigable women, involved from the early days, have

remained the driving force behind the Thalians cause. Debbie Reynolds

and Ruta Lee -- stars of film, television and the stage -- entered

the Century Plaza ballroom as the Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus,

also known as Men Alive, sang the theme from “Hello Dolly.” Altering

the lyrics with “Hello Debbie,” then “Hello Ruta” and finally “Hello

Thalians,” the tuxedo-clad gents from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa,

Laguna Beach and other O.C. cities opened and to closed the 50th

anniversary Thalians Ball in old-fashioned Hollywood style. The crowd

of some 1,000 guests offered a standing ovation as Reynolds and Lee

brought the evening to life.

The chorus was only a beginning. The crowd was entertained by

country super-stars Clint Black and Lisa Hartman and pop idol Joey

McIntyre -- formerly of New Kids on the Block -- along with

appearances by Susan Anton, Dom DeLuise, Jo Anne Worley and Alex

Trebek.

The show brought together both old Hollywood and new.

“Debbie and I would like to pass the reins on to young Hollywood,”

Ruta Lee said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “We’d love to be

guests at the ball,” she added with a laugh. The new Hollywood,

however, marches to a very different beat. Lee was candid.

“Please don’t get me wrong. We have some wonderful support from

incredible young talent, including Joey McIntyre, who is set to join

the Thalians board. But there’s a very different attitude today among

many stars when asked to perform for charity,” she said. “They ask,

‘Will you be sending a plane? Will there be limo service? Where’s my

hotel suite? Do I get a Rolex as a gift?’

“Frank Sinatra never asked for a limo. Lucille Ball never asked

for a limo. Jimmy Stewart never asked for a limo.”

The limos, however, did stream into the Century Plaza, delivering

an overflow crowd that included a new, young contingent interested in

supporting the Thalians.

“The concept of show people getting together with others in the

community to make a difference in the field of mental health, a cause

so hidden in the closet even today, is still working.’ Lee said. “We

are so gratified, simply overwhelmed.”

Yet, the success does not just happen. While Lee knows the

celebrity connection attracts public support and helps to raise

dollars, in order to make the big sums required to fund a mental

health center, there must be an uninterrupted year round commitment.

To this end, Reynolds and Lee reach out to people -- including

Shelly Hann from Santa Clarita and Frances Allen-Fridman from Palm

Springs and such donors as John and Donna Crean of Newport Beach,

Lois and Buzz Aldrin of Newport Beach and Los Angeles and O.C. couple

Gary and Mary Damsker -- who support Thalians because they made a

difference in the life of Gary Damsker’s mother who suffered from

bouts of depression.

Other incredible donors include a woman the Thalians call “the

divine Levine,” also known as Gayle Levine. Bill Austin, an

underwriter of the ball and chairman of Starkey Hearing Centers, has

also made an enormous difference. Hollywood Mayor Emeritus Johnny

Grant, another Thalians founder, was in the crowd. Brassfield Estates

vintner Jerry Brassfield was also front and center for the cause.

“Debbie and I do this and will continue to do this, because we

care,” Lee said. “We do this because strangers come up to us and tell

us that the Thalians Mental Health Center has saved their life or the

life of a family member.

“Mental health effects people of all generations, all religions,

all political persuasions. I don’t care if you’re from Newport Beach,

Los Angeles, Texas or New York -- the Thalians Mental Health Center

benefits all of society. Mental illness has a ripple effect, and

people don’t realize how much the families of victims also suffer,

and ultimately society as a whole is harmed when a victim of mental

illness goes untreated.”

Joining in the celebration were Hugh O’Brien, one of the original

Thalians. Other actors in attendance included Lee Meriwether, Bruce

Vilanch, Carol Conners, Robert Culp, Larry Hagman, Anne Jeffreys,

Allison Janney, Rick Jenik, Lou Ferrigno, Peter Graves. Athlete Jose

Conseco, Bob and Margie Petersen, Harry and Marilyn Lewis, Paula

Meehan, and Rick and Kathy Hilton also were on hand.

As the evening came to a close, Reynolds, dressed in her signature

sequin-clad floor-length gown, slit all the way up the leg, and

partner Lee, donning a flowing off-one-shoulder gown created for her

by Columbia Pictures studio costume designer Grady Hunt, told the

audience how much they loved them, how much they appreciated them,

how much their financial support meant.

For 50 years, they have sent the same message.

* THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.