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.