A Splashy Party for Swimmer

During the 1952 Olympic Games, Katalin Szoke won two gold medals in swimming for her Hungarian team. Thirty-three years later, now a California resident married to a very successful developer, Arpad Domyan (he was a member of the Hungarian water polo team that also won a gold medal in 1952), Kati was inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last month.

It’s all heady stuff and worthy of the kind of party Arpad gave for Kati last weekend. It was at L’Orangerie, a black-tie dinner-dance that began at 8:30 p.m. and was still going on past midnight. Everywhere you looked in the restaurant there were white flowers. The giant arrangements in urns on the bar and in the main dining room were by L’Orangerie’s own florist. The silver candelabra dripping white flowers and tiny ivy branches with gardenias were by David Jones who finished his job and returned later in his tuxedo to be one of the guests.

Rudy Varon and his band played in the patio. Quite a few of the ladies wore summer white in this rarefied atmosphere. And there was chilled vodka to accompany the tiny potatoes filled with caviar, magnums of Chateau Canon ’66 for the baby lamb and magnums of Dom Perignon champagne with the strawberry tarts and ice cream.

Kati looked like a mermaid in her all-over beaded Bob Mackie gown, her soft movie star styled hair a new strawberry blonde shade. Very popular this night were the new, fanny wrapping dresses. Virginie Ferry, who tucked a few gardenias into her blonde chignon, wore a white silk dress by Luiz Archer, who a few years ago was a waiter at L’Orangerie. Mrs. Ralph Mishkin, who is pleased with the way their new home turned out, was in black. Lois and Art Linkletter were back from a “Love Boat” cruise on the Royal Princess and praising the ship to the skies. Anne and Jimmy Murphy were getting ready for their trip to Rome and their audience with the Pope. Sybil Brand, who was with Blake Garner, showed the Murphys the crucifix Ellen Byrens had brought back for her from the Vatican. Anna Maria Alberghetti had just finished her run of “The Sound of Music” in Long Beach. And Gerard Ferry said his dinner for the Joffrey Ballet next month will honor the memory of the Marquis de Cuevas and his dance company.

Zena Hoffman, with husband Rusty, wore white. Mrs. Morey Parkes (Dr. Parkes was there too) wore one of her own creations (her label reads Maruscha) with fox boa slung over one shoulder. Contessa Cohn wore one of Zandra Rhodes’ tulle creations (and lacy ankle socks with her high-heeled slippers) and danced the night away with her escort, English actor Victor Rogers. Zsa Zsa Gabor (her date was Glen Bohanan) wore a black gown with a white pleated ruffle snaking its way down Zsa Zsa’s curves. More dressing up the place were Nancy and Sid Petersen; Tony Thompson, the Rolls-Royce dealer; Donald and Arletta Tronstein; Ralph Mishkin; Irving and Simone Katzoff, Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell Karlan, Geri and Dick Brawerman, Sedge and Henry Plitt, Chantal and architect Martin Stern, polo-playing Glen and Gloria Holden; Dr. Arnold Klein, the dermatologist; Kurt and Betty (in a beaded flapper chemise) Niklas. Donald and Marylou Hicks arrived quite late and stirred up the talk that he’s due to become deputy secretary of defense any day now.

The Social Scramble: Anne and Kirk Douglas were out on the patio of the Bistro Garden Wednesday afternoon celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary with son Peter. And in among the rest of the usual lunch bunch was Putnam editor Ellis Amburn in town to choose photos for Priscilla Presley’s autobiography.

Dining on Indian curries and Tandoori chicken at the Bombay Palace were Harry Cahill, the U.S. consul general in Bombay, with Mrs. Gulshan Kohli, assistant director of the India Tourist Office in L.A., and producers Ron Shaw and Judy Green who are off to India to do a film on Indian culture for the upcoming Festival of India at the California Museum of Science and Industry (Oct. 15 -Jan.15, 1986); Norman and Eileen Kreiss who leave soon for Italy and France (business and pleasure) and Cyd Charisse, back from Canada where she co-starred in “The Pleasure of Her Company” to finish her beauty and exercise book (on Sunday she joins husband Tony Martin in New York where he’s singing at Park 10.); Mira Advani and Sun Le Sun, the fashion designer.

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Solomon’s (Mrs. Solomon is now known by her maiden name, Dona Powell) Faberge cuckoo egg clock and quite a few other extraordinary Russian works of art will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s in New York on June 10 and 11. The jeweled egg clock was Czar Nicholas II’s Easter surprise in 1900 for Empress Alexandra, and is one of only 54 Imperial Easter Eggs created by Carl Faberge. Two are in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II; 10 are in the collection of Forbes magazine and the rest are in museums in the United States. Sotheby’s has placed a figure in excess of $1 million for the Solomons’ Faberge egg. Also on the Sotheby’s auction block on June 12 and 13 is the stunning jewelry collection (David Webb, Cartier, de la Renta) of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta and his late wife Francoise, the magazine editor and interior decorator. Also included in the sale are ruby and diamond earclips, a necklace and ring belonging to Warner LeRoy, the restaurateur son of Mervyn LeRoy, and some pieces belonging to Rosie Boote, one of the first actresses of London’s Gaiety Theater to marry into the British peerage. Rosie, who toured the United States in 1897, gave up her career when she became Marchioness of Headfort.

Red Letter Days: Tuesday when UCLA dedicates the Irving and Jean Stone Honors Commons on the Westwood campus.

Sunday when the Friends of the Foundation for New American Music celebrate Irving Berlin’s 97th birthday at the home of Ginny and Henry Mancini.

June 10 when the American Film Institute hosts a gala in honor of the Second Council’s new members at Pinafini in the Beverly Center.

June 9 for Nancy Cooke de Herrera and daughter Maria de Herrera’s cocktail party for Richard and Bronwyn Cooke and their new book, “Molokai, An Island in Time.”

Love Notes: Fred Waingrow, president of Petersen Publications, and Magda Loeb, a professional musician, were married on May 19 at Leo Baeck Temple in Brentwood by Rabbi Sanford Ragins. The bridegroom’s brother, Dr. Michael Waingrow, was best man and Adrienne Hall was matron of honor for her sister.

Joshua and Nedda Logan have sent out announcements of the marriage of their actress daughter Harrigan Logan and Miguel Ferrer, son of Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer.