Shall He Dance? Brynner Reaches the Last ‘Et Cetera’

--After 34 years as king of Siam, actor Yul Brynner abdicated, saying goodby to the starring role in “The King and I.” He has played the part of the feisty king who brings a British governess to his exotic kingdom in 4,625 performances and on film. In a final bow on Broadway after a five-minute curtain call and as the orchestra played “Auld Lang Syne,” Brynner walked slowly to where his wife, Kathy Lee Brynner, who played the lead royal dancer, was standing. He took her by the hand and led her up the back steps of the set, the king’s palace of Siam in the 1860s. At the top of the steps, they both waved, then walked slowly into the wings of the Broadway Theater. Brynner, who will be 68 on July 11, battled lung cancer as he took on the role again in the national tour that began in February, 1981. He and his wife intend to retire to their chateau in France.

--Bo Derek, whose steamy silver screen appearance with the “Lord of the Apes” caused many Tarzan fans to beat their chests in outrage, wasn’t invited. The only star at the University of Louisville’s Ekstrom Library was the $250,000 collection of memorabilia relating to Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan. Started in 1976 by lifelong Burroughs buff George McWhorter, the university collection is touted as the world’s largest institutional cache of Burroughs memorabilia. Among those at the three-day gathering were Danton Burroughs, grandson of the late author, from Tarzana, Calif. Some conventioneers brought their own bits of Burroughs memorabilia. Kevin Julius, 29, of Erie, Pa., was offered $7,500 for his first edition copy of “Princess of Mars,” which is in its original jacket. However, “I’ll never sell it,” Julius said. “I told a friend I wanted to be buried with it.”

--Actress Elizabeth Taylor, singer Lionel Richie and former First Lady Betty Ford were among those honored in Denver at the American Academy of Achievement’s 24th annual “Salute to Excellence.” The event brought together business leaders, entertainers, sports figures and scientists along with about 350 of the United States’ best high school students. Others receiving the academy’s “Golden Plate Award” included Publisher Walter Annenberg, football star Walter Payton, Coca-Cola Chairman Roberto Goizueta and test pilot Chuck Yeager.