Page 38 - Ritz Issue 50

,,
L --------------
\.
~J
A gossip columnist tends to make a bad host. In the first place he is so used to taking other people's hospitality, invited or not, that when it comes to dishing out his own champagne it is a painful contrast. Like Private Eye lunches, columnists cocktail parties are designed to provide material. So I was pleased to find PETER TORY the relaxed Editor of William Hickey liberally dispensing LORD MATTHEW'S largesse at his New Year drinks party in the Ritz Casino.
Unfortunately his deputy, CHRISTOPHER WILSON, who for some obscure reason is known in Fleet Street as 'Apron', took it all rather more seriously and made it his duty to see no other filth- columnists infiltrated the Hickey evening .
.He first tried to eject a scruffy looking individual from the Evening Standard's Londoner's Diary and then spent much of the rest of the night anxiously shadowing RICHARD COMPTON MILLER.
His effort was entirely pointless. Anyone with a good story to tell would hardly go to the Hickey party and for the most part those that did turn up (HAROLD WILSON and LADY FALKENDER did not) were seeking publicity. NORMAN ST JOHN STEV AS, a semi permanent resident of Tory's page since the general election came to pay his respects. It was his first public appearance since
MARGARET THATCHER had sensibly sacked him from the cabinet. So WILSON was determined not to have his copy stolen and performed what looked like an elaborate courtship dance to prevent NIGEL DEMPSTER, PAUL CALLAN and COMPTON MILLER getting near to ST JOHN STEVAS.
I hoped that MANDY RICE DAVIES who has known one or two cabinet politicians in her time would be able to give NORMAN some advice on how to cope
'with the humiliation of being sacked, but sadly NORMAN was occupied by sympathetic JANET STREET-PORTER while MANDY RICE DAVIES was monopolised by her publisher ALAN SAMPSON.
Elsewhere WILLY RUSHTON, sometime satirist and well known voice- over, was luxuriating in the company of two pneumatic blondes who seemed to have arrived with LORD WEYMOUTH. DIANA DORS spent most of the evening cooing at her husband ALAN LAKE who was grotesquely dressed in black sequins (?). MICHAEL SHEA the Queen's Press Officer and part time novelist talked with tactful animation to SANDRA RHODES.
In the midst of this throng of people I was surprised to find the garrulous LARRY -ADLER sitting alone in the corner of the
Janet Street Porter in bu"vet at Richard Yo,ing's. O/l'mfl.ll-'E,rhibition photo Robert R"o.<~'!--
Selina Fe/1011:vA.monio" Logato an-I}Nigel, Coate.<at the. Royal Amdem_r phato Litchfield, •. • ,
why Adler is still well known. I went to Langans and found PETER TQRY introducing Adler and paid £4 exfra for fifteen minutes of Adler's music.
I introduced him to MANDY RICE
DAVIES mentioning thai she had spent her
exile in Israel which was a mistake because
Adler launched· into a discussion about
circumcision by Laser beam and then told" •. 1
a string of boring jewish jokes.
So transfixed was I by his repertoire that
I missed the confrontation of the evening. Apparently CHRISTOPHER WILSON, .- still worrying that he would haye ·nothing ro· write the following day, had been riled by'
one -RICHARD-COMPTON MILLER'~ jokes and start~d. some· (inger jabbing._ A . slap is said to have been delivered by one of· " the parties but both firmly .deny it. • -· '
It was a p"itythat RICHARD YOUNG; \ was not there to capture.tlJe incident_for\ ,. this page .... He was however very much in. evidence at the Olympus Gallery in tlie'
Ritz Arcacle the following week for his own exhibition..The'Olym·pusshows which have been held for BAILEY, LICHFI.ELD and McCULLl,N, have become something of
an accolade and "presumably this elevated Young's ability to take offensive photos without causing offence into an art form. I was surprised though that Young whose
other main talent seems to be to wheedle
his way into any party however exclusive, allowed the Gallery to operate such a tight check on invitations.
By way of relief from the Januarys-round of media parties I went to the opening of the Royal Academy's New Spirit of Painting Exhibition which was NORMAN
ROSENTHAL'S idea. He obviously felt that the exhibition was a considerable personal achievement and I found him standing at-the top of the stairs welcoming the art world as if it was his own one man show: Despite his grandiloquent essay in the catalogue few people seemed to have the first idea what the New Spirit was all about.
.. '
J.
. ·.) .I
I
I I
I I I I I I I
..
I
Chinese N~w Year Party
Tuesday 10th February
'Lovely Legs
and Knobbly Knees' Party Saturday14th February
·Valentine's D~y.Ball • Wednesday18th February • •
Mods 'N' Rockers 60's Party
Wednesday 25th February 'Best FancyDress' Party with Special Prize of a
Holiday for two in Spain.
AllParties from10.30 ·1,13.00
except the 25th Feb./10th March from 7.30 onwards. VIPCardholders Free· Guests £2.00
Vr
I. INGRAMS claims to be the O!llYreason _I
38
-----------------
1
I
I
I
I
I
I
,
1981Space Ball
Thursday 5th February
I
. most people in London I like Adler - despite his tedious correspondence to Pr(vate· Eye which its Editor RICHARD
Tuesday
3 rd
February
room measuring the sips from his glass.
, 'This is my first and only glass and that's _I •· ·the-reason I look so young for my age," he
. boasted. He told me that he was preparing I • for a- week's mouth organing at Langan's ·.I·._·Brasserie and urged me to come. Unlike
160V,ctoria Street. London SW1.Telephone: 01-834 5882
Telephone: 01-352 1468
2248, Fulham Road, London SWl0.
-1
1-. I.. I
I
I
I
I
I I I I I
--- _J
COCKTAIL BAR& RESTAURANT
I
HENRY CANN
SEYMOUR
licensed uniil 2am