Swinging Cats Really Put on the RITZ

SAN DIEGO —  Beneath the brooding canopy of treetops, the world was dark, but not silent. Peacocks pitched their eerie calls through the shadows, and distant rumblings suggested a large jungle beast.

Other sounds throbbed through the darkness, the steady beat of drums and the louder intrusions of trumpets. From their direction, a blaze of light caught an adventurer’s eye and tugged him toward it; now the sound of human voices raised in revelry reached his ear.

A steady hum of voices, sounding like a jungle chant, grew louder as the adventurer drew nearer a magic circle of light. “The tribe is probably out under the full moon celebrating the summer solstice,” he said to himself, and no sooner had this thought flashed through his mind than he heard a few preliminary notes.

Stepping from the trees into the clearing, his eyes popped as he took in the scene. There, upon a stage trimmed in flashing lights, he saw the Lester Lanin Orchestra swinging into the first notes of “S’Marvellous.” The battle cry raised, the tribe exploded onto the floor and commenced its ritual dance steps, in this case a fox trot. Because fortuitously he had attired himself in black tie before setting out on this expedition, the adventurer grabbed a partner and joined the throng on the floor.

About 700 of the more swinging cats in town turned out for Saturday’s Rendezvous in the Zoo, a title that conveniently (in accordance with the party committee’s desire) compresses itself into RITZ, a word that pretty neatly describes the lavish tone of this new but now-annual San Diego Zoo bash under the stars.

Jane Fetter, queen of the jungle, undertook streamlining details of the previous two RITZ parties into an event that is intended to become a regular summer classic. From all appearances, she succeeded--this one was big, bold, brassy and, in the opinion of all who attended, fun . (When the festivities were well under way, Fetter took a moment to look around at the merriment and said, in a not-too-wondering tone, “It actually is a wonderful party, isn’t it?”) Betsy Manchester and Emme Cote, the chairpersons of the 1986 versions of the town’s reigning summer classics, the Jewel Ball and a Night in Monte Carlo, were on hand to take notes.

The party honored the zoo’s 70th birthday, and, more specifically, its seven decades of growth and service to the community. To suit the theme of remembrance, the orchestra played music from each of those decades. At the end of the dinner, each table received its own birthday cake, complete with clustered torches of candles, and everyone joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to Balboa Park’s verdant jewel.

Quite a bit of frivolity led up to that musical moment. Before settling in for dinner and dancing at the imaginative stage set dreamed up by decor chief Dick Ford, guests assembled at Raintree Grove for cocktails with a few of their favorite party animals, including a cockatoo or two, a clouded leopard (who crept silently through the crowd on big cat feet), and a big show-off of an elephant named Katie, whom one suspected of coveting a nearby peacock’s tail. Katie liked to strike poses, the better perhaps to distract the guests’ attention while she slipped her trunk into their cocktails. After nipping at a rather startled Joy Furby’s glass, Katie carefully wiped every drop on her lips and followed the libation with a hay chaser.

Some of the flashier-looking critters strolled around on two legs. Many of the women showed up in zebra, leopard and cheetah prints, and quite a few of the men opted for safari suits--as they had been asked to by the invitations--instead of black tie. Don Allison expressed surprise that people noticed his Tony the Tiger plush velour jacket, with black stripes across an orange background.

“People seem to be pointing at me,” he remarked in an amazed voice, adding that he had acquired the jacket by sending box tops to Kellogg.

Still other guests went for Skyfari rides that took them cruising above the trees and let them look down upon the section of the zoo that will benefit from the RITZ proceeds. This area, now called Bear Canyon, will be known as Monsoon Valley after it is transformed into an ultramodern “bioclimatic” zone. At that time, it will become home to Asian lions, sloth bears, lion-tailed macaques and other cheerful denizens of the wild.

When the dinner drum sounded, guests found more than bowls of creme senegalese and boeuf Wellington waiting for them. Strings of lights dripped from the palm trees, while clusters of jungle blossoms shot up at the center of each table. The Lester Lanin Orchestra turned out a steady stream of tribal rhythms, and when it swung into “Toot, Toot, Tootsie,” even the most recalcitrant feet found it impossible to resist the urge to Charleston. A few brief speeches, including a formal welcome by zoo President B.J. Williams, preceded entertainment by the zoo’s performing birds, and then it was back to the dance floor for the rest of the evening.

The guest list included Al and Jean Anderson, G.T. and Chris Frost, Electa Black with Bruce Burdick, Tom Fetter, Minton and Evelyn Fetter, Mayor-elect Maureen O’Connor, Nancy Gentry with Craig Courtemanche, By and Lalita Armour, Wally and Marian Trevor, Bob and Gail Lichter, Susan Eres with Geoffrey Smith, David and Noreen Mulliken, Bud and Carole Cappello, Jeanne Jones with Clarence Woodard, Karen Ladner with Todd Stone, Art and Kathee Risser, John and Grace Barbey, zoo executive director Douglas Myers, and his wife, Barbara; and zoo director emeritus Chuck Bieler with his wife, Judy.

Others attending were Frank and Joanne Warren, Bill and Lois Kolender, Bill and Barbara Fox, Peter and Peggy Preuss, Joe and Rita Neeper, Jim and Dolly Poet, Jim and Darlene Milligan, Tom and Susie Armstrong, Fred and Wanda Kaufman, Anthony and Jay Ghio, Jim and Ellie Ehlers, Micky and Faiya Fredman, David and Grace Cherashore, and George and Kathy Pardee.

Softball and popcorn figured in the week’s other big outdoor bash, a backyard barbecue June 16 at Alex Szekely’s recently completed home in Bankers Hill.

The guest list included members of the Old Globe Theatre’s Craig Noel Circle (read: major donors) who were invited to meet the casts of the theater’s current productions. The mood was casual and summery, with refreshments to match--cooks working at big charcoal grills passed out hamburgers and hot dogs, and guests lined up at buffets to fill their plates with baked beans and potato salad. Most wore the kind of clothes that would not be affected by a splash or two of mustard.

The evening’s only crisis arose early, when a dispute developed over the issue of salting the popcorn. Popcorn is one of Craig Noel’s favorite nibbles, and the popcorn cart presented him by the Globe Guilders (it bears a brass plaque that reads, “Corny but true, we love you, Craig!”) was brought along for the event. However, one party aide felt the popcorn should be salted, while another took a militant anti-sodium stance. The issue finally was resolved by setting out a shaker and letting guests season or not, according to their whims. Thus goes life in the big city.

Quite a few of the guests, including a number of cast members, were ready for chow before the cooks ever lit the grills. This hungry group had worked up an appetite earlier that afternoon by defeating the La Jolla Playhouse softball team, a tasty triumph that was savored by such folks as brothers Mark and Steve Rust (who star in the held-over “Pump Boys and Dinettes”), Jim Piddock (co-star of “Beyond the Fringe”), and James Morrison of “Richard II.”

Among other current Globe cast members present were Kandis Chappell, Jonathon McMurtry and Jo de Winter from “Tartuffe”; Tom Lacy and Paxton Whitehead from “Beyond the Fringe,” and Earle Hyman and David Toney from “Richard II.”

The guest list included Tom and Sara Sayer, P.J. and Lee Maturo, Donald and Darlene Shiley, Ken and Dixie Unruh, Dick and Mary Adams, Evelyn Truitt, Helen Edison, Katy Dessent, Linda Smith, Dick and Delores Wilson, Bob and Nancy Bayer, Robert and Sandra Mayhew, Terry and Crickett Nickle, Terry and Mary Lehr, Judith Millin, Harold and Mildred Cary, Delza Martin, Bill Eaton, Robert and Dori Skomer and Barbara Halverstadt.