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—Washington Star PhotoHraDher Willard Voli Leonard Bernstein greets his hosts. Fred Astaire Art Garfunckei Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Bikel For shining stars on stage and off, it was a night of nights The White House reception The National Gallery party By Joy Billington istein and Richard Rodgers, Astaire jok­ By Anne Marie Welsh ingly admitted the bronze studded award “politics is closely related" to both “the Washington Star Staff Writer and Joy Billington oldest profession and the performing was heavy. Sagging a little at the knees Waihington Star Staff Wriiers The stars grow older and frailer, and to make the point, he said: "I don’t know arts." the anecdotes all harken back to a by­ what it’s for, but it’s very nice.” Last night’s program of tribute to the The program, to be broadcast tomor­ gone day when Fred Astaire whirled his He seemed nervous as he faced the first recipients of the Kennedy Center row on CBS, was followed by a supper at partners in clouds of chiffon. But then, press in the, East Room. “Sometimes I Honors drew three generations of artists the East Wing of the National Gallery presidents are usually old enough to say yes, sometimes I say I haven’t time,” and entertainers, all claiming the hono­ that brought more superlatives from remember. And one of the pleasures of he explained, queried if many women ask rees as inspiration for a program full of guests who called the glittering party being in office is that the stars all come him to dance, “I don’t often go to love and surrounded by television cam­ "the best in years.” funning. dances.” Astaire has never danced at the eras. With composer-conductor Leonard And last night, as President and Mrs. White House, he admitted. The onstage scene kept shifting from Bernstein introducing the Kennedy Cen­ Carter entertained some 500 guests at a Hollywood to New York to the business of ter show, there played, danced and sang glittering reception before the Kennedy Nearby, his old dancing partner Gin­ politics and back again. — and in Aretha Franklin's case, happily Center’s first annual awards, they all ger Rogers watched the fuss around the George Balanchine sat closest to Presi­ paraded — across the Opera House came running . . . perhaps a little halt­ still elegant Astaire. Wearing her plati­ dent Carter with Artur Rubinstein, Rich­ stage, a cast that represented most areas ingly to respond to the bidding of this num blonde hair, heavy make-up and ard Rodgers, Marian Anderson and Fred of the arts and entertainment world. particular president, as they have to so huge diamond earrings like a faded shad­ Astaire — all wearing their newly be­ There was a brief film biography of many others in the past. ow of her days in the limelight, she stood stowed Kennedy Center honor medals — each honoree, and Sens. Ted Kennedy Fred Astaire, almost 80, frail and hard on the outside, watching. Did she and As­ lining the front of the presidential box lis­ and Charles Percy, a quartet of actors, of hearing, was a star among stars. taire still speak, someone asked. "What a tening to three hours of superlatives. and even Art Buchwald extolled their Wearing the rainbow-ribboned Kennedy stupid thing for anyone to think. We love Carter, on tape, told the audience, "I feel contributions. There were live perform­ Center award he received Saturday night each other. . .” somewhat out of place with all these ances — some a bit scared — from lead­ along with co-awardees Marian Ander­ great people, but I'm not going to apolo­ ers in each of their fields. son, George Balanchine, Artur Rubin- See SOCIAL, D-2 gize,” adding to great laughter, that AOO See KEN CEN, D-2 ‘Livingston tnaaie, chairman of the Endowment for the Arts, sat en- KENGEN thralled in a front row seat, and even Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and his wife Mary Lee., ~ ~ ~ - the: avant'garde choreographer, SOGIAl stood in the receiving line as it wound through the ‘;S ’ > continued rrom D-l " Eripk Hawkins, was there, up front Continued From D-l East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the The tribute to Marian Anderton Lwfblack tie. Red Room and the State Dining Room. Mary Lee wfc£.perhaps the most moving,'in- v • Many in the audience — the artists Would she dance with Astaire later at the disco dashed for a cracker as she caught sight of food eluding as it did a film of her concert and stars and combinations of both, dance at the National Gallery? reporters ques­ in the Blue Room. "You can come back later," at the Lincoln Memorial after she along with those who paid $150 for or- tioned. “I don’t have the habit of asking gentle­ Fairbanks called her back. Obediently she re- , h^d,been denied permission to singlat g&e^tra seats — proceeded to the men to dance, but I wouldn’t turn him down," placed the cracker. I keep her starved,” he the D.A.R.’s Constitution Hall. Grace ^■ernrnnndunderground cnncmiruconcourse np«rnear thpthe Rogers said primly. "To work with him was a ‘laughed. Bumbry, the soprano who has ap- East Wing of the National Gallery, charm. I’m sure anyone who danced with him felt The guest list was perhaps more star-studded peared frequently at the Metropo’i , iti futuristic cafeteria transformed the same thing. No, it doesn’t all seem long ago. than any in this administration. In the Carter tan Opera, offered “Vissi d’arte” info'an elegant dining room, its It seems like two or three years ago ..." White House, most receptions are politically ori- from n.Puccini—’s "Tosca,----- ..” Aretha kitchen area into a disco. Near the , Carter, who, with the First Lady, received ented or cause oriented.V.WU-u. Their111B„ guest6uvoi listsx.oto «.Vare Franklin and the Howard Universityliversitjr > underground waterfall where hordes -guests for a .large part of the 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. rarely jazzed up with Hollywood names, as in the Choir sang for her in a differentiff erent -of «jurists usually gather for lunch, party, went into his Jack Benny act again last Nixon and Ford years. Soc« this, together with the , ------mode,> -and— —82-year-old blues singer lunSharies flowed about and paying night. Displaying that droll, spontaneous wit that American Film Institute reception sometime ago, Alberta Hunter gave three tunes for guests joined in the chatter. Most rarely is shared with the great American public was Jimmy and Rosalynn Carters’ biggest her old friend. The —audienceJ:------J -de­ eyes and many flashbulbs were on on television — when he’s usually about more Hollwood-on-the-Potomac affair. manded and got the only encore of Jagger and the blonde, Jerry Hall. -Serious matters. To mention only a few names, there were the evening. "They’re plenty a good The mingling of the diverse ; /‘-They say that politics is the second oldest Eddie Albert, Alicia Alonso, Erskine Caldwell, tunes, honey, left in an old violin," reached fever pitch as Ginger Rogers profession, and is closely allied to the first. I’m Walter Cronkite, William "Count” Basie, James ended the last of her hand-clapping chatted with Roger Mudd and Jag- inotrgoing to comment on that. But politics is the Dickey, Lionel Hampton, Natalia Makarova, laments.iments. * * “ ger; wearing a crocheted cap he said -oldest and foremost of the performing arts, and I Gregory Peck, Ron Nessen (the former Ford One great violin tune, a baroque he came to Washington to buy, good -feel very close to you when I assess my own con­ press spokesman was there as a trustee of the sonata,»nntn waswac th«the giftmfAnf pf IsraeliTcroaii violin­ naturedly held forth with politicians tribution every day,” he told the assemblage of Kennedy Center), Leonard Bernstein, Stephen ist Itzhak Perlman and violinist while claiming "I don’t usually run -film stars, musicians, arts figures, legislators Sondheim, Eunice Shriver and her beautiful Isaac Stern to Artur Rubinstein. around with them.” Alberta Hunter, land business tycoons. "And you know what they daughter Maria (who hadn’t been in the White Rubinstein’s son John, had already wrapped in mink and bookended by say: You should always leave your public de­ House for an evening affair “since I used to come opened the performance with "A her bass player and pianist, was fast manding more. . . ’’ down in my pajamas ...” in her uncle John F. Simple Song” from Bernstein’s becoming a candidate for-star-of-the- . "turning serious, the president individually Kennedy’s presidency). "Mass,” his 1971 inaugural work for show award, and told everyone to commended each of the five honorees who shared They came in swansdown, mink, chinchilla, the Opera House. "come to New York to see me at The the-platform with him calling them "a broad pic­ some women with the multi-tail trim of their furs New York City ballet members Su­ Cookery.” ture of what America honors, reveres and swishing around their ankles, super agent Swifty zanne Farrell and Peter Martins Supreme Court Justice Byron 'enjoys.” Lazar, with his wife a head taller. Art Garfunckel danced the virtuoso Tchaikovsky Pas White, former CIA director Richard - Mstislav Rostropovich, the emigre Russian cel- with his aureole of ginger hair: “I’ve never been de Deux for their mentor, George Helms, choreographer Jerome Rob­ •lisrwho has lost his Soviet citizenship, beamed at here before — to my knowledge! I’m sure I have­ Balanchine, with Farrell’s upraised bins, innovative opera director Sarah Carter. "I love the president very much,” he said n't been because it’s rare for my friends or my­ little finger, signalling him her hello, Caldwell, and playwright Tenessee applauded hugely for 90-year-old Rubin­ self to be invited. Rock and roll music, you see, as it often does while she dances. Williams were eating a variety of stein. used to be called ‘dirty music.’ ” Mary Martin quoted Oscar Ham- crepes while security guards and Na­ British actor Peter O’Toole, wonderfully disso­ "I think Fred Astaire’s really got class,” Car­ merstein’s lyrics, Florence Hender­ tional Gallery staff and a man in a lute looking and languid, declared himself, ter said later, just before he left for the Kennedy son and John Raitt sang and Tony kilt boogalooed on the dance floor to "fearfully impressed” on his first visit to the Center. He made a great fuss over Ginger Bennett crooned a beautiful "Funny the music of Arabesque. White House. “I’m impressed by its occupants, Rogers. "She came to see me when I was gover­ Valentine” for Richard Rodgers in a Mayor Walter Washington arrived ^ttiriborary as they are. But then everything is nor,” he explained. Had they ever danced? "No, segment that had the look of ‘"rtie with Count Basie and a host of danc­ temporary. It was a most grateful speech. It’s ge- but we will later when it’s private" he teased. Tonight Show.” ers — Leslie Browne of ‘‘Turning nereous of him to allot so much time what with "Fred doesn’t dance anymore but I'm sure Mr. ouuAnd foriui Fredj. ivu Astaire,noLCMv, besideswoiuvg a« Point” fame, Ivan Nagy who will re- Richard Rodgers, whose communication is se­ President does,” Ginger Rogers responded girl­ glamorous Ginger Rogers waving tirewuring the upcoming American verely limited as a result of a stroke, sat in the ishly. from the audience, there was the cast BaUet Theater engagement, and Ed- "reen Room with his wife Dorothy and Mary * All in all inconsequential stuff. Except perhaps of ‘‘Chorus Line” kicking its way ward Villella who claimed the on- ‘Martin, Who admitted she hadn’t been in the that it was the latest episode in Washington’s and through the finale to a latter day ver- stage extravangaza ‘‘ran more White House since the Eisenhower administra­ Hollywood’s perennial romance ... an imjiffe*" ■ sion of what they all acknowledgei^'smopthly than any he had worked on tion. one that abides, goes nowhere in particular It Astaire did better. Earlier there years.” Actor Eddie Albert re- does no harm to anvone. *1 been a quote from Balanchine: ‘‘H$8 ggjglted the details of his work with -the4>est dancer of his day.” WpWhjichine and Rodgers in “Slaugh- One box over-----» from----- g. the i ------honoreesTenth sat' Avenue.” Mick Jagger, smooching witkhi^ glamorous date, a blonde T£iW iMibger Stevens, chairman of the model, who alternately smooc®$ Wnnedy Center, smiled when he said back and stared wide-eyed at tne the awards event and the partying president. It was the sort of audience would “leave a substantial surplus” where everybody looked vaguely for the Center, but the chairman of familiar. If you thought you saw the supper party, socialite Ina Gins­ Gregory Peck, you did. Or Alicia berg, was more precise. ‘‘The Alonso, the great Cuban ballerina, or Kennedy Center,” she claimed, Count BasieTor a Supreme Court jus­ "ought to make between $200,000 and tice or actress Elizabeth Ashley. $300,000 on this.” Wet Willie and some new ‘dixie rock’ Wet Willie completed a night club the r&b greats of his region — James tour at the Bayou last night, and Brown, Otis Redding and Little Rich­ gave the 300 people who braved the ard. Doubling on sax and harp, his rain some “Dixie rock,” along with tradeoff with Berwald’s slide guitar, some newer material which they will notably during “One Track Mind," record early next year. stood out. Brothers Jimmy and Jack Hall When Southern rock evolved in the formed a rock-solid core on lead early ’70s, a trademark was the long vocals and bass respectively, while guitar solo. Perhaps realizing audi­ Marshall Smith and Larry Berwald ence interests have changed, Wet were the quick-drawing guitar duo Willie jammed only for brief inter­ typifying Southern rock. vals. Berwald and Smith moved in Keyboard player Mike Duke adds and out quickly. Double leads were song-writing talent. His name may modest in length but well placed. The be on the song from the new album vocals last night were more polished they choose to release as a single. than when the group first started, Chestertown, Md., native T.K. notably on an older tune, “Shout Lively makes Wet Willie sound “cur­ Barna Lama.” rent” without launching hopelessly With Jimmy Hall’s voice and the down the disco trail. This was most air-tight music the group produces, apparent in Duke’s “Smoke,” one of they just might become recognized their new songs. as the premiere Southern rock group. Jimmy Hall sounded influenced by — Nicholas Adde