Photo Flash: Hooray for Hollywood Gala

David Steiner's mammoth Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yards, the largest film studio on the East Coast was the setting for a salute to stage and screen legend Patricia Neal, Wall Street whiz Shirl Penney and The Count and Countess Alexandre de Lesseps. The "Hooray For Hollywood" gala evening benefited The Auditory Oral School of New York, a non profit organization which specializes in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children to listen, talk, think and socialize.

Ava Astaire McKenzie, daughter of the fabled dancer and her husband artist Richard McKenzie, were the evening's Honorary Chairs. In attendance was All About Eve Oscar winning actress Celeste Holm with her husband producer Frank Basile, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach, Big Band singer Margaret Whiting wit her husband director Jack Wrangler, AMC movie maven Robert Osborne, Katherine Altman, widow of the great filmmaker Robert Altman, singer Julie Wilson, Oscar-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg. 

The glamorous evening began with cocktails overlooking the Manhattan skyline from Studio 5, followed by dinner, an auction of luxury items, celebrity tributes, performances by Anna Bergman, Howard McGillin, Ron Raines and Julie Wilson, a special tribute by actor Eli Wallach to his former co-star Neal and dancing to Alex Donner and his Orchestra. 

To keep with the 40s theme, cigarette girls offered a selection of cigars and cigarettes from Nat Sherman.  Jennifer Dumas was Executive Producer of Hooray for Hollywood and Patricia Watt was Entertainment Producer for the gala.

Photos courtesy Edward Callaghan & John Wegorzewski