Leading Ladies Join Patty Farmer for THE PERSIAN ROOM PRESENTS Signing Today, 5/9

Leading Ladies of NY's Famous Persian Room, Lainie Kazan, Michele Lee, Connie Stevens and Barbara Van Orden join author, Patty Farmer for a Q&A and sign copies of "The Persian Room Presents." A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Childhelp for the treatment and prevention of child abuse.

The event is beoing held today, May 9th at 7:00 pm at Barnes & Noble, 189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, Calif.

Call it the biography of a place, a collaborative memoir, a history-but whatever you call it, The Persian Room Presents will transport you to the most elegant and magical night spot New York has ever known. In this dishy, personal, and compulsively readable book, dozens of celebrities reminisce about their experiences performing and partying at the Plaza and they all agree on one thing: there's never been anyplace like it. For more than forty years, from 1934 to 1975, the Persian Room was the place to be in New York City. An unparalleled array of performers graced its stage. And, though more than three decades have passed since the final ovation, there are many from both sides of the footlights who remember its charms. Among the many stars who spoke for the record are Andy Williams, Marge Champion, Polly Bergen, Diahann Carroll, Connie Stevens, Lesley Gore, Patti Page, Carol Lawrence, Jack Jones, Michele Lee, Lainie Kazan, Julie Wilson, Tony Butala, Tony Sandler, Celeste Holm, Kaye Ballard, and Roslyn Kind. Don Dellair regaled the author with humorous tales of both Hildegarde and Liberace. Hilary Knight-the legendary illustrator who brought Eloise to life-spoke wistfully of Kay Thompson and Lisa Kirk.

Just a taste of the great stories Farmer collected once she got the celebrities talking, incude:

- Carol Lawrence relives the chills she felt when Cary Grant marched up to the stage and gave her a kiss (during an act proclaimed by Ed Sullivan to be "the best nightclub extravaganza he had ever seen").

- Andy Williams talks about his time as a member of Kay Thompson's quartet-before he became the suave, solo crooner we all know and love.

- Leslie Uggams reminisces about the rollicking New Year's Eve party she threw after her show.

- Constance Towers reveals the time she accidentally insulted Joan Crawford (and the revenge Joan took-in front of a paying audience).

- Barbara Van Orden recalls how Frank Sinatra helped safeguard her virtue with the "word."

- Tony Butala of the Lettermen recounts the group's groundbreaking use of a "camera song."

- Diahann Carroll remembers taking one sleeping pill and a bottle of Champagne up to her suite to mount a half-hearted suicide attempt.

Since she was a little girl, Patty Farmer dreamed of living at the Plaza-just like that scamp Eloise, whose storybook adventures she relished. Decades later, that dream came true and she found herself permanently ensconced in an apartment on the eighth floor of the famed hotel-and more passionate than ever about exploring every nook of it and immersing herself in its history. The Persian Room Presents is the first book in a series she is planning about many aspects of her beloved landmark home.

 

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