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"Dear Miss Van Horne. You bitch. Sincerely, Ed Sullivan."
Besides an obvious knack for composing pithy missives to his critics, Mr. Sunday Night also possessed a keen affinity for ethnic minorities, blacks in particular, whom he regularly invited to perform on his show, the pre-egalitarian grumblings of various sponsors notwithstanding. Clearly, the civil rights gene ran in his family, for in 1934 two members of his kinfolk, Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan, founded Casita Maria, the first charitable organization in the "settlement house" tradition to serve Hispanics in New York City.
At the annual Fiesta fund-raiser at the über-posh Mandarin Oriental, the Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor was presented to renowned philanthropist Emilia Fanjul, erstwhile Rio de Janeiro burgomaster Israel Klabin, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, and Carmen Sánchez Pérez, publisher of Hola! Magazine.
Although, strictly speaking, not a member of the Hispanic community, Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia co-chaired the event along with Jacqueline Weld Drake, Carolina Herrera, and Aileen Mehle. Has His Royal Highness been apprised that his country dissolved in 2003? An adjustment of title may be in order. (Rumors that the King of Mesopotamia will officiate at next year’s Fiesta have been royally disconfirmed.)
Mario Buatta emceed as Somers and Jonathan Farkas, producer Marty Bregman with wife Cornelia, George Kaufman, and numerous other notables dined and danced the night away. For the convenience of those who had inadvertently schlepped along too much cash, Maria “Mati” Bonetti Buccini headed a silent luxury auction. As a legendary TV host would have remarked, it was a reeeely big show!
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