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A star-studded evening featuring an intimate conversation with iconic film and television star Robert Wagner to benefit the Gold Coast Arts Center and its Gold Coast International Film Festival, will take place on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Gold Coast Arts Center, 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY 11021.
Joining Mr. Wagner at the gala will be a number of his closest Hollywood pals. Among the stars expected to attend are Jill St. John, Joel Grey, Larry King, Richard Thomas, Edwina Sandys, Mrs. Anthony (Katherine) Quinn, Tippi Hedren, Greg Mullavey, Angie Dickinson, Diane Baker, Constance Towers Gavin, and others. Moderating the conversation will be the renowned film historian, author, and professor Foster Hirsch.
In addition to hearing a firsthand account of his life and career by the handsome and debonair actor who is one of the most popular and successful stars in the entertainment industry, guests will feast on an array of outstanding food in a glamorous atmosphere. The price of the event is $250 per person, and numerous sponsorships for the gala are still available. For more information, or to purchase a ticket, please call 516-829-2570. Cocktail attire is suggested.
The occasion will be used to bestow the second annual Burton Moss Hollywood Golden Era Award upon Mr. Wagner in recognition of his long, illustrious career in film and television that began in 1950 with his film debut in The Happy Years starring Dean Stockwell and Darryl Hickman. Among Mr. Wagner’s numerous film credits includes With a Song in My Heart, Broken Lance with the legendary Spencer Tracy, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Pink Panther, The Curse of the Pink Panther, Midway, The Towering Inferno, Banning, Harper, Prince Valiant, The True Story of Jesse James, and All the Fine Young Cannibals. He re-created his role of Number Two, the villainous henchman to Dr. Evil, the archenemy of Mike Myers’ title character in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
On television, Mr. Wagner has starred in three long-running hit series, It Takes a Thief, with Fred Astaire, Switch, with Eddie Albert and Sharon Gless and Hart to Hart, with Stefanie Powers. He also starred in the top-rated miniseries Windmills of the Gods, based on Sidney Sheldon’s best-selling novel; with Joanne Woodward in A Kiss Before Dying; and with Elizabeth Taylor in There Must Be a Pony. He also appeared in the memorable Seinfeld episode, “The Yada, Yada, Yada,” as Dr. Abbot.
Named for the man who has represented some of Hollywood’s finest stars, the Burton Moss Hollywood Golden Era Award pays tribute to film legends who may not have been honored appropriately during their lifetimes, and whose legacy is in danger of becoming forgotten by newer generations of filmgoers. The award itself an original work of art was created by renowned sculptor Edwina Sandys, who is a granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill. The first award was presented posthumously to Rita Hayworth and accepted by her daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, at the presentation made at a private reception held at the New York City home of Ms. Sandys in October 2017.
Mr. Moss, who is also expected to attend the gala, has amassed an impressive client roster that has included such iconic stars and personalities as Bette Davis, Sidney Poitier, Robert Vaughn, Tom Cruise, Mia Farrow, Juliet Mills, Hugh O’Brian, Cliff Robertson, Tippi Hedren, William Shatner, Dyan Cannon, Carroll O’ Connor, Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman, Dina Merrill, Connie Stevens, Tom Bosley, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Dorothy McGuire, Charles Bickford, Victor Jory, Sally Kellerman, Carrie Snodgress, Larry King, Elizabeth Montgomery, Constance Towers, Ruth Roman, Cyd Charisse, June Allyson, Jack Valenti, and Hollywood’s “Love Goddess,” Rita Hayworth.
Proceeds from the benefit will help support the Arts Center’s many outreach projects, including Making Memories, a program that serves those with Alzheimer’s and memory impairment; as well as ArtReach, a program that brings Arts Center faculty and programs to schoolchildren to enrich their curriculum with arts education in the areas of ceramics, painting, music, dance and chess.
Photo credit: Greg Gorman
