 The Star Party for Dutch Reagan. Speaking for Variety Clubs, Bonnie Hall. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our 10th annual Variety Clubs All-Star Party. Please join me in welcoming a lady that we love, formerly an actress in motion pictures, who is now appearing in a very supporting role in a major production back east, Mrs. Dutch Reagan. Will you kindly join me in welcoming a man whom we greet tonight as friend, a very special friend close to our hearts, Mr. Dutch Reagan, your host for the evening, 1983 Variety Club honoree, truly his brother's keeper, Francis Albert Sinatra. We may be seated. I'm delighted to be here with Dutch and his bride, the first lady of the United States, and might I add, the first lady of Geneva too. And now here are some wonderful people who will be entertaining you for the next hour. You've already met Marty and here are Charlton Heston, Edie Gourmet, and Steve Lawrence, of course, and Emmanuel Lewis, the mightiest little fellow I've ever known in my life, and my buddy, Mr. Dean Mark. I don't mean to rake you, pal, and that little rascal, a devil, Mr. Bert Reynolds, Mr. Vincent Scully, the giant in the baseball world, Mr. Ben Vereen, and the Variety Club orchestra, so lovingly conducted for many years by our dear friend, Nelson Riddle. Tonight, I'm the director of Mr. Mick Currida. Welcome to our whole star party for Dutch Reagan. The music says it all, ladies and gentlemen, this is a lovely way to spend an evening. Tonight marks a very special celebration for Variety Clubs. We started out by honoring the big Duke, John Wayne, and here we are honoring Duke's pal, Dutch. Tonight, we honor the only man from our community who ever wound up living in public housing. As for tonight's guest, I'm happy to say the rules and protocol have been relaxed. Tonight, he is Dutch, and if anyone can't handle that, you may call him Mr. Dutch, and that's okay. As for Nancy, do as I do, call her beautiful. By the way, Dutch, you got a lot of friends here tonight. Some of the White House press corps who will be served their favorite meal, leek soup. I insisted upon having that joke and said it to somebody else to read it. Dutch did a lot of work in our community, good work. All in all, he made 53 motion pictures. He started in 1937 with Lovers in the Air. He made his last picture, The Killers, in 1964. And in between, there were some great ones, Dark Victory, Brother Rat, King's Row, Hellcats of the Navy with his beloved Nancy, then The Hasty Heart, and my favorite of all times, playing George Gipp, Newt Rockney, All America. And that's here's a Christmas card to you, Nancy and Dutch. Of course, it's not too far off yet, right now. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. Your troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Make the Yuletide gang together. If the fates allow, hang a shining star. A merry little Christmas. Make that Yuletide gang from now on. Mastery of the English language is second only to Tom Lasortas. Wonderful Vinnie Scully. I'll tell you the feeling that comes over me, standing right here as I am, face to face with one of those chosen few men in history who know from personal experience, the glory, the frustrations, the sometimes agony that all too often go along as the price of the high office that you sought and to which you were duly elected and re-elected, the president of the Screen Actors Guild. All of us in the sports broadcasting business today feel a special bond for you, Mr. Dutch. After all, you were a member of the club. Indeed, you were. You spent five years on radio station WHO in Des Moines recreating Chicago Cub Games. In fact, I remember you told me a cute story about that a couple of years ago. It was a wonderful story. Now, I would love to tell the story myself, but I know it wouldn't be nearly as good. And I just have a feeling that somebody in this room, somebody might really tell the story the way it should be told. I don't see any volunteers, so it looks like it's down to you and me, Dutch. What do you say? What do you say? Well, could I set the stage for just a second and explain that when you did a baseball game by telegraphic report, that meant you weren't at the ballpark looking at the game. You were sitting at a studio desk with a microphone in front of you and a glass window here and a little slit under it, and there was a fell on the other side of that window with a telegraph key hearing those dots and dashes, and then he would type and send a slip of paper through to you. And you'd take it, and it would say maybe S1C. Well, you can't sell many Wheaties yelling S1C. So you'd say, Dean comes out of the wind up, here comes the pitch, and it's a call strike breaking over the outside corner to a fellow, the boys are bald. Well, this particular story that I have been dragooned into telling happened in a Cubs and Cardinal game which in the Midwest is really drama. It was the night thinning, the score tied, and Billy Jurgus at the plate. And I saw my friend Curly on the other side of the window start to type, and so I had Dean start his wind up and I had a ball on the way to the plate and Curly was shaking his head, no. I thought it must be something sensational that's happened there and he handed me the slip of paper and said, the wire has gone dead. Well, I had a ball on the way to the plate and there's only one thing you can do that won't get in the record so I had Jurgus follow one off down to the left and then I looked and Curly just shrugged and I thought, you know, in those days you didn't have an announcer for a team for the game. There would be a half a dozen of us on different stations doing that same game. So I knew that if I suddenly said there's going to be a delay and we don't know what's going on at Wrigley Field everybody'd switch to another station. So I took a chance and I had Jurgus follow one over back to first base and Curly still sitting slumped there waiting so then I had him follow one down to the left that just missed being a home run by a foot and he followed one back into the stands and I described the fight that two kids put up that tried to get the ball and this went on until I was beginning to set if there is such a thing a world record for a fellow standing at the plate hitting successive foul balls and I knew that I had to keep on if I now said the wire is gone dead they'd know that I'd been faking on all of these foul balls so I had him follow them in a few more directions I would in the meantime I had Dizzy Dean out of the mound stepping back and using the rosin bag and shaking off the sign and getting another sign so that it would take up time and all of a sudden Curly sat up straight and started to type and I thought here we go and he handed me the slip of paper and I started to giggle it said Jurgers popped out and the first ball pitched there was another first for this evening introduced a man who doesn't even know he's here Mr. Dean Martin it's a pleasure to be here for your dinner tonight it's the first time listen Ding Dong we honored him four years ago so I made a mistake and this is for you clutch you kidding Ronnie and me I called him Ronnie he calls me Deanie but just in 1988 you're going to be out of work but I'll still be drunk accompanist not only is he my accompanist but he plays piano for me too how did you get this out of here I state it's been great and a night like this a few people rate but I must admit it all honesty Mr. Wonderful that's me they all go I suppose would get handy if they heard such gravel but I must repeat it all modesty Mr. Wonderful still me I drink a toast to him each night as you might think not cause I wish him well but cause I love to drink in this fine hall raise a glass to the champ of them all here's to Dutch and his Nancy too Mr. Wonderful Mr. Wonderful Club Honoree Mr. Bert Reynolds look at that center table and I really wouldn't want your job I don't think any of us here have to worry about that Hi Nancy Hi Dutch you changed agents didn't you Dutch and I have a lot in common for one thing we both played college football I played football at Florida State Dutch played at Eureka Florida State's going to the Gator Bowl Eureka get a bowl bid and of course we both made westerns I made four westerns Dutch made four westerns Cowboy from Brooklyn in 1938 Angel from Texas Santa Fe Trail in 1940 and cattle queen of Montana in 1955 hold it down I was going to do a remake of cattle queen of Montana but they wanted me to play the title role in the early 1950s Dutch went into television hosting general electric theater and Death Valley days he parlayed two television series into a lot better job I parlayed two terrible television series into another terrible television series he then put in eight years at the branch office in Sacramento before being called to the headquarters back east where he works today and I think we should thank God for that gifted and talented young men Immanuel Lewis and Ben Vereen you're terrific if you're even good he missed the factor he made the monkey look good great a guy from Brooklyn called the president Mr. Reagan speaking for all the kids in the world I want to thank you for doing all that you've joined us and to stay away from drugs and get away from drugs so they can grow up with their head on straight the way kids show it thank you well Dutch, Nancy rather beautiful here are some of those kids the International Children's Choir they're from 50 different nations and they're here to wish you as all of us wish to wish you peace on earth God bless you you know something how would you like to take a trip with me to Geneva I think you could do the job it's a medley of love songs love songs to America that write the history of this night and here are the two of the happiest kids in town Steven Eady urgent work she's a bell that must be rocked she's a hot that beats with joy and hope life has its own moment of truth and who better to call it to our attention than the man who parted the Red Sea Chuck Heston got here tonight I wasn't certain what to expect except a great party variety clubs and the Francis Albert kind of guarantee that a party for the president and the first lady on a first name basis that's it's a great idea just like the old days actually back at the screen actors guild it wasn't dutch it was Ron or Ronnie to the old hands I was new in the board then we were in the middle of a tough strike and he had appointed me to the negotiating team I remember coming home very late one night after a long session 4 a.m. Lydia woke up honey I said we've got a leader yeah you could say that that's what I was thinking about when I watched the two of them come into the room tonight but they walk a road now that we can't possibly know and they walk it for us a little less than 5 years ago in Washington at the ceremonies marking his first inauguration I said tomorrow at high noon the steps of the capital one man will take in his hand the most awesome power and influence ever held by a single human being he will be thenceforth forever wrapped in legend and myth he will also pick up a burden of responsibility that has no known counterpart in the civilized world Ronald Reagan will become the lineal descendant of Washington and Adams Jefferson Jackson Lincoln Wilson Roosevelt with them he will be linked to the very birth date of this republic and so he has so he has here we are tonight his friends we watch him laugh we see Nancy's foot tapped to the music but we know sir you are us to the world you are America yes is our yes your no is ours you are every man and woman in this nation you speak to mankind in our name you carry the torch that was flamed by Patrick Henry's passion for liberty Tom Taines common sense and Tom Jefferson's most uncommon wisdom lifted by the memory of those soldiers known and unknown bodies in your words lie in the only foreign soil this country occupies the president what do we pray for him what do we wish from him and for him what can he pledge to us what can we say to help him American writers have spoken eloquently to this question among them Thomas Wolfe William Faulkner F. Scott Fitzgerald it's a fabulous country the only fabulous country where miracles can happen all the time I refuse to accept the end of man he will prevail because alone among all creatures he has a soul, spirit capable of compassion and endurance and sacrifice in this country there is a willingness of the heart and as you lead us into the uncertain beleaguered future in the broad swell of continent between those shining seas let me say for all of us Mr. President in the words of his song you'll remember God shed his grace on me Ladies and gentlemen my pleasure to introduce the international chairman of Variety Clubs International Mr. Monte Hall Stay with me because you're going to be part of us Dutch I feel funny saying Dutch pretty strange I must say by allowing Variety Clubs International to televised this wonderful party in your honor you join our humanitarian hall of fame in earlier parties like this we have added new facilities to our children's hospitals dedicated to John Wayne here in our Miami Children's Hospital Elizabeth Taylor in New York's flower Fifth Avenue Hospital Jimmy Stewart in our Minnesota Variety Heart Hospital in our Des Moines Blank Memorial Hospital Jack Lemon in our Buffalo Children's Hospital Bert Reynolds in this the Eggelson Hospital for Children in Atlanta Carol Burnett here in the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles the Sinatra Family Wing for the Chronically Ill in this the Seattle Children's Orthopedic Hospital and Medical Center and last year the Lucille Ball Diabetes Research Library here in the Barbara Davis Juvenile Diabetes Hospital in Denver I hasten to remind you that all of these hospital units are dedicated to the care of sick and underprivileged and handicapped children without regard to race, religion, or the family's ability to pay now before we announce tonight's dedication let's make our guest former Eureka College football hero feel at home here is the fight song of the Red Devils Oski Wa-Wau Oski Wa-Wau Oski Wa-Wau, Oski Wa-Wau, I'm Eureka Old Alma Mater song, Neath the Elms would you join us Dutch? Dutch you've been a friend of Variety Clubs for many, many years now you participated in early parties like this by sending your greetings and Nancy's to our honorees and I'm sure that Nancy has told you of her work as honorary chairperson of Variety Lifeline which provides surgery for children with life-threatening problems around the world and for that we are eternally grateful thank you Nancy and now to you sir, Ronald Wilson Reagan born and raised in Midwestern America the heartland of our nation tonight you return to Midwestern America if not in body certainly in spirit we are proud to announce the Ronald Reagan Wing which will be dedicated in your honor right here in the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska now ladies and gentlemen I give you our friend Dutch well it's good to be Dutch again and it's wonderful to be surrounded by so many fine and talented friends to paraphrase Jack Kennedy there hasn't been so much talent assembled in one room since well since the last time that Monty Hall hosted Let's Make a Deal seriously Nancy and I have watched these parties over the years and we're thrilled to be a part of the good work of the Variety Clubs International and something Lucy said last year applies to the way that I feel right now let's see if I can quote her accurately to those of you who said such nice things about me tonight I just wish you were all under oath I I wish you were all members of Congress you know when I first started in my present job I'd sometimes put together in my mind my own dream cabinet you know John Wayne as Secretary of State Clint Eastwood at Defense Jack Benny as Secretary of Treasury Groucho Marx at Education but even presidents can't have everything except tonight tonight all of you here well you've really made my day and as for all of you who are so generous in sharing your talents with us tonight will you please stand up so that I can applaud you all once more come on those of you and Frank, old blue eyes as always you've been the perfect host voice rings just as pure and clear as ever for all of us guys and dolls who are still young at heart speaking of music Steve and Edie I like the songs you sang not a clinker in the bunch and Dean Martin there you go again Dean I'm thrilled that you were able to be here tonight for Bert Reynolds' party and sometime if they ever have a party for Nancy and me I hope you can make that one too and Vince Scully you brought back a lot of happy memories and Marty Hall the voice of Variety Clubs thank you for your presentation and Mike Frankovich you share those words of gratitude everybody knows how devoted you are to Variety and Ben Vereen you've danced your way into America's heart and Emmanuel Lewis we should never lose sight of what you said wait a minute even if sometimes we lose sight of you ah well there you are Manny and that was a lovely sentiment that was expressed by the International Children's Choir and Chuck Heston I knew you had leadership qualities when I saw you play Moses you were eloquent and gracious in your remarks about the that guard on the Eureka varsity thank you to all of you associated with a good work of Variety you have our eternal gratitude for arranging this party for all the good work that you've done in your half a century of giving and caring for those who need our help the most the innocent children of the world having my name associated with your good work the University of Nebraska Medical Center will always have a special place in my heart and I thank you all very much speaking for Nancy as well as myself to all of you here and to all Americans everywhere paraphrasing something that Moses said earlier God shed His grace on each of the thank you Nancy and Dutch as you leave the step once more into history to go with our prayers and a song a song that says it all may we have a bell tone please sure American World Airway