Gossip Friday: Happy New Year

From January 1, 1957:

Hollywood Throws $125,000 Party

The film colony’s upper crust welcomed the new year with a $125,000 party in Texas style at Mike Romanoff’s restaurant.

Texas oilman David (Tex) Feldman picked up the tab and was so exclusive about his guest list that he refused to let Clark Gable and Gable’s wife, the former Kay Spreckels, bring along two friends…

A seven course dinner along with seven kinds of wine was served. The entertainment bill, which featured singer Edith Piaf, cost Feldman $7,500.

The costume motif was styled in the gay 90s fashion after the musical “My Fair Lady.” The main party room was turned into a reproduction of New York’s famous Delmonico’s at a cost to Feldman of $75,000.

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Adjusted for inflation, that would mean in today’s dollars the party cost $1,157,602. Wow.

The picture above is Clark and Kay at that very party. Also taken at that party were these infamous photos of Clark laughing with Gary Cooper, Van Heflin and Jimmy Stewart:

Happy New Year!