April in Paris Ball

Last updated
Marilyn Monroe with organizer Elsa Maxwell at the 1957 April in Paris Ball Elsa Maxwell Marilyn Monroe April in Paris Ball 1957.jpg
Marilyn Monroe with organizer Elsa Maxwell at the 1957 April in Paris Ball

The April in Paris Ball was an annual US gala event whose mission was to serve charity and Franco-American relations. [1] Established in 1952 at the Waldorf Astoria New York in New York City, it was the idea of Claude Philippe, the hotel's banquet manager, who enlisted Elsa Maxwell to help organize it.

Contents

The first event was a celebration of the 2,000th birthday of the city of Paris and was held in 1951. When it was decided to make the ball an annual event, the name was changed to the April in Paris Ball.

Organization

Organizer Elsa Maxwell Maxwell, Elsie - by Carl van Vechten.jpg
Organizer Elsa Maxwell

The April in Paris Ball was the brainchild of Claude Philippe, the banquet manager of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria, with the chief goal being to improve Franco-American relations, to share cultures, and to help provide assistance to US and French charities, aside from commemorating the 2000th anniversary of the founding of Paris. The first ball was called the Paris Birthday Ball and was held on May 7, 1951. When the ball became an annual event, its name became the April in Paris Ball. [2] While the hotel's management handled invitations and publicity, other details were coordinated by socialites. [3] Elsa Maxwell was given the primary responsibility in organizing it. [4] Mrs. William C. T. Gaynor served as general chairman of the ball in 1954-57. [1]

It was initially held annually in April, but according to Ann Vaccaro, former executive director of the ball, it was changed to October because "Mr. Philippe decided that because there are so many balls in the spring he would make it in October". [5] After being changed to October, it often marked the start of the US fall social season. It was staged in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf for eight years before moving to the Hotel Astor in 1960, the Seventh Regiment Armory in 1961, and other venues. [6]

The ball was designed to cater for "very, very high-class people" according to Vaccaro. [7] Raffle tickets cost US$100 per person and offered opulent prizes such as a US$5000 bracelet and other jewels, expensive furs, perfumes and even cars. [7] In the 1960 event, prizes given included a Ford Thunderbird car, a Chinchilla coat, a Renault Dauphine, a TV Hi-Fi system, an electric typewriter, 25 cases of expensive French wines, original paintings and porcelains, jewels, clocks, evening bags and a pedigree poodle, with gift boxes given to guests which included gold key rings and jewelry, champagne and brandy, Maxim ashtrays, pipes, silver bottle openers, hats and scarves, and flowers. [6] Every guest was said to have gone home with at least one gift in return. In the 1979 event, some US$106,000 worth of prizes were given out. [7] Over its history, the ball, which was exempt from tax, earned millions of dollars, which went primarily to over 20 American charities such as the American Cancer Society, with 15 to 20% going towards French charities. A staff of three people were paid full-time throughout the year to organize it. Of the expenses of the ball, founder Philippe stated "We charge the most, give the most, and make the most — it's a success formula". [8] Bernard F. Gimbel served as chief treasurer. [7]

Events

1952

Juliette Greco (29-03-1966).jpg
BeatriceLillieByYousufKarsh.jpg
Juliette Gréco (left) and Beatrice Lillie (right) starred in the inaugural ball of 1952

The initial show, held on 9 April 1952, [9] featured a "three-hour spectacular of five tableaux, directed by Stuart Chaney", [depicting] a twelfth century scene of troubadours at the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry VIII's meeting at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, Louis XIV at Versailles, and a fashion show of forty creations by Dior, Fath, Balmain, Dessès and Givenchy". [8] Most of designer Jean Desses' mid-season collection was shown at the ball before his Paris showings in May. [10] Court jesters, singers, numerous dancers, dwarf wrestlers, jousters, trained animals loaned by John Ringling, and three dozen Scotch pipers were also a feature. [7] French stars Juliette Gréco, Jean Sablon, Beatrice Lillie, John Loder, and many others were flown over for the ball. Maxwell and Lillie, dressed as a beturbaned maharajah from India and a harem girl, arrived with brooms and buckets, following an elephant. [11] The coatroom charge was a surprise to the guests; instead of the usual two bits, it was raised to US$0.35 per item. [12]

1953

The second ball, held on 20 April 1953 was organized to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the death of French Renaissance writer and humanist François Rabelais. A spectacular of six tableaux were put on, consisting of Le Moyen Age, with costumes by Marcel Rochas, Le Cardinal aux Chats, with costumes by Jacques Fath, Dans les Jardins de Marly, with costumes by Jeanne Lanvin, Les Chinois a Versailles, with costumes by Nina Ricci and Arturo López Willshaw  [ fr ], Cendrillon de Paris, a fashion show featuring gowns by Balenciaga, Balmain, Desses, Diro, Fath, Givenchy, Gres, Lanvin, Patou and Schiaparelli and hats by Gilbert Orcel, Legroux Soeurs, Paulette and Caroline Reboux, and finally a François Rabelais play, starring Walter Slezak as Rabelais, Tom Ewell as Panurge, Betsy von Furstenberg as Lady Dantern, Albert Hecht as Friar John, and John Cromwell as Bird. [13] The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus provided a gymnast, dwarf, a juggler, a gargantua and animals. Roger Dunn, Tyrone Power and Reginald Gardiner were invited to conduct the master of ceremonies, with special mention to French actress Suzy Delair. [14] Furniture, tapestries and banners from 17th and 18th century France were provided by French & Co., Lace and Tulle by the Federation Nationale Francaise de Dentelles Tulles Broderies et Passementeries, and jewels by Cartier.

1954

Robert Joffrey fitted out the ballroom as the court of Versailles for the 1954 ball, with students from the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre as performers, and Victor Borge cast as Louis XIV. [15] With Audrey Hepburn too ill to perform as John Paul Jones, Gloria Vanderbilt stepped in at the last minute, which impressed Gilbert Miller. [16] Jacqueline Kennedy was an attendee. [17]

1957 and 1958

Marilyn Monroe April in Paris Ball 1957.jpg
John F. Kennedy, White House color photo portrait.jpg
Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy attended the 1957 ball

The 1957 event, attended by Senator John F. Kennedy, his wife, Jackie, and Marilyn Monroe, included 1300 guests, who paid $100 each and donated $130,000 to charities; [1] the Duke and Duchess of Windsor attended as well. [18] The Duchess and Elsa Maxwell had reportedly had a major falling out at another ball four years earlier and sat far apart from each other and didn't speak even when they were in the elevator together. [19] The Duke and Duchess were the guests of honor and were seated at the most visible table in the ballroom. [20] One article in The Times Standard even claimed that Maxwell had invited Monroe to the ball to publicly embarrass the Duchess; when Monroe arrived more than 30 photographer abandoned her to photograph Monroe. [21] After the ball, a wealthy New York broker offered to donate $50,000 to charity if Maxwell and the Duchess would abandon their feud and shake hands in front of press photographers. Maxwell was most willing to end the quarrel in this way, but the Duchess declined the offer. [22] The following year, the ballroom was decorated with 30 feet (9.1 m) high chestnut trees. The event brought in US$170,000 for charities. [23]

1959

Dietrich at the April in Paris Ball in 1959 Marlene Dietrich April in Paris Ball 1959.jpg
Dietrich at the April in Paris Ball in 1959

The 1959 ball, the final one to be held at the Waldorf on 10 April 1959, centred around the theme of the Parisian circus of the 18th century. 1000 people attended, paying $150 per ticket. [24] Genuine circus costumes from the period were flown over from France, and the ball featured Marlene Dietrich as a ringmaster in trousers, a waistcoat, top hat and white gloves. [25] Dietrich sang two Maurice Chevalier songs, "Louise" and "Mimi". Cecil Beaton designed a big top of ruby velvet with a "hedge of colored fountains" and thousands of purple flowers. [24]

1960

Due to conflict between Philippe and the Waldorf-Astoria staff, he was exiled from the Waldorf in 1960, and the ball was moved to the Hotel Astor that year, where the likes of Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Joan Crawford and organizer Elsa Maxwell helped transform it into the Paris Opera House. [26] A photomural of the Paris Opera House was "mounted on plywood and superimposed in front of Astor Hotel creating the illusion of [the] actual opera house", and photomurals of the interior completed the transformation. [6] Held on 9 April 1960 under the title of Un Bal Masque a l'Opéra de Paris, the show featured a series of tableaux entitled L'Elegance de Paris, with costumes by Revillon, La Couture, with designs by Pierre Cardin, Jean Desses, Christian Dior, Gres, Jacques Heim, Hermès, Guy LaRoche, Nina Ricci and Jean Patou, La Couleur Opera, featuring "La Cabaret de l'Aurore" and the Lester Lanin orchestra and the US premiere of the 1735 Jean-Philippe Rameau French opera-ballet "Les Indes Galantes", starring Mony Dalmes, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Jean Jacques Strauss, Les Fleurs, with Parisian and European opera and ballet stars such as Claude Besny, Pierre LaCotte, George Zoritch, Judith Raskin, and Madeleine Rizzo, and finally Les Savages & La Chaconne, featuring Cathryn Damon, Dorothy Straiger, Constance Carpenter, Gretchen Wyler, Charlton Heston and Myles Easton. [27]

Later balls

Several ball committee members felt that the name of the ball should be changed, since it was no longer held in April, but in the fall. In 1968, the ball's name was changed to Bal de l'Amitie. The new name lasted only one year and it once more became known as the April in Paris ball in 1969. [28] Moune de Rivel fr was invited to the 1970 event, [29] while in 1973, Josephine Baker was its star. [30] Russell Edwards of The New York Times stated that even in 1974 the Paris Ball "remains the most prestigious, with its national and international guest list, but not necessarily the most social". [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlene Dietrich</span> German and American actress and singer (1901–1992)

Marie Magdalene "Marlene" Dietrich was a German and American actress and singer whose career spanned from the 1910s to the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf Astoria New York</span> Hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story 625 ft (191 m) Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultze and Weaver, which was completed in 1931. The building was the world's tallest hotel from 1931 until 1963 when it was surpassed by Moscow's Hotel Ukraina by 23 feet (7.0 m). An icon of glamour and luxury, the Waldorf Astoria is one of the world's most prestigious and best-known hotels. Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is a division of Hilton Hotels, and a portfolio of high-end properties around the world operates under the name, including in New York City. Both the exterior and the interior of the Waldorf Astoria are designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission as official landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Boldt</span> American hotelier

George Charles Boldt Sr. was a Prussian-born American hotelier. A self-made millionaire, he influenced the development of the urban hotel as a civic social center and luxury destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debutante</span> Upper-class girl introduced to high society

A debutante, also spelled débutante, or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal "debut" or possibly debutante ball. Originally, the term meant that the woman was old enough to be married, and part of the purpose of her coming out was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families, with a view to marriage within a select circle.

Givenchy is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. It is currently owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsa Maxwell</span> American gossip columnist and author (1883–1963)

Elsa Maxwell was an American gossip columnist and author, songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality and professional hostess renowned for her parties for royalty and high society figures of her day.

"Miss Otis Regrets" is a song about the lynching of a society woman after she murders her unfaithful lover. It was composed by Cole Porter in 1934, and first performed by Douglas Byng in Hi Diddle Diddle, a revue that opened on October 3, 1934, at London's Savoy Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley-Martin Ball</span>

The Bradley-Martin Ball was a lavish costume ball at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City on the night of February 10, 1897. Cornelia Bradley-Martin, wife of Bradley Martin, organized the ball. Eight hundred socialites spent about $400,000 imitating kings and queens. Bradley-Martin's stated intention was to create an economic stimulus for New York City, which was at the end of the Long Depression which began in 1873 and included the Panic of 1893. The Bradley-Martins spent approximately $9.7 million in today's money to throw the ball. Across the country, preachers and editorial writers argued over the propriety of a party that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the end, the ball was a social triumph but created negative publicity.

<i>An Evening with Marlene Dietrich</i> British TV series or program

An Evening With Marlene Dietrich is a concert-format television special, starring Marlene Dietrich, first broadcast in 1973.

The International Debutante Ball is an invitation-only, formal debutante ball, to officially present well-connected young ladies of distinction from upper-class families to high society. Founded in 1954, it occurs every two years at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

George Lang was a Hungarian born American restaurateur, food and travel writer, critic and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos de Beistegui</span>

Carlos de Beistegui e Yturbe, also known as Charlie de Beistegui, was an eccentric French-born Mexican multi-millionaire art collector and interior decorator who was one of the most flamboyant characters of mid-20th-century European life. His ball at the Palazzo Labia in Venice in 1951 is still described as "the party of the century". Beistegui was often referred to as "The Count of Monte Cristo".

Ward Morehouse III was an American author, playwright and newspaperman. He was known particularly for his books on the grand hotels of New York City and London.

Tom C. Keogh was an international fashion illustrator, graphic artist, and set and costume designer who married dancer and novelist Theodora Keogh, née Roosevelt, the granddaughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. Born in San Francisco, Tom Keogh studied at the California School of Fine Arts and the Chouinard School of Painting. In 1944 he moved to New York to work as an illustrator for Barbara Karinska, the theatre, ballet and film designer. After their wedding the Keoghs moved to Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf-Astoria (1893–1929)</span> Former hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Waldorf-Astoria originated as two hotels, built side by side by feuding relatives, on Fifth Avenue in New York, New York, United States. Built in 1893 and expanded in 1897, the hotels were razed in 1929 to make way for construction of the Empire State Building. Their successor, the current Waldorf Astoria New York, was built on Park Avenue in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Philippe</span> British-born French-American restaurateur

Claudius Charles Philippe, also known as Philippe of the Waldorf or The Host of the Waldorf, was a British-born French-American restaurateur, catering director, hotelier and businessman, who was the hotel banquet manager of the prestigious Waldorf Astoria New York hotel in the 1940s and 1950s. From 1961 until 1963 he worked as executive vice president of Loews Hotels, and was responsible for the planning and building of six new New York hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphonse W. Salomone Jr.</span> Canadian-American hotelier (1919-1993)

Alphonse W. Salomone Jr. was a Canadian-American hotelier of Italian descent, referred to by Ward Morehouse III as "one of the country's most respected hotelmen". He is best known for being the Vice President of the Hilton Hotel Corporation's Eastern properties and the manager of the prestigious Washington and New York Hiltons, and New York's Plaza Hotel, Ritz-Carlton, and the Waldorf Astoria New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathryn Bache Miller</span> American art collector and philanthropist (1896–1979)

Kathryn Bache Miller was an American art collector and philanthropist.

Nick De Morgoli was a French photojournalist who worked for major magazines and picture agencies, active 1930s-1960s.

Ruth Vanderbilt Twombly was an American philanthropist, tennis coach, socialite, and heiress to the Vanderbilt family fortune.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Time Inc 1957, p. 201.
  2. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, pp. 225–226.
  3. ↑ Time Inc 1960, p. 90.
  4. ↑ Avery 2010, p. 50.
  5. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, p. 225.
  6. 1 2 3 Morehouse III 1991, p. 235.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Morehouse III 1991, p. 227.
  8. 1 2 Morehouse III 1991, p. 226.
  9. ↑ "@marlenedietrichoutfits Instagram post (carousel) Marlene Dietrich wearing a 1951 Charles James for Elizabeth Arden Elegance New York pink and red corset dress, while attending the inaugural "April in Paris Ball" at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on 9 April 1952. In the second photograph, Marlene is arm in arm with then-president of Conde Nast Publications, Iva Patcevitch. Marlene also wore the dress during promotional theatre appearances for Fritz Lang's film "Rancho Notorious". The "April in Paris Ball" was an annual US gala event whose mission was to serve charity and Franco-American relations, aside from commemorating the 2,000th anniversary of the founding of Paris. The idea was Claude Philippe's, the hotel's banquet manager, who enlisted Elsa Maxwell to help organize it. Currently, the dress is being held in the Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin archives within the @deutschekinemathek. #marlenedietrich #elizabetharden #muse #ladietrich #marlene #dietrich #fashion #vogue #style #vintage #oldhollywood #hollywood #glamour #queen #icon #star #blueangel #angel #legend #classic #hautecouture #vintagefashion #vintagecouture #couture - Ispics.com". ispics.com.
  10. ↑ "Paris Designer Shows Corset Bodices, Fan Tails". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. 26 May 1952. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  11. ↑ Staggs 2012, p. 272.
  12. ↑ Saturday Review Associates 1969, p. 12.
  13. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, p. 228.
  14. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, pp. 228–9.
  15. ↑ Anawalt 1998, p. 76.
  16. ↑ Stasz 1999, p. 365.
  17. ↑ Lamparski 1973, p. 138.
  18. ↑ King 2011, p. 427.
  19. ↑ ""Sick of all deformed gals", says Lauren Bacall, "Who isn't"?". The Raleigh Register . Beckley, West Virginia. 18 April 1957. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  20. ↑ "Elsa, Marilyn Steal Thunder From Duchess". The Lawton Constitution. Lawton, Oklahoma. 12 April 1957. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  21. ↑ "Elsa Maxwell Uses Marilyn Monroe to Embarrass Duchess". The Times Standard. Eureka, California. 12 April 1957. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  22. ↑ "Cash Can't Heal Feud". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 14 April 1957. p. 1.
  23. ↑ Time Inc 1958, p. 137.
  24. 1 2 "Dietrich Makes Singing Debut at Society Circus". The News-Herald . Franklin, Pennsylvania. 11 April 1959. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  25. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, p. 230.
  26. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, p. 231.
  27. ↑ Morehouse III 1991, pp. 232–3.
  28. ↑ "It's the April in Paris Ball Again After a Year as Bal de l'Amitie". New York Times. 4 June 1969. Retrieved 27 January 2014. (subscription required)
  29. ↑ Johnson Publishing Company 1970, p. 44.
  30. ↑ Baker & Chase 2001, p. 460.
  31. ↑ "Charity Balls". Kansas City Star . Kansas City, Missouri. 10 February 1974. p. 76 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.