The Thalians

Last updated

The Thalians is a charitable organization dedicated to mental health causes. [1] It was founded by Hollywood actors in 1955, and takes its name from Thalia, Greek Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. [2] [3]

Over 60 years, the Thalians held Annual Galas, honoring a Mr. or Ms. Wonderful with an award designed by Walt Disney. The coveted trophy is given to a member of the entertainment industry not only for their work on stage and screen but also for their behind-the-scenes philanthropy. A partial list of the honorees includes Frank Sinatra, Mary Martin, Lana Turner, Ed Sullivan, Shirley MacLaine, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, James Stewart, Rita Hayworth, Count Basie, Liza Minnelli, Carol Channing, Carol Burnett, Sally Field, Mary Tyler Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Red Buttons, Clint Eastwood, Mickey Rooney, Kenny Rogers, Hugh Hefner, and Smokey Robinson. [1] [4]

They used to be connected with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. [5] [6] [7]

The Thalians current focus is the mental health of the military men and women and their families of UCLA Operation Mend. The President Emeritus of the organization was the late Debbie Reynolds. [1] [4] Current President is Kira Reed Lorsch, Past President: Debbie Reynolds Chairman: Dr. Irwin Lehrhoff, Chairwoman Emeritus: Ruta Lee, Treasurer: Andrew McDonald, Recording Secretary: Stephanie J. Hibler, Board Members: Frank Sheftel, Brian Theobald, Barbara Cohen-Wolfe & Larry Wolfe, Patrika Darbo, David Snowden, and George Pennacchio. The Board of Governors: William & Patricia Anton, Sandy Krause, Dr. Lawrence Piro, Jackie Rosenberg.

The Thalians library of documented Thalians Galas is being preserved at the Academy Film Archive. [1] [8]

It is headquartered in Mission Hills, California. [9] The Thalians now mainly supports mental health programs for wounded military men and women and their families of UCLA Operation Mend.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Reynolds</span> American actress, singer and dancer (1932–2016)

Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Her breakout role was her first leading role, as Kathy Selden in Singin' in the Rain (1952). Her other successes include The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), Bundle of Joy, The Catered Affair, and Tammy and the Bachelor (1957), in which her performance of the song "Tammy" reached number one on the Billboard music charts. In 1959, she released her first pop music album, titled Debbie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Fisher</span> American actress and writer (1956–2016)

Carrie Frances Fisher was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017)—a posthumous release that was dedicated to her—and appeared in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), through the use of unreleased footage from The Force Awakens.

Binyamin "Beny" Alagem is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, business executive, hotelier and philanthropist. He is the founder and former Chief Executive of Packard Bell Computers. He is the owner of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, California.

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the National Research Council (NRC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedars-Sinai Medical Center</span> Hospital in California, United States

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2,000 physicians and 10,000 employees, supported by a team of 2,000 volunteers and more than 40 community groups. As of 2022-23, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cedars-Sinai the best hospital in the western United States. It ranked as the best hospital in California and 2nd best hospital in the entire United States; and was placed nationally in 11 adult medical specialties and rated high performing in 21 adult specialties, procedures and conditions. Cedars-Sinai is a teaching hospital affiliate of David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which was ranked # 19 on the U.S. News 2023 Best Medical Schools: Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruta Lee</span> Canadian actress and dancer

Ruta Lee is an American actress and dancer who appeared as one of the brides in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. She had roles in films including Billy Wilder's crime drama Witness for the Prosecution and Stanley Donen's musical comedy Funny Face, and also is remembered for her guest appearance in a 1963 episode of Rod Serling's sci-fi series The Twilight Zone called "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain".

<i>Pepe</i> (film) 1960 film by George Sidney

Pepe is a 1960 American musical comedy film starring Cantinflas in the title role, directed by George Sidney. The film contained a multitude of cameo appearances, attempting to replicate the success of Cantiflas' American debut Around the World in 80 Days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA</span> Medical school of UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine—known as the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM)—is an accredited medical school located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The school was renamed in 2001 in honor of media mogul David Geffen who donated $200 million in unrestricted funds. Founded in 1951, it is the second medical school in the UC system, after the UCSF School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Robinson</span> American former professor and registered nurse

Rachel Annetta Robinson is the widow of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson, as well as an American former professor and registered nurse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Fielding School of Public Health</span> Public health school at the University of California, Los Angeles

The UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health is the graduate school of public health at UCLA, and is located within the Center for Health Sciences building on UCLA's campus in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has 690 students representing 25 countries, more than 11,000 alumni and 247 faculty, 70 of whom are full-time.

Paula Jane Meehan was an American businesswoman, executive and philanthropist. She co-founded the Redken hair care products company. She briefly worked as an actress and fashion model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kira Reed</span> American actress, producer, television host

Kira Katherine Reed also known as Kira Reed Lorsch, is an American actress, television host, writer, and producer.

Steven Forness is a psychologist doing research in the field of emotional disorders in children. His main interest is the "early detection and eligibility of children with psychiatric disorders for special education services in public schools". He has earned many awards and is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center</span> Hospital in Los Angeles, California

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. It is currently ranked the 5th best hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, and 2nd best in California and the West Coast. The hospital provides tertiary care to Los Angeles and the surrounding communities.

William 'Willie' Warren Brien is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer of University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, he was the Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Director of the Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Center and also served as the Chief of Staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was elected as a Council Member of the City of Beverly Hills in 2009 and became Mayor of Beverly Hills in March, 2012.

Todd Emmanuel Fisher is an American director, cinematographer, producer and actor of television films and documentaries. Fisher is the son of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds and brother of actress Carrie Fisher.

Shirley Wang is a Chinese-American philanthropist, businessperson, and CEO. She is the co-founder of The Walter and Shirley Wang Foundation, a philanthropic organization. She is also the founder and CEO of Plastpro, Inc., a leading fiberglass door manufacturer founded in Los Angeles in 1994.

Walter Wang is a Taiwanese philanthropist, businessperson, and CEO. He is the co-founder of The Walter and Shirley Wang Foundation, and JMM Foundation, a philanthropic organization. He is also the CEO of JM Eagle, a global manufacturer of plastic pipe. Wang's father was Wang Yung-ching, founder of the plastics and petrochemicals conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group and one of the wealthiest individuals in Taiwan before his death in 2008. His sister is Cher Wang, co-founder and chairperson of HTC Corporation and integrated chipset maker VIA Technologies.

Ronald Okun is an American physician and pharmacologist. He testified before the United States Congress three times on behalf of tobacco industry in the 1960s and 1970s, attempting to discredit the fact that smoking causes illness. He was also the co-editor of the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology from 1977–1989. For at least twenty years, he was the director of clinical pharmacology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Beth Young Karlan is an American gynecologic oncologist. In 2008, she was named editor-in-chief of the medical journals Gynecologic Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology Reports. In 2012, Karlan was appointed by the White House to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Francesca Bacardi, Thalians to Fete Smokey Robinson at Anniversary Gala, Variety , February 20, 2014
  2. Moran, W. Reed (19 October 2001). Hollywood helps children cope with trauma, USA Today
  3. Thomas, Bob (3 December 1955). Filmdom's Youth Aid Mental Health, Milwaukee Sentinel (Associated Press report)
  4. 1 2 The Thalians Celebrate Move to UCLA Operation Mend With a Tribute Concert Honoring Smokey Robinson, Marketwired , February 24, 2014
  5. "Thalians Health Center". Cedars-Sinai. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  6. United States Congress House Committee on Education and Labor (1980). Field Hearings on the Reauthorization of the National Foundation for the Arts and the Humanities Act and the Museum Services Act: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, Second Session ... U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 76.
  7. Martin, Albert C.; Luckman, Charles. "Thalians Community Mental Health Center; Rendering of the Thalians building, 1969". Cedars-Sinai Medical Library Conservancy. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  8. Debbie Reynolds and Ruta Lee's Thalians Galas to Live On at the Academy Film Archive, Marketwired , February 24, 2014
  9. Official website: Contact us