Memento Is Unique, Up For Sale January 20, 2004 – Posted in: Press

By THOM SMITH
Published: January 20, 2004
Palm Beach Post

He described himself simply as “an old hoofer,” but for more than 20 years George Murphy was one of Palm Beach’s most illustrious and popular residents. The former actor, who appeared in nearly 50 movies with such stars as Shirley Temple and Arlene Dahl, also was popular in movieland. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1944 to 1946 and was given an honorary Oscar in 1950 for his work in support of the film industry. In 1964, California voters sent him to the U.S. Senate. He died in 1992.

Along with that Oscar, a few of his Hollywood friends got together and presented him with a silver cigarette case embossed with sapphires. They also signed it: Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Gary Cooper, Claudette Colbert, Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Jack Benny and his wife, Mary Livingstone, Gregory Peck and Robert Montgomery. Also signing it were Lord Louis Mountbatten and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy. Now it’s for sale. Right here in Palm Beach. The House of Kahn on Peruvian Avenue has it. “It’s a piece of history,” Kahn Vice President Tobina Kahn said. “Never before has a jewel of this magnitude, with so many movie stars’ signatures, been on the market.”

Gotta have it? Call Tobina. It’s yours for $20,000.

First impressions
How’s this for a glittery arrival?

Friday evening at 6, a procession, said to be very British colonial in flavor and headed by a young “African prince,” will move along Worth Avenue to No. 221, home of the newest jeweler on the island.

After several successful but peripatetic years in an opulent booth at the Classic Art and Antique Fair, London-based Graff has opened a salon on Worth Avenue, and for its grand opening, owner Laurence Graff is staging a gem of an evening. The “prince,” borne in a litter, and escorted by pipers and dragoons, will deliver to the store a diamond.

Not just any diamond, mind you, but one of the rarest on Earth – of fancy, vivid yellow variety. Discovered last year in a South African mine (the inspiration for the pageantry), it weighs in at a monstrous 101.28 carats. The stone will remain in the store until it travels to the Classic at the Palm Beach County Convention Center a week later.

Needless to say, invitations to the opening are hard, if not impossible, to come by. Graff’s international clientele ranges from royalty to movie stars, but some Palm Beach socialites are learning they didn’t make the cut.

As for the value of the stone? Whatever someone will pay for it. But consider this. Already on display in Graff’s window is a 3.55-carat, fancy vivid yellow diamond.
For $425,000, it’s yours.
Degrees of difficulty

Three weeks ago, Brian Lawlor was working at his job at Scripps TV headquarters in Cincinnati. Thursday night he was at The Breakers, performing part of his new role as general manager at WPTV-Channel 5 by accepting an award for the station’s support from the Angels of Charity.

“It really came out of the blue,” said Lawlor. He’s glad to be back. Four years ago, he was national sales manager at WPTV.

Lawlor, 37, is replacing Bill Peterson, who obviously made an impression in the two years he ran Channel 5. Peterson, who earlier had run WPEC-Channel 12, will be running 10 Scripps stations as its vice president of operations for the broadcast television group. He hates to leave.

So does his wife, Kathy. Without looking up from the newspaper the other day, she told him, “It’s 8 degrees in Cincinnati.”