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More Merrill

Apparently, today is Dina Merrill's birthday; not October 29, as we previously celebrated. Lesson learned: double check your facts and sources (O, imdb.com and Wikipedia, Nina Foch hast cast accurate dispersions upon you!). Anyway, we worship and adore Miss Merrill, and are more than happy to celebrate her long and happy life one more time. 

Miss Dina Merrill

DINA MERRILL
October 29, 1925)

She was the blue-blooded heiress to the Post cereal fortune, who became a movie star as a lark; a more talented Lee Radziwell, if you will, or a real life Grace Kelly. We're talking, of course, of the divine Dina Merrill, whose life as a celebrity socialite is remarkably unmarred by scandal or bad behavior; Paris Hilton, she certainly ain't. We see her around town fairly often, always on the Upper East Side; still impeccably tailored and coiffed, looking lovely, slim, and (gasp!) aging naturally and gracefully.



Ms. Merrill's second husband, incidentally, was the yummy Cliff Robertson; his rugged handsomeness and nonchalant elegance made him the perfect foil for her more brittle brand of chic; didn't they make a perfectly perfect couple?



Happy Birthday, Dina Merrill! We look forward to (surreptiously) enjoying our crab cakes and white wine at Barneys with you again.

The Quintessence of Joy

Bobby Short (September 15, 1924 - March 21, 2005) was born in Danville, Illinois; but like his fellow Midwesterner, Cole Porter, he became the epitome of worldly sophistication and, more specifically, of New York cafe society. For many New Yorkers, it's impossible to think of Mr. Short without the Cafe Carlyle, his musical residency for 25 years, or vice versa. Here, he serenades the always fabulous New York socialite/Hollywood actress Dina Merrill, circa 1970:



We're not sure who we'd rather be.

On a sidenote, we keep running into Ms. Merrill at random places; once, lunching at Fred's at Barneys with Gloria Vanderbilt. In case you're interested, the ladies both had the crab cakes, and ordered a bottle of white wine -- we'd like to think that it was Pouilly-Fumé Ladoucette. More recently, she was dining at Le Colonial on the banquette opposite ours. She still looked remarkable, crisp and elegant -- not unlike the ever-stylish Mr. Short. Happy Birthday, Bobby Short! Wherever you are, we're sure you're classing up the joint.