Hollywood Royalty: Hepburn, Davis, Stewart, and Friends at the Dinner Party of the Century

Journalist Speck ( Interview , Elle , Us , the New York Times , etc.) uses excerpts from interviews he conducted in the late 1980s with 24 film stars to create what he calls ``a living script of the ultimate dinner party.'' In addition to the legends of the subtitle--Katharine Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis and Jimmy Stewart--the actors who speak include Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Helen Hayes, Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall. While there are no headline revelations here, Speck has edited the interviews to make for a pleasant, logically flowing commentary that will appeal to fans of the old Hollywood. The only irritation in the book is the gimmick of the dinner party (at San Simeon in William Randolph Hearst's day), whose setting and food courses are described in overwrought prose at the beginning of each chapter. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)