Rock Hudson's Priceless Furnishings Donated To Playhouse Auction

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Longtime Laguna Playhouse supporters have donated Hollywood icon Rock Hudson's dining table and chandelier to the upcoming playhouse auction.

Playhouse supporters Al Roberts and Ken Jillson to be auctioned at the Laguna Playhouse Gala on Saturday, May 18, at Fashion Island Hotel.

“Hudson's longtime friends and Laguna residents Al Roberts and Ken Jillson have donated a splendid solid wood table which once graced the Beverly Hills home of the Hollywood legend,” said author Mark Griffin, of All That Heaven Allows, a newly released hit biography on Hudson.

Roberts and Jillson received the table and chandelier in 1985 from Hudson’s estate after his passing.

Designed by noted celebrity interior designer Peter Shore for Hudson’s Beverly Hills estate, this stunning solid wood table measures 96 inches long by 41 ½ inches wide and was Hudson’s beloved favorite home dining spot to entertain Hollywood elite.

“If this table could talk, if this table could talk,” Roberts said with a laugh. “When you listen to all the people that ate at this table it’s truly remarkable - Lana Turner, the Reagans, Elizabeth Taylor, Rodney McDowell, Carol Burnette - many of the same people shared dinners at Rock’s table in Laguna.”

Now one lucky bidder will have the chance to share the legacy in their home with their guests with this priceless table at the Playhouse Gala auction.

“When we had a dinner party, Rock would want to answer the door. We never told anyone who was going to be here. Rock would be out in the kitchen because he liked to cook. The doorbell would ring, and he would be like a little kid,” Jillson said.

“Rock would say, ‘Oh, can I answer the door? Please let me answer the door.’ Then he would open the door. He was almost 6’ 5” and he would change his demeanor. His voice would become formal. ‘Hello, I’m Rock Hudson and your name is? Welcome, please come right in. Rock would escort our guests in. Isn’t that neat, so charming,” Jillson said.

Playhouse Artistic Director, Ann E. Wareham, is appreciative of their very generous donation. “I have enjoyed getting to know both Ken and Al over my last 8 ½ years in Laguna Beach. Their support of Laguna Playhouse has always been evident. But this manifestation of their generosity, in the form of
Rock Hudson’s truly theatrical table and chandelier, is a fitting and fabulous tribute to their dear friend - the man who gave voice and purpose to Aids Services Foundation in the first place. We are deeply grateful to be the recipients of this most creative gift.”

“The ASF Splash, the very first one we did, was in September in 1985. Rock sent us a note, ‘I’m really sorry I can’t be with you, but I think it’s so neat that you’re helping people,’” Jillson said. “You know, Rock, that was amazing, he was just amazing.”

“Rock always wanted to be in the theatre and sing and dance. We got invited to the opening of I Do, I Do, with Carole Burnette and Rock Hudson,” Roberts remarked, “I always knew he could sing and dance, but I didn’t know he could act. Burnette heard about Roberts’ quip and said, ‘I don’t know who the hell Al Roberts is, but I’ve got to meet him.’”

As Griffin notes in All That Heaven Allows, Hudson won rave reviews for several his stage performances, including the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical I Do! I Do!, Camelot and On The Twentieth Century. For John Brown's Body, Variety raved: “Making his dramatic stage debut, Hudson acquits himself admirably and should now be able to take his place in the ranks of exceptional stage performers.”

“The legend and mystique of one of the best loved stars in show business history lives on in this year's Laguna Playhouse auction,” Griffin said, of his friends’ generous donation.

Because of Hudson’s love of theater, Roberts and Jillson felt certain that the Playhouse Gala would be the perfect event to find a passionate patron who would relish Hudson’s pieces in their home.

For more information about the 2019 Laguna Playhouse Gala on Saturday, May 18 at 6 p.m., at Fashion Island Hotel, or to purchase tickets to bid on these pieces, please visit www.lagunaplayhousegala.org