(10 of 11)
1977: Actor Lee Marvin's legal troubles began when his ex-roommate filed suit against him. Her claim: the two made an oral agreement to share all property accumulated during the time they lived together (1964-70). Michelle Triola Marvin, as she calls herself, demanded that the actor ante up a solid million—including shares in film rights, a home in Malibu, and an island in the South Pacific. Though Marvin denied that such an agreement was ever made, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of his 36-year-old ex. The landmark decision, handed down last week, states that cohabitation gives both parties the right to share property if they separate. Said Michelle's lawyer, Marvin Mitchelson: "This decision will open up the courthouse door to everyone living together." The door appears to be revolving. According to surveys in California, there are more people in the 21 to 30 age group in the state living together than are married.
1978: Life begins at 54 for Liza Minnelli and Shirley MacLaine and Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Supermodel Cheryl Tiegs. Oh, yes, and for Bianca Jagger and Tennis Star Vitas Gerulaitis and even Bella Abzug. Inside Manhattan's hottest disco, Studio 54, the elite meet to gyrate to the beat, gape and be gaped at. Owner Steve Rubell, who light-show years away was a Wall Street broker, stations himself at the doorway (with a few bouncers) to weed the throngs begging for entrance. "We only want fun people," he explains. "The wilder the clothes, the better the chance you have of getting in. We discourage the Bagel Nosh-polyester group." And a lot of other folks besides. John F. Kennedy Jr., who neglected to drop his name, was turned away. Even Dallas Cowboy Defensive End Harvey Martin, the terror of the Super Bowl, was stopped at the door. Now that's selectivity. Or a death wish.
1979: What finer homage to Pianist Arthur Rubinstein on reaching 92? For 17 hours Radio France broadcast Rubinstein's greatest performances, followed by a live concert at Paris' Theatre des Champs-Elysees programmed by the maestro himself. "Composing a concert is like composing a menu," he announced, explaining his choices of Debussy, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Mozart and Schubert. "I believe in musical digestion. If you start with light pieces and play a 45-minute sonata after the interlude, it's like starting dinner with hors d'oeuvres and dessert and finishing with a Chateaubriand and vegetables." 1980: Life with a Congressman need not be dull, especially if the Congressman is Democrat John Jenrette, who lost his House seat in the November election after being convicted of bribery in the FBI Abscam investigation. Writing in last weekend's Washington Post magazine, Rita Jenrette, 30, confesses: "I knew the honeymoon was over when I rolled over one morning to find John's side of the bed unruffled. I found him drunk, undressed and lying on the floor in the arms of a woman who I knew was old enough to be his mother."
1981: Along with diet books, cat books and advisories on how to make a profit from the coming apocalypse, there is a growing shelf concerned solely with mastering that infuriating, six-sided, six-colored, 27-part boggier with 42.3 quintillion possible combinations known as Rubik's Cube. The latest