So, for me, the phantom of the silk-eared rabbit mask loomed large.
What did she remember?
Who did she go with?
Candice Bergen attending Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York, 1966.
Was it really so grand a time?
Below is an edited transcript of our, at times trying, conversation.
Malle:Have you seen the windows at Bergdorf for the show?
Lee Radziwill and Truman Capote at the Black and White Ball.
Bergen:What are the windows at Bergdorf?
Malle:I told you already!
Ryan Murphy has done a show about Truman Capotes Swans, and theyre really going big with it.
Candice Bergen arriving at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1966.
Bergen:Well if they dont have my bunny mask, theyre nothing.
Malle:Okay, I guess our interview has started.
Was it your idea to do the bunny mask?
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow arriving at the Black and White Ball.
Bergen:No, I inherited it.
Malle:From who?
Bergen:Marisa Berenson.
Halston made it for her and I think she got a better offer.
It was all just very hectic.
It came to me a couple of days before the ball.
Malle:What were you going to wear before that?
Bergen:I had no idea.
Malle:How were you invited to the ball?
Bergen:I dont rememberI was invited like everybody else with an envelope!
It wasnt a last-minute thing.
Malle:Well, you just said it was!
Bergen:Just what I wore!
I don’t remember the invitations.
Malle:Well, according to Babe Paley, invitations should always be sharp edge, never deckled.
So apparently there were red tablecloths at the Black and White ball.
Do you remember that?
Bergen:Wow, how do you know all this?!
Malle:I watched the show!
Bergen:What show?
Malle:Oh God.
Do you remember that?
Did you know any of the Swans?
Were you Team Swans or Team Capote?
Bergen:I didn’t care.
Malle:So how were you invited to the ball?
Did you know Truman Capote or he just plucked you out?
Bergen:I barely knew him, I met him at a thing.
I had just moved to New York after being kicked out of Penn.
I went by myself.
And there were buses outside of the dinners to take you to the Plaza.
Nice buses, with bars.
Malle:Who was on your bus?
Bergen:I dont know!
It was 50 years ago.
Malle:Was it like a standing bus?
Because thats a big thing with the Met.
Celebrities get sprinter vans so the women can stand and not wrinkle their dresses.
Bergen:I dont think that was thought of yet.
People didnt take themselves as seriously.
Malle:Did Halston just call you and say, I have this leftover Marisa Berenson dress?
And would he call you directly?
You didnt have a stylist?
Or even an agent then right?
Bergen:An agent?
I knew Halston a little bit through Joe Eula.
It was a black velvet column with white mink trim across the top and the bottom.
It was very chic.
Malle:And what shoes?
Bergen:Helene Arpels, who was the shoe goddess at the time.
And a small black crocodile evening bag.
Malle:By who?
Bergen:I dont know!
It wasnt a designer bag.
Malle:Did you know a lot of people?
Bergen:A few.
There were like 500 people there!
Malle:Did you dance?
Theres a picture of you dancing.
Bergen:Oh God, I look so surly.
It was a bold choice.
Malle:Did you know him before the party?
Bergen:Just vaguely.
Malle:And then were you closer with him after?
Bergen:I just danced with him!
I didnt go home with him!
Malle:Who else did you dance with?
Bergen:I dont know, because we were all masked.
I danced with him.
Peter Duchin did the music.
Malle:Who was the best dancer of the people you danced with?
It was the most self-conscious gathering of famous people Id ever been at.
The level of awareness was so intense with everybody looking at everybody else.
Malle:Like Instagram before Instagram?
Bergen:Yeah, it was like Instagram times 400.
Malle:Why do you think that was the case with this event?
Because it was Truman or because of the people invited?
Bergen:There was such a buzz about it, people were crazed beforehand.Did you get the invite?
Bergen:Mia [Farrow] and Frank [Sinatra].
They had just gotten married.
Frank was all surly.
Bergen:Because he was Frank Sinatra!
He didnt want to be there.
There was a big frisson around them.
Even though they had bad maskssimpler masks.
They were like dime store masks, which was kind of chic, Franks had little whiskers.
They didnt have to have fancy masks because they were Frank and Mia.
Malle:It looks like Mia was a butterfly and Frank looks like Batman.
Bergen:Are you fact-checking as were talking?!
Malle:Had you ever been to a party like that before?
I want to know who paid for it.
Because he couldnt havebut he must have.
And Kay Graham was sitting up on a balcony.
Malle:She was the honoree of the ball, that he threw the Swans over for.
So she was sitting in the rafters looking down?
Bergen:She wasnt hanging from the ceiling.
It was a seat of honor!
The party was a weird figment of Capotes imagination.
So he told Kay Graham, it was in her honor and she went, Why?
Malle:Did you know any of the Swans?
Malle:How late did you stay?
Bergen:Not late.
There were a number of people who left early, who just went fuck this shit and left.
I stayed for drinks and dessert.
Malle:Do you remember what dessert was?
That must be written somewhere.
Malle:Do you remember speaking to Truman at the ball?
Bergen:Yeah, I said Hi and Thank you.
I must have said a couple of words and then I sent him a groveling note.
A thank you note.
Malle:What was the gist?
Bergen:I dont know, it was stressful!
I was a wreck before.
It was so, so much.
All of New York was talking about this thing.
Malle:Was there sort of a feeling afterward that nothing was going to compete with it?
Bergen:No, it was a huge rat fuck!
I remember a woman accosting me about the war as I walked in.
Malle:What did you say?
Bergen:I said I agreed with her and went in.
Malle:Were you nervous at all?
Just walking into this room full of hundreds of notable, famous people.
That party had a greater impact than any of his books, and he was a wonderful writer.
Malle:I feel like there was so much anticipation.
Was it disappointing at all by the time you actually got there?
Bergen:I think it was for some people.
I think it was overwhelming.
I think that was my comment that I got into trouble for.
Malle:TheNew York Timessaid at the 50th anniversary of it that Truman Capote hosted the best party ever.
Was it the best party ever?
Bergen:Not for me.
