Daily News from New York, New York • 301

CO V. Ah nnT7 PHIL ROURA and TOM POSTER 2fa hDjudu Liu Tho shuffling of pcoplo and hotels Ron coming for nonpolitlcal speeches EW YORK WAS emphatical- not just another city; it was the very essence of city- if I iiiimoi 1 1 jf President Reagan will not get involved in the New York Republican primary for governor, aides assured several GOP hopefuls yesterday. They hope to end speculation that Reagan favors Rep. Jack Kemp of Buffalo. Aides from the "Ranch White House" in California, where Ron is taking his respite from Washington's summer heat, say the Prez won't play favorites.

He plans to campaign here for the GOP candidate no matter who he is. Reagan aides say they are getting soundings from the Empire State showing that Republican Committeeman Richard Rosenbaum is now leading the pack. That comes as a surprise, because Rosenbaum commanded the forces for Jerry Ford against Reagan at the GOP convention in Kansas City in 1976. So why is Rosenbaum now so popular with Reaganites? "Well, we asked Jack Kemp if he was running and he said he didn't know, and he impresses everyone being disinterested," said a Reagan aide. "At the same time, we hear from New York leaders about how Rosenbaum appears to be the toughest man that can go up against Hugh Carey.

We need a tough man to beat Carey. And Rosenbaum gives that impression to a lot of leaders." Reagan will be here soon to see for himself. The Prez will soon write to Cardinal Cooke to accept an invitation to be the main speaker at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in October. "The President got a big boost toward his election, by his appearance at the Al Smith dinner last fall," said the aide.

"He wants to go back again and say thanks to everybody." Besides, although Cooke invited Ron last year, the Cardinal didn't attend. He was in Rome on Vatican business. Reagan will also speak at several other major dinners here this fall, most considered nonpolitical. Elizabeth Ashley: a flaming dish hood, the example of the best and the worst the urban experience had pro-duced. The proud, cantankerous, dangerous, dirty, awesome, difficult yet finally magnificent metropolis was unique, the ultimate expression of man's eternal vocation to gather himself into communities." That's the Larry Collins-Dominique Lapierre description in their thrilling novel, now In paperback, "The Fifth Horseman." SPLITS! Drama critic Clive Barnes and his wife, Patricia, aren't sitting two on the aisle together any more.

Once again, they are living But there are absolutely no split ends at Elizabeth Arden where that company's veep, Mark Rosen, is squiring the beauteous Arlene Dahl around town. She looked slimmed down and fabulous the other eve at La Mediterra-nee. Tch, tch how could the Times say Yoko Ono didn't show for the Peking Opera opening? She was there ju3t as she has been many other places of late for Instance, she is a regular in the back booths at the Russian Tea You can now pick up an entire symphony orchestra on Fifth Ave. for only $18,000. It's called the Nat Sherman Philharmonic all the instruments are carved into gehuine briar pipes.

That good actor, Robert Vaughan, Just sprang for a three-acre castle estate in Connecticut's Ridge-field, paying close to $1 And, "Ward Acres." the Ridgefield 'Hi TIT i I iilpl the Trump Tower is building over Bergdorf Goodman. Let us never confuse Bergdorf with Bonwit Teller. Likewise, the Guilford Playhouse is in Maine, not Connecticut, as a mouse slipped into this space incorrectly. FOR AN ENCORE, how can Beverly Sills top last year's benefit for the New York City Opera? Well, don't worry, this year Bubbles will leave it to Broadway to help out On Oct 28, "Broadway Salutes the New York City Opera" with a star-studded cast alphabetically ranging from Carol Changing to Leslie Uggams and the list is growing. Terry Allen Kramer and Harry Rigby, those "Sugar Babies," will produce this gala.

THE FIREWORKS at Bruce Ho's were not set off by the flaming duck but by Elizabeth Ashley coming in to dine. She just finished making a movie, "Captured," down in Texas, with Peter Fonda and James Wood. Liz says she has bought herself a pad near Union The doorman at Lew Prince's fun supper place, East Five Three, may look familiar. He is Joe Renny, late of Studio 54.... Happy Rockefeller doesn't stop at the reservations desk when she sails into Quo Vadis; she goes directly to her favorite table (and you better not be sitting at Somebody stole the heavy "Heavy Metal" display from In front of the Tower East theater.

Execs were surprised but not too unhappy because the movie is going through the roof. B('way scribe Tim Boxer is celebrating his son Gabriel's first birthday Aug. 27 at the Carnegie Dell, with a baby bottle sculpted out of chopped liver. Henny Youngman is the host (Does little Gabriel have anything to say about More deli celebs Virginia Graham, the fastest tongue in the East putting the bite on some tongue down at the swanky Bubba's near Washington Square. Shecky Greene taking the stage at the Stage to rave about "Sophisticated Ladies" and Lena norne.

So inspired by these two shows; he wants to do his own on Broadway. YOU WONT see NBCs Chuck Scar-borough and Anne Ford Uzielli in Uzie's, but you could catch a big West Coast contingent that just loves Gianni Uzlelll's place Natalie Wood and R.M. Wagner, Richard Dreyfuss, Lee Majors, Peter Miller, Sarah Pnrcell, producer Keith Barish, etc. The latter wants Gianni to open a branch in L.A. 'and I tie bkoasMj MJ, Superstars Pacino and DeNiro in a brief encounter.

cmaho cohkery mm.y mew Beverly Sills: B'way pitches in horse farm of baking heir Jack Ward, is on the market for more than $3 million. Goodby to Robert Pascal's lovely gj Bistro Pascal on E. 63d St, which shuttered without a word of explana-2 tion to anybody. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, who have the greatest respect for each other but who seldom get together, met briefly at a party here. They greeted each other warmly, looking and acting far less venal and volcanic than they appear on screen.

Pacino just extended his off-Broadway run in "American Buffalo" until Sept 26. So his fans have another month to catch his act Pacino says he'll leave the show then to get started in October on a new film, to be shot here, called "Author! Author!" It's a love story. T5. I I .2 a a MUSICAL HOTELS: Loews paid $55 million three years age for the Barclay, the Roosevelt and the Biltmore. They sold the Barclay alone to Intercontinental Hotels for $55 million and peddled the other two for $35 million to the Mllsteln family.

Milstein, in turn, leased the Roosevelt to Pakistani Airlines for $35 million and just sold the Biltmore for $100 million so it can be turned into an office building. Real estate insiders hear it will take two years for the Gotham Hotel to be refurbished in the manner the new owners desire. It will stay closed for the reconstruction. That means it loses $5.2 million during the Sorry it read here last Sundaythat' Dradctnas returning to roofs Ah, those Greeks, forever interested in politics. Each year the Ionic Center Hellenic Seminars on the island of Chios bring Greek political experts, students and scholars to hear lectures on the affairs of state and other topics affecting Greeks everywhere.

This year, they invited John Brademaa, former Indiana congressman and next head of New York University, to lecture. He'll trek to Chios later this month to teach politics for four days. What are Greeks interested in? Well, Brademas, who will be invested as president of NYU Oct 14, will lecture on a bevy of topics including "Greek American Involvement in Contemporary American Politics." No, Splro Agnew will not be.