London's bobbies may or may not recognize themselves in an article by Author Mary McCarthy in the current issue of the New York Review of Books. Recounting London's Oct. 27 antiwar demonstration, Miss McCarthy writes that the bobbies prepared for the "Demo" by "sleeping in at the police station with a barrel of beer. It worried me that with all that beer the police might have hangovers the next day, which would make them irritable." But no. As it turned out, the "more inactive" police "were amused by the whole scene, especially since they were under orders not to intervene when they could avoid doing so." In fact, when a demonstrator got caught in the crush, unable to light his cigarette, a bobby "reached forward and politely struck flame from his lighter." The police, she reports, "even joined the demonstrators in singing Auld Lang Syne." All in all, "we witnessed in the Demo something like a medieval carnival in modern setting, with everybody changing places, the fool becoming king for a day, the police merging with the populace."

It's never too late to learn something new about sport--even for champions. Take Mrs. Tudor Gardiner who, as Tenley Albright, was twice world figure-skating champ and 1956 Olympic Gold Medal winner. Now Tenley has two young daughters, Lilla, 6, and Elin, 2, and once a week she takes them to the Skating Club of Boston, where the tykes have already shown Mom a trick or two. "It took me a while to learn that skating included running on benches, jumping up and down on the ice and dashing in and out of telephone booths," admits Tenley. As for the girls, who are following in her tracks, it's a little early to tell if they will be serious skaters, says Tenley. "Last Sunday was the first time Elin let go of my hand. Now that's a landmark."

The familiar-looking figure with the Fu Manchu mustache walked into a television studio in Manhattan. Someone handed him a Schick electric razor, lights blazed, and the director cued ACTION. Three minutes later, New York Jet Quarterback Joe Namath, 25, was barefaced, having whizzed off a two-month growth for a TV commercial. Word is that Joe got $10,000 to part with his shrubbery, which would make it $16.67 for each of the approximately 600 hairs that hit the studio floor. And that isn't all. "I can scramble better now," said Namath. "I'm a little lighter."

When Dallas' Neiman-Marcus department store set out to pretty up for the holidays, somebody thought it would be fun to have Christmas trees decorated to the specifications of various celebrities. Television's Smothers Brothers' tree is a roost for 50 peace doves. Socialite-Artist Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper's tree is a collage of gingham swatches and lacy Christmas cards. Baroness Maria von Trapp directed her tree be festooned with homemade cookies--even sent the recipes along. But no one could hold a Christmas candle to Songstress Pearl Bailey who, when asked what she wanted on her tree, replied "Just gobs and gobs of pearls, honey." And gobs is what she got: $25,000 worth of cultured pearls--3,500 in all--dress up Pearlie Mae's tree.

Arriving in Bangkok, the young Marine loped over to the pretty young lady in the red dress, gave her a big hug and kiss. Then Chuck Robb and Lynda politely but plainly told newsmen they wanted to be alone to enjoy his R & R after combat in Viet Nam. A photographer did snap them atop an elephant but, aside from that, they were left in peace for five days of sightseeing and shopping. Then, off to Danang for Chuck, home to a Texas Christmas for Lynda and back, as she said, to "writing each other every day."

"Tunnel under the situation, come up behind the guards, and--POW!" That was Lee Marvin telling Roger Ebert, film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, how to handle an interview with one of those tough-cookie Hollywood types like--well, like Lee Marvin. "It's the only way to do an interview. Hit them straight on, or the s.o.b.s will clobber you every time. Come on now: 'Is it true?' Ask me something, 'Is it true?' " So the critic did, asking whether Marvin was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. "That's it. Not a great question, but a good question. No, it isn't true. Paul Newman makes more money than I do."

Before flying off to visit troops in Viet Nam, Evangelist Billy Graham paid a call at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a few words with former President Dwight Eisenhower. As Graham recalls it, Ike had a message for the G.I.s, delivered with tears streaming down his cheeks: "You're going to Viet Nam. Tell those doughboys that here at Walter Reed is an old soldier pulling for them and praying for them." Said Graham: "I was touched. I had never seen him cry before."

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