Jack Scalia of CBS-TV's "Wolf" had just filmed a love scene with guest star Kathleen Quinlan when the Bay area set started to rock.
"It was one of the scariest things in the world," says Scalia. "The sound stage just kept shaking, the lights fell over, sets crashed."
Later, he went to his blacked-out apartment, collected his wife and small daughter and brought them back to live in a trailer at the production site for two days since food and power were available there.
Other quake scenes spotted by San Francisco reporters: Gene Hackman, about to write a check for a big purchase at the swank Wilkes Bashford clothes emporium, stopped writing when the lights went off. Later, he hoisted a drink with this toast: "To the quake! It saved me $5,000."
Onetime swimsuit star Esther Williams was visiting Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill when the temblor struck. Her question: "What can I do?"
While damage from that disaster was being figured, Bill Cosby signed on to help South Carolina victims of Hurricane Hugo. Cosby will do a Dec. 1 benefit concert in Columbia's Carolina Coliseum, waiving all fees and expenses. _ Thomas D. Elias