By Guy D. Garcia

On the 20th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death, the late President's close-knit clan gathered for a private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. Afterward, the family was joined by a larger group, 500 of J.F.K.'s former colleagues and friends at an invitation-only memorial Mass at his old parish church in Washington's Georgetown. Prominent among the absentees was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 54, who spent the day in Hyannisport, Mass., with the President's mother, Rose, 93. Also missing: John Kennedy Jr., 23, who is studying in India. Among those at the site of the eternal flame were Senator Edward Kennedy, 51, Eunice Shriver, 62, and Caroline, 26. Said Senator Kennedy of his brother during the special tribute: "There was a spark in him so special. His thousand days will be remembered for a thousand years and more. We miss you, Jack, and always will."

The multitiered wedding cake was topped by two turkeys, one with a stethoscope, the other wearing ballet shoes. Except for that quaint nod to Thanksgiving, the marriage last week of Mary Tyler Moore, 45, to Manhattan Cardiologist Robert Levine, 29, went on without any of the giddy glitches that usually bedeviled Mary Richards, her old TV alter ego. After the traditional Jewish ceremony (Moore, a Catholic, took instruction in Judaism but has not converted to her husband's faith), the bride cut the cake for some 300 guests, including such MTM alumni as Valerie ("Rhoda") Harper, Cloris Leachman and Ted Knight. Said Harper: "Rhoda would have been jealous that Mary married a Jewish doctor."

He is best known in America as the erudite, stately host of PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. But in his native country, Alistair Cooke's claim to fame rests largely on his Letter from

America, a 15-minute essay broadcast weekly over BBC radio to more than 1 million Britons. The program is rebroadcast to 50 countries on every continent. Last week Cooke turned 75, having recorded the 1,814th letter since his 1946 start. "The hardest time I had reporting this country sympathetically was during the shabby era of Senator Joe McCarthy," he says. Cooke is none too fond of the Reagan era either, contending that abroad the President "is seen as Teddy Roosevelt with a pack of missiles in his hand." And how is Cooke seen? "It's comic but true," he sighs. "I seem to be perceived in America as a benign old English gentleman, and in England as an enlightened American."

Good morning, ladies! And a one, and a two .. . What's that? Too tuckered out to tuck in that tummy? Can't move your feet to the pounding disco beat? Well, if Jane Fonda, Christie Brinkley, Victoria Principal and other celebrity purveyors of fat-fighting exercises haven't helped, try Debbie Reynolds. The awesomely ebullient Reynolds has put together a new video and record for fed-up flabbies. It is called Do It Debbie's Way. Says she: "I'm 51, in fairly good condition, and on the road 42 weeks a year. If I can't keep up with

Jane Fonda or any of those others, how can the women out there?" Set to the strain-free strains of Switched on Swing, Reynolds' entry into the market is geared for the 40-plus cellulite set--"Call them 39 and holding," she says politely. To help illustrate her way of holding, a few of the actress's chums, including Teri Garr, Virginia Mayo, Jaye P. Morgan, Rose Marie and Shelley Winters showed up to film part of the video. For the plumpish Winters, even Reynolds' laid-back style of lard burning prompted a display of distress. "Shelley is a dramatic actress," shrugs Reynolds. "She agonizes over everything." --By Guy D. Garcia This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.