Saturday, April 28, 2018, was Marv Dauer’s 75th birthday. It was also going to be his comeback.

After more than three decades as a Hollywood talent manager, Mr. Dauer, tanned and silver-haired, had the aura of success: a house in the tony Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, a cherished collection of sports memorabilia, membership at a country club. People liked to say that Marv knew everyone.

In reality, his client list had dwindled to a few B-list actors. Casting directors ignored his emails. His finances were precarious. He had nearly lost his home to foreclosure.

But now Mr. Dauer had coaxed to his party someone who could change all that.

More than 100 friends, sports figures, casting directors, actors, golf and bridge partners — even kindergarten classmates from Austin, Minn. — had gathered to celebrate at a friend’s Los Angeles home. At a V.I.P. table were the biggest names Mr. Dauer could muster: the actor-turned-polemicist James Woods; former Senator Norman Coleman; and Bruce McNall, the former Los Angeles Kings owner who served time for fraud.

Then, at about 8 p.m., a star arrived: Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of CBS and one of Hollywood’s most powerful people. Mr. Moonves presented Mr. Dauer with a yellow tie embossed with the logo of the Masters golf tournament.