WASHINGTON -- Even though the Marine Band prompted him by playing '76 Trombones,' President Reagan temporarily forgot how old he was Friday at a surprise party his staff threw for him.
Reagan, who few in the audience of 150 thought was really surprised at the party, went to the auditorium in the Old Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House on the pretense of delivering short remarks to a gathering of people interested in his Private Sector Initiative program.
Instead, horns and drums in the 'President's Own' Marine Band blared the most popular number from the Broadway show 'The Music Man' as the president walked in and stood momentarily before a huge banner reading, 'Happy Birthday Mr. President. Here's to the Spirit of '76.'
'Of all the 38 anniversaries of my 39th birthday, this is one of the nicest,' he said. Friday actually was the 37th such anniversary.
At 76 the oldest president ever, Reagan was having a private celebration Friday evening in the White House, inviting U.S. Information Agency director Charles Wick and ambassador to Belgium Geoffrey Swaebe and their wives to dinner with him and Mrs. Reagan.
Reagan was described by special counselor David Abshire -- who met with the president a few minutes later -- as being in an 'upbeat' mood.
'He feels and looks fine,' Abshire said through an aide.
The band played 'Happy Birthday' and struck up '76 Trombones' again at the end of the party but Reagan apparently did not recognize the rousing show tune. His wife, Nancy, could be seen telling him the name of the song.
The event was carefully staged to show Reagan looking vigorous on his birthday a month after prostate surgery.
Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater conceded beforehand in describing what would occur, 'It's pretty hard to keep a secret around here. It would be a real surprise if he got a PSI briefing.'
Nevertheless, Reagan said in mock surprise that he had even been briefed by aides on the bogus meeting he was to attend and pulled out a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket and read the title with exaggeration: 'Private Sector Initiative Meeting.'
He then told the story of his old Hollywood boss, Jack Warner, whose 'favorite trick at any public appearance he had was to start with a speech and then say, 'Oh, to hell with it.''
At that point, the president threw his text into the air.
The birthday party was staged much like a campaign event, with red, white and blue crepe paper hung from the ceiling and mulitcolored balloons of all shapes and sizes tied to aisle seats.
There were only three trombonists in the combo of 18 musicians, attributable, one of them joked, to defense budget cuts.
Mrs. Reagan wheeled out a large flat chocolate cake with white icing, decorated with seven large candles. The president huffed and puffed and left one candle aflame. The first lady blew out the last one.
She also whispered to him as he looked out over the crowd of about 150, 'This is your staff.'
Although Mrs. Reagan gave him a microphone at one point, the president -- with a plate of cake in one hand a gift in the other - rejected it.
Since prostate surgery Jan. 5, Reagan has been sheltered from the public and press, but as he left the auditorium, he was mobbed by staff members lining the building's fourth-floor corridor.
The president, clutching a cluster of about 50 balloons, stopped to chat and shake hands with the well-wishers.
His staff had given him an original drawing by cartoonist Jim Borgman of The Cincinnati Enquirer showing Reagan being doused with a bucket of Gatorade while saying 'Really, fellas, a simple chorus of 'Happy Birthday' would have been sufficient.' He noted that the cake had 'about 156 candles.'
