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WASHINGTON -- Not much raises eyebrows in the nation's capital, but South African Bishop Desmond Tutu raised several thousand pairs of eyebrows, wild cheers and a standing ovation at Kennedy Center when he made a surprise visit to pay tribute to singer-actor Harry Belafonte.
Belafonte, actresses Claudette Colbert and Mary Martin, ballerina Alexandra Danilova and composer William Schumann were the 1989 recipients of the 12th annual Kennedy Center Honors, awarded for outstanding lifetime achievements in the performing arts and impact on American culture.
Past recipients include comedian George Burns, actress Myrna Loy, opera stars Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, actors Jimmy Stewart and James Cagney, and composers Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.
The finale of the weekend-long celebration, including an afternoon White House reception with first lady Barbara Bush, was the Honors Gala performance at Kennedy Center, featuring speeches and entertainment related to each artist's career.
Belafonte, cited not only for his performing career but also for his work on behalf of UNICEF, the USA for Africa relief project and other causes, appeared as shocked as the rest of the audience -- including Mrs. Bush -- when master of ceremonies Walter Cronkite introduced Tutu.
'My friends, such as they are, would be happy to know I came 10,000 miles to make a speech of only two to three minutes,' said Tutu. 'It is a privilege to be part of this tribute to a truly great person.'
Remarking that Belafonte, 62, has worked 'with constant zeal to end apartheid,' Tutu added that should that day arrive, Belafonte would be 'one of our most honored guests at the celebration.'
Following Tutu's remarks, students from Eastern High School in Washington and Watkins Mill Elementary School of Gaithersburg, Md., sang an emotional rendition of 'We Are The World,' the song Belafonte and a number of pop singers released in 1985 to benefit African famine relief.
The gala was marked with several notable tributes to the honorees, including a humorous touch by Martin's son, actor Larry Hagman, best known for his role as the evil J.R. Ewing on the TV series 'Dallas.'
'I taught her everything she knows,' said Hagman. 'Actually, she's very proud to have J.R. for a son and I'm very proud to have Peter Pan for a mother,' referring to Martin's award-winning role.
Gregory Peck spoke glowingly of Colbert's movie career in which she established herself in a number of comedies during the 1930s and '40s, especially 'It Happened One Night,' which netted Oscars for both Colbert and co-star Clark Gable.
'Don't worry Claudette, I'm not going to tell the truth about you and Clark Gable,' he told Colbert, 84, and added, 'Long before I was a friend of Claudette's I was a fan. I'd hoped someday to appear with her but they told me I was too young. Now I'm too old.'
Pianist Van Cliburn, who was a student at the Juilliard School of Music when Schumann, 79, was president, said the composer 'has left an indelible mark on music education. He educated students not for a profession but for a life,' adding that Schumann's music has given the world 'a sound that is truly American.'
Choreographer Jerome Robbins, speaking of the 85-year-old Danilova's achievements as a ballerina and as a teacher, said the nation 'is in great, great debt for all her contributions to dance in America.'
Actor Sidney Poitier, a longtime friend of Belafonte's, recalled how the two first met as students at the American Negro Theatre more than 30 years ago.
'We sized each other up, competitive positions were taken and the seeds of mutual respect were sown,' he said. 'I'm glad to have made that journey with such a man, such a friend. How you have enriched our country.
'You gave it meaning and spirit -- you had us all singing with an accent -- and you always rallied to good causes.'
The entertainment ranged from collections of film clips summarizing each artist's career to an excerpt from the ballet 'Swan Lake' to the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club serenading Martin, 76, with 'There is Nothing Like a Dame' from the musical 'South Pacific,' in which she starred on Broadway.
Afterwards, the singers walked off the stage and up the aisles, flinging their caps towards Martin, sitting in the presidential box. Martin leaned over the balcony, snagged a cap and it perched on her head for several minutes.
The spirit of glasnost and some down-to-the-wire planning yielded another extraordinary performance for the final number, performed by the Soviet Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble.
The ensemble, which had appeared in Detroit earlier that afternoon, gathered onstage for a production number blending both American and Soviet music and dance, culminating in a stirring rendition of 'God Bless America,' bringing the audience to its feet and joining in song.
At the White House reception, Bush said of the five recipients, 'We can be grateful we live in their time. They have taken us to the stars and the foot of the rainbow. Thank you for sharing your best with us for all these years.'
The Honors Gala performance was taped by CBS-TV for a two-hour special to be aired later this month.