A Perfect Mix of Hollywood, Washington : Personalities: Five presidents are on stage, but the crowd also pays much attention to the TV and movie celebrities in attendance.

The celebration was a mix of Hollywood and Washington, an event that offered a perfect melding of Ronald Reagan’s twin careers as movie actor and President.

Although five presidents dominated the stage Monday, many in the audience seemed more attracted to movie stars and television personalities.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, adjusting his jacket over his muscular frame, was mobbed by autograph seekers and others angling for a snapshot of the box-office success.

Walking behind him, the children of former President John F. Kennedy, John Jr. and Caroline, drew recognition from only a few of the 4,200 people attending the dedication ceremonies of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

“It doesn’t matter that there are five presidents, but the Terminator is here,” said Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Ontario), a former Reagan Administration official.

The ceremony that brought the historic meeting of President Bush and four of his predecessors lured a large cast of entertainers, including Bob Hope, Merv Griffin, Jimmy Stewart and Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Hope received a standing ovation as he walked down the aisle to the special VIP seating area in front of the dais.

It also attracted many of Reagan’s former aides and ideological bedfellows. Former Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.), Secretary of State James A. Baker III, conservative Republican activist Phyllis Schlafly and former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger joined Reagan Administration officials and celebrities seated in a reserved section directly in front of the dais.

“What a special day,” said Jim Brady, Reagan’s former press secretary, his body left permanently damaged by a would-be assassin’s bullet aimed for Reagan a decade ago.

A small army of Secret Service agents, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies and Simi Valley police officers held positions throughout the audience and on surrounding hilltops with rifles and scopes. But the 1 1/2-hour ceremony unfurled without incident.

A mild wind blew across the stage and spectators, at first an annoyance and then a relief as the hot sun bore down on the audience, many of them former Reagan aides, campaign workers and financial backers. The crowd also included 400 students from Ventura County high schools and about 600 representatives of the news media.

Guests were ferried up Presidential Drive to the hilltop library in trams provided by the Universal Studios theme park.

Only Bush, the former presidents and a few other dignitaries received special transportation to the event. Nine motorcades ferried the former presidents and other dignitaries from their hotel in Century City.

“The challenge is to match the decorum and protocol with the logistics to get them all to the top of the hill,” said Shelby Scarbrough, a protocol expert hired to help coordinate the event.

After Reagan handed the library’s keys to U.S. Archivist Don W. Wilson, he invited his guests to tour the museum that celebrates his presidency and chronicles his life’s achievements from his perspective.

Beside the museum, the Reagan faithful formed a long line to purchase trinkets and other memorabilia from the museum’s gift shop. The hottest selling items were commemorative T-shirts, coffee mugs, Reagan yo-yos and dime-sized pieces of the Berlin Wall.

A 6,000-pound slab of the wall is mounted on the west terrace of the library, as a totem to Reagan’s 40-year crusade against communism.

Tarzana developer Ralph J. Herman bought three fragments of the wall for $4.50 apiece. “I always wanted to get a piece of the wall and didn’t get a chance to go to Berlin,” he said. “It’s probably appropriate I bought it here.”

Eric Aranda, 11, of Torrance bought a blue Reagan yo-yo, as well as a piece of the wall. Aranda said he would take his chunk of the wall to show classmates. As for his other purchase, he said, “I’m kind of into yo-yos.”

For many of the high school students in attendance, the thrill of history in the making drew them to the event.

“I wanted to see so many people who held so much power,” said Debbie Cassell, 17, of Ojai. She won a seat to the show by winning an essay contest in her senior government class at Nordhoff High School. “It’s something to tell my grandkids about.”

Sheila Goral, 17, of Simi Valley High School, was picked to attend in a lottery at her school. “I wanted to see the presidents and Bob Hope and Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

Carl Karcher, founder of the Carl’s Jr. fast-food chain, found himself surrounded by high school students, wanting to pose for a picture with the man who stars in many of his own television commercials.

“He’s an idol of kids throughout America,” said Annie Almaraz, 17, of Ventura. “You see him on TV and we eat at his place more than at home.”

Sonny Bono was also a target for autograph hounds and other star-struck admirers. He took advantage of the commotion caused by his entrance to talk to reporters about his fledgling candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

“It’s like jumping into show business, but at a higher level,” Bono said. “I’m not part of the political machine per se.”

Bono said his connection to Reagan dates back to when Reagan appeared on Bono’s television show, “The Sonny and Cher Show.” “He insulted me once on the show,” Bono said. “But he’s a good guy. I like him a lot.”

Thousand Oaks Mayor Frank Schillo applauded Reagan’s decision to locate the presidential library in the hills between Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.

“His support here is overwhelming,” Schillo said. Besides, the mayor said, Reagan still has a meat locker in Thousand Oaks, where he keeps the frozen beef from his Santa Barbara-area ranch. “Even while he was President, he came to Thousand Oaks to pick up his meat.”