Music Man : 4,000 Admirers Turn Out to Mark Henry Mancini’s 70th Birthday

There was a cake, there were candles and there was “Happy Birthday,” but it wasn’t your garden variety birthday party. Henry Mancini celebrated his 70th at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion Tuesday night with some 4,000 friends, collaborators and folks who appreciate his elegant music.

Before a towering cake was rolled in, a musical tribute to the multi-award-winning composer/conductor/arranger included appearances by Julie Andrews, Quincy Jones, Dudley Moore, Bob Newhart, Andy Williams and John Williams, plus a 40-minute performance by Luciano Pavarotti.

The man variously described as decent, down-to-earth, accessible, aristocratic and, simply, lovable, accepted the attention with good grace. “We’re not here for me--I’m just a channel--but to promote the younger talents in our town,” Mancini said.

The $2 million raised at the event will be divided between the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Both institutions presented Mancini with awards, and Gov. Pete Wilson all but handed him the keys to the state. Mancini’s wife, Ginny, and Caroline Leonetti Ahmanson and A. Jerrold Perenchio were honorary chairs. Co-chairs were Della Koenig and Leah Superstein.

If there existed a person who couldn’t identify a Mancini tune, not to worry--there were plenty of clues. Paw prints (“Pink Panther”) directed guests to their seats. Tiffany & Co. (“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”) donated one of the favors: a demitasse cup decorated with the notes to “Moon River.”

“The wonders of Henry Mancini will be heard in every corner of the world right up to the minute this planet cools and shrinks to the size of an eighth note,” Andy Williams said, issuing one of many great lines of the evening. If the script seemed witty and literate, that’s because it was written by Mancini’s friend, “M*A*S*H” creator Larry Gelbart.

“Hank and I made 28 films together, God knows how many TV shows, and we never had an argument or disagreement, and except for the lack of sex, I consider that a remarkable relationship,” said producer/director/writer Blake Edwards, who created TV’s “Peter Gunn” and directed “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and the “Pink Panther” series. Mancini has just completed the score for the Broadway version of Edwards’ “Victor/Victoria.”

Among those lending glamour were Mancini’s longtime collaborator Leslie Bricusse, Sen. John Glenn, Gene Kelly, Roger Moore, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Ann Miller, Bob Hope, Sherry Lansing, Sidney and Joanna Poitier, Neil and Diane Lander Simon, Richard and Lili Fini Zanuck, Gregory and Veronique Peck, Art Linkletter and Jack Haley Jr., who produced the film montage.

Mancini, who recently became ill with cancer, informed the crowd that many years ago he told his grandson that the one thing he wanted more than anything else in life was to be with him and his family at the millennium.

“I still think it’s going to happen, all of us together as a family. What I wish for all of you is exactly that--let’s get to 2000 and worry about it from there.”