Band Celebrates Birthday, Brings Forth Sun, Cheers

For the local partisans, yesterday afternoon came in two installments: one was picturesque, and the other emotionally pleasing.

The 340 first-classmen from the Catskills opened the proceedings when they marched on the field smartly at 1:10 p.m., threw complimentary salutes to the Harvard stands, cheered, and ran for their seats.

Then at half-time, the University Band, celebrating its 30th birthday, put on an act. Actually, there were two bands: one made up of contemporary musicians, tailored in red and numbering 140; the other consisting of 85 Band members of the last 30 years, white-shirted, nostalgic, and balding.

The two bands tried out new formations for a while. Then they rendered "There's Something About a Soldier" and, for some reason, "The Toreador Song" for the cadets. They even found time to play "Wintergreen" for a charmed Harvard audience.

Maybe "Wintergreen" did it. Maybe not. At any rate, the sun came out of the clouds and the varsity took charge of the football on the two-yard line and started to push it downfield. The local partisans forgot all about those 41 points and began to cheer the team to a 14 to 13 victory in what some chose to regard as the second game of a double header.

The Harvards got so brave they began using psychological warfare on the Corps. Crimson rooters, remembering the Army-Navy fend over military strategy, sent up a new cheer: "Aircraft carrier! Aircraft carrier! Rah! Rah!"

The Army boys warmed to the fight. They had brought along a sign which referred to an unfortunate prediction made last week by a Boston sportswriter to the effect that Army would suffer "a psychological letdown."

And just after Army's seventh touchdown, the sign went up. It said:

"'Here's the psychological letdown.'--Bill Cunningham."