Confidence man Harold Hill arrives at staid River City intending to cheat the community with his standard scam of offering to equip and train a boy's marching band, then skip town with the money since he has no music skill anyway. Things go awry when he falls for a librarian he tries to divert from exposing him while he inadvertently enriches the town with a love of music. Written by
&view=simple&sort=alpha"
>Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>

Plot Synopsis:
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The movie opens with a number of traveling salesmen in a railroad car in 1912, lamenting the things that are making their livelihood difficult--changes in society and the economy, and dishonest salesmen who give them a bad name. They are particularly scornful of a certain "Professor" Harold Hill (Robert Preston), who goes into a town, sells the kids musical instruments, instruction books, and band uniforms, under the promise that he will form a band for them, and then disappears. Someone mentions that "He don't know one note from another!". (This opening song has interesting musical accompaniment: the sound of the train's steam locomotive.) At the end of the song, just when the train is about to start up from a station stop in River City, Iowa, one of the people reveals that he is Harold Hill, and quickly escapes from the train before the others can catch him.

Hill finds himself in a small turn-of-the-century Iowa town, full of taciturn people with small-town values. They sing him a song of welcome, explaining that Iowans are stubborn but good natured and generous. He is delighted to find an old friend and colleague from his earlier days as a crooked salesman, Marcellus Washburn (Buddy Hackett). Marcellus says that he is now making an honest living, has settled in River City, and that he likes the town and the people. The two friends reminisce about their shady dealings in the past, and that "Professor Hill"'s current racket is boys' bands. Marcellus says that it will be difficult to make headway on that front, because the town librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo (Shirley Jones), is quite smart and will expose him instantly. Harold takes that as a challenge, both professionally and romantically. Harold also mentions that he'll be in town longer than his usual stretch, a week, because not only will he con the town into buying the instruments, but also uniforms, which will take several weeks to arrive. Marcellus still sees the scheme as a very risky one.

The mayor's wife, Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn (Hermione Gingold), shows up at the Madison library; she is extremely prudish, ignorant, and outspoken. She complains that the book that Marian recommended for her daughter Zaneeta, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, is smutty: "People lying out in the woods, eating sandwiches, and drinking out of jugs." (This is a reference to the famous line "A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou.")

Harold needs some interesting current event or fad to hang his pitch on, and Marcellus says that a new pool table is being installed in the local billiard parlor. Harold goes into action. He starts buttonholing local merchants, telling them that this pool table will have a corrupting influence on the youth of the town, and that they need to keep the kids moral. Many townspeople gather around, and he sings the song "Ya got trouble / right here in River City / with a capital T and that rhymes with P / and that stands for pool."

Marian stops by to look at the crowd, and Marcellus points her out to Harold with a prearranged signal. Then, as she goes home, he attempts to flirt with her with some trite pickup lines. She is very cold to him. When she arrives home, a little girl from the town, Amaryllis (Monique Vermont), is there for her piano lesson. Marian tells her mother that a man had attempted to follow her. Mrs. Paroo (Pert Kelton) is excited, as she wants Marian to get married and settle down, but Marian is not impressed with the intellectual caliber of the men she meets. The two of them sing an argument, accompanied by Amaryllis playing a piano exercise, about whether Marian's expectations are unrealistic.

While Amaryllis is getting a drink from the outdoor water pump, Marian's much younger brother Winthrop (Ron Howard) comes by. Amaryllis invites him to a party she will be giving. Winthrop says no. His mother insists that he say it politely, with her name. He says "No thank you, Amaryllis." But he has a serious lisp, and botches the "s" in her name. Amaryllis giggles at first, but when Winthrop runs inside crying, she is mortified. She tells Marian that she likes Winthrop very much, and says goodnight to him every night on the evening star, but he hardly ever says a word to her. Marian tells her that the lisp is just part of Winthrop's problem, that he hardly ever says anything even to his own family, and that everyone needs to be very patient and understanding with him. She explains that, if Winthrop isn't the right person to say goodnight to on the evening star, she can say goodnight to an unnamed "someone". They sing the song "Goodnight My Someone".

The town's annual Fourth of July celebration is held in the high school, presided over by Mayor Shinn (Paul Ford) and his wife. Mayor Shinn is pompous, foolish, and verbally inept. A silly patriotic tableau is presented. Tommy Djilas (Timmy Everett), a teenage boy, sets off a firecracker, right behind the Mayor's wife, causing a ruckus. Amidst all the silly goings on, Harold Hill gets up and complains about the pool table. He is joined by others, and egged on by Marcellus. He gets into his band director's uniform, takes the stage, and makes an impassioned plea for the creation of a boys' band, to keep the youth of the town wholesomely occupied. This turns into the musical song and dance number "Seventy six trombones led the big parade / with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand / they were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos / the cream of every famous band."

Marian is completely unimpressed by the spectacle. She tells Mayor Shinn that he and the four members of the school board are being hoodwinked. In response, Mayor Shinn directs the school board to get Harold's credentials.

Tommy Djilas gets apprehended by the constable. Mayor Shinn berates Tommy for endangering his wife with the firecracker, and for hanging around with his oldest daughter Zaneeta. Harold says that he will take responsibility for Tommy, and takes him under his wing. Since Tommy is older than the intended age range for the band, Harold suggests a leadership role instead, and charges him with fashioning a device that will hold music for a marching piccolo player. Tommy runs off to find a piece of wire.

At the Fourth of July celebration that evening, Harold is met by the School board, who ask him for references. Showing his con artist skill to the utmost, he points out the amazing discovery that they have extraordinary singing talent. Before long, Harold has them (the school board are played by the famed barbershop quartet The Buffalo Bills) singing barbershop songs in perfect harmony. Harold then tries to strike up a friendship with Marian, who is again extremely cold to him. He tells her that he is a graduate of "Gary Indiana Conservatory, gold medal class of '05." Marian remains utterly unimpressed.

Harold begins the process of persuading the River City parents to part with their money, for musical instruments and band uniforms, by telling outlandishly exaggerated stories of their children's natural talent. He is quite a con artist.

Harold runs into the fashionable ladies of River City in the livery stable, and, in contrast to Marian, they are "all agog" over his talent. He tells them he wants to form a lady's classic dance auxiliary. He flatters Mrs. Shin, in the most preposterous way, over her alleged physical grace. The ladies are enthused over the formation of this group. Then he mentions Marian, hoping that they can help win her over by putting her in the dance group. They are instantly hostile about her. They say that, as librarian, she advocates dirty books--titles by authors such as Chaucer, Rabelais, and Balzac. Furthermore, she made "brazen overtures" to "Old Miser Madison", the man who had donated huge amounts of money to the town, building many of the town's facilities. He left the Madison Library to the town, but left the books to Marian personally. They also paint her as a spinster of sorts, having seen her frequenting his house many times. They sing the song "Pick a Little, Talk a Little" about this. Then the school board people show up, demanding Harold's credentials. He distracts them by singing the line "Good Night, Ladies" at the ladies, and the school board breaks into a barbershop rendition of that song, while Harold slips away. The two songs, by the ladies and by the school board, are then sung as an "ensemble song", simultaneously and in harmony with each other.

That evening, Harold tells Marcellus that his interests in women are not toward the pure and wholesome type, but the worldly and more experienced type, which he now perceives Marian to be. He sings the the song "The Sadder but Wiser Girl."

The next day he goes to the library and attempts once again to strike up a relationship with Marian. He tells her that he knows about Mr. Madison, and that he forgives her indiscretion in the matter. Marian is incredulous, and once again totally rejects his advances. He sings the song "Marian the Librarian" causing organized chaos in the otherwise silent and peaceful library.

Harold continues to work the townspeople, at one point almost persuading Mayor Shinn himself to sign up his son for the band, before he realizes that he has no son. He gets to the Paroo home, and persuades Mrs. Paroo that her son Winthrop will be a natural cornet player. Winthrop shows up, and Harold tells him about the band, and the cornet, and the uniform. Winthrop asks "Will it have a ...." and draws a line down his outer pant leg; he doesn't want to say the word "stripe" because of the "s". Harold assures him that it will have a stripe; Winthrop then runs off. Mrs. Paroo explains that Winthrop hardly ever talks. Harold tells Mrs. Paroo about his alma mater--"Gary Conservatory, gold medal class of '05." He sings the song "Gary, Indiana."

Marian shows up; Harold hadn't realized until then that she was part of that family. Marian tells Harold that they are not interested in the band. Harold suggests that the boy's father should be asked. Marian tells Harold that he should not meddle in the family's affairs, and that their father died two years previous. She says that this event was so devastating to Winthrop that he has become the withdrawn and unhappy child that he is.

After Harold leaves, Mrs. Paroo urges Marian, once again, to settle down and get married, and says that Harold might be her last chance. Marian sings "Being in Love", about what she's looking for in a man.

At the library, Marian comes upon the Indiana State Educational Journal, and looks in it, finding information that contradicts Harold's claims about the Gary Conservatory.

The Wells Fargo wagon comes to town, an event that is always met with great anticipation because of the interesting things that it brings from far-off places. Just before it arrives, Marian tells Mayor Shinn that she has found incriminating information in a book. But Mayor Shinn puts her off for a moment, since this delivery will be very special: the band instruments. The townspeople sing "The Wells Fargo Wagon." When the wagon stops, Harold distributes the instruments, including Winthrop's cornet. Winthrop is utterly beside himself with enthusiasm. He goes to Marian and speaks very excitedly and exuberantly: "SisterSisterIsn'tThisTheMostScrumptiousSolidGoldThingYouEverSaw? INeverThoughtIdEverSeeAnythingSoScrumptiousAsThisSolidGoldThing. OhSister!" Marian realizes that, con man though he is, Harold is also a miracle worker in the change she has seen in Winthrop. She has a change of heart about Harold, and secretly tears the incriminating page out of the Journal before handing it over to Mayor Shinn.

Harold distributes the other instruments, and tells the kids to stay off the streets and to think about Beethoven's Minuet in G. (He has what he calls the "think system" of music. Instead of dealing with reading music and memorizing notes, one just needs to think about a melody, and it will come out.)

At the high school, the women's dance committee meets, under the leadership of Mrs. Shinn, and engages in some ridiculously foolish dance practice. Elsewhere in the school, Harold is exhorting the students: "If you want to play the Minuet in G, think the Minuet in G." The boys ask reasonable questions about such elementary things as how to hold their instruments, and Harold deflects the questions with his usual subterfuges. He then has them just sing the Minuet in G. He tells Tommy Djilas to take over the rehearsal, having them sing for another hour or so.

At the ice cream parlor, Harold treats Tommy and Zaneeta Shinn (Susan Luckey) to sundaes--he has been encouraging their romance, even though Mayor Shinn doesn't want his daughter hanging around with Tommy. The Mayor bursts in, and upbraids Tommy. Tommy stands up to him, as does Zaneeta. He throws Tommy out of the place, and takes Zaneeta home. Marian is there too, and protests the Mayor's actions, to no avail. Mayor Shinn also complains to Marian that he was unable to find any incriminating evidence in the book.

Marian and Harold discuss his educational methods, and says that Winthrop never actually plays his cornet. Harold tells her about his "think system". They are very friendly and cordial.

On his way home, Harold is met by the school board. They demand his credentials immediately. He distracts them once again by discussing famed female bassoonist Lida Rose Quackenbush. They sing the barbershop song "Lida Rose" while Harold escapes yet again. Meanwhile, Marian, on her front porch, sings the song "Sweet and Low". Then the two groups, even though they are separated, turn these into another ensemble song, singing them together.

Winthrop comes by while Marian and Mrs. Paroo are on the front porch, and shows them a pocket knife that Harold gave him, describing in detail and with great enthusiasm all its many blades and features. He says that he and Harold spend a lot of time together. Marian asks what they talk about. "Sometimes we talk business, and sometimes we just talk." Harold taught Winthrop a song "with hardly any "s"'s in it", which he sings--the "Gary, Indiana" song.

There will be a big public "sociable" at Madison Park that evening. But first, Charlie Cowell (Harry Hickox), an anvil salesman, shows up at the Paroo residence. (He had been one of the salesmen speaking about Hill's nefarious dealings in the train scene at the very start of the movie.) He has extensive written documentation of Harold Hill's fraudulent methods, and he wants to give it to Mayor Shinn. When he sees the sign in Marian's window about giving piano instruction, he discusses it with her; he assumes that she saw right though Harold from day one. Instead, she defends Hill, and says that Charlie is making a big mistake. Charlie is under a tight time constraint because his train is just making a short stop. Marian uses her feminine wiles to delay him so he won't have time to get to Mayor Shinn. She succeeds at making him miss the train. He angrily walks off, after telling her that Harold Hill has a girl in every county of Illinois, and cozies up to all the piano teachers also.

Harold comes by, and he and Marian talk. She is upset by what Charlie Cowell said, and confronts him about his many alleged romantic relationships. "One hears rumors about traveling salesmen." He says "One hears rumors about librarians." She assumes that's a reference to the rumors, by the fashionable ladies of the town, about Mr. Madison. She tells him indignantly that he was "Uncle Maddy", her late father's best friend, and that he gave the library's books, and the librarian job, to her personally so that the family would be provided for after her father's death.

Harold suggests that she meet him at the footbridge at Madison Park. She is reluctant at first, because meeting at the footbridge has serious romantic connotations in River City folklore, and she's never been to the footbridge with a man before. But he persuades her.

The festivities at the party begin with a huge dance number, with Marcellus singing "Shipoopi". Harold and Marian are then going to go to the footbridge.

While Harold is going to the footbridge, the next organized entertainment occurs: an extremely silly interpretation of Grecian Urns by the ladies dance auxiliary, under the leadership of Mrs. Shin. While this is happening, the constable summons Mayor Shin to go off and speak to Charlie Cowell, who has finally managed to contact someone in authority.

Harold and Marian meet at the footbridge. They are finally in love. She says that she knows he will have to move on to other towns, but that she is grateful for what he has brought to the town. They sing "Till There Was You". She tells Harold that she knew he was a fraud practically from the start; the Educational Journal said that there couldn't have been a Gary Conservatory gold medal class of '05, because the town hadn't been founded until '06. She gives him the incriminating page that she had torn out of the book. Though he is in love with Marian, Harold knows that he will either have to skip town or be arrested.

Back at the party, Mayor Shinn interrupts a barbershop song by introducing Charlie Cowell, who tells the crowd that Hill is a swindler, and that he has a large amount of written proof of it. The townspeople are aghast. Winthrop runs off, crying. The townspeople run in all directions searching all over town for Harold.

Not knowing anything about this, Harold and Marian arrive at her house. She goes inside to put on a shawl. Harold stays outside, singing "Seventy Six Trombones". Inside, Marian sings "Goodnight my Someone". They turn it into another ensemble song.

While the massive search goes on, with Marcellus attempting to mislead them, Mrs. Paroo arrives home, and warns Harold and Marian that people are talking about tar and feathers. Harold doesn't know what to say. Marian tells him that he doesn't owe her anything, and he needs to leave.

Winthrop arrives home, very upset, and Harold stops him. Harold realizes that he has been harming people whom he cares about, and he needs to drop his con-man persona and be honest with people. He tells Winthrop that he will level with him. Winthrop asks "Can you lead a band?" "No." "Are you a big liar?" "Yes." "Are you a dirty rotten crook?" "Yes." Harold then tells him "There are two things you're entitled to know. One, you're a wonderful kid. I thought so from the first. That's why I wanted you in the band, so you'd stop moping around and feeling sorry for yourself." "What band?" Harold sadly admits "I always think there's a band." "And what's the other thing I'm entitled to know?" "The other thing's none of your business, come to think of it." He glances up at Marian as he says that; clearly the other thing is that he wants to become Winthrop's brother-in-law. Winthrop says that he wishes Harold had never come to River City. Marian steps in at this point, saying that everything Harold promised actually came true, in the good way everyone in the town behaved all summer, especially Winthrop. Winthrop tells Harold he needs to leave, but he can't tear himself away from Marian. The constable catches up with him and leads him away in handcuffs. The Paroo family are all devastated.

People have gathered at the high school. Mayor Shin addresses the angry crowd. When he hears that Harold Hill has been caught, he announces, in his usual artless way, "The sword of restibution [sic] has cut down Professor Harold Hill." Hill is brought in. Mayor Shinn suggests that he will be tarred and feathered.

Marian gets up and makes an impassioned plea: "I should think some of you could forget your everlasting Iowa stubbornness long enough to remember what this town was like before Harold Hill came. Do you? Well, do you? And after he came. Suddenly there were things to do, and things to be proud of, and people to go out of your way for. Surely some of you can be grateful for what this man has brought to us. And I should think you'd want to admit it." Mayor Shinn stops her. He says that anyone who doesn't want Harold Hill tarred and feathered should stand up.

After a long pause, people slowly start standing up. Mrs. Paroo, Zaneeta, the school board, the dance committee, even Mrs Shinn, who stands up defiantly again when her husband orders her to sit down. Mayor Shinn reminds them that they were promised a band. "Where's the band? Where's the band?" Then Tommy Djilas, out in the corridor, blows a director's whistle, the doors open, and the children file into the room, in uniform, with their instruments. They line up in concert formation at the front of the room. Marian gives Harold a podium and a makeshift baton. Harold gets up in front of the kids, but is frightened. Marian gives him a reassuring look. He mutters desperately "Think, men, think!" and starts to conduct. The kids play the Minuet in G, very badly, but recognizably. That's good enough for the parents. They are delighted. "That's my Barney." "That's Eddie."

The final scene is a fantasy in which the children's band is replaced by a large number of real musicians who parade down the street playing "Seventy Six Trombones".

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jhclues from Salem, Oregon
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It's early in the Twentieth Century, and there's trouble, my friends, in River City. Iowa, that is, in this delightful adaptation of Meredith Wilson's long running Broadway musical, `The Music Man,' directed by Morton DaCosta and starring Robert Preston as the fast-talking, fleet-footed traveling salesman, Harold Hill. `Professor Harold Hill,' as he calls himself this time around, is in the business of selling band instruments and uniforms, all with the guarantee that he will teach the youngsters of the parents who fork over the cash for his wares how to play. There's only one problem, and it's the fact that -- as one of his fellow competitors puts it-- `He don't know one note from another!' Alas, can it be the con is on?

When he jumps train in River City to escape the wrath of an angry gathering of his peers, whom he has `Given a black eye' to in the territory, thanks to his dubious business practices, he sets about plying his trade on the good folks of middle America. But right out of the chute, he runs into some problems: The Mayor of River City, George Shinn (Paul Ford) wants his credentials, the lovely young local piano teacher and librarian, Marion (Shirley Jones), has her doubts about him, and he lacks an `angle,' something to convince the local citizenry of the need for a `boys band' to get them out of the trouble they're in-- even if there isn't any until he `creates' it.

One of his problems is solved when he runs into Marcellus Washburn (Buddy Hackett), a former shill of his, who mentions the new billiard table that just arrived in town. And that's all the Professor needs; because now they've got trouble, `With a capital ‘T' that rhymes with ‘P' and that stands for ‘Pool'!' With that, he's up and running and he's got everything timed, right down to the `Last wave of the conductor's hand on the last train out of town.' Yee-gods and great honk! River City, Iowa, is about to have their very own boy's band.

Robert Preston gives the most memorable performance of his career as Hill, the silver-tongued salesman who can palaver past postulated proffered predicaments quicker'n an eggheaded egret's emblematized egression. It's just a matter of charm, style and timing, and Preston imbues Hill with ‘em all, and more. He brings a mesmerizing presence to the screen in this role that is absolutely perfect; Preston IS Harold Hill, and he makes him his own in such a way that it's impossible to visualize anyone else in the role. It certainly gave Preston a chance to demonstrate his amazing versatility, and he really made the most of it, carving out a niche for himself in cinematic history.

The beautiful and talented Shirley Jones is terrific, as well, as `Marion the Librarian,' the young woman with a heart of gold who becomes a formidable opponent for Hill as he tries to charm his way past her suspicions of him. Jones personifies everything that is pure, moral and good, without being prudish, and it makes Marion a truly endearing character. And, like Preston, her performance is so good it's impossible to picture anyone else in the part. She's simply magnificent.

The made-to-order supporting cast includes a very young Ron Howard, unforgettable as Winthrop Paroo, Marion's little brother, Hermione Gingold (Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn), Pert Kelton (Mrs. Paroo), Monique Vermont (Amaryllis), Susan Luckey (Zaneeta), Timmy Everett (Tommy Djilas), Harry Hickox (Charlie) and Mary Wickes (Mrs. Squires). Featuring a number of memorable songs, including `76 Trombones,' `Till There Was You,' `Gary, Indiana' and of course the catchy `Trouble In River City' number, `The Music Man' is an uplifting, totally transporting film that makes the world seem like a pretty good place after all. This is the `Good Old Days' the way we'd like to think they really were, and it's all courtesy of the magic of the movies. I rate this one 10/10.

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Arne Andersen (aandersen@landmarkcollege.org) from Putney, VT
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I will go on record to say that THE MUSIC MAN is the BEST film adaptation of a Broadway musical. Unlike MY FAIR LADY (another fine acievement) which was translated almost verbatim from the stage libretto to film, THE MUSIC MAN is NOT that great a musical comedy on stage. In fact, it's pretty mediocre. Comparing the original stage libretto to what Marion Hargrove did with her incredible screenplay, one counts over forty additional scenes or pieces of dialogue that open out and/ or add character to the principals. Her screenplay is such a VAST improvement over the original it is truly what makes the film so special. A number of reviewers on this site loathe the film, but I imagine they would loathe any musical. This is top rate acting, singing, dancing, with fast paced direction and a constantly moving camera for the dance numbers - the absolute best mise en scene I've ever experienced in a filmed musical comedy. (Mind you, musical play adaptations are a different category - I'm talking musical comedies here). Get the letterboxed version if you can as this was beautifully composed for wide screen. I remember seeing it in the balmy summer days of one of our nation's last years of innocence. Everyone was seeing it, talking about it, theaters extending their runs for a number of months to early autumn. It brought together all the nostalgia of what we best remember of another golden era (just before WW I) when America was still basically an agrarian economy. A real gem, this one.

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(clive@moviebuff.freeserve.co.uk) from Eastbourne, Sussex, England
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One of the greatest musicals ever put onto film is how I would describe "The Music Man" with its show stopping numbers like "Ya Got Trouble Right Here in River City", "The Sadder But Wiser Girl For Me", "Wells Fargo Wagon", "Seventy Six Trombones" and many more.

Confidence trickster Harold Hill arrives in River City with the intention of setting up a boy's band and taking money for costumes and instruments but intends to leave town with the money before these arrive. Things don't exactly work out to plan when he finds himself falling for the town's librarian and he becomes involved with the lives of many of the River City citizens. Meanwhile, the mayor tries his best to have Hill run out of town but one by one the River City townspeople begin to realise that Hill has actually brought much happiness and contentment to several of them since his arrival. Marian the librarian gradually succumbs to Hill's charms and defends him against the wild accusations of the mayor.

A high class ensemble of players make this a captivating film - in addition to Robert Preston himself (absolutely brilliant as Professor Harold Hill) we have Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo (the librarian), Buddy Hackett as Hill's friend Marcellus Washburn, Harry Hickox as another salesman determined to expose Hill, Paul Ford as Mayor Shinn and Hermione Gingold as Mrs Eulalie Shinn. Paul Ford's excellent portrayal of Mayor Shinn was not that far removed from his role as Colonel Hall in the long running "Sergeant Bilko" TV series. (I half expected to see Phil Silvers turn up in River City with some new gambling scheme on his mind!). Also in the "Music Man" cast was a very young Ron Howard (aged only eight) as Winthrop Paroo who was outstanding in his featured number "Gary, Indiana" which he had to sing with a lisp!! (He is of course now well established as a competent film director). I was surprised to see the talented actor Max Showalter (also known as Casey Adams) only used in one scene at the opening of the film. An actor of his calibre should have had a much larger part I consider. I was delighted to see Percy Helton (albeit briefly), one of my favourite character actors, pop up as the train conductor at the beginning of the film. Percy Helton has appeared in hundreds of films and is instantly recognisable with his distinctive voice and chubby frame. A word of praise is due to "The Buffalo Bills" who provide many delightful musical interludes throughout the film. "The Music Man" was produced and directed by Morton da Costa and I loved his theatrical device when the screen went dark after some of the musical numbers - a fascinating innovation.

Some favourite lines from the film:-

Harry Hickox: "But he doesn't know the territory!".

Robert Preston: "Gentlemen, you intrigue me - I think I'll have to give Iowa a try!".

Paul Ford: "I said all along - get his credentials didn't I?".

Paul Ford: "Where's the band? Where's the band?".

Preston (to the boy's band): "Now think, men, think!".

In 1958 Robert Preston won the prestigious "Tony" Award as Best Actor in a musical (on Broadway) for "The Music Man" but was overlooked by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when it came to the "Oscars". Why Preston wasn't even nominated as "Best Actor" is a mystery to me as this was the perfect role for him having performed it so long on Broadway. He was ideally suited in the part of Harold Hill and played it to perfection. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards (including one for best picture but was beaten by "Lawrence of Arabia").

A fabulous musical with entertaining storyline, noteworthy acting talent, and impeccably photographed in ravishing colour. "The Music Man" is an exceptional musical which can be viewed again and again with increasing enjoyment. 10/10. Clive Roberts.

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happycarnivore from rochester
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bright, fun, colorful, unforgettable songs, likeable characters, great choreography, true to the time period, and i'd like to see anyone try to find an actor blend so naturally into a character as robert preston.

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djohn2581-1 from Western Oregon, United States
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The Music Man is a musical film that was done right and which, if anything, improves on its well regarded source material. It ranks up there with the all-time great musicals of Hollywood's golden age (and such British marvels such as "Evergreen," which starred the incomparable Jessie Matthews.

This movie has it all - wonderful music, a fine script, good production values and a top cast. What makes it really special is Robert Preston's tour-de-force performance. His performance is, quite simply, one of the most memorably great performances in the history of film.

It's one of those benchmark performances that must make any other actor who takes the role shake in their boots, for as long as the memory of Robert Preston as Prof. Hill exists all others will be compared against him and, likely, found lacking.

The rest of the cast is superior. I especially love Pert Kelton as Marian the Librarian's mother. Kelton was the original Alice on the classic "The Honeymooners" (she played Alice's mother later on in the series) and she had incredible comic timing. She reminds me of a combination of Ethel Merman, with her brassy voice and larger-than-life presence, and the comic genius of the great Patsy Kelly. It's a shame Kelton was not put to better use in the movies. She was a natural.

And then there is Shirley Jones. Lovely to look at and wonderful to hear and a good enough actor to keep up with Preston.

Buddy Hackett usually annoyed me but he's perfect as Prof. Hill's sidekick and his "Shafoofie" (sp?) number is a blast.

Funniest scene - Grecian Urns.

A splendid movie and one of the last great musicals. They truly don't make 'em like that anymore.

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ToddTee from Southern California
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I first saw "The Music Man" on its first run in 1962. I just saw it again last night on cable. If anything, I enjoyed it more last night. I think that your belief in "fairy tales" such as this only grows with the passing of the years. Preston's performance is so near-perfect that the viewer starts to believe his line of corn-fed BS. The knowledge of what Ron Howard has become enhances the enjoyment of his fine work here. It's funny, magical and a musical treat to the ears!!

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foxhole-3 from Netherlands
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This wonderful production has to be watched on the big screen to be fully appreciated. It is,in my opinion, the best translation from Broadway musical theater material to the opening-up on the screen. The performance and general character portrayal of Robert Preston is irresistible and a joy to watch. As far as musicals are concerned, this is the one to take along to your desert island! I always look forward to the next opportunity there is to show it on the screen of my cinema again. Sentimental, nostalgic, funny and romantic, this picture has it all. And that includes the wonderful melodic songs and the fantastic choreography. I'm running out of superlatives. It's my favorite musical.

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silverscreen888
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This was a very difficult musical, I suspect, for Morton da Costa to direct. To his great credit, it never looks to me like a stage musical; taking his cue from a few famous examples of adaptations done on non-musical films, he has used the entire River City, Iowa, USA town as his stage, moving his mobile cameras wherever the action could best be served. But I suggest "The Music Man" is most important not for its entertainment qualities, which are considerable perhaps, but for its importance as a fantasy-for-the-sake-of-an-idea plot. Without it, we might never have had "Finian's Rainbow", "Chicago" or "City of Angels" for instance. Hollywood's studio tsars, despite their surrealized applying of pseudo-Christian endings to plots, were always very cautious about introducing any "fantasy" element into a film. (Note the lengthy apologia by David Selznick for "Portrait of Jenny", for instance.) In this story, Meredith Wilson used his personal knowledge of the people and ways-of-thinking of Iowa to ground a charming and genial fantasy about music-course salesman Harold Hill firmly within its milieu--one of a group of U.S minds in need of more imagination. The town's kindly folk, in fact, are shown as barely tolerant toward its librarian, who inherited the institution from its elderly compiler; they are suspicious of how Marian Paroo acquired the stock, and suspicious of her desire to teach their young minds to think for themselves. Enter Professor Hill--to change the lives of the almost charming but repressed early twentieth-century denizens forever. The basic plot is very simple to state. Professor Hill comes to towns, sells the town's citizens on the idea of starting a boy's band, and then skips out before they can ever perform. Here, he is brought to the point of leading his troops, trained by his "think system", in a concert; and the townsfolk are enthralled by hearing their sons play. This simple tale starred Robert Preston as the wily city-bred Hill, Shirley

Jones as the lovely but doubting 'Marian the Librarian', Pert Kelton as her mother, Buddy Hackett as his fine friend, Paul Ford and Hermione Gingold as the pretentious Mayor and his wife, plus many citizens of the town young and old, Harry Hickox as the envious rival who exposes Hill and the Buffalo Bills singing quartet. Well-known songs in this sprightly US romp include, "Till There Was You", "Somethin' Special", "Goodnight My Someone", "Marian the Librarian" and "Trouble", among others. In the film, the leads are award caliber, everyone else from Ronnie Howard to Susan Luckey to the quartet do very well. Marion Hargrove adapted Wilson's libretto and songs written by Wilson and Franklin Lacey. The cinematography by Robert Burks was vivid and stylishly old-fashioned. Paul Groesse did the art direction, with set decorations being supplied by George James Hopkins and his staff. The very elaborate costumes were the work of the brilliant designer Dorothy Jeakins. This is a sense of life film written by, about and for non-practicing Christians of the last century that was mounted somehow in 1962, as an homage to a simpler and more optimistic time. We can all be grateful it was; it is a great deal of fun and its ending is a happy part of the fantasy, which needs to be seen to be appreciated.

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Marc-105 from San Francisco
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One of the best musicals ever made. So much of the movie is perfect: plot, music, most of the cast. One weak spot is Susan Luckey as Zaneeta, though the part is not well written. Another is Monique Vermont as Amaryllis, worse than average for a child actor. But the 8-year-old Ronny Howard as Winthrop is excellent. He shines at the end when Harold Hill gets his foot caught in the door. Of course, Preston is perfect, as is Shirley Jones, who never looked better. (Someone said Heaven is where all the men are 33 and all the women are 30. Jones was in her late 20s.) Paul Ford, Hermione Gingold (overdoing it once), and Pert Kelton are all outstanding.

The director Morton DaCosta uses a gimmick here and in Auntie Mame that I don't care for. At the end of some scenes, all the lights go out except those on the principals. Sometimes that's more of a jolt than necessary, because we've gone from outdoors to inside the studio.

My favorite song is Sadder But Wiser Girl. The reference to Hester winning just one more A meant nothing until 11th grade when we read The Scarlet Letter. And after Preston sings that line, he looks guiltily over his shoulder at Amaryllis to see if she understands how naughty he's been.

My second favorite is Lida Rose/Will I Ever Tell You. Such a beautiful song. It pains me that the rocking chairs at either end of the screen are sometimes out of sync. It should have been done perfectly.

One brilliant touch concerns the Buffalo Bills. Early on, Mayor Shinn says "The members of the School Board will not present a patriotic tableau. Some disagreement about costumes, I suppose." At the time, the four are dressed quite differently. As their singing progresses, they start dressing more and more alike, until at the end they're dressed alike (I'm pretty sure).

Marion's epiphany during The Wells Fargo Wagon is quite sweet.

As is a lovely line from Goodnight, My Someone: But I must depend on a wish and a star/ As long as my heart doesn't know who you are. (Sigh.)

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ccthemovieman-1 from United States
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I remember almost being shocked hearing this film again in the '90s after seeing it for over 30 years. Some of the music almost sounded like today's - or the 1990s - rap music! It's kind of weird.

There are memorable songs in this musical, ones that became pretty darn famous, such as "76 Trombones" and "Trouble In River City." Most of the songs, in fact, on this soundtrack, are pretty lively and interesting.

I enjoyed seeing the Midwest scenery. Having gone to college in Iowa, I've always been a pit partial to that state, and the wonderful small towns there. I am also partial to corny (speaking of Iowa) and sentimental stories to this film gets "props" for providing plenty of that. An extra point goes for the name of the barbershop quartet in this story: "The Buffalo Bills."

Robert Preston, as "Professor Henry Hill," gets center stage, here, and - warning - he can wear you out. Most people love him in this role but, for others, he can be grating....and I understand that, too. Preston's fast-talking can you give a headache, if you aren't ready for it. However, the man is so convincing in this role, he seems born to play it.

There are so many songs in this movie that the story is almost secondary. It's really a stage show, so don't expect some super story. Frankly, I liked that fact is mainly music. I've read where the new special-edition DVD really brings out the colors in this movie, so I'm anxious to check it out. I haven't seen the film since that VHS viewing a decade ago.

The songs "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight My Someone" are the same tune arranged in different time signatures.
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Shirley Jones learned she was pregnant with her son Patrick once the filming of had begun. She met with director Morton DaCosta over lunch to inform him of the situation. Her concern was that she would begin "showing" during its filming. He assured her that they could work through it with costumes and also by filming her from the waist up, if necessary. He did have one request, that she tell no one about it. Robert Preston did figure it out before filming had concluded, when Shirley's character, Marion, and his character, Professor Hill, kissed for the first time in the romantic footbridge scene. He leaned in for the kiss and jumped back, asking her, "What was that?" to which she replied, "That is Patrick Cassidy! Say, 'Hello!' " Years later, her son Patrick had the opportunity to meet Preston. He walked up and introduced himself saying, "Hello. I'm Patrick Cassidy." Preston replied, "Yes, I know. We've already met."
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In the original Broadway cast recording, there was a verse in the song "Rock Island" that goes, "Why it's the Uneeda biscuit made the trouble, Uneeda, Uneeda, put the crackers in a package, in a package, the Uneeda biscuit in an airtight sanitary package, made the cracker barrel obsolete!". This verse was omitted from the film version of the song. The Uneeda Biscuit was a revolutionary cracker that promised to be airier, flakier, and crisper than most other crackers. The cracker was kept fresh in a brand new concept of resealable packaging. Uneeda Biscuit was developed by the National Biscuit Company, nowadays known as Nabisco.
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Even though Robert Preston had played the role of Harold Hill on Broadway, Frank Sinatra was Warner Bros' personal choice to play the role in the movie. However, Meredith Willson told them, "No Robert Preston, no movie." Cary Grant was also offered the lead role, but told Warner Brothers, "Not only will I not star in the movie, if Robert Preston does not star in it, I will not see it."
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The first film to sell for over $1 million to TV.
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During the "Lida Rose"/"Will I Ever Tell You" duet both Mrs. Paroo (Pert Kelton) and the lead singer of The Buffalo Bills (Vern Reed) are in rocking chairs. They are synchronized throughout much of the song, starting, stopping and rocking together. This is only visible in the wide screen version.
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The Buffalo Bills were the 1950 International Champion Medalist Quartet of the S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A., the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. They were Al Shea (lead), Vern Reed (tenor), Wayne Ward and Bill Spangenberg (bass).
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The original Broadway production of "The Music Man" opened at the Majestic Theater on December 19, 1957, ran for 1375 performances and won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Musical. Robert Preston, Pert Kelton and The Buffalo Bills reprise their roles in the movie. Robert Preston won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
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In the diner, Harold Hill attempts to remember a William Shakespeare quote: "Cowards die a thousand deaths, the brave man... only 500," to which Marian replies "something like that." The quote he looks for is from Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2, when Gaio Giulio Cesare says "Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once."
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Mrs. Shinn's catchphrase "Tempus fugit" is Latin for "Time flies".
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The inscription on the statue of Henry Madison (Madison Picnic Park, Madison Library, etc.) in front of which Harold Hill sings "Trouble" is inscribed as follows: "Clean your finger before you point at my spots."
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River City was based on Meredith Willson's home town of Mason City, Iowa. The movie had its world premiere there.
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Just prior to the "Lida Rose" number, Harold mentions a bassoon player named Madame Rini. Rini was the nickname of Meredith Willson's wife Ralina Zarova.
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The marching bands of the University of California and the University of Southern California were drafted in for the final parade scene.
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Zaneeta has a meeting of the Epworth League. This organization was formed by combining young people's organizations of the Methodist Episcopal church, with its purpose being to promote intelligent and vital piety among the young people of the church.
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"Montgomery Ward" is the name of the world's first mail order business, founded in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001.
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The DAR is the "Daughters of the American Revolution", a non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving American history, most noted for refusing to let the great African-American contralto Marian Anderson perform in 1939 at the DAR's Constitution hall, because of her race.
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All the musical instruments in the film were made specially by the Olds Instrument Company in Fullerton, California. After filming, Olds refurbished them and sold them on.
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When Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn (Hermione Gingold) is performing in the "spectacle" with her schoolchildren, she says "Now count to twenty in the Indian tongue..." and proceeds to count in what seem to be nonsense words ("Een! Teen! Tether mether fip!..."). It's actually a variant of traditional British sheep-counting.
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During the Sadder But Wiser Girl song, Hill hopes for "Hester to win just one more A," referring to Hester Prynne, main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter.
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The library interior set is the same as the bookstore set in Rome Adventure (1962).
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Final scene .. Note as Prof. Harold Hill turns left, towards the camera, most of the band continues straight across the screen.
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marching band|librarian|iowa|love|billiards|lifting female in air|lifting someone into the air|child|carrying someone|based on stage musical|women's auxillary|uniform|trombone|traveling salesman|piano teacher|nostalgia|scene based on painting|blockbuster|lisp|famous song|salesman|pool hall|anvil|dance|spiral staircase|con artist|library|fourth of july|barbershop quartet|small town|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Canada:G (video rating) / Finland:S / UK:U / USA:G / USA:Approved (PCA #19903) (original rating) / USA:G (1985) (re-rating)