The Music Man (1962)

A con man comes to a Midwestern town with a scam using a boy's marching band program, but things don't go according to plan.

Director:

Morton DaCosta

Writers:

Meredith Willson (based on: "The Music Man"), Franklin Lacey (written in collaboration with),

Stars:

Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Preston	...	Harold Hill
Shirley Jones	...	Marian Paroo
Buddy Hackett	...	Marcellus Washburn
Hermione Gingold	...	Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn
Paul Ford	...	Mayor George Shinn
Pert Kelton	...	Mrs. Paroo
The Buffalo Bills
Timmy Everett	...	Tommy Djilas
Susan Luckey	...	Zaneeta Shinn
Ron Howard	...	Winthrop Paroo (as Ronny Howard)
Harry Hickox	...	Charlie Cowell
Charles Lane	...	Constable Locke
Mary Wickes	...	Mrs. Squires
Sara Seegar	...	Maud Dunlop
Adnia Rice	...	Alma Hix

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

librarian | marching band | billiards | iowa | love | 

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Taglines:

The story of that man and his 76 trombones, and the wonderful, wonderful tune he played on every heart in town!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meredith Willson's The Music Man

Filming Locations:

Kings Row, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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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Goofs

In the closing credits, when Susan Luckey and Timmy Everett have their moment while marching down the street, she nearly knocks off his tall hat with her baton, apologizing on camera.

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Quotes

Salesman on train: How far you going, friend?
Harold Hill: Wherever the people are as green as the money... friend.

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Crazy Credits

The letters in the film's title, in producer-director Morton da Costa's name, and in Meredith Willson's name (the first time it appears onscreen) are formed by a miniaturized, stop-motion animated marching band, who also form themselves into musical instruments on which the rest of the opening credits appear.

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Connections

Referenced in The Beatles Anthology: March '63 to February '64 (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Pick a Little, Talk a Little"
(1957) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Performed by the Townswomen and The Buffalo Bills

User Reviews

The BEST adaptation of a Broadway musical to film.

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.