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The Music Man (1962)

G 151 min  -  Musical | Comedy | Family  -   19 June 1962 (USA)
7.6
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Ratings: 7.6/10 from 8,873 users  
Reviews: 113 user | 26 critic

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), and 1 more credit »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Preston ...
Shirley Jones ...
Buddy Hackett ...
Hermione Gingold Hermione Gingold ...
Paul Ford Paul Ford ...
Pert Kelton Pert Kelton ...
The Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills
Timmy Everett Timmy Everett ...
Susan Luckey Susan Luckey ...
Ron Howard ...
Winthrop Paroo (as Ronny Howard)
Harry Hickox Harry Hickox ...
Charles Lane ...
Mary Wickes ...
Sara Seegar Sara Seegar ...
Adnia Rice Adnia Rice ...
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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. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Marching Band | Librarian | Billiards | Love | Iowa  | See more »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Musical | Comedy | Family | Romance

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Meredith Willson's The Music Man See more »

Box Office

Gross:

$14,953,846 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

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. See more »

Goofs

Crew or equipment visible: Lights and camera equipment seen in the store windows during the "Wells Fargo Wagon" song number. See more »

Quotes

Mrs. Shinn: Now, George!
Mayor Shinn: Not one poop out of you, Madame!
Mrs. Shinn: [turning to Zaneeta] I think he means "peep"!
Mayor Shinn: [looks back] *Yes!*
See more »

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. See more »

Connections

Spoofed in That's Easy for You to Say! (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

"Gary, Indiana"
(1957) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Performed by Robert Preston See more »