Trivia
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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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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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 songs "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight My Someone" are the same tune arranged in different time signatures.
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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 nonsense words ("Een! Teen! Tether mether fip!..."). It seems her counting is some form of traditional British sheep-counting.
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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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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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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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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 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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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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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
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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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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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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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