The Music Man (1962)

Harold Hill poses as a boys' band leader to con naive Iowa townsfolk.

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 5 wins & 12 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	...	School Board
Vern Reed	...	Jacey Squires (as The Buffalo Bills)
Ron Howard	...	Winthrop Paroo (as Ronny Howard)
Al Shea	...	Ewart Dunlop (as The Buffalo Bills)
Bill Spangenberg	...	Olin Britt (as The Buffalo Bills)
Wayne Ward	...	Oliver Hix (as The Buffalo Bills)
Timmy Everett	...	Tommy Djilas
Susan Luckey	...	Zaneeta Shinn
Harry Hickox	...	Charlie Cowell

Storyline

It's the early twentieth century American Midwest. A con man currently going by the assumed name Harold Hill has used several different schemes to bilk the unsuspecting, and now travels from town to town pretending to be a professor of music - from Gary (Indiana) Conservatory of Music, class of '05 - who solves all the respective towns' youth problems by forming boys' marching bands. He takes money from the townsfolk to buy instruments, music, instructional materials, and uniforms for their sons. However, in reality he has no degree and knows nothing about music, and after all the materials arrive and are distributed, he absconds with all the money, never to be seen again. Many of the traveling salesmen in the territory have been negatively impacted by him, as the townsfolk then become suspicious of any stranger trying to sell them something. For Harold's scheme to work, he must gain the trust of the local music teacher, usually by wooing her, regardless of her appearance. And if the ...

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Plot Keywords:

brother sister relationship | spinster | reference to gary indiana | librarian | iowa | 

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Taglines:

...that rootin, tootin "76 trombones" man!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Academy Award winning Best Picture of 1960, The Apartment (1960), Mr. Sheldrake lies to his wife so he can meet his mistress, and as his alibi says he is taking the regional manager from Kansas City to see the "'The Music Man,' what else?"

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Goofs

Twice when Harold Hill first arrives in River City, mountains are seen in the background. There are no mountains like that in eastern Iowa where River City is supposed to be.

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Quotes

Ethel Toffelmier: I'm Ethel Tofflemier. The pianola girl.

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Crazy Credits

The letters in the film's title, in producer-director Morton DaCosta'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 Doris Day Show: The Music Man (1972)

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Soundtracks

Rock Island
Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Sung by traveling salesmen on the train in the opening scene

User Reviews

My favorite musical.

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.)

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

Box Office

Budget:

$4,240,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) DTS SDDS Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1