The Music Man (1962)

Director:

Morton DaCosta

Writers:

Meredith Willson (book) and
Franklin Lacey (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Family | Romance

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Nostalgia | Traveling Salesman | Piano Teacher | Trombone | Trouble

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

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	...	Themselves
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
Peggy Mondo	...	Ethel Toffelmier
Jesslyn Fax	...	Avis Grubb
Monique Vermont	...	Amaryllis
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rand Barker	...	Duncan Shyball (uncredited)
Charles Alvin Bell	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Jeannine Burnier	...	Jessie Shyball (uncredited)
Shirley Claire	...	Amy Dakin (uncredited)
Natalie Core	...	Truthful Smith (uncredited)
Ronnie Dapo	...	Norbert Smith (uncredited)
Roy Dean	...	Gilbert Hawthorne (uncredited)
Eileen Diamond	...	Dancer (uncredited)
William Fawcett	...	Lester Lonnergan (uncredited)
Percy Helton	...	Train conductor (uncredited)
Patty Lee Hilka	...	Gracie Shinn (uncredited)
Rance Howard	...	Oscar Jackson (uncredited)
Delos Jewkes	...	Harley MacCauley (uncredited)
Elaine Joyce	...	Extra (uncredited)
Ray Kellogg	...	Harry Joseph (uncredited)
Ann Loos	...	Stella Jackson (uncredited)
Robert Lyons	...	Band member (uncredited)
Therese Lyon	...	Dolly Higgins (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Penelope Martin	...	Lila O'Brink (uncredited)
Natalie Masters	...	Farmer's wife (uncredited)
Arthur Mills	...	Herbert Malthouse (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Farmer (Iowa Stubborn) (uncredited)
Barbara Pepper	...	Feril Hawkes (Snapping Beans) (uncredited)
Charles Percheskly	...	Salesman (uncredited)
Gary Potter	...	Dewey Malthouse (uncredited)
Maudie Prickett	...	Townswoman (uncredited)
Larry Steven Randel	...	Band member (uncredited)
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Man (uncredited)
Vern Reed	...	Tenor - Buffalo Bills Quartette (uncredited)
Al Shea	...	Lead Singer - Buffalo Bills Quartette (uncredited)
Max Showalter	...	Salesman on the train (uncredited)
Bill Spangenberg	...	Bass - Buffalo Bills Quartette (uncredited)
David Swain	...	Chet Glanville (uncredited)
Larri Thomas	...	High School Girl (uncredited)
Wayne Ward	...	Baritone - Buffalo Bills Quartette (uncredited)
Hank Worden	...	Undertaker (uncredited)
Peggy Wynne	...	Ada Nutting (uncredited)

Directed by
Morton DaCosta

Writing credits
Meredith Willson		(book) and
Franklin Lacey		(book)
Marion Hargrove		(screenplay)

Produced by
Morton DaCosta	....	producer
Joel Freeman	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Robert Burks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler		(as William Ziegler)

Art Direction by
Paul Groesse

Set Decoration by
George James Hopkins
Phil A. Ankrom		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Dorothy Jeakins

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist
Myrl Stoltz	....	hair stylist: Miss Jones
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Joel Freeman	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russell Llewellyn	....	assistant director

Sound Department
M.A. Merrick	....	sound
Dolph Thomas	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Bobby Greene	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Fuca	....	assistant set costumer (uncredited)

Music Department
Frank Comstock	....	orchestrator
Ray Heindorf	....	conductor
Ray Heindorf	....	music supervisor
Ray Heindorf	....	orchestrator
Charles Henderson	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Kermit Bloomgarden	....	stage producer
Herbert Greene	....	associate stage producer
Tom Panko	....	assistant choreographer
Onna White	....	choreographer
Robert E. Blair	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (video)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Frank Productions  stage production in association with

Also Known As:

Meredith Willson's The Music Man (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

151 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The first film to sell for over $1 million to TV.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Hill asks the townsfolk during the "Trouble" number: "Wanna see some stuck-up jockey boy sitting on Dan Patch?", indicating that Dan Patch, a champion harness racing horse, was still active when the story takes place in 1912. However, he was retired in 1910.

Quotes:

Harold Hill: A man can't turn tail and run just because a little personal risk is involved. What did Shakespeare say? "Cowards die a thousand deaths, the brave man... only 500"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The School of Rock (2003)

Soundtrack:

Being in Love

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.)