Music Man, The (DVD) (Rpkg)

Director Morton DaCosta spent most of his career acting and directing on the New York stage, doing only two other movies. This one – his version of the Broadway hit – is as charming a screen musical as you are likely to see. It’s great fun and a treat for all ages. Robert Preston stars as Professor Harold Hill, an alias the character uses as a traveling salesman and small-time hustler of band uniforms and instruments. Hill’s trade brings him to the little town of River City, Iowa, where he meets his comeuppance but also finds love and happiness. And as Hill, Preston reprises to perfection the Tony Award-winning role he played for several years on Broadway. But the real stars are composer Meredith Willson’s songs. They’re wonderful, including the sweet ballad “Goodnight, My Someone,” the gorgeous “Till There Was You,” and the grand finale “76 Trombones,” which gives the cast a rousing curtain call. Some of the songs are among the most unusual ever written, including “Rock Island,” in which traveling salesmen aboard a train mimic its rhythm en route from one town to the next; “Piano Lesson,” where the sung lyrics follow the notes of a keyboard exercise; the rapid-fire “Trouble;” the charming “Pick a Little, Talk a Little,” sung by a chorus of the town’s dowagers who flock together like barnyard hens; and the crisply choreographed “Marian the Librarian,” as subtle a portrayal of romance and sexual awakening as ever presented on the screen. In a sense, The Music Man might be the most musical musical ever, because even the dialogue, or much of it, is spoken with a rhythmic cadence – and delightfully so. There’s also the happiest of happy endings, one that is sure to leave you smiling and humming the theme song for days. Shirley Jones co-stars as “lovely Marian,” the aforementioned librarian, and the great supporting cast includes Buddy Hackett as a pixie-ish fellow huckster, Paul Ford as the dotty mayor of River City, and eight-year-old Ron (Ronny in the credits) Howard at the beginning of his acting career as Marian’s brother, Winthrop.

There aren't many DVDs that I want to own, i.e., not many movies I'd care to watch more than once, but this is definitely one of them. I first saw this wonderful Meredith Willson musical as a child, and have loved it ever since. It's one of America's answers to a Puccini opera (which I also find sublime). (Another might be "Guys and Dolls".) The DVD has a lovely extra, about the making of the musical, hosted by Shirley Jones (who, one learns, was pregnant during the filming of the movie). One disappointment is that they morphed my favorite song from the Broadway show - the great "My White Knight" - into the mediocre "Being In Love." I have no idea why they did that, other than possibly they felt it fit better with the dialog, though if the latter played on Broadway for 1375 performances, I don't know why they couldn't have fit it into the movie. I can't imagine that it was out of Shirley Jones' range. (And, I doubt there was any racial political correctness involved, back in 1962.) Just a bad choice, I guess. Also somewhat disappointing is that the movie version of my other favorite song from this show - "Till There Was You" (covered famously by the Beatles) - is inferior to the Broadway version, which has it as a lovely duet with Robert Preston, while the movie has Shirley Jones singing it alone. On the plus side, the Barbershop quartet songs, and especially the Buffalo Bills' duet with Shirley Jones ("Lida Rose" and "Will I Ever Tell You?"), are top notch. I LOVE it when two melodies are woven together richly and seamlessly (another prime example being "Moonglow" and "Theme from Picnic"), and Willson does it in this musical several times. It's a subtle but genuine tour de force. A bit of trivia: one of my favorite bands from the late 1960s, Spanky and Our Gang, recorded their own, delightful version of "Ya Got Trouble". So, between them and The Beatles, you know that Meredith Willson came up with some memorable tunes and lyrics here. I can't end this review without also mentioning the stellar performance by Pert Kelton in the role of the widow Paroo. Her acting, voice, and intonations are perfect, which makes it understandable why she played the role both on stage and in the film. The way she sighs and looks off into the distance after one of her encounters with the spell-binding Professor Harold Hill is unforgettable. If you're a music-lover, you can't regret owning this DVD. But for the CD, don't buy the movie soundtrack, but get the Broadway version. It also stars the incomparable Robert Preston, but features a flawless performance by Barbara Cook, singing the role of Marian (Madam Librarian) Paroo.

Spectacular classic! This is a fantastic family movie, filled with laughter, catchy songs, and comedic phrases. The plot in this movie great as well.

An amazing thing happened when I first saw The Music Man in its first run in the summer of '62. I won't be giving away any plot points to say that the end credits are handled by showing the actors alone or in groups, in costume, above or below their names. Instead of just sitting there, the audience responded as if they were at a live stage version when the various actors come out at the end, wildly applauding each group until they were cheering for Shirley Jones and Robert Preston. That's the kind of enthusiastic response this movie usually creates in people. The Music Man is one of the very best film versions of a stage musical, in this case, opened up in a (seemingly) real town, an improvement over any stage version I've ever seen. The look of the sets is perfect for Meredith Willson's fond recollection of his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa. The score he wrote for it is one of the most accomplished, loved and well-known. The acting from everyone involved is really good, though being a musical you must consider that some of the comic characters are played over-the-top. This is 10/10, five stars, thumbs up all around. Enjoy it! THE ACTUAL MASON CITY BOYS" BAND OF 1912_PICTURE BELOW. While hunting around the internet I found this picture of the real Mason City Boys' Band. They seem to be from an orphans' home and sponsored by the International Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal order like the Elks or Shriners. In their uniforms they would fit right in the movie. Just thought some people would like seeing them. EXTRA NOTE-SOME SPOILERS! The one controversial note that has plagued The Music Man from its very beginning has been about the character of Harold Hill. He is, after all, a con man. But consider a few things before you rush to judgement. The story requires some kind of tension. If a nice guy goes to a nice town and meets a nice girl...well, that's all fine in real life but it doesn't do much for a theatrical presentation. So he can't be a totally nice guy. Also, deep down, the story is about the redemptive power of love. Thus he has to need some redemption. At the same time, we're supposed to like this con man. As con men go, he's not really a bad one, in fact, as cons go his is pretty inept. He comes to town, sells everybody on the boys'band and then collects for uniforms and expensive instruments. Now here's where a true con man skips town. But no, the instruments and uniforms are delivered. The only real con is that he can teach music; there he is at fault, but at least he attended the band's "Think Method" practices. He didn't run away with everyone's hard earned money, so you can't really hate him.

Of course nearly everyone over the age of 35 or 40 has seen this true American classic. It tells the tale of a small American town when everyone knew everyone else - when you didn't have to lock and bolt your doors. When having a alarm system wasn't in 3/4 of every new home built. And you could ride your bike everywhere without fear of being ran over. I grew up in such a town. I didn't realize it until much later but my grandfather and 2 of his brothers owned about 50% of the town that I grew up in central Indiana. My grandfather, for example, owned 14 houses, the post office building, his auto repair place and a small strip mall. It seemed that at least 1/2 of the town was related to me in some matter. But enough of that - this movie will stir feelings in anyone who grew up in a small town environment. It is very well done and has a good acting job by Ron Howard, who even sings, well, more like lisps, 'Gary, Indiana'. And, of course, who hasn't heard 'the song, '76 Trombones'. I only wish one of our Librarians looked like Shirley Jones. This is a great story that quite simply could NOT get funding to be made today - nothing is blown up and no one get killed. The ending is great even through it's a very predictable Hollywood ending. I get a kick that ANYONE could believe they can be taught to simply THINK about playing a musical instrument and be able to do so. It's interesting that this movie beat 'West Side Story' for the Tony in 1962. BTW - one of my relatives, Forrest Tucker, had played the lead role on the stage and, according to my mom, lobbied hard to get the movie role. But It's hard to imagine anyone other than Robert Preston playing Professor Harold Hill. This picture is top notch as is the overall acting and direction. The DVD arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Highly recommended!! I would rate this a 9.25 to 9.75 out of 10.

This is a pretty old blu-ray release and looks and sounds it. It's fine at a low price but it's time for the holders of the film to see that this classic is properly restored and released in 4K glory with restored sound. And we need it just in time for the 250th Anniversary of the USA. Service and delivery was just fine.

Good Movie

Not sure many people would come away from The Music Man not smelling. It’s an idealized view of a simpler time in movie musical worlds that bring one joy. Ok, so that world never existed, but as a kid I always dreamed that life really could be a movie musical - we all harbor childish dreams of what life really is until we live and learn... but that’s the fun here. That’s why movie musicals exist. To make us smile and The Music Man continues to do that after all these years. Shirley Jones brings her youth and beauty - both outwardly and with her voice - to a role that seems almost as though it was made for her. As the young Marian, the community’s librarian, she’s living with mother and younger brother (brilliantly played by Ron Howard, the future movie director) when Robert Preston’s Harold Hill arrives in town ready to con his way into cash before leaving and moving on. But over time these two come together in their brazen belief that music can change lives as they watch the town change, grow happier, and closer. What a fun idea. With charming songs and dance routines the town makes the midwest seem like a fun place to live (it really is, but no, I don’t remember breaking out into song and dance, mores the pity). In the end the guy gets the girl, Ron Howard sings, and music wins the day. If you’ve never seen it, have some fun and watch The Music Man.