The Music Man

Till There Was You - The scope of this musical is so overwhelming I hardly know where to begin. We start on a train car of traveling salesmen circa 1912. They are discussing the trouble they have looking creditable after each community they visit was visited by an unscrupulous salesman Professor Harold Hill (Robert Preston). As they approach Iowa they proclaim that people in Iowa are not so gullible and at least here Harold Hill does not have a chance. Gentlemen you intrigue me as the professor stands up to take the challenge. Robert Preston makes such a likable scoundrel that you find your self routing for him. Brought more to life by the music of Composer Meredith Willson we see a story where Harold Hill just may get caught in his own trap, Till There Was You Aside from the music and a great tale that are many fine actors in this rendition and you will find yourself quoting them often. One of my favorite quotes is when Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn (Hermione Gingold) is returning a copy of Balzac to the library and says It s a smutty book.

A Classic Musical - I must admit the first time I ever watched this version of the Music Man, I wasn t exactly impressed. The music was great, the acting very good, but still something didn t seem right. After watching the version staring Matthew Broderick on ABC and loved it, I decided to give the original another try. I ve come to the conclusion that the film s major flaw is its cinematography. The film never seems to break past being a Broadway show and most of the staging reflects that. Most of the action takes place just as it would on the stage with little creativity. Even with this flaw, the film is still a lot of fun. Robert Preston s Harold Hill, the traveling con man attempting to swindle the town of River City, is a remarkable performance. Herminie Granger and Susan Luckey also put in great performances as Mrs. Shinn, the mayor s wife, and her daughter Zaneeta respectively. Shirley Jones also stars as Marian, the town librarian and music teacher that Hill falls in love with. While the character has so much potential, Jones seems to play her somewhat flat and is also limited by not being able to act and sing at the same time. All in all, though, it s a fun film and recommended to any musical fan.

The Music Man - Perhaps the best of the classical musicals on film, The Music Man is wonderful entertainment for the entire family. Children especially love the opening train scene, and its slice of Americana is a gem. The high energy and marvelous melody lift everyone s spirits. Five stars hardly do it justice.

You GO, Shirl! - There is such a wealth of kind reviews here on The Music Man , I almost didn t bother adding my own, until I realised that not one manages to convey how terrific Shirley Jones is in this movie. Never content to be just a musical star, Jones has always stretched her acting wings, as evidenced by her Oscar for her portrayal of a prostitute in Elmer Gantry . Marian Paroo in The Music Man is light-years removed from that role, but Shirley Jones proves, once again, that she s an actress. Productions of Music Man rise and fall on the performance of the actress playing Marian, the role is incredibly difficult. It calls for the performer to make very fast transitions from starchiness to tremulous love-making- and Marian is called on not only to love Professor Hill, but to communicate to an audience WHY he s worth it. Shirley Jones tosses all this off so effortlessly that many people think she s not doing much- they re wrong! The full range of her talents gets a workout here, she sings, dances, has comedy bits (her scene vamping an anvil salesman is a howler), and can hold a Technicolour close-up like nobody has in years. The most delightful part of her work, for my money, comes in the Marian the Librarian number, where Marian s library is invaded (and its sanctity destroyed) by a visit from Harold Hill. Shirley s laser precision and split-second timing are a delight to watch, it s especially impressive when you stop to think that she s not primarily known as a dancer.As wonderful as Shirley Jones is, The Music Man is not without flaws. Director Morton Da Costa elicted marvellous performances from his stars, but he seems not to have cared so much about what the minor players did. Many of the child actors are way too hammy, one gets the impression of hordes of stage mommas off-camera yelling, SING OUT, LOUISE! , and SMILE, BABY! . Monique Vermont as Amaryllis is especially annoying, someone should have sent her home until she cut out at least 90 percent of her cutesy-poo schtick. Fortunately for the movie, The Music Man has Ron Howard as Winthrop Paroo, his performance is a little miracle of naturalness. Da Costa also has trouble with basic movie POV issues, there s a bad POV switch right in the middle of Shipoopi . In the same number, Da Costa ignores another basic rule of movie-making when Robert Preston is supposed to grab a couple of women and dance with them before grabbing Shirley Jones to finish the number with her. The first dancer he grabs is nearly a dead ringer for Jones, and since the audience is expecting him to find Jones and dance with her in the scene, it s confusing to see Preston abandon this dancer and go on to another. It s a silly, irritating mistake to see in such a great number.No matter what nits I pick, though, The Music Man still has a great story, great cast, and of course, Shirley. By the way, there has been a controversy for decades about who was the better Marian Paroo- Shirley or Barbara Cook, who originated the role on Broadway. My vote, based on a comparison of the Broadway original cast album with Cook, and the movie soundtrack with Jones, goes squarely to Shirley. Barbara Cook sings every number as beautifully as only she knows how, and it is absolutely thrilling. But Shirley Jones does more- she uses her musicianship to enhance her acting. In the early songs, Jones keeps her voice cold and correct, sticking strictly to the notes Meredith Willson wrote, as befits a straitlaced librarian. Later, when Marian s passions emerge, Jones unleashes a much lusher, more romantic voice- and it s that much clearer that the lady is in love.Enough from me. You ve got a movie to buy!

I never saw musicals before Till There Was You - I first saw The Music Man at the Radio City Music Hall. It was then and it still is now one of the greatest adaptations of a stage play ever. From the clever casting to the wonderful music, It is a slice of America we will never see the likes of again. How anyone can not like it. It s so simple and innocent, good clean family fun.Be sure to buy the widescreen version. I made the mistake of buying the regular format it was awful, the quartet became a trio, actors appear to be talking to themselves. The widescreen version brings you The Music Man the way it was intended.Buy it and enjoy this American Masterpiece,What I consider the last original musical ever made.