The Music Man

(1962) color 151 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures
Book: Meredith Willson, Franklin Lacey
Screenplay: Marion Hargrove
Cinematography by Robert Burks
Editing: William H. Ziegler
Art Direction: Paul Groesse
Set Decoration: George James Hopkins
Costume Design: Dorothy Jeakins
Produced by Morton DaCosta
Directed by Morton DaCosta

With: 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), 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)

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In 1962, Meredeth Wilson's stage musical “The Music Man!” made it's screen debut. The story begins on the third day of July, 1912, in the Midwest, as a middle-aged anvil salesman by the name of Charlie Cowell (Harry Hickok) runs towards the train station in Brighton, Illionois. Cowell is trying to escape the Sheriff and his posse, who are after him on the charge of fraud. He is finally able to make the train and barely escapes the angry mob, yet as the train heads for the state line the angry sales rep growls about the con man Professor Harold Hill, who is responsible for ruining his sales transactions and making all of the legitimate salesmen targets for the local townspeople.

It seems that Hill is trying to organize “boy bands” in the midwest, sell their families band instruments, technical instruction books and sheet music, and also tries to teach the kids to play music. The only problem is, Hill doesn't know one note of music and does little more than skip town with the cash that he collects, leaving the townspeople and their kids with a lot of instruments, uniforms, sheet music and books that they can't use. Hence, Hill is giving all the sales reps a bad name in the business. Cowell tells of his negative experiences to his fellow salesmen, while they tell him of the problems caused by progress in the song “Rock Island!” When the train pulls into River City, Iowa one of the salesmen decides on stopping off in River City and trying to sell his wares there. When the salesmen find out that the gentleman is really Hill (Robert Preston), they angrily try to apprehend him but he sneaks off the train before the salesmen and the conductor (Percey Helton) can grab him.

As he walks thru the town, Hill finds out that the citizens are not swayed by his smooth talk and fancy suit. They express their distrust in strangers, and new concepts, in the tune “Iowa Stubborn.” Nevetheless, Hill remains in town as he tries to find a means to create another scam. To his good fortune, he finds his former shill, Marcellus Washburn (Buddy Hackett) who is working at Jacey Squire’s livery stables. Marcellus tells the professor that Mayor George Shin (Paul Ford, best remembered for his role as Col. Jon Hall in “The Phil Silvers Show”) has just bought a new pool table for his billiards parlor. The townsfolk have never seen a pool table, let alone played on one. Finally finding the means to put his scheme into operation, Hill goes to the middle of the town square and he tells the citizens of the problems that can be created if their kids become addicted to playing pool at the local billiards shop, in the tune “Ya Got Trouble.”

Buying into his ploy, the townsfolk become concerned about their kids’ welfare, and everyone accepts the con man's ploy -- everyone except for the city's librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo (Shirley Jones, who would go onto TV fame on The Partridge Family). Ms. Paroo is fearful that the con man will play on the citizens’ ignorance and superstitions. The next morning, during the July Fourth exercises at Madison High School Gym, Tommy Dijius (Timmy Everett) creates an incident when he places a firecracker under Eulalie Mackenie Shin (Hermonie Gingold) and nearly blows her up. Mrs. Shin recovers from the attack as Tommy is arrested by Constable Locke (Charlie Lane) but the incident creates a climate of anger and distrust among the townsfolk.

Hill uses the opportunity to sell everyone on organizing a boy band, via the film's popular song, “Seventy Six Trombones.” The pitch impresses everyone except Marian, Mayor Shin and the members of the School Board (played by the singing team The Buffalo Bills). Mayor Shin assigns the school board to verify the man's credentials while Marian wants to expose Hill before he can create any series damage, yet no-one is willing to work with Paroo in foiling Hill's scheme. It seems that Paroo and her widowed mother (Pert Kelton best remembered as the original Alice Kramden in Jackie Gleason's “The Honeymooners,” as seen on the Dumont TV network's “Cavalcade Of Stars”) and her brother Winthrop (Ron Howard, in one of his first film roles) were friendly with the town's miser, Henry Madison, a mean and stingy man who never gave any monies to the city, and never had a friend except for the Paroo's.

When Madison died years ago, he built the library and left the building to the town but he gave the books to the Paroos (mainly as security). The townsfolk never forgave Madison for this gesture and they have built an equally enormous distrust of Marian's efforts to get the townsfolk to read good books let alone take music lessons. Marian tries to gain evidence against Hill until two weeks later, when the Wells Fargo wagon shows up and delivers the musical instruments, sheet music, uniforms and instruction books to the kids.

The kids are happy at receiving their gifts, including Winthrop, who has stopped talking after the death of his father. And his lisp has made him a victim of cruel jokes from the other children, making him an unhappy little boy. When he sees the Well Fargo wagon and gets his coronet from Hill, the boy speaks for the first time in years. He is also smiling too! Grateful that her sibling is no longer emotionally desolate, Marian becomes Hill's friend and ally. A few days later, the town is planning to give an ice cream social, but the event is ruined when the vindictive Charlie Cowell exposes Hill, and he tells them that if you don't hunt this man down like a mad dog right now, there won’t be a Harold Hill! Either he'll be on the last train out of town . Quickly, the angry citizens form a searching party and scour the city for the con man. At that moment, Hill is outside of Marian Paroo's house, where she is freshening herself up.

Just then both Paroo and Washburn come onto the scene. Paroo tells her daughter that Winthrop has learned about Hill's scam, and that the boy has run away. Both Paroo and Marcellus tell the Professor to get out of town or the townsfolk will either arrest or kill him. Before he can say or do anything, Winthrop runs right into Hill's arms. The angry boy tells the old liar to get go of him, but Marian explains to her brother that the band did exist -- not so much in the physical sense but in the camaraderie and participation that Hill encouraged in the boys. Tearfully, Winthrop also tells Hill to get out of town fast. Hill's escape is halted by Constable Locke, Cowell and the mob, who quickly hand-cuff him and bring him to the High School's auditorium, where the mayor is asking everyone to prepare the villain for a lynching.

Marian prevents this violent act by telling them about how Hill brought out the best in everyone during those few weeks that he was here, and they should reconsider this form of retribution. Everyone agrees to drop the charges against Hill. The mayor, however reminds the citizens about those band instruments, uniforms and sheet music, all with a clear understanding and warranty that your children would play in a band! When he asks out loudly, “Where's The Band?!” a shrill whistle is heard and the boys band, lead by Tommy comes into the room, dressed in well-worn band uniforms and with brass instruments. Giving a pointer and standing at the podium, Hill wearily leads the boys in a minor rendition of “The Minuet In G!” Despite the fact that the piece is not the type of music that one would expect to hear at NYC's Carnegie Hall, the townsfolk accept the performance by the next morning. Hill is given his freedom and with Hill, Tommy, the members of his boys band and Mayor Shin's daughter Zanetta (Susan Lucky), all sporting better looking uniforms and playing their instruments, lead a grand parade down the main thoroughfare of the city to a reprise of “Seventy Six Trombones.”

THE MUSIC MAN received great reviews from the critics and it became a popular movie with audiences as well. In the fall of 1966, the film made it's TV debut on the very first broadcast of the CBS Thursday & Friday Night Movies. The film has been re-released to movie revival theaters, and screened during Saturday matinees, and has become a popular movie on the home video market. THE MUSIC MAN remains a hit because of it's simple and charming story, superb cast and wonderful musical score, and is miles ahead of the forgettable ABC TV-Movie remake which starred Mathew Broderick, Chrisian Chenewith and Victor Garber.

Kevin S. Butler