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The Music Man (1962 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Music Man | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Morton DaCosta |
| Produced by | Morton DaCosta and Joel Freeman (uncredited) |
| Written by | Meredith Willson Marion Hargrove |
| Starring | Robert Preston Shirley Jones Buddy Hackett Ron Howard |
| Music by | Meredith Willson |
| Cinematography | Robert Burks |
| Editing by | William H. Ziegler |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 19, 1962 |
| Running time | 151 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Music Man is a 1962 film musical starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The film is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Meredith Willson.
The film was one of the biggest hits of the year and highly acclaimed critically. It also at last made Robert Preston into an "A" list star in motion pictures, after years of appearing in supporting roles in famous films and in starring roles in "B" movies. It also marked one of the first pictures in which Preston's character was not killed off, one of his former screen "trademarks." After the success of the film, Preston began getting much better film roles.
Although he scored a great success in the original stage version of the show, he was not first choice for the film version, partly because he was not a box office star. Jack L. Warner, who was notorious for wanting to film stage musicals with stars other than the ones who played the roles onstage, wanted Frank Sinatra for the role of Professor Harold Hill, but Meredith Willson insisted upon Preston.[1] Cary Grant was also "begged" by Warner to play Hill but he declined, saying "nobody could do that role as well as Bob Preston".[2]
Unusually for a musical film at the time, Morton DaCosta, who had directed the show onstage, not only directed the film, but produced it as well, ensuring that the film was extremely faithful to the show. The actress Pert Kelton and the Buffalo Bills also reprised their stage roles. All of the show's songs were retained for the film with the exception of "My White Knight", which was replaced by "Being in Love"; this new song included some of the original song's lyrics.
Contents |
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
Vern Reed .... Jacey Squires
Al Shea .... Ewart Dunlop
Bill Spangenberg .... Olin Britt
Wayne Ward .... Oliver Hix
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
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The word "shipoopi" has no meaning and was concocted by Willson for the show.
- Several phrases were altered for the film, as the writers felt they were too obscurely Midwestern to appeal to a broader audience; "Jeely kly!" is Tommy Djilas's catchphrase in the play, while in the film he exclaims, "Great honk!"
- Shirley Jones found out she was pregnant while filming was already underway; the costume designers kept having to adjust her dresses to conceal her figure. In the scene at the footbridge, where Marian and Harold embrace, Shirley Jones says that baby Patrick kicked hard enough for Robert Preston to feel him.
- When Harold asks about a "good hotel" the man replies: "Try the Palmer House in Chicago". The Palmer House in Chicago, Illinois was built in 1912; it is now a five-star hotel.
- The woodcuts of authors seen in the River City Library were popular in Andrew Carnegie Foundation libraries of the era.
- The portrait seen in City Hall and the photograph in the high school is US President William H. Taft.
- The Music Man is set in July, 1912.
- The backlot used for River City is also used as Hazzard County in The Dukes of Hazzard and as Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls.
- To film the final parade scene in 1962, Jack L. Warner selected the marching bands of the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. He used many junior high school students from Southern California for the majority of the band. It took about 8 hours of shooting over two days to film the scene.
- All the musical instruments for the production were specially made for the film by the Olds Instrument Company in Fullerton, CA. The instruments were then refurbished and sold by Olds with no indication they were ever used in the film.
- Best Scoring (adaptation or treatment) - Ray Heindorf (win)
- Best Picture - Morton DaCosta (nomination)
- Best Costumes (color) - Dorothy Jeakins (nomination)
- Best Art Direction (color) - Paul Groesse and William James Hopkins (nomination)
- Best Film Editing - William H. Ziegler (nomination)
- Best Sound - George Groves (nomination)
- ^ "Making of" featurette included with the 1998 video release
- ^ Nelson, Nancy (2003). Evenings with Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best. Citadel Press, p. 270. ISBN 080652412X.