Music Man is one of my favorite, favorite musicals. And easily the musical I could watch most often with never tiring of it. I love it from start to finish. It stars Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Pert Kelton, Ron Howard, and Buddy Hackett. Robert Preston IS the music man. I am not sure anyone else could have done it right, so convincingly. "Professor Harold Hill" comes to River City, Iowa, to "sell" boys bands. While a few people remain skeptical of his "credentials" throughout, most take very little convincing. Even Miss Marian becomes convinced that he's brought only good things...in part because she witnesses how his arrival transforms her brother. And that transformation from miserable-and-lost little boy grieving his father to a life-loving happy kid IS magical to witness. That scene where he sings Wells Fargo Wagon
is magical. He brings life, love, and music with him, true, his intentions are less than honorable, as the song "The Sadder But Wiser Girl" reveals. But surely the film reveals his transformation as well. There are so many songs in this one. But a few of the highlights include, "76 Trombones," "Ya Got Trouble," "Marian the Librarian," "Wells Fargo Wagon" "Till There Was You," "Good Night My Someone," and "Shipoopi." The feature, "Right Here in River City: The Making of Meredith Willson's The Music Man" is well worth watching!!! It was so fascinating to discover Shirley Jones' secret!
Do you have a favorite song or favorite scene from The Music Man?
© 2012 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
I watched this on Friday as it happens!
Never fails to jolt me into a smile from the overture onwards. Not sure about a favourite song - both Preston and Jones make their numbers memorable. But perhaps 'Marian the Librarian' for the library dancing: as I said on Twitter Friday night, that song's the reason why I can't walk around a library without a little skip every now and then!
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