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Summary: TaTaDa
Review: My church is putting on the play "Music Man" and I have the part of Mrs' Paroo. Since I bought this dvd it has been extremely helpful to learn some techniques and to make my own interpretations of the role. Of course it goes without saying that this is a great movie and the Actors in it are outstanding!!
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Summary: Use the think system! It really works!
Review: I love this movie. As silly as it is -- a goofy plot, absurd over-the-top characters, the wacky "think system" -- it is just a whole lot of fun. Robert Preston sparkles as the fly-by-night con artist/salesman who just happens this time to get his foot caught in the door, and who better to catch that foot than Shirley Jones, who is as beautiful and talented a leading lady as has ever graced a big screen musical. Ron Howard is as funny as a kid can be in the movies, and the music will stay with you long after the movie is over. The film also has a great cast of supporting character actors and comedians, not to mention the fabulous Buffalo Bills. I love the anvil salesman character (THAT'S a great line of merchandise for a traveling salesman!), and my favorite song has to be the pool hall song, "There's trouble in River City." The movie, funny as it is, also has its touching moments, especially when Professor Harold Hill, standing on the footbridge, confronts the gap between his dreams and his life for the first time, and really realizes he is in love with the beautiful librarian. For pure fun and entertainment, it's hard to find a better movie than this lively but affectionate kidding of the Hawkeye State, and hard to find a more fun couple than the engaging Robert Preston and the lovely Shirley Jones.
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Summary: A fine musical in which Robert Preston shines
Review: This musical is highly recommended for the fan of musicals. The music and storyline are unique. The musical has personality and charm. Robert Preston impressively plays the title role and Shirley Jones is charming as Marian, the love interest. A prepubescent Ron Howard plays Marian's troubled younger brother. Equipped with a love story, a barbershop quartet, and the ambiance of Iowa, USA, this musical has all it needs to be a success. Hit songs include "Trouble", "76 trombones", "Gary, Indiana", "'Til there was you", and "Shapoopi".
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Summary: A Great Musical and A Great Movie
Review: From the opening scene of this movie to the final march down Main Street, this is a movie musical that translates well from its play origins. Quite often the songs in a musical come across as filler, not traveling well from stage production to a movie. However, each and every song in this movie is not only entertaining, they are used to advance the plot. Our story is about one Professor Harold Hill, who organizes boy's bands in small towns across the Midwest, while using this philanthropic enterprise to put a few dollars into his own pocket. That Professor Harold Hill does not know one note of music doesn't seem to stand in his way. As with all great scam artists, the scam works only for the length of time that the scam artist doesn't care. In this movie, Harold Hill begins to care, which leads ultimately to his undoing. Professor Harold Hill is played by Robert Preston. This role was Robert Preston's definitive career moment, and has set the standard for any would-be Harold Hill of the future. The role of the librarian, the character that ultimately led to Harold Hill's undoing, is played by Shirley Jones, never looking more worldly, pretty and yet innocent than she did in this role. In addition to Robert Preston and Shirley Jones at a peak in their acting careers, this movie boasts a supporting cast that includes Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold and Ron Howard. While the well-known cast members tend to overshadow the rest of the cast, the quality of the supporting actors well-matches those of the leads. While the movie is entertaining, it is also an allegory regarding life, particularly life in small towns. Fortunately, the movie does not become overburdened with trying to detail and resolve too many problems. Instead we focus primarily on Marian Paroo (Jones) and Harold Hill. Even Winthrop Paroo's (Ron Howard) lisp is used to support the evolution of Marian's character, as she sees the changes that Harold Hill enacts upon the town. Of course we know that this movie has a happy ending, as most musicals do, but it is the resolution of the problems and a defining moment near the end of the movie that make you realize the movie was deeper than you might have originally expected. Marian is seeking depth and breadth in life, and the small town in Iowa in which she lives, with its shallow, narrow-minded people, have placed her in an intellectual prison. Frustrated, unhappy, she appeals to the younger generation with their open minds to overcome the rut in which their small town appears stuck. Harold Hill sparks a fire in the people of River City that causes the people to look at themselves and the world in a very different way. Marian admires the radical change that Hill is able to cause, and particularly the speed with which he is able to cause it. You suspect that she yearns to be able to create such changes herself. She values the abilities that Harold Hill has, and sees that he can be a force for positive change if properly directed. Harold Hill, on the other hand, is brought to the realization that he has been drifting through life, and that the abilities he has can be used for something other than scamming people. For the first time in his life, Harold Hill cares, and it is his undoing. You also sense that perhaps Hill has been doing this for too long, and the comparison with Marcellus Washburn (Hackett), who has settled into River City and made a home and a life for himself, is such that Harold realizes that he is missing out on a part of life that he never knew he was missing until he met Marian. The final scene of the movie always inspires me. If you want to feel good, reel forward to the picnic in the park and watch the movie from there. When the band plays, badly, for the first time, and you see the pride of the people in the town, at first you want to laugh. But then the band becomes a full marching band with hundreds of members and bright uniforms and shiny instruments. It is at this moment that you realize that in small towns, and in many bigger towns, the pride of the town in what they have reflects in how they see things like the town band. To outsiders the band may appear to be small, with the skill level less than adequate, but for River City the band is every bit as fine as the Philadelphia Philharmonic. This movie is a bit of nostalgia. Once upon a time, much of the country, especially the Midwest, was as this movie portrays. In many places there are small towns that retain the flavor of River City. People are still people, then as now, and while the times have changed and the names and the faces have changed, the problems of the characters and the awe-inspiring and musical way in which the problems are resolved is still fresh and refreshing. This movie is one of the greatest movies of all time, and is likely to be considered so for many more decades yet; a must-have for anyone looking for quality in their home collection.
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Summary: A Classic Musical
Review: 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.
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Summary: Broderick versus Preston, Jingoism and Demographics
Review: The new Music Man and the old Music Man present an interesting contrast. While Matthew Broderick's Harold Hill didn't convey anything near the electricity that Robert Preston exuded, the 2003 remake did present a far greater degree of cultural diversity in the composition of the citizenry of River City -- which we all know, I'm certain, accurately reflected the demographic make-up of Iowa during the early 1900s. At the same time, the original Music Man did was not nearly as blatant with the jingoism, the constant presence of the national flag which we saw in the remake -- unilaterally promoting the impression that Iowans seemed to think they were residing in the only important nation on earth, since it is apparent no other countries were consulted as to how to stage this production.
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Summary: Preston vs Broderick
Review: There is no contest. Watching the new Disney version made me run to this site to buy the old version! It is sad to think that Broderick's Professor Hill may be all our children will know of the Music Man. Preston was a genius. Shirley Jones plays Marian as she should be played: intelligent but woefully romantic, and a bit of a mystery. Get this version for a family nite in.
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Summary: A Musical About a Swindler
Review: Finally, after watching musicals about all sorts of good people(usually with one or two flaws to make them believable), a musical about a no-good, cheating, swindler! I think the movie starts off a little boring, but its catchy tunes and rhythms soon draw you in. It is a story about Professor Harold Hill(who is not really a professor at all), who sells band instruments and uniforms to unsuspecting kids all over the country, then hops the next train out of town(since he can't read a note of music). Professor Hill lands in the sleepy town of River City, and pretty soon, the whole town is taken in by the idea of a boys' band, all except skeptical Marion Paroo. Slowly, Marion falls in love with the professor, but even she cannot help him when it is discovered that he is nothing but a fraud...
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Summary: a timeless classic for all to enjoy
Review: Every year in music class in elementary school I watched this movie and it is still one of my favorites. Who can resist Shirley Jones "Marian the librarian" and Robert Preston's "Professor Harold Hill?" And let's not forget Ron Howard's adorable lisping character "Winthrop," plus singable songs like "76 Trombones" and "Ya Got Trouble." The acting is great, the songs are great, and the whole movie is great. Even if you don't enjoy musicals, give this one a try. You won't be sorry you did.
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Summary: Very fun movie
Review: This is a really fun movie. I love the songs! Maybe it's just the fact that I love old movies...but this one is great. Just try to get the widescreen version. I got full-screen and when the "ladies" are doing their "pick a little-talk a little..cheep cheep cheep" song, they are cut off. I definitely reccomend this movie to any musicals or old movies fan.
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