Amazon.com essential video: The Music Man was one of the last great movie musicals from any studio, and it proved to be that rarest of events: a Broadway show that was measurably improved by its transition to the screen. Robert Preston made his musical debut--both live and on film--as "Professor" Harold Hill, the upbeat charlatan who promises to teach a small-town boys band by the "think system." But it's the part Preston was born to play and the one for which he will always be best remembered. Composer Meredith Willson based The Music Man on his own small-town Midwestern boyhood, circa 1912, a quasi-mythical place where the old-maid librarian looks and sings like Shirley Jones. The boy himself is an adorable Ron Howard, lisp-singing "Gary, Indiana." Willson's entire score, featuring a combination of what are now standards, such as "Goodnight My Someone" and "Till There Was You" and show-specific numbers ("Trouble," "76 Trombones"), is never less than infectious. This dazzling special edition is also as bright and sunny as any 4th of July in Iowa could ever hope to be. --Robert Windeler
"But He Doesn't Know The Territory ~ Bucking Public Opinion Well, sorry to throw a monkey wrench into the praise party for the '62 film `The Music Man' but I have to be honest and say this is definitely not one of my favorite musicals. Yes there are moments of brilliance here; Robert Preston is magnificent as Professor Harold Hill and Shirley Jones is indeed lovely and sings beautifully, but I have decided to face the wrath of its legion of adoring fans and relate some of the reasons why this film bothers me.
The single most important aspect of a musical is the music itself and it is here that in my estimation the production fails. With the exception of the beautiful `Til There Was You' and the clever `Marian the Librarian' I don't find any of the other numbers are either noteworthy or memorable. In fact I find a number of them to be quite annoying such as the opening number `The Traveling Salesman', `Piano Lessons' and `Shipoopi'. Worst of all, if I have to hear that inane and repetitious `Gary, Indiana' song one more time I think I'll scream.
On the other hand, maybe I just prefer musicals that are a little more melancholy and reflective rather than lighthearted and whimsical, something with less brass and more strings? Anyway I've said it. I may be the lone contrary but it's my opinion nevertheless. I feel better now.
River City... Here I come...! ! ! ! After seeing this movie musical.. I ran out and booked a flight to River City Iowa... Got my suspenders and my straw hat...dance shoes too! Robert Preston is a Stitch.. however..Buddy Hackett sings awful. and.. Ronny Howard.. OMG.. what happened to all that gorgeous red hair?? I bet he didnt see that comming ah??.. LOL All the musical numbers are addicting...and if your a 60's child.. This DVD will take you back in time a spell. Remember.. "We've got Trouble right here in River City ..with a capital "T" that rhyms with "P" and that stands for Pool."
Trouble Right Here on this DVD Watch out for this DVD! The authoring needs to be vastly improved, as does the overall quality of the transfer. I tried four borrowed/rented copies of this edition in attempting to find a copy that my Coby DVD player wouldn't choke on. Finally I ordered a NEW copy, which looked somewhat suspect to me (bootleg? not sure). A big clue was that even though it played, initially the DVD player's display BLINKED continuously! The silk screen printed label on the DVD is also a little off. The picture seemed overly edge-enhanced as well as dull and in need of chroma correction. The second play registered better, and with a few tweaks the anamorphic picture improved, but it's still not up to today's DVD standards. Remember, this disc dates back to 1999 (with paper packaging to match)! Warner Brothers needs to issue a remastered Blu-Ray disc to get the full beauty of the original Techniscope (8 perf) negative, which was selected for preservation in 2005. So if your copy isn't up to speed, I'd say return it for a full refund.
Trouble in River City Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man" is one of those classic musicals. Its plot is simple: con man Harold Hill comes to rural Iowa, saying he'll replace the pool hall with a family-friendly marching band. In the meantime, he woos the beautiful librarian Marian. As a live musical, "Music Man" is exuberant and energetic. Unfortunately, as a movie it seems to go on forever.
Robert Preston is stodgy as Harold Hill, and an unlikely suitor for Marian (Shirley Jones),unless she's a gold digger as well. There's a young Ron Howard, looong before his deadpan narration for "Arrested Development",singing "Gary,Indiana." "The Music Man" drags its feet. Too much exposition between songs. There's no energy to it. Is Iowa this boring? One hopes not.
"Music Man" is the All-American Boring Musical, unless one is fortunate enough to see a live production. Skip this movie; give Iowa a try instead!
Trouble! This movie is fantastic, and hasn't lost anything over the years. I haven't checked out the other options, but the quality is awesome.
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