Robert Preston will forever be The Music Man (1962). There are few movie musicals as robust and enduring or heartily treasured as Morton DaCosta’s poignant and tune-filled potpourri, based on the small town recollections from its author and playwright Meredith Wilson. The stage version of The Music Man had utterly captivated audiences with all the spellbinder's brilliance of a Harold Hill and had been a resounding, Tony Award winning success.But by 1962, film musicals were hardly sure fire box office. The age of big budget extravaganzas on the big screen seemed to preclude public interest in homespun yarns from that bygone era in American culture where social gatherings were relegated to knitting circles and playing ukulele music by moonlight. The question therefore remained; would movie audiences embrace the hokey-pokey one more time?
With the dismantling of the film's production code of ethics, the 1960s had been populated by and embraced for their anti-heroes, exploitation of crime, counter and drug culture, and other salacious activities. Nevertheless, producer Jack L. Warner was a gambling man at heart as well as an ardent admirer of the movie musical. Under his supervision, The Music Man would not go quietly into the night.
However, as production began on the film, Da Costa faced another challenge when costar Shirley Jones surprised her director with the news that she was already pregnant and would only become more so as filming progressed.Undaunted, DaCosta shot the more elaborate musical sequences of the film first to accommodate Jones' condition, thereafter instructing his costume designer, Dorothy Jeakins to employ a girdle that could gradually let Jones’ secret out while cleverly concealing the actress from the stomach down behind desks, plants, other props and paraphernalia.
Meanwhile, choreographer Ona White grumbled that co-star Buddy Hackett was unable to perform the bell-kicks she had devised for his big song and dance number - The Shipoopi. In the final analysis it mattered not – for Hackett proved an adept comedic gem whose considerable girth and antics were more than ample counterbalance for his terpsichorean shortcomings.
In essence and execution, The Music Man is a one man show. Professor Harold Hill (Preston) is a con artist who arrives in the nimble-minded town of River City Iowa as a spellbinder salesman…that is to say – a fraud. Elsewhere, Harold has readily sold subscriptions to boy’s bands then absconded with the funds before a single instrument or uniform could be ordered.
This con has made him many enemies across the Midwest including legitimate traveling salesman, Charlie Cowell (Harry Hickox) who is determined to put an end to Harold’s illegal operation and restore a good name for all men who make their living going from door to door.However on his trip to River City Iowa, Harold falls for Marianne the librarian (Shirley Jones), a prudish spinster whose heart gradually melts under the persuasive powers of this con man's baton. Less convinced of Harold’s good intentions are Mayor George Shinn (the marvelously obtuse, Paul Ford) and his reticent wife, Eulalie Mackechnie (played to eccentric perfection by Hermione Gingold).
In a subplot, Harold inadvertently finagles a teenage romance between the town’s ‘wild kid’ Tommy Djilas (Timmy Everett) and Zaneeta (Susan Luckey) – the mayor’s simple-minded daughter. This misfire incurs the Mayor's considerable wrath, only his attention span for discovering Harold's spurious past remains short lived - especially when Harold convinces the Mayor that all his woes can be quelled by the creation of a boy's band.
Meanwhile, Marianne’s nephew Winthrop (Ron Howard) is a lonely child, plagued by a lisp and the angst of losing his father. However, together with Harold and his best friend, Marcellus Washburn (Buddy Hackett), Winthrop attains a new lease on childhood optimism – one destined to be shattered when he learns that Harold is a charlatan.
Robert Preston had already played the role on stage for a then record 999 performances before recreating Harold Hill in the film. Indeed, the character’s mannerisms were second nature to the actor by this time and the movie is the rich benefactor of Preston's honed in brilliance. Harold Hill is an iconic creation– as galvanic and indelible as Yul Brynner’s emblematic King Mongkut in The King & I and Rex Harrison’s inimitable star turn as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.
The film excels in its portrait of small town prudery, lovingly fleshed out with a stellar razz-a-matazz score – including the methodical, ‘Marianne, Madam Librarian’, melodic ‘Goodnight My Someone’, and rousing ‘Seventy-Six Trombones.’ DaCosta’s direction is swift and assured and the rest of the cast really give it their all. But the film remains Preston's show with the actor truly living up to his character's moniker as a spellbinder.
Warner Home Video’s Blu-Ray release easily bests its standard DVD. The transfer is razor sharp with rich, bold and well balanced colors. Contrast levels are bang on. The Blu-Ray excels in its rich black levels and remarkable clarity in fine details. The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix is dated, though quite adequate for this presentation. Extras are regrettably brief and all imported from the standard DVD release, including the documentary Right Here In River City hosted by Shirley Jones. Highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5+
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
EXTRAS
3
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