Great Musicals: "76 Trombones lead the big parade!"

You really aught to give Iowa a try!

"No just billiards."

Did you drop your? No! Didn't we meet in? No! I'll only be in town a short while! Good!!

"So do la re ti mi A little slower and please keep the fingers curved as nice and high as you possibly can!"

"Oh! Who?!"

"Now, Mama As long as the Madison Public Library was entrusted to me for the purpose of improving River City's cultural level, I can't help my concern that the ladies of River City keep ignoring all my council and advice!"

"Seventy six trombones led the big parade With a hundred and ten cornets close at hand."

" They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos, the cream of ev'ry famous band."

"What band?! Honestly a bunch of grown men!"

"There's no place to hold the music!"

Romeo and Juliet!

"Now in the moonlight a man could sing it In the moonlight..."

"SHHhhhhh!"

"Here!, where a woman's heart should be!"

"The man lived on my street let me tell! I'll tell!"

"I think he means peep!"

"Miss Marrien if one could only tell one how much one has done for one."

"Lida Rose I'm home again, Rose To get the sun back in the sky Lida Rose, I'm home again, Rose About a thousand kisses shy"

"There were bells on the hill, But I never heard them ringing. No, I never heard them at all, Till there was you."

"Now think men, Think!"

Behind the scenes!

Robert Preston and Shirley Jones sharing a laugh behind the set!

Rehearsing the 76 trombones number.

Rehearsing the Madam Librarian number!

Ronny Howard.

Songs!

MARIAN, THE LIBRARIAN Harold: Marian, Madam Librarian
What can I do, my dear, to catch your ear? I love you madly, madly, madam librarian, Marian Heaven help us, if the library caught on fire And the volunteer hose brigade men Had to whisper the news to Marian Madam Librarian
What can I do, my dear, to make it clear? I need you badly, badly, madam librarian, Marian If I stumbled and I busted my whatcha ma call it I could lie on your floor unnoticed Till my body had turned to carrion, Madam Librarain
Now in the moonlight a man could sing it In the moonlight... And a fella would know that his darling Had heard every word of his song With the moonlight helping along
But when I try in here to tell you dear I love you madly, madly, madam librarian, Marian It's a long lost cause, I can never win For the civilized world accepts as unforgivable sin Any talking out loud with any librarian Such as Marian, Madam Librarian!

Click here for more songs!

http://www.angelfire.com/musicals/thespia/mm/mmsongs.html

Trivia!

River City was based on Meredith Willson's home town of Mason City, Iowa. The movie had its world premiere there.

The songs "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight My Someone" are the same tune arranged in different time signatures.

Even though Robert Preston had played the role of Harold Hill on Broadway, Frank Sinatra was Warner Bros' personal choice to play the role in the movie. However, Meredith Willson told them, "No Robert Preston, no movie".

Shirley Jones learned she was pregnant with her son Patrick once the filming of had begun. She met with director Morton DaCosta over lunch to inform him of the situation. Her concern was that she would begin "showing" during its filming. He assured her that they could work through it with costumes and also by filming her from the waist up, if necessary. He did have one request, that she tell no one about it.

In one episode of the TV series "Happy Days" (1974), Marion Cunningham commented that the little boy in The Music Man (1962) looked "so much like Richie when he was little." The teenager Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days" and the young boy Winthrop Paroo in "The Music Man" were both played, of course, by Ron Howard.

Robert Preston, who had played the lead role on Broadway, wasn't even offered the film until Cary Grant had turned it down.

Before starring in the musical The Music Man (1962), Robert Preston had not only never appeared in a musical before, he had never sung a note before.

Mrs Shinn says "Tempus fugit " several times. This is Latin for "Time flies".

Goofs!

Errors in geography: In the widescreen version, the power-towers and electrical wires in the Hollywood Hills behind the Warner Bros. backlot are plainly visible as Hill walks from the train depot into River City.

Crew or equipment visible: Lights and camera equipment seen in the store windows during the "Wells Fargo Wagon" song number.

Continuity: Harold leaves Tommy to direct the band and goes to the Candy Kitchen, but sitting at the table is Tommy and Zaneeta.

Revealing mistakes: As the anvil salesman is getting onto the train at the beginning of the movie, it can be seen that the train's wheels are just painted on.

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the closing credits, when Susan Luckey and 'Timmy Everett (I)' have their moment while marching down the street, she nearly knocks off his tall hat with her baton, apologizing on camera.

Cast!

Robert Preston .... Harold Hill

Shirley Jones .... Marian Paroo

Buddy Hackett .... Marcellus Washburn

Paul Ford .... Mayor George Shinn

Hermione Gingold .... Eulalie Mackechnie 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