The Music Man (DVD, 1999)

A con man comes to a small Iowa town to sell the townfolk on the need for a boys band and the uniforms, musical instruments, instruction books lessons and all for that purpose. His plan is to skip out with the cash but the situation becomes complicated... You better just watch the show! Saw the original on Broadway with Robert Preston as Prof. Harold Hill and this movie version replicates the Broadway experience admirably. It has a stage presence feel about it. The score is fantastic! Robert Preston's signature performance is one of the most memorable characters ever portrayed on stage or screen. "Trouble" is one of my all time favorite show tunes but there is nothing but excellence in Meredith Wilson's superlative score. The Beatles must have admired this show, as they covered, "Till There Was You", early in their career. Many of the original Broadway cast is in this Hollywood film version. Ron Howard is excellent as young Winthrop Peru, a role played by Eddie Hodges in the original Broadway show. Kids don't stay the right age forever in long running stage productions! You can't say Ronnie is a one show wonder! Shirley Jones has done some admirable work in film versions of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals (Oklahoma 1955 and Carousel 1956), her performance is excellent here as well. The Buffalo Bills, a barber shop quartet, delivers the same standout performances they did in the Broadway original. Great family entertainment, no violence, nudity or off language. The witty and intelligent story and score is engaging for adults and within the comprehension range of the younger set.
Musicals are easy to enjoy over and over again. The Music Man is one of the finest and well worth owning.

Meredith Wilson's The Music Man is a classic of American musical theater and film. This special edition DVD restores both the soundtrack and the visual format of the original wide screen film. Plus, it has fascinating material about the show with original members of the cast and crew sharing their memories.

The show has always been one of my favorites - I actually saw the original Broadway production decades ago. It was entertaining then, and still is today. The story and the music with it are perennial favorites. It's a fond look at a vanished America (circa 1912) that still has much to say to modern audiences.

Highly recommended - this is a movie you'll want to keep.

ONE OF THE BEST MUSICALS OF ALL TIME. MANY MEMORABLE SONGS , INCLUDING "TIL THERE WAS YOU" WHICH PAUL McCARTNEY AND THE BEATLES REDID AS A CHART-TOPPING SINGLE.
ROBERT PRESTON IS A POWERHOUSE OF TALENT, COMBINING A WONDERFUL SINGING VOICE WITH A LIGHT-ON-HIS-FEET STYLE OF WALKING/DANCING.
SHIRLEY JONES IS SO EASY TO FALL IN LOVE WITH. HER VOICE IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND AS MARION THE LIBRARIAN, SHE IS SO MISUNDERSTOOD BY THE TWON GOSSIPS...BUT WE KNOW.
TINY RONNIE HOWARD AND HIS LISP ARE SHOWSTOPPERS AND HERMOINE GINGOLD, ( sp ? ), IS HILARIOUS AS THE MAYOR`S WIFE AND HEAD OF THE PATHETICALLY AMATEUR WOMENS` DANCE TROUP.
BUDDY HACKETT LENDS A BIT OF COMEDY RELIEF WHICH I DON`T THINK THIS AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL REALLY NEEDS.

This musical ranks up there with My Fair Lady. No one delivers the song "Trouble in River City" like Robert Preston. There are so many wonderful moments and watching it again and again is never tiring. Hermione Gingold is perfect as the Mayor's wife, and Paul Ford is as funny as he is in his role in "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming".

I bought this to replace my VHS tape which is so worn you could not watch it. The DVD is much crisper. This is the kind of movie everyone will watch. It puts a grin on your face.

Watch Robert Preston's facial expressions as he sings, "The Sadder-but-Wiser Girl" for me. It is magic. Great songs, great dialogue, great movie.

This movie/musical stars Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, and it was created in 1962. This is an awesome musical like they made in the "good ol' days" so get ready for a lot of great music and light-hearted fun! The "Buffalo Bills", a popular barbershop quartet of the era, performs several songs, and my favorite is "Lida Rose". They're wonderful! Actually the entire movie is wonderful. :)