Meredith Willson’s The Music Man is the story of a con man who, as Harold Hill puts it near the end of the movie, “got his foot caught in the door” when his seduction of Marion, the town librarian, turns into true romance. This is one of my (many) favorite musicals, with a lively cast of characters and a plot which is uncomplicated by any attempt to be serious, yet still touches many common themes.
The Music Man was originally written for the stage, but financing difficulties led to it being sold to CBS in 1955 as a one-time special telecast, with Ray Bolger to play Harold Hill. The deal fell through, however, and in 1957 it finally opened on Broadway. The lead was turned down by Dan Dailey, Phil Harris, Danny Kaye, and Gene Kelly before being offered to Robert Preston. It was his first musical role, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the part now. In fact, when Warner Brothers bought the rights to the movie, they wanted to cast Frank Sinatra or Cary Grant, but director Morton DeCosta and Meredith Willson both insisted, “No Preston, no movie.” (It was also said that when Cary Grant was asked to play the part, he not only turned it down, but added that if they didn’t cast Preston he wouldn’t even watch it.)
As was common, many of the Broadway cast were also in the movie. Shirley Jones was one of the exceptions, and I think she was an excellent choice. Her and Preston work well together, both physically and vocally. I personally also like the way she plays the scene with the anvil salesman, alternately seducing and fending him off - to the tune of the tango her mother is playing on the gramophone. Three months into production, she found out she was pregnant; when she confided this to DeCosta he asked that she not tell anyone, and they worked around it with costuming. However, it soon became an open secret. During filming of the kiss on the bridge, Robert Preston suddenly pulled back and said, “What was that!” when the baby kicked him. (Years later, when Patrick Cassidy introduced himself to Preston, Preston commented, “Yes, I know. We’ve already met.”)
Robert Preston has always been one of my favorite actors. He charms his way through the show with the ease and slickness of a born con man. Not particularly known for his singing voice, he still does a very credible job with the songs, particularly with “Trouble” which he rattles off with a rapid-fire delivery. And when I was re-watching it yesterday, I got a little misty during the scene when he admitted to Winthrop that he was a liar and a low-down cheat, then said, “I always think there’s a band, kid.”
There was some discussion in the Guys and Dolls thread about the theme of redemption, which of course also applies to this movie, with its story of a con man who is converted by the love of a woman. But I suspect the Harold Hill (or Gregory, as Marcellus calls him - one wonders if he ever told Marion his real name) would never be truly reformed. Of course, in the world of Hollywood musicals, such a thought is inconceivable, as we are to assume that they settle down to a blissful life together. But maybe, just maybe, Harold and Marion find that blissful life on the road, selling boys’ bands.