Customer Reviews
A timeless classic 
2008-05-02
I love how even a cold hearted con-man (played by Robert Preston) can fall in love. How, instead of slipping away in the night, he stays to face the cosequences of his actions - all because he is conflicted over leaving his new love. The new love (played by Shirley Jones)is also cold hearted because of the walls she built up to protect herself from men with one thing on their mind. The intermixing between the two, as Robert Preston tries to capture Shirley Jones' heart is very enjoyable. This "G" rated movie also has Buddy Hackett and shows the debut of Ronnie Howard, as a stuttering boy with a pained heart. Everyone plays their part well.
Filled with music and some dance numbers, this funny little small town romp is slow moving at times, but very ejoyable, and ofter very funny. I am happy that I finally purchased it
THE MUSIC MAN 2008-01-12
This is a movie you must see. They don't make many good movies nowdays. Buy it, and totally get wrapped up in this. The people --characters and the acting are perfect.You'll find yourself humming the songs for weeks after you watch it.
delightful movie 
2008-01-07
We are still replacing things we lost during Katrina. This movie is such a delight, we had to replace it. Over 2 years after the Hurricane and people are still replacing things. It may be a small thing, but it is just as important to us as any other.
Mar 2007-12-31
This DVD was a gift for my husband and he loves it. The quality was perfect.
"How far you going, friend?" "Wherever the people are as green as the money, friend." 
2007-12-30
The Music Man wears its length more heavily than many Broadway-to-screen musicals, probably because Meredith Wilson's show boasts too many `samey' tunes and is built so comprehensively around Robert Preston's Howard Hill that you soon realize that it's made up of variations on the same scene played over and over. It is certainly too long, too many of the songs serve no purpose, Michael Da Costa's direction is occasionally over-literal (we don't need those cutaways of train wheels or chicks to sell the songs) and Pert Kelton's Oirish act is enough to make you throw stones at the screen, but it has a couple of great numbers and it still has enough fun left in it to make areturn trip to River City worthwhile.
River City... Here I come...! ! ! ! 2008-07-16
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 
2008-07-07
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 
2008-07-04
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! 2008-06-29
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.
A pleasant way to spend an evening 2008-05-03
This is of course a classic big Broadway musical from the era of great tunes and great stars. What makes this film particularly delightful after all of these years is the direction. It is shot in such a way as to not just "open it up" as a film with songs (which it does), but it gives you the feeling of the stage show with the big numbers choreographed with an eye for the proscenium stage and even a curtain call and encore at the end. You can see why Robert Preston was such a great performer (especially in this role). Comedy buffs can get a renewed appreciation of Paul Ford and Hermione Gingold. We can be charmed by Ron Howard and what a terrific actor he was at such a tender age...and marvel that there was such a creation as Shirley Jones with such beauty and such a voice....can't go wrong...
