Thank you for this to this thoughtful comparison of the two film versions of “The Music Man.” I have to confess that I have never watched the version starring Matthew Broderick because I simply could not imagine him playing Harold Hill. From everything you said in your video, it sounds like I probably made the right choice. Regarding the 1962 film version, one of the things that stood out to me, even when I was a kid was how “theatrical” it looked, i.e., how often it looked like a filmed version of a stage play. There are a number of wide shots of people having conversations without a lot of individual back and forth shots, and the camera doesn't move much, rather allowing characters to move within the frame as they might in a stage play. In addition, at the end of various scenes, the lights will go down at the periphery of the frame, ending in a spotlight on the main characters, such as Winthrop and Marian. It wasn't until I was older and did some research that I realized that the director of the film, Morton DeCosta, had also directed the original Broadway production of “The Music Man.” This was one of only three films he directed, the other two being the film version of “Auntie Mame” from 1958, for which he had also directed the original Broadway production, as well as a third film from 1963 called “Island of Love.” I've never seen “Island of Love,” but if you have a chance to catch “Auntie Mame,” you will find that his directing style is amazingly consistent with his work in “The Music Man.” Here again he uses a wide frame with many characters interacting within it, and he will cone down the lights to spotlight one or two actors at the end of a scene. My theory is that DaCosta wanted, as much as possible, to replicate the experience of seeing these Broadway plays faithfully reproduced as wide screen movies. Another similarity between “Auntie Mame” and “The Music Man” as films is the archness and artifice of the performances. In each case DaCosta had the opportunity of working on the film with the same actor who had originated the title role on stage, Rosalind Russell and Robert Preston, respectively, and they seem to have been encouraged to essentially reproduce their stage performances in front of a camera. Unlike other films of the time, the diction is a little two precise, the movements a little too big, the sets and costumes a little too garish. Nevertheless, I am a big fan of both “The Music Man” and “Auntie Mame.” They are both joyous evocations of a certain very American type of character, Harold Hill: the con man with a heart of gold and Mame Dennis: the eccentric aunt who is ultimately a font of wisdom, and I find it impossible to watch either film without smiling through the entire runtime! And someday I am going to have to search out “Island of Love” to see if DaCosta’s this style changed at all for his third and final outing as a film director.
I just subscribed and have been enjoying your thoughtful and thorough Revenge of the Remake videos. One of my favourite movies is Fame (1980). Have you considered doing a video on the differences between the original and the remake? I would appreciate your perspective on both films
No, he wasn't. You'd think the guy who played Ferris Bueller could play Harold Hill but apparently not. Heck, Bert Parks played Hill, so maybe they thought anybody could.
Certainly! Matthew was too young. Bottom line, the new one socks! Most of the original movie cast was from the B'Way original. And, what do you mean you're not a big fan of West Side Story?! That fact disqualifies you from analyzing musicals. BTW, The Music Man beat WSS for the Best musical Tony that year. Nobody was prepared for WWS. I love both, but WSS is the apple to all of the other musical oranges. But I love Morton DeCosta's Music Man
I first heard the 1962 soundtrack album at age 3 1/2 in 1962, vinyl on our home hi-fi. These brilliant songs are so deeply embedded that when my mother passed away last month, I drove home from her memorial service with it on the car stereo - via TH-cam/ 2003 version. So I was glued to every word of this comparative review. Bravo for all of these very well presented insights! A few thoughts to offer: ~ while MB lacks the gutsy, world-hardened qualities of RP's Prof. Hill, Broderick's career and training have him well-versed in music theater, so he was a fine choice for the role, imo. The thematic consistency of Preston's talk/singing is a powerful bonus, but does not detract from the fine job Broderick did. I can accept a softer HH in the remake because the story moves along so well. ~ according to Wikipedia, composer Ray Heindorf and lyricist Meredith Willson pared down forty songs to a final twenty-two for the 1957 Broadway play. Would be great to hear a few that almost made the cut. I never cease to be amazed how they could sit down at a piano and create such enduring musical works. ~ in the closing scene, when the soaring broom morphs into a real baton, Wikipedia suggests that the now mature, well-outfitted band represents the imagination of the townspeople. I always thought it was a leap forward in time to what 'actually' happens. The latter is more apt metaphor for redemption, it would seem. The criminal becomes a prominent small town hero, what a great story!
"In one detail, the new movie is more faithful to the Broadway original than the old movie was. For the 1962 big-screen version, composer-lyricist Willson replaced a song from the broadway original called "My White Knight," sung longingly by Marian, with a similar song called "Being in Love." For the 2003 TV version, "My White Knight" has been restored, and Chenoweth sings it movingly."
@@tlw1950 I love Shirley Jones in the '62 film, but I still think Barbara Cook would have been a good choice as Marian in the film, as she was already very familiar with her character and they would not have had to use "Being In Love", since they wrote it for Shirley because she could not reach the higher notes in "My White Knight".
This is the song the idiot who posted his commentary couldn't remember. He also couldn't remember that both the stage musical and the 1962 film had two songs "mashed together" (not the same two). This guy really needs to do his homework.
My favorite part about the 2003 version is that it incorporates all the songs from the Broadway version, including My White Knight (I can’t stand “Being in Love from the original film). That said, it’s all I like about the 2003 version. Broderick was miscast and the 2003 version tried being a movie. The 1960s film played into it being a Broadway musical. It’s playful where the 2003 version isn’t.
If there was a different remake of The Music Man I would imagine these performers in these roles: Harold Hill- Lin Manuel Miranda Marian- Lady Gaga Marcellus- James Monroe Iglehart Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn- Renee Zellweger Mayor Shinn- Will Ferrell Mrs. Paroo- Jane Lynch What do you think?
You keep saying "the original" but the real original was on the Broadway stage. The first movie was a pale reflection of that. Some of the changes the newer movie version makes is restoring things from Broadway.
I prefer the original. The only quarrel I have with it is the casting of Buddy Hackett as Marcellus. I'm sure they cast him because he was a popular performer at the time, but he just seems wrong for the role, especially during his big number "Shipoopi." He can't sing all that well, and they covered up his lack of dancing skills by having him surrounded with dancers while he does a little kick here and there. It's too low-energy for what is the main dance number of the show. I wish they had cast Stubby Kaye, who played Nicely Nicely Jones in Guys and Dolls and Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner. Now he could have handled the singing with no problem, and he could have been more animated during the dance, as well.
For me the original Robert Preston version is my favorite! He IS the Music Man and will never be forgotten!
Thank you for emphasizing energy and character! These are #1 yet overlooked for technique and spectacle. You are bullseye!
... correction:
Meredith Willson was the both composer and lyricist while Frank Heindorf did orchestration. Looks like Wikipedia gets that wrong.
My favorite version is with Robert Preston. He literally IS the music man to me.
Thank you for this to this thoughtful comparison of the two film versions of “The Music Man.” I have to confess that I have never watched the version starring Matthew Broderick because I simply could not imagine him playing Harold Hill. From everything you said in your video, it sounds like I probably made the right choice.
Regarding the 1962 film version, one of the things that stood out to me, even when I was a kid was how “theatrical” it looked, i.e., how often it looked like a filmed version of a stage play. There are a number of wide shots of people having conversations without a lot of individual back and forth shots, and the camera doesn't move much, rather allowing characters to move within the frame as they might in a stage play. In addition, at the end of various scenes, the lights will go down at the periphery of the frame, ending in a spotlight on the main characters, such as Winthrop and Marian.
It wasn't until I was older and did some research that I realized that the director of the film, Morton DeCosta, had also directed the original Broadway production of “The Music Man.” This was one of only three films he directed, the other two being the film version of “Auntie Mame” from 1958, for which he had also directed the original Broadway production, as well as a third film from 1963 called “Island of Love.”
I've never seen “Island of Love,” but if you have a chance to catch “Auntie Mame,” you will find that his directing style is amazingly consistent with his work in “The Music Man.” Here again he uses a wide frame with many characters interacting within it, and he will cone down the lights to spotlight one or two actors at the end of a scene. My theory is that DaCosta wanted, as much as possible, to replicate the experience of seeing these Broadway plays faithfully reproduced as wide screen movies.
Another similarity between “Auntie Mame” and “The Music Man” as films is the archness and artifice of the performances. In each case DaCosta had the opportunity of working on the film with the same actor who had originated the title role on stage, Rosalind Russell and Robert Preston, respectively, and they seem to have been encouraged to essentially reproduce their stage performances in front of a camera. Unlike other films of the time, the diction is a little two precise, the movements a little too big, the sets and costumes a little too garish.
Nevertheless, I am a big fan of both “The Music Man” and “Auntie Mame.” They are both joyous evocations of a certain very American type of character, Harold Hill: the con man with a heart of gold and Mame Dennis: the eccentric aunt who is ultimately a font of wisdom, and I find it impossible to watch either film without smiling through the entire runtime!
And someday I am going to have to search out “Island of Love” to see if DaCosta’s this style changed at all for his third and final outing as a film director.
I just subscribed and have been enjoying your thoughtful and thorough Revenge of the Remake videos. One of my favourite movies is Fame (1980). Have you considered doing a video on the differences between the original and the remake? I would appreciate your perspective on both films
My White Knight is the name of the song =) and is from the original stage production. The bridge is the same as Being In Love.
Did you see the Hugh and Ruth broadway version of Music Man? If so would be curious on your brief thoughts.
1962 is far far superior. Your comments are right on. Matthew is a 3 compared to Preston, a 10+.
100% agree. Broderick was not right for this role and that makes the biggest difference.
No, he wasn't. You'd think the guy who played Ferris Bueller could play Harold Hill but apparently not. Heck, Bert Parks played Hill, so maybe they thought anybody could.
Certainly! Matthew was too young. Bottom line, the new one socks! Most of the original movie cast was from the B'Way original. And, what do you mean you're not a big fan of West Side Story?! That fact disqualifies you from analyzing musicals. BTW, The Music Man beat WSS for the Best musical Tony that year. Nobody was prepared for WWS. I love both, but WSS is the apple to all of the other musical oranges. But I love Morton DeCosta's Music Man
I first heard the 1962 soundtrack album at age 3 1/2 in 1962, vinyl on our home hi-fi. These brilliant songs are so deeply embedded that when my mother passed away last month, I drove home from her memorial service with it on the car stereo - via TH-cam/ 2003 version. So I was glued to every word of this comparative review. Bravo for all of these very well presented insights!
A few thoughts to offer:
~ while MB lacks the gutsy, world-hardened qualities of RP's Prof. Hill, Broderick's career and training
have him well-versed in music theater, so he was a fine choice for the role, imo. The thematic
consistency of Preston's talk/singing is a powerful bonus, but does not detract from the fine job
Broderick did. I can accept a softer HH in the remake because the story moves along so well.
~ according to Wikipedia, composer Ray Heindorf and lyricist Meredith Willson pared down forty songs
to a final twenty-two for the 1957 Broadway play. Would be great to hear a few that almost made the
cut. I never cease to be amazed how they could sit down at a piano and create such enduring musical
works.
~ in the closing scene, when the soaring broom morphs into a real baton, Wikipedia suggests that the
now mature, well-outfitted band represents the imagination of the townspeople. I always thought it
was a leap forward in time to what 'actually' happens. The latter is more apt metaphor for redemption,
it would seem. The criminal becomes a prominent small town hero, what a great story!
Music Man was so ahead of its time. It’s brilliant.
Shirley Jones is wonderful as Marian in the 1962 film! Her solo numbers are perfectly suited to Shirley's rich mezzo-soprano voice.
"In one detail, the new movie is more faithful to the Broadway original than the old movie was. For the 1962 big-screen version, composer-lyricist Willson replaced a song from the broadway original called "My White Knight," sung longingly by Marian, with a similar song called "Being in Love." For the 2003 TV version, "My White Knight" has been restored, and Chenoweth sings it movingly."
Being in Love is ok, but I love My White Knight especially Barbara Cook’s version.
@@tlw1950 I love Shirley Jones in the '62 film, but I still think Barbara Cook would have been a good choice as Marian in the film, as she was already very familiar with her character and they would not have had to use "Being In Love", since they wrote it for Shirley because she could not reach the higher notes in "My White Knight".
This is the song the idiot who posted his commentary couldn't remember. He also couldn't remember that both the stage musical and the 1962 film had two songs "mashed together" (not the same two). This guy really needs to do his homework.
Cameron Monaghan is so good at playing the bad guy.
Music man is about music
My favorite part about the 2003 version is that it incorporates all the songs from the Broadway version, including My White Knight (I can’t stand “Being in Love from the original film). That said, it’s all I like about the 2003 version. Broderick was miscast and the 2003 version tried being a movie. The 1960s film played into it being a Broadway musical. It’s playful where the 2003 version isn’t.
If there was a different remake of The Music Man I would imagine these performers in these roles:
Harold Hill- Lin Manuel Miranda
Marian- Lady Gaga
Marcellus- James Monroe Iglehart
Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn- Renee Zellweger
Mayor Shinn- Will Ferrell
Mrs. Paroo- Jane Lynch
What do you think?
The thought of Lady Gaga as Marian doesn't appeal to me.
You keep saying "the original" but the real original was on the Broadway stage. The first movie was a pale reflection of that. Some of the changes the newer movie version makes is restoring things from Broadway.
I prefer the original. The only quarrel I have with it is the casting of Buddy Hackett as Marcellus. I'm sure they cast him because he was a popular performer at the time, but he just seems wrong for the role, especially during his big number "Shipoopi." He can't sing all that well, and they covered up his lack of dancing skills by having him surrounded with dancers while he does a little kick here and there. It's too low-energy for what is the main dance number of the show. I wish they had cast Stubby Kaye, who played Nicely Nicely Jones in Guys and Dolls and Marryin' Sam in Li'l Abner. Now he could have handled the singing with no problem, and he could have been more animated during the dance, as well.
There was no chemistry between Broderick and Chenowith, which doomed it
While Kristin Chenoweth was really terrific as Marian in the remake, Broderick was no Robert Preston!