Here is a little tidbit for you. Robert Preston sang the song at full volume while filming instead of just lip syncing like most actors. They recorded the sound track separately but he sang the song during the filming and missed nothing.
Gregory Peck won for To Kill a Mockingbird. Also nominated, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Marcello Mastroianni, and Peter O’Toole. So … at least some schlub didn’t win over him. But yeah, he was awesome and deserved an Oscar for it … if not the 1963 best actor Oscar. TMM was nominated for Best Picture (Lawrence of Arabia won.) And guess who was nominated for best supporting actor? Telly Savalas! But your comment is a very good one. Preston’s performance buoys you for days after seeing TMM in the movie theatre. And he doesn’t just act but sings and dances! So what’s that worth?
It's absolutely perfect the way he lowers his voice confidentially when he says "Now I know all you folks are the RIGHT kind of parents." That's when he's got the hook firmly set.
Robert Preston had strong, natural, intense sex appeal, on top of all that talent. Professor Henry Hill has to be to pull off seducing an entire town. Preston's got train loads of seduction, built right in!
I did this speech at a State competition and the only reason I won third is because the second-place winner was a Drama major who did the epic "Inherit the Wind" speech. I still remember every beat. I practiced this speech so much. I only won third, but I'm still proud that I made those judges laugh and applaud me as I paraded around the stage.
so that's kinda neat cause in the first draft this was a monologue and was almost cut until Meredith Willson realized he could make some slight changes and make it a song
The whole spiel is a lesson in looking carefully at *any* fast talker who's trying to sell you something, be it a boys band, stocks, the Brooklyn Bridge or some political idea.
One of my favorite memories: I’m shooting pool by myself in a bar at like 3:00 pm on a Thursday or something like that. Out of nowhere some man who was at least infinity years old comes up to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. Then he says to me, “Son, I can tell by the way you work that cue that you have not led a clean and virtuous life.” Best compliment ever.
When they were casting this movie, they originally wanted a bigger star than Robert Preston as box office insurance. Reportedly, they even approached Cary Grant, who promptly refused the role because he felt no one could do it better than Preston could.
@@oddish4352 Correct. Warner Bros. brass originally wanted to cast Frank Sinatra in the title role -- but when Meredith Willson (i.e. the writer and music composer) heard of this, he immediately told the senior management the following, according to Shirley Jones who played the librarian "Marian Paroo": "You WILL NOT make my movie without Robert Preston in the title role!" 😎
My mom used to tell me that when she was a kid her older sister wouldn't let her listen to the song 'Aint no Mountain High enough' because of word "'aint" It's crazy how fast things change
Robert Preston had presence. He was so powerful in this role. The orchestration in this song is perfect, accenting and augmenting. What a great musical Meredith Willson wrote. Great Americana.
Lessons: 1. Someone who presents a problem may be trying to sell you a solution 2. Never trust someone in a better suit than yours 3. If the argument relies on a slippery slope, patriotic slogans, or "social degradation", its probably crap 4. No one who says "Think of the children" is thinking of the children. 5. Just because you don't understand the kids today doesn't mean they're doing something wrong
@@dungeonmaster6292 I know right, I use to think slippery slope was just a fallacy, but it can also be accurate, which is why I’m convinced we’re about 10 years off from it being legal for people to marry gourds.
@@allthenewsordeath5772 Well, honestly, why shouldn't it be? It's ludicrous, but what harm is there? It's not like there's any effect on tax law. The gourd doesn't have any income, and you can't suddenly become a head of household, because the gourd isn't a legal citizen.
@@TerryTWeiss The institution of marriage is on life-support as it is, I don’t think allowing people to marry in animate objects, or allowing people to become polygamists would help that matter. It’s bad enough we’ve allowed the oxymoron that is gay marriage to be a thing, marriage as an institution is meant for the rearing of children. Marriage therefore only makes sense in a situation where the couple both have a deep and abiding love for each other, and are open to procreation, thiss of course invalidates by nature any view of marriage which does not encompass one or both of these aspects. I realize this rather classical and sentimental view of the institution is not the prevailing view in this day and age, but if a societies main goals are to continue its existence, and provide for its posterity, I hold that it is the correct view.
My dear old dad, who passed away today, used to sing this to me when I was a little boy. Mainly when he took me down the pub in Newcastle on a Sunday and bought me beer and played pool with me! True story. God bless you dad.
And here’s the general meaning of the specific dialogue in "Trouble". The film takes place about 1912. This synopsis should help with understanding the lingo and the morals of that time. Billards was considered a gentleman's game. Pool was the game of gamblers and men of poor character. From this Professor Hill works to convince the crowd that allowing a pool hall in the town will lead the youth to lower standards. Now that you've taken the time to read this I do hope the song is much more enjoyable to you. "Rubbering in".- Walking back and forth and looking inside. Billiards - Also known as caroom (or carom) billiards, played with three balls (one cue ball and two object balls) on a pocketless table Pool - Developed much later than billiards. Also known as pocket billiards, using a cue ball and 15 object balls on a table with six pockets "Iron clad leave to yourself from a three-rail billiard shot" - leave is slang for a favorable position for a stroke in billiards (circa 1850). Three-rail billiard shot refers to the fact that in caroom (or carom) billiards, the cue ball must contact at least 3 cushions before it hits the second object ball in order to score any points. This sentence seems to imply that the player has, through excellent strategy and difficult maneuvers, put the balls in such a position as to give him an excellent shot at making points. balkline - A line parallel to one end of a billiard table, from behind which opening shots with the cue ball are made. pinch-back suit - A suit jacket having a close-fitting or pleated back. "City Slicker" clothes to the rural crowd. Jasper - any male fellow or chum, usually a stranger Trotting race - A horse that trots, especially one trained for harness racing. Very genteel pastime. Horse race - With a jockey on the horses back, running much quicker than the trotting race. Dan Patch - (1897-1916) Most famous trotting horse ever, from Indiana. Dan Patch was a pacer, under his second owner he lost only five heats in 56 starts. Dan Patch had his own private railway car to travel in, and at home he lived in a huge barn that was so grand it was called the “Taj Mahal.” There is still a trotting competition named for him, and an historical railroad line because “Dan Patch was a famous race horse a hundred years ago, and the railroad was named after him because its tracks between Minneapolis and Northfield passed very close to his owner’s farm.” There seem to be whole districts in Indiana still named after this horse, and there was a movie called The Great Dan Patch (1949) Frittering away their time - To reduce or squander little by little; frittered his inheritance away. To waste. cistern - A receptacle for holding water or other liquid, especially a tank for catching and storing rainwater. knickerbockers - Full breeches gathered and banded just below the knee (which is why moving them above the knee is such a shocking thing to do) shirt-tail young ones - Children about 7 to 15 years old. Bevo - From Anheuser-Busch. A non-alcoholic drink that tasted like beer. “Anheuser-Busch introduced Bevo, its new nonalcoholic beverage, in 1916 and elsewhere the flood of cereal beverages (near beer) were introduced during the 1917-18 period.” Cubebs - the dried unripe berry of a tropical shrub (Piper cubeba) of the pepper family that is crushed and smoked in cigarettes for as a medicine for catarrh, an inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus. There were several cubeb cigarettes made-Marshall’s Prepared Cubeb Cigarettes are perhaps the best known. Tailor Mades - A tailor-made cigarette referred to any cigarette made in a factory on a cigarette making machine. A roll-your-own cigarette was made by the smoker from a sack of Bull Durham or the like. James Jones in From Here to Eternity mentioned tailor-mades being smoked by soldiers when they had money. Until 1883 cigarettes were handmade. In 1880 a 21 year old Virginian named James Bonsack invented a cigarette making machine that dramatically increased production. A skilled cigarette roller made 4 cigarettes a minute, whereas Mr. Bonsack’s machine turned out 200 a minute. These were called “tailor mades” to distinguish them from handmade cigarettes. NOTE: This section talking about the boys down at the pool hall means they are trying to mimic adults, and look as if they are drinking beer and smoking tobacco, although they are drinking fake beer and smoking fake cigarettes. Sen Sen - When a country swain went courting his rural sweetheart, he often carried in his pocket an unobtrusive little envelope of Sen-Sen. When his younger brother indulged in smoking behind the barn, he too, had use for the exotic little pellets. For Sen-Sen was to the 19th century what breath mints are to our time. Any country store worth its salt, prominently displayed a box of the handy little packets within easy reach of its customers. Rag-time - A style of jazz characterized by elaborately syncopated rhythm in the melody and a steadily accented accompaniment. corn crib - A structure for storing and drying ears of corn. Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang - Started in 1919 (too late for Music Man, but I guess Wilson wasn’t worried about that!). From the book Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals, “Few periodicals reflect the post-World War I cultural change in American life as well as Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang. To some people [it] represented the decline of morality and the flaunting of sexual immodesty; to others it signified an increase in openness. For much of the 1920’s, Captain Billy’s was the most prominent comic magazine in America with its mix of racy poetry and naughty jokes and puns, aimed at a small-town audience with pretensions of ‘sophistication’” This publication was to the male adolescent culture of the 1920s what Playboy was in the 1960s. Quit publishing sometime from 1932-36. This magazine created the foundation for Fawcett Publications, the publishing company that later created True Confessions and Mechanix Illustrated. swell - (slang) excellent, wonderful, delightful (mid 19th century) so’s your old man - catch phrase from 1900. An exclamation, used as a retort to an insult or slur. The Maine - U.S. battleship sunk (Feb. 15, 1898) in Havana harbor, killing 260, in an incident that helped precipitate the Spanish-American War. The cause of the explosion was never satisfactorily explained, and separate American and Spanish inquiries produced different results. But the American jingoistic press blamed the Spanish government, and Remember the Maine became the rallying cry of the war. Plymouth Rock - Plymouth, Massachusetts, is the oldest settlement in New England, founded in 1620. Plymouth Rock is on the beach where the Mayflower landed. The Golden Rule - saying of Jesus, from the Bible - As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Evolved into modern saying - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
"pinch-back suit - from pinchbeck - serving as an imitation or substitute; “pinchbeck heroism” ..." Bzzzzt! Nope. A pinch back suit was a trendy fashion at the time, a jacket with a strap or pair of straps in the back that cinched the fabric to narrow the waist. Ironically similar to the belted jacket Hill/Preston is wearing in this scene. vintagedancer.com/wp-content/uploads/1900-tweed-plaid-suits-sport-men.jpg
Re your note on "Rag-time - A style of jazz". It would take a whole essay to go into it, but many people of the 1920s (and likely earlier / the timestamp of this story) were fearful that jazz culture was luring whites into hanging out with blacks and thus such whites would succumb to the temptations of sexual anarchy... note how his patter mentions (right after "ragtime") the feared "jungle animal instinct"; Hill is intentionally stoking the crowd's racist response. (This musical has other themes about prejudice too, such as the town's gossip that judgmentally assumes the librarian was 'loose')
The songs in this musical fascinate me because they reflect the rhythm of a small, early-twentieth century town in the midwest. This one is part auctioneer/square dance caller/backwoods preacher. The first number brilliantly mimics a train, the Wells Fargo Wagon has a galloping sound, the music lesson song mimics playing piano scales, and Pick-A-Little Talk-A-Little is all fussy, clucking hens. Meredith Wilson was a genius, and yes, this was one precursor to rap, although it had probably been around for eons before that.
I have others to consider like Steve Martin in “All of Me”, Peter Saarsgard in “Shattered Glass”, and Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford - but yes, I tend to agree ; Preston’s is one of the best, for sure.
As a man of the theater, I consider Robert Preston's performance in this film to be one of the glories of the art of acting that we have on record. (The only other actor who ever played Harold Hill with comparable brilliance was Hugh Jackman, who is the same type of performer as Preston). Look at how light on his feet he is when he runs around the circle of spectators! Or his razor-sharp diction as he articulates those intricate lyrics! He easily fulfills the essence of any performer who plays a con artist: he leaves you, the audience member, unshakably convinced that you yourself would fall for his pitch if you were in that crowd. WHAT an actor!
Preston's Hill is a perfect combination of fast talking con man and evangelistic revival preacher. He gets you on his side and you never leave it. Such a great actor.
Andy Porter Today, it seems more applicable to a liberal message rather than a wholly conservative one. There are politicians the exact opposite of Harold Hill in the worst ways today.
This is one of the all-time great musicals. Wish they would show “The Music Man” on TV once in a while. The original, not the remake. Nobody can hold a candle to Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. They were superb!
Sorry to say the Matthew Broderick remake left much to be desired; a very lukewarm performance by that actor. The hundreds of Broadway performances by Preston couldn't help but make him the #1 actor for the Harold HIll role. Will be interesting to see what verve and energy Hugh Jackman will be able to inject in an upcoming movie version of this almost-perfect-material musical.
@@artbagley1406 Best review i saw of the "new" Music Man is that Jackman "spends so much time trying to NOT be Robert Preston that he never figures out who his character is."
@@heatherkelly2580 this song is arguably the first broadway rap song, which is rather interesting, fundamentally rap is just rhythmic speech over music or a beat, and given who relatively monotone this performance is from Preston it does feel more like a rap than a typical broadway song
@@heatherkelly2580 Yeah, actually this song 100% meets all the requirements to be considered a rap song. Any good rapper should know this absolute banger.
I met Mr. Preston in a bar in Knoxville many years ago. We had a lengthy conversation, not about movies or my profession but life in general. At the end as I was departing he said to me "William me boy, after I;m gone and from time to time and now and then would ye bend an elbow for poor old Bobby Preston?" I assured him that yes I would and still do though I do not drink alcohol any longer. Fine man.
@@gispel7058 I've seen a bunch of people do this bit, and while most of them recite it well, even reverently (Matthew Broderick and Seth McFarlane both come to mind here), none of them run around, wave their arms, or bug their eyes out when they should. Has Jack Black ever done this? He might well pull off the physicality of this thing.
He is not singing it he is acting it. That is what most other actors fail to understand. It is not a song, it is a monologue. He is totally in character.
"The Last Starfighter" is an unrecognized classic. The one flaw, to my mind was Centari's (Robert Preston's) rejuvenation. He should have remained a deceased hero. "It'll be a slaughter!" "That's the spirit!" "Terrific! I'm about to get killed a million miles from nowhere with a gung ho iguana!" Wonderful lines.
Except that there over a million people sneaking over the border every year to line up for bennies or take jobs or run drugs and there's a law against that which congress passed but politicians refuse to enforce. I call THEM con artists.
OMG! The first RAPPER!!!! Meredith Wilson was soo ahead with this musical! No wonder The Beatles honored this genius by covering his"Till there was you"on "With the Beatles"
I was just thinking that, I scrolled the comment to see if anybody else thought that this sounded like rap, and wallah, I came across your comment, Bravo.
You know what's amazing about this song? Given that it's a song about how easily parents can be convinced that totally innocuous things they don't understand are corrupting the youth, it only gets more hilarious the more dated everything becomes, but _for the same reasons it was hilarious before._ This song ages like fine fucking wine.
This sequence belongs in the company of the greatest scenes and speeches in American drama. As central to American culture as the figure of the confidence man is, Harold Hill is part of a fraternity that includes Jay Gatsby, Elmer Gantry, and Herman Melville's titular "Confidence Man" Thank God that this GREAT role was created, and preserved on film, by an actor who was such a perfect fit for it.
My middle school music teacher had us watch this and i been looking for it ever since then. I finally found after all these years!!!! So grateful i grew up with awesome elementary, middle, highschool music teachers that exposed us to many different cultures!!! Bring back our music and art programs please!!!
Amen to that! One that stuck with me into modern times is Don Gato by Margaret Marks. That nugget of creepy weird 70s elementary school awesomeness was introduced to me by Mrs. Lackey in Mauldin, SC. She also got me to realize that reading was a thing worth doing. She was one of the greats.
Yep. We had music class to learn instruments, mine was the French horn, singing class where we learned classic folk songs, wood working for the boys, plus the standard 3 R's. There was no special ed classes since there was no jabbing going on. In high school, it was a continuation of grade school with the addition of gym classes. Compared to today, it was like we lived in a golden era where people were honest and hard working without interference from the medical mafia and government dictates.
Fun fact: The whole thing was written as a monologue. The idea to turn it into a song was Robert Preston’s. He delivers it great (even though it’s dubbed)!
That is not correct. Meredith Wilson was considering removing the monologue from an early draft of the play, but realized it sounded like a lyric and so wrote the song. The play had not been cast at the time, so Robert Preston would not have had any involvement.
@@seikibrian8641 Right. You can't get away with a monologue that goes on for several minutes in drama. Either shorten it, cut it all together, or turn it into a musical number.
I love how all of Robert's lines in this song rolls off the tounge super easily. When you sing this song, it feels like a smooth river of words coming out of your mouth. :)
Yes, the song echos the style of a slick big-city grifter just pumping out a pitch so you buy his sports team, his airline, his casino, his charity, his developments his steaks, his wine, his water, his university, his social network... his Presidency... get it yet?
When HE sings this song it feels like a smooth river of words coming out of his mouth. When I sing this song it feels like I'm spewing marbles across the room while sneezing. He really did an incredible job on this beast of a piece
@@briansilva3344 not to be that dude, but *his. Meredith was increasingly becoming a woman's name by the time Mr Wilson was an adult, much like modern boomers named Leslie and Alison, but he was definitely a dude. I shudder to think who they could have chosen for this role other than Preston, his performance was unmatched.
Robert Preston did the stage production of The Music Man for 40 months before leaving to do the movie. Hard did so much in his career, so many other projects, from 1938 to until 1986 he was in movies, stage and TV. Preston was prolific talent! What I would have to given to see him on stage, before my time. He passed away in 1987 from lung cancer at 68.
Love this movie. First watched it on a small b&w television on Independence Day and it's been an annual tradition since (along with 1776). And Robert Preston broke the mold. So far no one has equaled his performance in the role.
This wonderful song came down to us as a direct descendant of the Gilbert and Sullivan 'patter' tunes. Requiring a really articulate actor/singer, and that takes an ear, as well as a talented tongue. I simply adore this. Preston had it nailed!! With a Capital P.....
I remember Robert Preston most for his role in "The Last Starfighter". Where he portrayed an alien huckster out to recruit "Starfighters". "Yes we got trouble! Bad trouble! Right here in Alpha Centauri!"
One of the great musical theater performances on stage is preserved on film for new generations. Thank God for film. I saw the first- run film in Spokane (at the Fox Theater) in 1962 when we were on our way to the World's Fair in Seattle - anxious to see the Space Needle.
The phenomenal part of this performance (Per Shirley Jones interview) is Preston Lip sync's the whole thing from a prerecording of himself; I watched it over and over and couldn't find a single flaw...truly Robert was a remarkable talent. I remember first seeing this at the theatre with my parents; we stayed and saw it twice we liked it so much
Makes me so sad is I didn’t know about this man or his legendary talent until last week! I WILL MAKE UP FOR THIS BY PRAISING HIM EVERYWHERE I GO! 😫🎶 What an underrated legend! 👏
He's awesome. One of his later roles was in 'The Last Starfighter'. It's worth a watch. The CGI is an early attempt and a bit cheesy but it's a solid story and Robert is awesome as always.
I am mesmerized by this performance. I know it's a movie and he might have had multiple takes, so I would Marvel even more at a stage play where an actor would have to get through that entire scene without flubbing or forgetting a line. It's brilliant!
Robert Preston DID play Harold Hill in the original stage play and then was cast straight into the movie, which is kind of a rarity. Shirley Jones was cast as his romantic partner Marion the Librarian and Shirley wanted to use her star power to refuse to dance in the movie, as a mysterious double had been previously supplied for her in the movie Oklahoma. But the powerful lady choreographer (I dont recall her name) of the movie, The Music Man FORCED her to dance! The lady was so strict, she even tried (and alas, ultimately failed) to get the super chubby Buddy Hackett (who you might remember from the original Love Bug movie) to perform successful bell kicks. When Shirley did her showcase dance piece for the movie, the professional chorus (ensemble) dancers sympathized with her greatly for not being the best dancer by literally carrying her through some of the most difficult dance moves of the scene. This full scene is unfortunately not available for free online. The song is affectionately called: Marion, Madam Librarian davidjamesshaver.online popu.photo
So the movie was released in 1962. In 1968, I entered my senior year of high school. And that year, we had an assembly, part of which was to announce a high school play based on this movie...one I had never heard of. And it was a classmate I had known since, oh Lord, going back to grade three or so. And David Akers performed this very song. After graduation I would indeed soon see this wonderful movie. And all I can say is Mr. Preston would have been proud, maybe even a bit envious, of just how remarkable David's performance had been. I learned recently that David passed away years ago. So to Mr. Preson and David, thank you both for some of the happiest memories of my life.
Gotta be honest, not my favorite musical, but I never get tired of this number, and mad respect for the late Robert Preston who was a great singer and actor, and also probably would have made a succuessful con man in real life.
My entire family went to the downtown theater to see this incredible musical, two Saturdays in a row!! Then my parents purchased the musical soundtrack album!! It certainly highlighted my enjoyment of music at a very young age!
Robert Preston from what I'm told by many was one of the must gregarious/warm and easy going people you could ever know.Meredith Wilson seemed to write Harold Hill like he knew a Robert Preston was going to come along one day and make this part iconic.I think this role and the Booze swilling/nempho doctor in SOB might be his best work and VVictoria.
And to think that Jack Warner wanted to cast Frank Sinatra as Harold Hill. I was a great fan of Mr. Sinatra, but he could not have pulled it off like Robert Preston.
Sinatra would have done a good job, because Sinatra would never do a bad job, but he would not have done a great job. The movie is memorable because of Preston. And apparently Meredith Willson (the composer) agreed, because there are reports he told Jack Warner that Robert Preston got the lead, or the film wouldn't be made.
Patter songs had been used in musicals for quite a while. Gilbert and Sullivan used them, most notably 'I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.'
@@GrainneMhaol I do take your point, but Gilbert and Sullivan did assign actual notes to each syllable whereas there are a number of phrases uttered by Robert Preston that have no association with any musical notes, they're just utterances, rhythmic though they may be.
@@DavidWilsoninnefl His performance choices don't change the nature of the song. I chose Burn from Hamilton as my showcase performance in a musical theatre class. My teacher told me to speak, not sing several lines, 'Do you know what Angelica said?' etc. Didn't make the song a rap number.
@@DavidWilsoninnefl each syllable still has a pitch, though --- even when you speak normally. so it's a matter of whether you wish to write it down on a score sheet or not
I just recently got into acting and my grandpa informed me that Robert Preston is related to me somewhere down the lines and this is just amazing. I've never seen him before but it's crazy how good he is. I got to see his Tony's too they're in a cabinet at my grandpa's house. I have so much respect for him now.
Fast, flawless and fiercely entertaining. Try reciting this word for word if you ever need to stop being depressed. He was no spring chicken when this was filmed. Preston and Astair were hoofers first and formost. Love the way he looks, really looks at his cast and really tries to convince them. He made everyone up their game.
I absolutely adore Robert Preston. In this movie, Victor & Victoria, and even The Last Starfighter, he has a charisma that’s unmatched: that huckster who could sell ice cubes to the devil, but still ends up being completely lovable.
I'm not sure why this came up in my recommend, but I sure needed it! This sounds just like the people insisting we need to get rid of Aunt Jemima and Gone With the Wind! Every slight offence must be removed to save the country for the children! Get that crowd riled up! We got trouble!
There will only ever be ONE "Music Man," and Robert Preston is it. The sad thing is that today's kids will watch this and not know half of what he's talking about. I'm guessing most of them have no idea what Sen-Sen was, or what a cistern was and why it was important that it not be empty on a Saturday night.
The story, the songs, the lyrics, the cast and the humor all combine to create a spectacular show from start to finish! For my money, the best musical ever conceived!
When Robert Preston first signed a film contract with Paramount in the early 1940s he alternated between playing heavies and co-starring roles. So, whe he got the role of Prof. Harold Hill in the Broadway production of "The Music Man," it was considered a surprise. It was a happy surprise for all of us.
Apparently one of the stars the studio wanted to play Harold Hill was Cary Grant, who told them something to the effect of “if you don’t cast Robert Preston in the role I won’t even watch the movie!”.
The same thing happened two years later at the same studio (Warner Bros.) when studio head Jack Warner tried to talk Grant into playing Prof. Henry Higgins instead of Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady." Must be that Warner didn't understand professors.
One of the most catchy tunes in all of musicals. Did Robert Preston get any awards for this movie? Because he should have he was magnificent. Also catch the scene where he is trying to get the band kids to play Minuet in G. All classic stuff.
A genius scene. Robert Preston, the songwriter and director knocked it out of the park. I can't help but think of the hours Preston spent learning this part.
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He's literally the outta town jasper in the pinch back suit talking about horse race gambling that he's warning them against
it really is a great musical in many aspects, that is but one
that's the joke
@Roy G Biv nope it was the last pres..thank god he's gone.
Eric B Looks like someone’s brainwashed
Attention Eric and Roy you are wrong. You are the problem.
Here is a little tidbit for you. Robert Preston sang the song at full volume while filming instead of just lip syncing like most actors. They recorded the sound track separately but he sang the song during the filming and missed nothing.
Only one Robert Preston!!
Judy Garland would do the same thing in A Star is Born
Original Gangster
He also didn't have formal voice training like so many of them. Pure natural talent!
Rex Harrison did the same in all his musicals
with sick rhymes like these he could absolutely sell me on investing in a monorail
Monorail....monorail....monorail....monorail....monorail....monorail....
@@MercuryChild MONORAIL!
@@Marcusml333 But Main Street's still all cracked and broken!
As mayor of North Haverbrook, I, for one, am intrigued.
Is there a chance the track will bend?
How did Robert Preston NOT win an Oscar this? Because he wasn't even nominated. One the greatest overlooked performances ever.
He was amazing and under appreciated
Gregory Peck won for To Kill a Mockingbird. Also nominated, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Marcello Mastroianni, and Peter O’Toole. So … at least some schlub didn’t win over him. But yeah, he was awesome and deserved an Oscar for it … if not the 1963 best actor Oscar.
TMM was nominated for Best Picture (Lawrence of Arabia won.)
And guess who was nominated for best supporting actor? Telly Savalas!
But your comment is a very good one. Preston’s performance buoys you for days after seeing TMM in the movie theatre. And he doesn’t just act but sings and dances! So what’s that worth?
Omg I know if you were walking behind him you would slip and fall on the confidence that is dripping off him
Same way Austin Butler didn’t win the Oscar for Elvis. It’s crazy because both os them are geniuses
1963 was a very competitive year for Best Actor.
This man just gave you a crash course in how to start a moral panic into manipulating the afraid and ignorant.
Aw man, so glad I know how to do this now
Republicans were taking notes.
Actually, this is one of he subtexts of the show. If there are no problems, you can always create some.
There’s a straight line from pool halls to onlyfans
Anthony Faui?
It's absolutely perfect the way he lowers his voice confidentially when he says "Now I know all you folks are the RIGHT kind of parents." That's when he's got the hook firmly set.
I think it's hilarious he basically told his old sales buddy Mars what he was gonna do but Mars got fooled, too.
Ya gotta give it to Robert Preston, he owns this role/performance.
Got that right. Matthew Broderick's version is pathetic.
+Raymond Maurer The producers wanted Sinatra. But it went to the stage master, Robert Preston.
Preston was an amazing actor! He could sing, dance, emote! Plus has that legendary voice!
there are very few musicals where i label one actor as "the best" but I think no will be able to equal or top him as harold hill
Robert Preston had strong, natural, intense sex appeal, on top of all that talent. Professor Henry Hill has to be to pull off seducing an entire town. Preston's got train loads of seduction, built right in!
I did this speech at a State competition and the only reason I won third is because the second-place winner was a Drama major who did the epic "Inherit the Wind" speech. I still remember every beat. I practiced this speech so much. I only won third, but I'm still proud that I made those judges laugh and applaud me as I paraded around the stage.
What a nice memory! I would have voted for you to win first place!
Who won the first place?
Only third? Third is amazing! Be nicer to yourself 😊
so that's kinda neat cause in the first draft this was a monologue and was almost cut until Meredith Willson realized he could make some slight changes and make it a song
Incredible. STORY
"The city ain't in any trouble".... "then we'll have to create some" LMAO!!!! He should have run for president.
He'd be worlds better than what we've got.
The whole spiel is a lesson in looking carefully at *any* fast talker who's trying to sell you something, be it a boys band, stocks, the Brooklyn Bridge or some political idea.
Must be a Democrat.
too bad we can't use the "Think Method" right now! Right?!!! Think ourselves right out of this mess!!!!!!!
Let's go fill Moominvalley with crime.
Watch his hands... This is a Master Class in physical acting.
what about the master race? if this man worked for nazi propaganda wed all be speaking german.."Volks we got a problem! and it starts with a J!" lol
Too right! An awesome physical performance as well as a musical one on this song.
Well, he DID make a contribution to the world of physical exercise. (At the suggestion of President Kennedy.)
I cannot see Matthew Broderick in this role, he just looks like such a babyface. Robert Preston has the look, the moves, the energy...
That's why he fit in with the method boys and girls. No back foot acting.
One of my favorite memories: I’m shooting pool by myself in a bar at like 3:00 pm on a Thursday or something like that. Out of nowhere some man who was at least infinity years old comes up to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. Then he says to me, “Son, I can tell by the way you work that cue that you have not led a clean and virtuous life.”
Best compliment ever.
Lemme guess?.. You were playing one pocket for $500 a game?..
Many people have played this part, but no one does this song like Robert Preston. A truly legendary performance from a true artist.
When they were casting this movie, they originally wanted a bigger star than Robert Preston as box office insurance. Reportedly, they even approached Cary Grant, who promptly refused the role because he felt no one could do it better than Preston could.
@@oddish4352 Correct. Warner Bros. brass originally wanted to cast Frank Sinatra in the title role -- but when Meredith Willson (i.e. the writer and music composer) heard of this, he immediately told the senior management the following, according to Shirley Jones who played the librarian "Marian Paroo":
"You WILL NOT make my movie without Robert Preston in the title role!"
😎
Robert Preston was the original Professor Harold Hill. He was the first person to ever play the part. And he does an awesome job!
@@Wesley_Peter_Redmond The original and the best.
Seth MacFarlane did amazing
I love how the group of adults seemed so flustered to the word "SWELL!".
Back then it was the equivalent to saying f***. :l
Evan Rafalski Really? Times really have changed haven't they?
My mom used to tell me that when she was a kid her older sister wouldn't let her listen to the song 'Aint no Mountain High enough' because of word "'aint" It's crazy how fast things change
Whiteauroara Whaaaat??!
***** It makes you think doesn't it?
Robert Preston had presence. He was so powerful in this role. The orchestration in this song is perfect, accenting and augmenting. What a great musical Meredith Willson wrote. Great Americana.
Shirley Jones also turned in a tour de force performance as Marion Paroo.
@@allenjones3130 She was also a couple months pregnant during shooting as well, so they had to creatively shoot around that.
@@briansilva3344 So I heard!
I saw Hugh Jackman do this on Broadway and he did it absolutely full justice too.
It reminds the viewer that the craziness of our age is nothing new. This has been America for a long time now.
Why does my town never break out into showtunes?
Because they don't have trouble with a capital T
Masaz Which rhymes with P and stands for Pool ;D
+DublH And also Porn.
YEP
I've been thinking about doing this all of a sudden in a crowd. I learned the words to it.
Lessons:
1. Someone who presents a problem may be trying to sell you a solution
2. Never trust someone in a better suit than yours
3. If the argument relies on a slippery slope, patriotic slogans, or "social degradation", its probably crap
4. No one who says "Think of the children" is thinking of the children.
5. Just because you don't understand the kids today doesn't mean they're doing something wrong
Slippery slope is legitimate and we see it all around us. Especially when it comes to degenerate lifestyles.
@@dungeonmaster6292
I know right, I use to think slippery slope was just a fallacy, but it can also be accurate, which is why I’m convinced we’re about 10 years off from it being legal for people to marry gourds.
@@allthenewsordeath5772 Well, honestly, why shouldn't it be? It's ludicrous, but what harm is there? It's not like there's any effect on tax law. The gourd doesn't have any income, and you can't suddenly become a head of household, because the gourd isn't a legal citizen.
@@TerryTWeiss
The institution of marriage is on life-support as it is, I don’t think allowing people to marry in animate objects, or allowing people to become polygamists would help that matter.
It’s bad enough we’ve allowed the oxymoron that is gay marriage to be a thing, marriage as an institution is meant for the rearing of children.
Marriage therefore only makes sense in a situation where the couple both have a deep and abiding love for each other, and are open to procreation, thiss of course invalidates by nature any view of marriage which does not encompass one or both of these aspects.
I realize this rather classical and sentimental view of the institution is not the prevailing view in this day and age, but if a societies main goals are to continue its existence, and provide for its posterity, I hold that it is the correct view.
well put
Child: it’s a *swell* day outside!
Parents: 😱
Lol
XDDD
...So's your old man.
WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!
Oh boy so vulgar
My dear old dad, who passed away today, used to sing this to me when I was a little boy. Mainly when he took me down the pub in Newcastle on a Sunday and bought me beer and played pool with me! True story. God bless you dad.
Yay! Newcastle!
He bought u beer when u were a little boy?
@@uglygymrat6024 I mean it is Newcastle
Hope that 2 years later, what you have now is good memories
What a great memory
Brilliance of Conan O’Brien is that he took this, distilled it into two minutes, and gave it to Phil Hartman, who elevated even further.
The guy that owns the pool hall just trying to make a living: 👁👄👁
HAHAHSJFJBAHEG
It's the town's mayor who owns the pool hall. He's not exactly hard up for cash or status or any of the other good things in life.
Some people are really slow ......
It was a billiard hall not a pool hall. He said nothing bad about the billiards tables just the new pool table. They are two different things.
U fogot the morale of the story. He is the music man and the most popular thing he is attacking for his own gain
And here’s the general meaning of the specific dialogue in "Trouble". The film takes place about 1912. This synopsis should help with understanding the lingo and the morals of that time. Billards was considered a gentleman's game. Pool was the game of gamblers and men of poor character. From this Professor Hill works to convince the crowd that allowing a pool hall in the town will lead the youth to lower standards. Now that you've taken the time to read this I do hope the song is much more enjoyable to you.
"Rubbering in".- Walking back and forth and looking inside.
Billiards - Also known as caroom (or carom) billiards, played with three balls (one cue ball and two object balls) on a pocketless table
Pool - Developed much later than billiards. Also known as pocket billiards, using a cue ball and 15 object balls on a table with six pockets
"Iron clad leave to yourself from a three-rail billiard shot" - leave is slang for a favorable position for a stroke in billiards (circa 1850). Three-rail billiard shot refers to the fact that in caroom (or carom) billiards, the cue ball must contact at least 3 cushions before it hits the second object ball in order to score any points. This sentence seems to imply that the player has, through excellent strategy and difficult maneuvers, put the balls in such a position as to give him an excellent shot at making points.
balkline - A line parallel to one end of a billiard table, from behind which opening shots with the cue ball are made.
pinch-back suit - A suit jacket having a close-fitting or pleated back. "City Slicker" clothes to the rural crowd.
Jasper - any male fellow or chum, usually a stranger
Trotting race - A horse that trots, especially one trained for harness racing. Very genteel pastime.
Horse race - With a jockey on the horses back, running much quicker than the trotting race.
Dan Patch - (1897-1916) Most famous trotting horse ever, from Indiana. Dan Patch was a pacer, under his second owner he lost only five heats in 56 starts. Dan Patch had his own private railway car to travel in, and at home he lived in a huge barn that was so grand it was called the “Taj Mahal.” There is still a trotting competition named for him, and an historical railroad line because “Dan Patch was a famous race horse a hundred years ago, and the railroad was named after him because its tracks between Minneapolis and Northfield passed very close to his owner’s farm.” There seem to be whole districts in Indiana still named after this horse, and there was a movie called The Great Dan Patch (1949)
Frittering away their time - To reduce or squander little by little; frittered his inheritance away. To waste.
cistern - A receptacle for holding water or other liquid, especially a tank for catching and storing rainwater.
knickerbockers - Full breeches gathered and banded just below the knee (which is why moving them above the knee is such a shocking thing to do)
shirt-tail young ones - Children about 7 to 15 years old.
Bevo - From Anheuser-Busch. A non-alcoholic drink that tasted like beer. “Anheuser-Busch introduced Bevo, its new nonalcoholic beverage, in 1916 and elsewhere the flood of cereal beverages (near beer) were introduced during the 1917-18 period.”
Cubebs - the dried unripe berry of a tropical shrub (Piper cubeba) of the pepper family that is crushed and smoked in cigarettes for as a medicine for catarrh, an inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus. There were several cubeb cigarettes made-Marshall’s Prepared Cubeb
Cigarettes are perhaps the best known.
Tailor Mades - A tailor-made cigarette referred to any cigarette made in a factory on a cigarette making machine. A roll-your-own cigarette was made by the smoker from a sack of Bull Durham or the like. James Jones in From Here to Eternity mentioned tailor-mades being smoked by soldiers when they had money. Until 1883 cigarettes were handmade. In 1880 a 21 year old Virginian named James Bonsack invented a cigarette making machine that dramatically increased production. A skilled cigarette roller made 4 cigarettes a minute, whereas Mr. Bonsack’s machine turned out 200 a minute. These were called “tailor mades” to distinguish them from handmade cigarettes.
NOTE: This section talking about the boys down at the pool hall means they are trying to mimic adults, and look as if they are drinking beer and smoking tobacco, although they are drinking fake beer and smoking fake cigarettes.
Sen Sen - When a country swain went courting his rural sweetheart, he often carried in his pocket an unobtrusive little envelope of Sen-Sen. When his younger brother indulged in smoking behind the barn, he too, had use for the exotic little pellets. For Sen-Sen was to the 19th century what breath mints are to our time. Any country store worth its salt, prominently displayed a box of the handy little packets within easy reach of its customers.
Rag-time - A style of jazz characterized by elaborately syncopated rhythm in the melody and a steadily accented accompaniment.
corn crib - A structure for storing and drying ears of corn.
Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang - Started in 1919 (too late for Music Man, but I guess Wilson wasn’t worried about that!). From the book Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals, “Few periodicals reflect the post-World War I cultural change in American life as well as Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang. To some people [it] represented the decline of morality and the flaunting of sexual immodesty; to others it signified an increase in openness. For much of the 1920’s, Captain Billy’s was the most prominent comic magazine in America with its mix of racy poetry and naughty jokes and puns, aimed at a small-town audience with pretensions of ‘sophistication’” This publication was to the male adolescent culture of the 1920s what Playboy was in the 1960s. Quit publishing sometime from 1932-36. This magazine created the foundation for Fawcett Publications, the publishing company that later created True Confessions and Mechanix Illustrated.
swell - (slang) excellent, wonderful, delightful (mid 19th century)
so’s your old man - catch phrase from 1900. An exclamation, used as a retort to an insult or slur.
The Maine - U.S. battleship sunk (Feb. 15, 1898) in Havana harbor, killing 260, in an incident that helped precipitate the Spanish-American War. The cause of the explosion was never satisfactorily explained, and separate American and Spanish inquiries produced different results. But the American jingoistic press blamed the Spanish government, and Remember the Maine became the rallying cry of the war.
Plymouth Rock - Plymouth, Massachusetts, is the oldest settlement in New England, founded in 1620. Plymouth Rock is on the beach where the Mayflower landed.
The Golden Rule - saying of Jesus, from the Bible - As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Evolved into modern saying - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
"pinch-back suit - from pinchbeck - serving as an imitation or substitute; “pinchbeck heroism” ..."
Bzzzzt! Nope. A pinch back suit was a trendy fashion at the time, a jacket with a strap or pair of straps in the back that cinched the fabric to narrow the waist. Ironically similar to the belted jacket Hill/Preston is wearing in this scene.
vintagedancer.com/wp-content/uploads/1900-tweed-plaid-suits-sport-men.jpg
your comment is very long so I just screenshotted it but can you tell me what year this was
was it like the late Edwardian era?
@@raspberrycrowns9494 The movie is set in 1912, and it was made in 1962.
I'd kill for some sen-sen.
Re your note on "Rag-time - A style of jazz". It would take a whole essay to go into it, but many people of the 1920s (and likely earlier / the timestamp of this story) were fearful that jazz culture was luring whites into hanging out with blacks and thus such whites would succumb to the temptations of sexual anarchy... note how his patter mentions (right after "ragtime") the feared "jungle animal instinct"; Hill is intentionally stoking the crowd's racist response. (This musical has other themes about prejudice too, such as the town's gossip that judgmentally assumes the librarian was 'loose')
This guy is unbelievable. Crushed it.
ikr
Thumper17 Ikr. Wish I could talk/sing that fast and that confidently.
He starred in the original stage play.
Yes, and he did this on Broadway for over 880 performances.
Thumper17 So are these lyrics. Whoever wrote these lines is/are fucking brilliant as well
The songs in this musical fascinate me because they reflect the rhythm of a small, early-twentieth century town in the midwest. This one is part auctioneer/square dance caller/backwoods preacher. The first number brilliantly mimics a train, the Wells Fargo Wagon has a galloping sound, the music lesson song mimics playing piano scales, and Pick-A-Little Talk-A-Little is all fussy, clucking hens. Meredith Wilson was a genius, and yes, this was one precursor to rap, although it had probably been around for eons before that.
It's a patter song: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patter_song
@@error.418 re: Gilbert and Sullivan 75 years before.
@@johnprovince5304 Yep, G&S were great at patter songs. And they date back well before G&S.
yes i guess your correct.
Willson!
Robert Prestons performance here is the best one ever NOT nominated for an Oscar.
I have others to consider like Steve Martin in “All of Me”, Peter Saarsgard in “Shattered Glass”, and Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford - but yes, I tend to agree ; Preston’s is one of the best, for sure.
This kills me. POOL. He's convinced them that POOL is what will corrupt their kids. "Swell" and "so's your old man". Truly vulgar.
the young men will be frittering. FRITTERING!
well no trouble here *puts in a pool table* JIMMY PACK YOUR BAGS WER ARE MOVING BECAUSE WE GOT TROUBLE *breaks into song out of no where*
They said the same about Pokemon...
Erasmus the blasphemous I see what you did there...
"oh golly gosh!"
*Gasp*
As a man of the theater, I consider Robert Preston's performance in this film to be one of the glories of the art of acting that we have on record. (The only other actor who ever played Harold Hill with comparable brilliance was Hugh Jackman, who is the same type of performer as Preston). Look at how light on his feet he is when he runs around the circle of spectators! Or his razor-sharp diction as he articulates those intricate lyrics! He easily fulfills the essence of any performer who plays a con artist: he leaves you, the audience member, unshakably convinced that you yourself would fall for his pitch if you were in that crowd. WHAT an actor!
I did not see Hugh Jackman but I'm delighted to hear he did a comparable job to Mr. Preston - some great American Theater performances !!
Don’t think I can ever be duped again
Fearmongering has never sounded so catchy!
Preston's Hill is a perfect combination of fast talking con man and evangelistic revival preacher. He gets you on his side and you never leave it. Such a great actor.
Just a mesmerising performance. Every movement is so precise. And still so relevant. Beware the politician who creates fear and has the solution.
Andy Porter Today, it seems more applicable to a liberal message rather than a wholly conservative one. There are politicians the exact opposite of Harold Hill in the worst ways today.
This is one of the all-time great musicals. Wish they would show “The Music Man” on TV once in a while. The original, not the remake. Nobody can hold a candle to Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. They were superb!
GOATS
Sorry to say the Matthew Broderick remake left much to be desired; a very lukewarm performance by that actor. The hundreds of Broadway performances by Preston couldn't help but make him the #1 actor for the Harold HIll role. Will be interesting to see what verve and energy Hugh Jackman will be able to inject in an upcoming movie version of this almost-perfect-material musical.
@@artbagley1406 Best review i saw of the "new" Music Man is that Jackman "spends so much time trying to NOT be Robert Preston that he never figures out who his character is."
I agree, but Ferris Bueller did a much better Harold than I anticipated.
NBC shows the original every summer.
Don’t call yourself a rap music fan unless you know this classic.
I hope Lin Manual Miranda is a fan of this oldie but a goodie
"RAP"? YOU ARE KIDDING AE YOU NOT?
@@heatherkelly2580 this song is arguably the first broadway rap song, which is rather interesting, fundamentally rap is just rhythmic speech over music or a beat, and given who relatively monotone this performance is from Preston it does feel more like a rap than a typical broadway song
@@heatherkelly2580 Yeah, actually this song 100% meets all the requirements to be considered a rap song. Any good rapper should know this absolute banger.
I met Mr. Preston in a bar in Knoxville many years ago. We had a lengthy conversation, not about movies or my profession but life in general. At the end as I was departing he said to me "William me boy, after I;m gone and from time to time and now and then would ye bend an elbow for poor old Bobby Preston?" I assured him that yes I would and still do though I do not drink alcohol any longer. Fine man.
1910s:
_"so's your old man"_
2010s:
_"ur mom"_
Lolllll
2020’s:
“Yo.”
I keep thinking about this
That makes way too much sense...
@@MissPopuri
'literally'
Seen many versions ... Robert Preston is, was, and always will be the Gold Standard for Professor Harold Hill
Saw John Davidson do the Hill role on stage. Ho hum.
@@gispel7058 I've seen a bunch of people do this bit, and while most of them recite it well, even reverently (Matthew Broderick and Seth McFarlane both come to mind here), none of them run around, wave their arms, or bug their eyes out when they should. Has Jack Black ever done this? He might well pull off the physicality of this thing.
@@BrutishYetDelightful some interesting possibilities there Brutish.
No one can compare Robert will own this role for all time
HOW does he talk that fast!?!? Can you say TALENT!?!?
He is not singing it he is acting it. That is what most other actors fail to understand. It is not a song, it is a monologue. He is totally in character.
Laceykat66 they didn’t even call him a singer in this comment crazy lady.. calm your tits down please :/ nobody cares
TALENT! Right here in River City-
Because it's rhythmic monologue, the hardest part is mesmerizing the words I can do it too. Literally it's easy when you know the whole monologue
@@theretep6494 he is but this is just rhythmic talking, it's easy
From "The Music Man" to "The Last Starfighter" Robert Preston was a genius talent!
He sure was
Centari was written specifically for Robert Preston with The Music Man in mind.
"The Last Starfighter" is an unrecognized classic. The one flaw, to my mind was Centari's (Robert Preston's) rejuvenation. He should have remained a deceased hero.
"It'll be a slaughter!"
"That's the spirit!"
"Terrific! I'm about to get killed a million miles from nowhere with a gung ho iguana!"
Wonderful lines.
I saw the Last Starfighter and Victor Victoria before I got down to this one
That actor has such an announcer voice lol.
That's the late Robert Preston.
SiliconDogwoods The fabulous Robert Preston.
barbaro267 MERLIN 😍😍😍😍👍
Robert Preston was the best thing in almost every movie he appeared in.
Centauri!
"He's Flim!"
"He's Flam!"
"We're the world-famous Flim-Flam Brotherrrrs!"
"Traveling salesponies nonpareil!"
Someone had to make My Little Pony reference.
Really, who was even half as charming as Robert Preston? Always connected to his audience in a way that made you wish he were a member of your family.
Ikr
He was GREAT. Perfect.
Yeah and Hugh Jackman is gonna do great on Broadway
I can’t see anyone but Robert Preston doing justice to this song.
Phil Hartman maybe
Seth MacFarlane does a very nice job of it.
Harold Hill: With a capital B and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool!!
Me: Well, I can’t argue with that logic.
Salesmanship...pure salesmanship...
every political campaign ever
"You got a Crook folks, right here in DC."
"Crook with a capital 'C' and that rhymes with 'E' that stands for Emails!"
***** :-))
Wedgewood Productions More like C and that rhymes with T and that stands for Trump.
Timeless!
Except that there over a million people sneaking over the border every year to line up for bennies or take jobs or run drugs and there's a law against that which congress passed but politicians refuse to enforce. I call THEM con artists.
i LOVE this musical. loved it before i performed the musical and love it even more now that i did it on stage. thanks for posting this
heya. I didn't know that you watched this as well.
Did you by any chance film it?
I also was in my high school production of the musical. I unfortunately got sick right before the night performances and couldn't sing
OMG IM BIG FAN OF U FAMILYFUNPACK!!!
I'm performing it this year
OMG! The first RAPPER!!!! Meredith Wilson was soo ahead with this musical! No wonder The Beatles honored this genius by covering his"Till there was you"on "With the Beatles"
I was just thinking that, I scrolled the comment to see if anybody else thought that this sounded like rap, and wallah, I came across your comment, Bravo.
You know what's amazing about this song? Given that it's a song about how easily parents can be convinced that totally innocuous things they don't understand are corrupting the youth, it only gets more hilarious the more dated everything becomes, but _for the same reasons it was hilarious before._
This song ages like fine fucking wine.
1958 Tony Award for Best Musical, beating West Side Story.
Robert Preston won 1958 Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.
Robert Preston was absolutely SPLENDID in this role!! Cheers
Might even say he was…. SWELL! 😂
This sequence belongs in the company of the greatest scenes and speeches in American drama. As central to American culture as the figure of the confidence man is, Harold Hill is part of a fraternity that includes Jay Gatsby, Elmer Gantry, and Herman Melville's titular "Confidence Man" Thank God that this GREAT role was created, and preserved on film, by an actor who was such a perfect fit for it.
My middle school music teacher had us watch this and i been looking for it ever since then. I finally found after all these years!!!! So grateful i grew up with awesome elementary, middle, highschool music teachers that exposed us to many different cultures!!! Bring back our music and art programs please!!!
Amen to that! One that stuck with me into modern times is Don Gato by Margaret Marks. That nugget of creepy weird 70s elementary school awesomeness was introduced to me by Mrs. Lackey in Mauldin, SC. She also got me to realize that reading was a thing worth doing. She was one of the greats.
Yes please, art classes getting straight A's was the only thing that kept my grade point average up in high school. Math was a close second.
Had to add this quote on my frig. THE EARTH WITHOUT ART IS JUST EH!!!!
The only thing that lasts the test of time.
Yep. We had music class to learn instruments, mine was the French horn, singing class where we learned classic folk songs, wood working for the boys, plus the standard 3 R's. There was no special ed classes since there was no jabbing going on. In high school, it was a continuation of grade school with the addition of gym classes. Compared to today, it was like we lived in a golden era where people were honest and hard working without interference from the medical mafia and government dictates.
Good music teachers are golden.
when the Roaring 20s hit this town everyone's brains are going to explode
Fun fact: The whole thing was written as a monologue. The idea to turn it into a song was Robert Preston’s. He delivers it great (even though it’s dubbed)!
That is not correct. Meredith Wilson was considering removing the monologue from an early draft of the play, but realized it sounded like a lyric and so wrote the song. The play had not been cast at the time, so Robert Preston would not have had any involvement.
@@seikibrian8641 Right. You can't get away with a monologue that goes on for several minutes in drama. Either shorten it, cut it all together, or turn it into a musical number.
And he’s not dubbed. Like Rex Harrison, he was mic’ed and sang it live to a soundtrack
I love how all of Robert's lines in this song rolls off the tounge super easily. When you sing this song, it feels like a smooth river of words coming out of your mouth. :)
"Tounge"? Try "tongue". :)
Yes, the song echos the style of a slick big-city grifter just pumping out a pitch so you buy his sports team, his airline, his casino, his charity, his developments his steaks, his wine, his water, his university, his social network... his Presidency... get it yet?
When HE sings this song it feels like a smooth river of words coming out of his mouth. When I sing this song it feels like I'm spewing marbles across the room while sneezing. He really did an incredible job on this beast of a piece
Robert Preston was doing this for years, so it checks out. Even Meredith Wilson refused to have her musical made into a movie without Robert Preston.
@@briansilva3344 not to be that dude, but *his. Meredith was increasingly becoming a woman's name by the time Mr Wilson was an adult, much like modern boomers named Leslie and Alison, but he was definitely a dude. I shudder to think who they could have chosen for this role other than Preston, his performance was unmatched.
Robert Preston did the stage production of The Music Man for 40 months before leaving to do the movie. Hard did so much in his career, so many other projects, from 1938 to until 1986 he was in movies, stage and TV. Preston was prolific talent! What I would have to given to see him on stage, before my time. He passed away in 1987 from lung cancer at 68.
I saw this in the theater as a kid and memorized the song, at 66 I can still sing it with only a few mistakes!
I also memorized this when I was a kid.
I know it all by memory, every word. It's my favorite!
@@garyparton8376 I used to shoot pool and must disagree with Professor Hill thay ‘any boob can take and shove a ball in a pocket’ 😁
The Music Man was the best musical in my opinion.. I still love watching the movie over and over again. I have the DVD.
Love this movie. First watched it on a small b&w television on Independence Day and it's been an annual tradition since (along with 1776). And Robert Preston broke the mold. So far no one has equaled his performance in the role.
I saw Robert Preston perform this role live on stage in Philadelphia in the 80's. He was in his 60's and still had it. Phenomenal performance!
Wow!
Good for you.
In that same era, I got to see The King And I onstage with Yul Brynner, in Boston.
Got to grab those chances.
Absolutely brilliant. Preston is magical.
This wonderful song came down to us as a direct descendant of the Gilbert and Sullivan 'patter' tunes. Requiring a really articulate actor/singer, and that takes an ear, as well as a talented tongue. I simply adore this. Preston had it nailed!! With a Capital P.....
This always was my favorite song from this movie.
Mine: Til there was you.
Gary indiana
Gee Trieste the feel when your foot gets caught in the door
Derric awright Love that I myself.
Mine too
I remember Robert Preston most for his role in "The Last Starfighter". Where he portrayed an alien huckster out to recruit "Starfighters". "Yes we got trouble! Bad trouble! Right here in Alpha Centauri!"
Oh, ya got trouble. Right here in Rylos City. With a capital T, and that sounds like Z, and that stands for Xur.
I love that movie
"So's your old man," precursor to your mom
He's saying Is your old man also saying Swell, Not is your child saying So's your old man
@@die-brot-frau so’s your old man basically means “the same to you!”; used as a retort to an insult, originating in playground slang
Hammy Boi11 Wrong. “So’s your old man” was a phrase back then. OP is right it’s basically the same spirit as “your mom”.
@@ImJustSayin2014 yep
It's kind of a combination of that and "That's what she said."
One of the great musical theater performances on stage is preserved on film for new generations. Thank God for film.
I saw the first- run film in Spokane (at the Fox Theater) in 1962 when we were on our way to the World's Fair in Seattle - anxious to see the Space Needle.
Robert Preston was the absolute best.......RIP to the master
of the Music man.
The phenomenal part of this performance (Per Shirley Jones interview) is Preston Lip sync's the whole thing from a prerecording of himself; I watched it over and over and couldn't find a single flaw...truly Robert was a remarkable talent. I remember first seeing this at the theatre with my parents; we stayed and saw it twice we liked it so much
Are you serious? This was lip sync'd?!? As if I couldn't be more blown away by this performance...
It's saddening that this rethoric is still used today in politics and people keep falling for it.
exactly why democracy doesn't work
Makes me so sad is I didn’t know about this man or his legendary talent until last week! I WILL MAKE UP FOR THIS BY PRAISING HIM EVERYWHERE I GO! 😫🎶
What an underrated legend! 👏
He's awesome. One of his later roles was in 'The Last Starfighter'. It's worth a watch. The CGI is an early attempt and a bit cheesy but it's a solid story and Robert is awesome as always.
This man is brilliant ! I never get tired of this, I always get goosebumps when he " ad libs " at the end. Marvelous !
I am mesmerized by this performance. I know it's a movie and he might have had multiple takes, so I would Marvel even more at a stage play where an actor would have to get through that entire scene without flubbing or forgetting a line. It's brilliant!
Robert Preston DID play Harold Hill in the original stage play and then was cast straight into the movie, which is kind of a rarity. Shirley Jones was cast as his romantic partner Marion the Librarian and Shirley wanted to use her star power to refuse to dance in the movie, as a mysterious double had been previously supplied for her in the movie Oklahoma. But the powerful lady choreographer (I dont recall her name) of the movie, The Music Man FORCED her to dance! The lady was so strict, she even tried (and alas, ultimately failed) to get the super chubby Buddy Hackett (who you might remember from the original Love Bug movie) to perform successful bell kicks.
When Shirley did her showcase dance piece for the movie, the professional chorus (ensemble) dancers sympathized with her greatly for not being the best dancer by literally carrying her through some of the most difficult dance moves of the scene. This full scene is unfortunately not available for free online. The song is affectionately called: Marion, Madam Librarian
davidjamesshaver.online
popu.photo
@@davidjamesshaver The choreographer was Onna White who also supersized the dances for "Bye, Bye Birdie" and the Oscar-winning "Oliver!"
He originated the role on Broadway, so by the time he came around to doing it on film he had it down cold.
So the movie was released in 1962. In 1968, I entered my senior year of high school. And that year, we had an assembly, part of which was to announce a high school play based on this movie...one I had never heard of. And it was a classmate I had known since, oh Lord, going back to grade three or so. And David Akers performed this very song.
After graduation I would indeed soon see this wonderful movie.
And all I can say is Mr. Preston would have been proud, maybe even a bit envious, of just how remarkable David's performance had been.
I learned recently that David passed away years ago.
So to Mr. Preson and David, thank you both for some of the happiest memories of my life.
Gotta be honest, not my favorite musical, but I never get tired of this number, and mad respect for the late Robert Preston who was a great singer and actor, and also probably would have made a succuessful con man in real life.
ha. all successful actors are con men gone straight.
Except for the fact that he was extremely honest 🤭
@@Rune789 no doubt, but if he had wanted to be a con man, he could’ve pulled it off.
My entire family went to the downtown theater to see this incredible musical, two Saturdays in a row!! Then my parents purchased the musical soundtrack album!! It certainly highlighted my enjoyment of music at a very young age!
I've rarely seen a performance so perfect ! I bought that movie after seeing it the first time because I was so impressed by his talent.
And remember that he did it on stage, too...!
Robert Preston from what I'm told by many was one of the must gregarious/warm and easy going people you could ever know.Meredith Wilson seemed to write Harold Hill like he knew a Robert Preston was going to come along one day and make this part iconic.I think this role and the Booze swilling/nempho doctor in SOB might be his best work and VVictoria.
And to think that Jack Warner wanted to cast Frank Sinatra as Harold Hill. I was a great fan of Mr. Sinatra, but he could not have pulled it off like Robert Preston.
No way way Sinatra does this, just doesn't fit. Frank was great in Man with the Golden Arm around the same time though.
Sinatra would have done a good job, because Sinatra would never do a bad job, but he would not have done a great job. The movie is memorable because of Preston. And apparently Meredith Willson (the composer) agreed, because there are reports he told Jack Warner that Robert Preston got the lead, or the film wouldn't be made.
@@nancypine9952 good thing Rober
Preston got this part. This part just suits him so well!!
Sinatra was available but, to his credit, he turned the role down.
@@eroupopper He played basically the same character in the eighties in 'The Last Starfighter'.
The first example of rapping in musical history! 😁
Patter songs had been used in musicals for quite a while. Gilbert and Sullivan used them, most notably 'I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General.'
@@GrainneMhaol I do take your point, but Gilbert and Sullivan did assign actual notes to each syllable whereas there are a number of phrases uttered by Robert Preston that have no association with any musical notes, they're just utterances, rhythmic though they may be.
@@DavidWilsoninnefl His performance choices don't change the nature of the song. I chose Burn from Hamilton as my showcase performance in a musical theatre class. My teacher told me to speak, not sing several lines, 'Do you know what Angelica said?' etc. Didn't make the song a rap number.
Actually there's an older example of rap in a song called Rock Island. About 20 minutes older to be precise (it's at the beginning of the movie).
@@DavidWilsoninnefl each syllable still has a pitch, though --- even when you speak normally. so it's a matter of whether you wish to write it down on a score sheet or not
I just recently got into acting and my grandpa informed me that Robert Preston is related to me somewhere down the lines and this is just amazing. I've never seen him before but it's crazy how good he is. I got to see his Tony's too they're in a cabinet at my grandpa's house. I have so much respect for him now.
@RDeV wtf you're right that's actually insane. Yes I heard about Catherine too but I didn't know her name, that's so cool!
Fast, flawless and fiercely entertaining. Try reciting this word for word if you ever need to stop being depressed. He was no spring chicken when this was filmed. Preston and Astair were hoofers first and formost. Love the way he looks, really looks at his cast and really tries to convince them. He made everyone up their game.
I absolutely adore Robert Preston. In this movie, Victor & Victoria, and even The Last Starfighter, he has a charisma that’s unmatched: that huckster who could sell ice cubes to the devil, but still ends up being completely lovable.
I’ve seen those other movies too
"Swell" and "so's your old man!" Boy, better not show them a typical 10-year-old's facebook page! Popped heads and heart attacks all around! :D
Why the hell would the parents let them go there in the first place lol
@@beansforsalewahoo morons just shove an ipad in front of their kids and expect it to raise them
I'm not sure why this came up in my recommend, but I sure needed it!
This sounds just like the people insisting we need to get rid of Aunt Jemima and Gone With the Wind! Every slight offence must be removed to save the country for the children! Get that crowd riled up! We got trouble!
Robert Preston absolutely nails this part. He's the definitive Harold Hill.
One of the greatest, if not THE greatest, showstopping number in all of U.S. musical theater, masterfully delivered.
For sure. Masterful. Preston was a gem.
I’m frittering away my chore time watching this swell video.
What an absolutely superb and classic production....
MONORAIL.
MONORAIL.
wait
Mono!
+Zulu Romeo doh!
homer and bart: monorail monorail monorail
sorry mom the mob has spoken
Monorail
There will only ever be ONE "Music Man," and Robert Preston is it.
The sad thing is that today's kids will watch this and not know half of what he's talking about. I'm guessing most of them have no idea what Sen-Sen was, or what a cistern was and why it was important that it not be empty on a Saturday night.
One of the finest performances, no one can touch it, he owns it. Brilliant!
The story, the songs, the lyrics, the cast and the humor all combine to create a spectacular show from start to finish! For my money, the best musical ever conceived!
This scene is the pinnacle of Robert Preston's entire career, IMO.
His dancing with Jones in Shipoopi is choreographic genius!
When Robert Preston first signed a film contract with Paramount in the early 1940s he alternated between playing heavies and co-starring roles. So, whe he got the role of Prof. Harold Hill in the Broadway production of "The Music Man," it was considered a surprise. It was a happy surprise for all of us.
Saw Sammy Davis Jr. perform this in the 70’s. Used every inch of that stage and was just plain INCREDIBLE.
Apparently one of the stars the studio wanted to play Harold Hill was Cary Grant, who told them something to the effect of “if you don’t cast Robert Preston in the role I won’t even watch the movie!”.
The same thing happened two years later at the same studio (Warner Bros.) when studio head Jack Warner tried to talk Grant into playing Prof. Henry Higgins instead of Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady." Must be that Warner didn't understand professors.
o am now trying to picture Cary Grant as Harold Hill, and it just doesn't wash. I keep getting the giggles.
One of the most catchy tunes in all of musicals. Did Robert Preston get any awards for this movie? Because he should have he was magnificent. Also catch the scene where he is trying to get the band kids to play Minuet in G. All classic stuff.
NONE
Robert Preston was magical in this movie. This is my favorite song in the musical, so seamless and so sharp.
What a great show and Robert Preston was fabulous.
A genius scene. Robert Preston, the songwriter and director knocked it out of the park. I can't help but think of the hours Preston spent learning this part.
Agreed. Amazing talent.
Robert Preston was fantastic in this scene from The Music Man.., this was my favourite highlight , what talent!
It's so sad how few people remember who Robert Preston was, let alone what a talented actor he was - and singer.
My first glimpse of his talent was the Last Starfighter
What an incredibly great performance! No one can match Robert Preston!
It's amazing! They all know the words and the movements.
My mom hasn't seen this movie in over 40 years and can still recite this whole bit!!