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Robert Preston
- Harold Hill (played by Robert Preston) is a charismatic con man who arrives in River City, Iowa, in the summer of 1912.
www.britannica.com/topic/The-Music-Man-film-1962The Music Man | Musical comedy, Robert Preston, Meredith ...
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In 1912, con man Professor Harold Hill arrives in fictional River City, Iowa, to swindle the citizens. A few traveling salesmen in the area have heard about Hill, who is known for a ploy in which he gets townspeople to pay to create boys' marching bands, with Hill faking his musical expertise and skipping town once he has their money.
The original cast included Robert Preston (who reprised his role in the 1962 screen adaptation) as Harold Hill, Barbara Cook as Marian, Eddie Hodges as Winthrop, Pert Kelton as Mrs. Paroo, Iggie Wolfington as Marcellus Washburn and David Burns as Mayor Shinn.
- Meredith Willson, Franklin Lacey, Abba Bogin
- 1983
Aug 7, 2024 · Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra both wanted to star. Warner Bros. also considered Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Dean Martin and Cary Grant for the role of con man Harold Hill.
- Overview
- Role in The Music Man
Harold Hill, a dishonest traveling salesman, is the main character in The Music Man.
Harold Hill travels on a train to River City, Iowa, among other salesmen who are talking about him and his tricks. Upon arriving, he reveals himself to the salesmen before getting off the train quickly.
The people in River City show Harold their stubborn attitude when he arrives in the small town. He eventually runs into an old friend, Marcellus Washburn, and Marcellus describes the town and its people, specifically a piano teacher and librarian named Marian Paroo. Harold looks for a way to stir up a need for a band in River City, and when he learns that the town recently purchased a new pool table he warns the townspeople about the trouble that it brings to the youth in town. This causes the chaos he had hoped for.
He spots Marian in the crowd of people and attempts to follow her home, but is met with stubbornness and ignored.
The next day, during the Independence Day activities held in the Madison Gymnasium due to the rain, Harold stirs up the crowd once again about the new pool table and uses this as his opportunity to tell them about his "business". He describes the glory that having a boys' band in town would bring. He also attempts to gain trust by sending Tommy Djilas, a troublemaking boy, off with Zaneeta Shinn, the mayor's daughter.
The school board approach Harold in order to get his credentials, but he forms them into a barbershop quartet and manages to distract them. Marian continues to ignore Harold, despite his attempts to make her pay attention. He inquires some of the town's most avid gossipers about her, and hears a false rumor that Marian had an affair with Miser Madison, who gave the town its library. He again distracts the school board from his credentials by helping them start to sing.
Harold travels to the library and tries to make her pay attention to him, and almost succeeds, but when he kisses her she tries to slap him.
The Music Man: Directed by Morton DaCosta. With Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold. Traveling con artist Harold Hill targets the naïve residents of a small town in 1910s Iowa by posing as a boys' band leader to raise money before he can skip town.
- (19K)
- Comedy, Family, Musical
- Morton DaCosta
- 1962-06-19
Harold Hill : Mothers of River City, heed that warning before it's too late! Watch for the telltale signs of corruption!
The Music Man, American musical film, released in 1962, that was based on a hit 1957 Broadway show written by Meredith Willson. Harold Hill (played by Robert Preston) is a charismatic con man who arrives in River City, Iowa, in the summer of 1912.
