The Music Man

The Music Man (1962)

5 corrected entries

(2 votes)

Corrected entry: In the beginning Harold asks for a wagon on Sunday at the livery stable. But later when he is asked if he wants to go to the hotel he says he is not sure if he is going to stay. Now why would he need a wagon on Sunday if he won't be there?

Correction: Because it would be easier to pre-book the wagon, and cancel later, than to get one last-minute.

J I Cohen

Corrected entry: The end of the movie should take place at night. In fact, when Tommy leads the band kids out of the gym, the light fixtures on the wall behind him are on. The camera angle cuts to a wide shot and suddenly its daylight and the light fixtures are turned off.

Correction: The end of the movie is not intended to be happening in reality - not only does it change from night to day, but the uniforms of the marchers change and the number of people in the band. This scene is symbolic of the happy ending the movie is supposed to have.

Corrected entry: In the scene where the train pulls into River City, the station and platform are on the right. (This means that if we were watching from the platform, the train would approach from the left.) Professor Harold Hill leaves the train and we now watch the action from over his shoulder, on the platform. The trains pulls out going to the left, the same direction it came from.

Correction: In the scene where the train pulls into River City, the station and platform are on the left. An <> is on the right. When Prof. Hill gets off the train, we see the train car in the background, which is on the same side it was on before he got off. Meaning the train continued in the direction it was heading, and not going back the way it came.

Corrected entry: Why does it take the anvil salesman nearly the entire movie to catch the next train back to River City? The train takes only a few minutes to go between stops, but he doesn't show up until after Harold orders all the instruments which would take weeks, if not months.

Correction: He didn't have the 'proof' about the professor at the beginning. He had to get the proof before returning to River City to expose the professor. They also stated that ordering the uniforms takes exactly 4 weeks. It isn't out of line to think the salesman may need that long to get the proof.

Jack's Revenge

Corrected entry: A little before "76 Trombones" Mayor Shinn says that a firework spectacle will take place later that evening, if the rain stops. During "76 Trombones", everyone marches outside and it's not raining.

Correction: Mayor Shinn says. "There will be a firework spectacle in the picnic park accross the creek from the pesthouse, providing it doesn't rain." It doesn't rain, so it goes ahead.

Revealing mistake: At a certain point we see the arid, dry Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles in the upper left of the picture with a huge high-tension electrical tower at the summit. The film is set in 1912 in Iowa, a green, rainy state which is also completely flat, with no mountains. Then again, we see the arid, dry Santa Monica Mountains in the upper right. (00:08:27)

More mistakes in The Music Man

Mayor Shinn: It's as clear as a buttonhook in the well water.

More quotes from The Music Man

Trivia: Shirley Jones was pregnant during the movie. She wore a special corset to conceal this. Director Morton DaCosta did not want anyone else involved in the movie to be aware of her pregnancy. He was so successful, that it was not until the kissing scene on the bridge that Robert Preston (Harold Hill) found out, when he was shocked to feel Jones' baby kicking him in the stomach.

More trivia for The Music Man

Question: If the movie was supposedly taking place in Indiana, why then during town meeting to runoff the band director did Marian tell the town folks to "put aside your Iowa stubbornness"?

Answer: The movie doesn't take place in Indiana. It takes place in River City, Iowa, which is established multiple times throughout the movie.

More questions & answers from The Music Man

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