2h 8min | Biography, Comedy, Musical | 11 June 1964 | Color, WS
Director: Charles Walters
Stars: Debbie Reynolds, Harve Presnell, Ed Begley.
Peter Gennaro ... choreographer
6 songs (by Meredith Willson) in the Soundtracks.
Previously rated 5 on 2015-03-05, I can only guess why I was so negative. The music and characters are quite brash, as is The Music Man. But it has some depth. In fact, I'd call it as much drama as comedy.
DR plays the poor, uneducated tomboy well. Even when she's in the money, newly settled in her mansion in Denver, she walks and carries her head like a hick.
HP has a strange face, teetering between handsome and homely, perhaps depending on the angle/lighting. And sometimes he slouches noticeably, not always when he's supposed to be down emotionally. 1st of 23 film credits for him; only 3 are musicals.
Maybe, like my reaction to HP's face, my reaction to this film depends on my mood. Today I was happy to see an "old fashioned" H'wood musical, even though the music is unfamiliar, and seeing DR's face pushed into the dirt was really unpleasant.
MGM, dir. Walters; 7
