Behind the Scenes of ‘The Music Man’: Inside the Search for the Perfect Harold Hill

Bringing the smash Broadway musical The Music Man to film audiences proved a big undertaking. Three studios competed for the rights during the waning days of the great movie musical. And although Robert Preston had thrilled audiences in the show for three years onstage, a search began to find a more recognizable star to play con man Harold Hill.

If it had been up to Warner Bros. honcho Jack Warner, Cary Grant or James Cagney might have played the role. “And Frank Sinatra thought he had it,” says Mark Cabaniss, author of Miracle of The Music Man: The Classic American Story of Meredith Willson. But Willson, the show’s composer who had based The Music Man on his Iowa boyhood, had his mind set on Robert. He likened Robert to The Music Man the same way that Carol Channing became synonymous with Hello, Dolly! “Some 60 years later, Preston’s performance is preserved on film,” says Cabaniss.

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‘The Music Man’ Cast Became ‘Like Family’

The cast, particularly the ones who didn’t come from Broadway, worked hard at Onna White’s choreography. “Shirley Jones didn’t consider herself a dancer,” says Cabaniss, “but Onna said, ‘Honey, by the time you finish this film, you’ll be one heck of a dancer.’”

Shirley’s success in the role is even more laudable considering she was pregnant during production. “A few of the cast members figured it out,” says Cabaniss, who adds that her secret was safe. “Shirley said it was a very happy set. They became like family.”

Decades later, The Music Man still has the ability to delight. “I think the reason the show is still so beloved is that the world is not as kind and gentle,” says Cabaniss. “There is a yearning for nostalgia, a simpler time and pure unabashed fun.”