Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

jacobs-greenwood This family favorite and Academy Award winning Musical – Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment by Ray Heindorf (his third Oscar out of 18 nominations) – was also nominated for Best Picture, Editing, and Sound, as well as for its Color Art Direction-Set Decoration and Costume Designs. It features Robert Preston in the title (and his career) role, as Professor Harold Hill, Shirley Jones as Marian "the librarian", Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford and eight-year-old Ron "Ronny" Howard as Winthrop Paroo, Marian's little brother; the ubiquitous Charles Lane, and Mary Wickes, also appear. It was produced and directed by Morton DaCosta, adapted by Marion Hargrove from the Meredith Willson-Franklin Lacey book, and added to the National Film Registry in 2005.The soundtrack features such memorable standards as: "Goodnight, My Someone" and "Gary, Indiana", the rousing "Shipoopi" plus the creatively intertwined numbers: "Ya Got Trouble/76 Trombones" and "Pick a Little, Talk a Little/Goodnight, Ladies".In case you are somehow unfamiliar with the story, Hill is a confidence man, who along with his cohort Marcellus Washburn (Hackett), happens upon River City, a small town replete with naïve parents – including the Mayor (Ford) and his wife (Gingold) – that fall for his shtick. They come to believe that Hill can transform their little minions into a full-fledged patriotic marching band – all they have to do is buy brand new uniforms and instruments from him! The better (read and) informed Marian is the only one that's skeptical, even though (especially because?) little Winthrop is Hill's biggest fan. So Hill has to win over or at least distract Miss Marian long enough for Washburn to collect the town's money, then they can get out of town before the townfolk realize that Hill's a fraud. Of course, wooing the comely librarian is fraught with its own dangers as the Professor soon discovers and risks being entrapped by his own lovemaking.

alexanderasam I really liked the production, and the moving camera, a rarity in film making in those days (I'm 60 so i grew up with these films) helps keep the film alive.Robert Preston was terrific. I love musicals and big films like this are a rarity, but the musical hasn't died -- it moved into the world of animation and to children's films... it resurfaces once in a while, with the spectacularCHICAGO...All the performers were delightful, though some overdrawn but Shirley Jones did a fine job as Marian...the credit goes to the screenwriter who apparently overhauled the Broadway play. I noticed that Ronnie Howard was listed in the movie...what a talented man he turned out to be.

invention13 I haven't seen this musical for years and was watched it recently - it wore very well. What strikes me about this musical is that it seems like a labor of love for the author. Quirky characters in a small early 20th century mid-western town are portrayed affectionately - there is no edginess or cynicism. For example, the mayors wife, with her 'ladies auxiliary for classical dance' performing 'Grecian Urns' is very gently poked fun at, without ever being nasty. It reminds me a bit of Mayberry RFD (which I am also a fan of). Besides having lots of great tunes and funny lines, what really makes this movie for me is the casting. Robert Preston and Shirley Jones are as close to perfect for the leads as I can imagine. Like the movie 'Casablanca', what really sets this apart is the amazing collection of character actors assembled - Paul Ford, Hermione Gingold, Pert Kelton, Harry Hickox, Buddy Hackett and a very young Ron Howard. There are a few little things that mar it - during the 'pick a little' routine, the director can't resist cutting to a shot of real live chickens. I mean, we get it - why not trust people to draw their own conclusion? Small flaws in editing and directing aside, this is by far and away my favorite musical.

vincentlynch-moonoi A bravura performance!That's what makes this film so memorable -- the bravura performance of Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill. Watching Preston prance through the initial performance of "76 Trombones", or musically preach in "Ya Got Trouble", or make Shirley Jones hot in "Marian, The Librarian" is not to be forgotten.The story is clever, as well -- a confidence man who attempts to hoodwink an entire Midwestern town, but cannot escape his conscience once he falls in love.Shirley Jones is excellent here, as well. In fact, this is probably my favorite of her films. And her performance of "Till There Was You" is particularly moving. Buddy Hackett is a surprise here -- quite competent in this period before he became a rather off-color comedian. Paul Ford, usually a buffoon I don't enjoy that much, was ideal here as...well...a buffoonish mayor. Hermione Gingold is a hoot as his wife. And we all remember the immensely cute (at that time) Ronny Howard as the bashful Winthrop with a humiliating lisp.I don't know how anyone can resist the charms of this delightful musical.