Click here to read the intro: Steve Has Never Seen A Movie In His Life!?

PART 1: MUSICAL

When I was younger, the idea of sitting through an old musical was practically unbearable.  One day, my Dad noticed an interesting movie in the TV guide and decided that it was time for us to experience one of his favorite movies.  As you can imagine, my sister and I were skeptical when we found out is was a musical.  Anything else would have been acceptable but my Dad insisted we would love it.

I still remember the look on his face when the movie ended and we were all lightly singing:

“76 trombones led the big parade…”

Or

“I’d say we got trouble.  Trouble?  Right here in River City!  Right here?”

The Music Man

Half way through the movie I remember turning to my dad and smiling.   ‘I told you so!’ was written all over his face.  The Music Man was the first musical other than The Wizard of Oz that showed me how wonderful musicals can be.  I no longer sneered at the thought of sitting through 2 hours of song and dance.  The Music Man opened that door for me and I have my dad to thank for it.

What better movie to recommend to Steve than the movie that taught me how to love musicals?  In case you haven’t seen it either, here is a synopsis via Wikipedia:

The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the cash. In River City, Iowa, prim librarian and piano teacher Marian Paroo sees through him, but when Hill helps her younger brother overcome his fear of social interactions due to his lisp, Marian begins to fall in love with Harold. Harold, in turn falling for Marian, risks being caught to win her.

When I was old enough to start buying DVDs on my own, I would spend the money I made working at Pizza Hut on Amazon buying all the DVDs I always wanted.  The very first order included The Sandlot, Gremlins and The Music Man.  We watched it as a family the day it arrived.

Just because I can, I thought I’d include the classic Simpsons ‘Monorail’ scene.

IF YOU COULD ONLY RECOMMEND ONE MUSICAL
WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?

Don’t forget to read Movies That Scarred Me For Life: The Complete Series