This week our Musicals series leads us into contemporary topics of book bans, moral panics, and representation as Jen discusses “The Music Man” with Jess Salow, an archivist and Curator of Black Collections at the Arizona State University Library and the co-host of the Bawdy Literati Podcast! We also cover the impressive careers of Meredith Wilson, Robert Preston, and Shirley Jones; talk about the making of the film; sigh over the romance of it all; and Jen sings far too many song snippets! Don’t miss this fascinating discussion of an older musical that still speaks to the present moment, even as modern creators think about how to move it into the future.
0:00-8:22 Favorite Childhood Musicals, Updates On The Bawdy Literati Podcast
Bio For Guest Host, Jess Salow:
Jess is an archivist/librarian and an avid reader and videogamer. She is also the co-host of Bawdy Literati, a podcast that explores "fiction that fucks". She has been reading romance/erotica since she was a tween and considers romance/erotica her favorite genre to read. While Jess doesn't lean into the romcom genre when watching movies, as she is more of a Action/Sci Fi fan with The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and Independence Day (1996) as some of her favorites, she does enjoy some romcoms including You've Got Mail (1998), The Wedding Singer (1998), and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) as some of her favorite romcoms of all time. She has three cats and has been with her partner for 25 years.
Listen To Jess And Asa On Bawdy Literati!:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2EdSIkpkb4UWVukx8EfD0w?si=yJxvNJYUQ2Sx9jqpgB5CEw&nd=1
Connect With Bawdy Literati On Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bawdyliterati/
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https://www.buymeacoffee.com/everyromcom
8:22-19:40 TRAILER, Basic Info, Interesting Facts
https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16105/the-music-man#articles-reviews?articleId=12694
Musicals: The Definitive Illustrated Story, DK Books, Editor Miezan van Zyl, 2015
Red Hot & Blue: A Smithsonian Salute to The American Musical by Amy Henderson and Dwight Blocker, National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian Institution); National Museum of American History (U.S.), 1996
“Right Here In River City” documentary from “The Music Man” DVD special edition
19:40-34:27 Cast & Crew In-Depth
More Information On Robert Preston:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Preston
https://masterworksbroadway.com/artist/robert-preston/
More Information On Shirley Jones:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shirley-Jones
https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-08-2013/shirley-jones-discusses-memoir.html
More Information On Meredith Wilson:
https://www.songhall.org/profile/Meredith_Willson
https://www.pbs.org/video/meredith-willson-americas-music-man-kogm5k/
34:27-41:03 General Opinion
41:03-58:04 “The Music Man” In Context, Opening Credits, “Rock Island”, Mason City As River City, “Iowa Stubborn”
A Glossary Of Older Words/References In “The Music Man”:
http://tfmcq.altervista.org/theater/music_man/music_man_gloss.html
Pronunciation Of “Iowa”:
https://www.radioiowa.com/2021/12/27/this-is-175th-anniversary-of-iowa-or-as-they-used-to-say-ioway/
Mason City “Music Man” Attractions:
58:04-1:12:32 Harold Settles In, Mrs. Shinn At The Library, Book Bans In “The Music Man” And Today
More Information On Book Bans:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/books/book-ban-florida.html
https://time.com/6211350/public-libraries-book-bans/
1:12:32-1:21:04 “Ya Got Trouble”, “The Piano Lesson”/”Goodnight My Someone”
Interesting Article Linking “Ya Got Trouble” To Moral Panics:
https://www.npr.org/2014/09/15/348667069/kids-pants-booze-music-trouble-in-river-city-and-always
1:21:04-1:30:46 “76 Trombones”, The School Board/”Sincere”, “Pick A Little Talk A Little”/”Goodnight Ladies”
Authors In “Pick A Little Talk A Little”:
https://themusicmanreadingmap.weebly.com/dirty-books.html
Note - “Goodnight Ladies” is attributed to Edwin Pearce Christy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight,_Ladies
1:30:46-1:38:15 “The Sadder But Wiser Girl”, “Marian The Librarian”
1:38:15-1:53:10 “Gary, Indiana”, “Being In Love”, “The Wells Fargo Wagon”, The “Think” System, Harold And Marian Falling In Love, “Lida Rose (Will I Ever Tell You)”, “Gary, Indiana” Reprise
More On The History Of The Wells Fargo Wagon:
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wells-fargo/
https://www.oldwest.org/wells-fargo-stagecoach-history/
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wells-and-fargo-start-shipping-and-banking-company
1:53:10 SPOILERS BEGIN
1:53:10-2:05:49 The Anvil Salesman, “Shipoopi”, “Til There Was You”, “76 Trombones”/”Goodnight My Someone”
2:05:49-2:14:15 Harold’s Choice, Harold Is Caught, Finale
2:14:15-2:23:20 Race & Representation In “The Music Man”
More On Broadway Representation And “The Music Man”:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/08/opinion/music-man-race-broadway.html
2:23:20-2:36:16 Double Feature Recommendations
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