Word: bloomgarden
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Broadway's top producer this season, 53-year-old Kermit (Look Homeward, Angel] Bloomgarden (TIME, April 21), had the good fortune to form a team of three men with widely varied experience in show business: Composer (You and I, Two in Love] and oldtime Radio Performer Meredith Willson, 56, the jovial lowan who in his first try for the theater wrote book, music and lyrics; Director (No Time for Sergeants, Auntie Mame) Morton Da Costa, 44, who gave the show its sparkle and pace; and the Music Man himself, longtime Cinemactor Robert Preston, 40, known vaguely to millions...
Willson lugged his memory-bag of "innocent Iowa" around for years, discussing it with producers, writing new material, throwing away songs, dashing off new ones. In 1956 Producer Bloomgarden told him that he would like to see the script. A year later, Willson called Bloomgarden from Hollywood. Says Bloomgarden: "I said to myself, 'Willson? Who the hell...
Willson?' But I told him that if I could hear it the next day I'd be free." Willson and his wife Rini took a plane for New York. Next night they met Bloomgarden at the apartment of Conductor Herbert Greene, who is a co-producer and musical director of the show. Willson played the piano and sang the male parts while Rini sang the female roles. They wound up at 5 a.m. At 9 a.m. Bloomgarden called Willson at his hotel and said: "May I have the honor of producing your beautiful play...
Open Face & Big Frustration. Bloomgarden called in Director Da Costa and set to work casting the show. Barbara Cook (Plain and Fancy') had just the right sweet voice to play Marian; Comedian David Burns was a natural for the wacky mayor; an international championship barbershop quartet, the Buffalo Bills, was signed to harmonize the Sweet Adeline-style love songs that reminded Willson of Mason City days; a ten-year-old charmer named Eddie Hodges took on the role of Marian's shy little brother...
Finding the man to play Harold Hill was a more complicated problem. Television Comic Milton Berle wanted the part. TV Actor Art Carney was considered, and so was Dancer Ray Bolger. Da Costa had seen Robert Preston in a few summer stock shows; Bloomgarden, too, knew Preston's work. Says Da Costa: "Preston has energy and he has reality. He's an actor who can project himself larger than life. And he has enough sureness of technique and enough urbanity to portray the con man and the opportunist without resorting to a wax mustache. The part calls...