Sunday, November 24, 2013

195 Quiz Answer


“The Music Man” was a highly successful Broadway musical with book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson (and starring Robert Preston), which went on to both film and TV adaptations.

(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "T" is for "Travis")
Here’s this week’s Berownial quiz question.  I wrote the following scenelet, thinking it might remind you of a production that was a hit musical which then became a hit movie.  What was its name?

A town meeting, years ago.

“Can you hear me all right, in the back of the hall there?  Then I hereby declare this meeting open.”

“We can hear you okay, Paul.  I want to begin with something important, something that affects…”

“Wait a minute, Jed.  Sit down.  We’ve got to do this right, follow our rules of order.  First off, we need to have the reading of the minutes of the last meeting.”

“Mr. Chairman!  I move and second that we postpone or just skip the minutes reading.   We have something more important…”

“You can’t second your own motion, Jed!  All right, we’ll assume it’s been seconded.  What is it you’re so fired up about?”

“Mr. Chairman, I speak as a proud member of our proud community, a town that has summed up, and I may even say epitomized, what the American dream has come to mean for generations of citizens.  When language takes flight and one speaks of the land of the free and the home of the brave, we might well be talking of our very own municipality…”

“Uh, Jed, you said you had something important to bring up.  Could you be a bit more specific and zero in on just what it is?”

“Of course, Mr. Chairman.  I speak of a very present danger, a crisis.  We have to be wary of outsiders, Paul, coming into our fair town, bringing with them newfangled ideas and some curious projects they want to foist on us.” 

“You’re speaking of Mr. Travis, right?  Well, he arrived recently in town and he has presented some interesting musical ideas for our local young folks but I don’t see this as a crisis.”

“You don’t?  You may not be aware of just how negative an impact music has on younger generations today and how it affects their lives; it can be a kind of drug to them.  This Travis character wants to organize our kids, get them all steamed up about forming musical groups that will inevitably drive their parents, as well as the rest of us, out of our minds.”

“Well, Jed, I guess I don’t agree that getting children to learn more about music is ‘unscrupulous.’  I think this could be something our town could be proud of.  On major holidays it would be great to see our kids performing in a musical parade.”

“Oh, don’t get that guy Travis started talking about parades.  You wouldn’t believe the number of trombones he plans to lead with.”

(Also submitted to Sunday Scribblings)

37 comments:

New York Erratic said...

Footloose!

Helen said...

The Music Man .....

Berowne said...

Helen has stepped up as first with the correct answer.

Berowne said...

A very good answer, N Y Erratic, but not quite the right one.

21 Wits said...

"The Music Man" I believe. here's a little clip that will forever rock with gusto!

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/431093/Music-Man-The-Movie-Clip-Seventy-Six-Trombones.html

Berowne said...

Welcome, Karen. Karen S has just joined us with the correct answer.

Kathe W. said...

Music Man!!!
Welcome back! We all missed you!

DCW said...

The danger is seventy-six thrombosis.

Jae Rose said...

Now I have tried Googling and Wikepedia-ing and am struggling - could it be 'Parade' (although not sure that became a film and seemed to have a very heavy storyline..looking forward to the answer..

Berowne said...

My thanx to DCW for answering elliptically - elliptically but correctly.

Berowne said...

Kathe W gave the right answer and added: "We all missed you!"
I all missed you, too. :-)

New York Erratic said...

Wow. I had no idea how many movies fit the mold of "it started as a Broadway musical about swinging music banned in an uptight town and later became a movie."

Othello was way easier. I think there's only two Shakespeare plays with North Africans in major roles, the other being Titus.

Rock of Ages?

Old Egg said...

Could this be "The Music Man" with 76 trombones leading the big parade? Well that's my guess.

Berowne said...

Oldegg has just joined us, coming up, as he has so often in the past, with the correct answer.

Berowne said...

To N Y Erratic: I'm not sure the question was dealing with "swinging" music... :-)

Tess Kincaid said...

The Music Man...

Berowne said...

Tess (of the Storm Country) Kincaid has just provided us with the right answer.

naturgesetz said...

The Music Man. Any doubt was erased with the allusion to "76 Trombones."

CHummelKornell said...

Music Man, one of my all time favorites!!!

Silent Otto said...

No idea, but i was about to send out a search party , Kurtz !

Roger Owen Green said...

Trombones made it a dead giveaway - I was pretty sure before that it was The Music Man.

Berowne said...

Three more with the right answer: Roger Owen Green, C Hummel Kornell and naturgesetz.

Other Mary said...

The Music Man?

Berowne said...

Another "winner." Other Mary has the correct answer.

Kate said...

The Music Man?

Leslie: said...

I'm guessing "Footloose" with Kevin Bacon! Have a terrific week!

Leslie
abcw team

Berowne said...

Another correct answer, this one from Kate.

New York Erratic said...

Music Man, but Roger gave me hints and I STILL had to use Google!

Hildred said...

Seventy-six Trombones, of course. Would it be The Music Man? Nice to have you back....

Berowne said...

Hildred and N Y Erratic have both joined our merry band with the right answer.

RMP said...

Okay, I have no clue, though I swear this summer excerpts from this were performed as part of a culminating activity to theater camp of 4th-7th graders. If I recall correctly, the music guy (Travis) was not all that he seemed in a musical called the Music Man. Although I will say that if it had been about dancing I would have echoed the Footloose responses.

This was a cute piece. Jed seconding himself made me laugh.

Sheilagh Lee said...

the Music Man

Lyn said...

Can it be The Music Man ? Say yes, please!!

Berowne said...

Lyn, Sheilagh Lee and RMP hsve all given us the right answer. (Does "RMP" stand for Royal Mounted Police?)

Sharp Little Pencil said...

Hi, Berowne, sorry I've been absent for a week of so.

The show that gave us "Gary, Indiana," as sung by little Ronnie Howard, "The Music Man." Robert Preston is one of my all-time faves, especially for his juicy role in "Victor/Victoria"! Amy

Berowne said...

Sharp Little Pencil has been sharpening her little pencil to come up with the correct answer.

rallentanda said...

I know that it is not Quo Vadis:)

 
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