20 photos and illustrations 6 x 9 Meredith Willson marched into the hearts of American music lovers with productions such as the "The Music Man" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," and unforgettable show tunes like "76 Trombones." It is the amazing story of how a youngster with talent and tenacity, possessed with what he would later call a streak of "Iowa stubborn", rose to become one of America's most famous musicians. It is the story of a remarkable career in which Willson: helped scientist Lee deForest in experiments that developed sound for motion pictures, wrote the music for Charlie Chaplin's first "talkie," wrote a song recorded by the Beatles, and won the first Grammy award ever presented. John C. Skipper is a newspaper journalist whose 35-year career has produced thousands of newspaper columns and five books. John and his wife, Sandi, live in Mason City, Iowa, just a stone's throw from Willson's famous footbridge. They have three grown daughters and one grandchild.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Willson (1902-84) is best known for his phenomenally successful 1957 Broadway show, The Music Man. But as journalist Skipper (Umpires) reveals in this pleasant if somewhat superficial biography, the composer also wrote music for Charlie Chaplin's first talkie and garnered the first Grammy. After covering Willson's beginnings in Mason City, IA, the author delves into his stints playing piccolo with the John Philip Sousa band and the New York Philharmonic, song compositions, radio shows in California, and later triumphs on stage and screen. The descriptions of Willson's relationships with his family and colleagues create the impression of a generous, self-effacing individual who would have probably made a wonderful grandfather had he been blessed with children. Enhancing the book are an up-to-date bibliography and appendixes of Willson's songs and awards. Recommended for public and academic libraries with interest in 20th-century Americana and musical theater.
Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointment,
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This review is from: Meredith Willson: The Unsinkable Music Man (Paperback)
A musician of Willson's considerable talent and achievements deserves a better book than this one, but unfortunately there is no other. This is really a chamber of commerce puff piece about the favorite son of Mason City, Iowa. There is no serious, detailed analysis of Willson's work. The style is that of newspaper Sunday supplements, repetitious and superficial. It is also sprinkled with errors. Some of them may be the result of careless proofreading, but others are clearly the author's mistakes. For example, Frank Morgan played the wizard not the tin man in "The Wizard of Oz"; Suppe's overture is "Light Cavalry" not "Light Calvary"; WACs were not in the Women's Air Corps, but Women's Army Corps; the famous "Command Performance" of "Dick Tracy in B-flat" was 60 minutes long, not 90, and bits of the dialogue are inaccurately quoted; and tape recording did not come to the US until after World War II. With this many easily spotted mistakes, one has to wonder about the accuracy of the entire book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a wonderful book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Meredith Willson: The Unsinkable Music Man (Paperback)
Frankly, I do not understand the 2 star review of this book. I could not put it down. The author, a veteran reporter from Willson's hometown, spent a long while digging into manuscript material, interviewing people who knew Willson, and writing what is to me one compelling book. There is so much about his early years (what a weird childhood!), his difficult days in NY trying to carve out a career, strained relations with his siblings, and even the controversy about whether he or his sister Dixie had the idea for "The Music Man." His three wives, later years, and sad decline are all here. I am not ashamed to say I was crying when I put the book down. My wife gave me the book for Xmas, and also just finished reading it. She loved it as well. Now my sister is reading it. If you like the hit musical and Merideth Willson (yes, that is Willson with 2 "ls"), you will enjoy this book immensely. I did see a few typos, but big deal. The obvious depth of research and quality of the author's writing make it clear this is a serious book. I cannot recommend it enough.
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