Music Man Euphonium

[windshieldbug]

Depends.

Was a horn like that in the movie? Easy enough to watch and see.

Was that horn in the movie?

Well, for one, watch the movie and see if that exact maker/model/configuration appears.
If it does, is it similarly lacqured/silver/bare?
Where did you get it from? Did the previous owner give you any documentation?
Did they give you any other items relating to the movie?
Were they themselves an actor or an extra?

I doubt that serial numbers (which WOULD be proof) were recorded, or even worried about.

[iiipopes]

Do we get to read dime novels and use words like, swell, now?

[Chuck(G)]

Without any paper documentation, is this thing valued (to collectors) at anything more than one that probably wasn't used in The Music Man?

...and is it true that River City is really Bettendorf, Iowa?

[DBCooper]

Without any provenance presented, it is the same as hearsay evidence. Could you prove it now? Only if there is something unusual about the horn, that is indisputably clear in the movie. Would it make ane difference? Only as an interesting sidenote.

[MichaelDenney]

River City is Mason City, Meredith Wilson's home town.

http://www.themusicmansquare.org/

[Mitch]

Instruments for the Music Man came from two sources; one of them I'm certain about, the other...eh...a little sketchy, but maybe it will help.

For that big scene at the end with the endless marching band, they actually held a national competition (of sorts). There were some nuances to it, and I think maybe even a cancellation or withdrawal, but the upshot of it is that the band selected to appear was the marching band from Lockport (Illinois) Township High School, Ernest Caneva, director. Caneva actually wound up becoming a lifelong friend of Meredith Wilson. So a large majority of instruments were the personally-owned or school-owned instruments of the students in the band.

The rest of the infinite band were simply extras. Where those instruments came from I'm not sure. I would assume the studio provided them. You'd have to find a well-connected studio historian or track down the records (if any remain) or purchase orders or some other paperwork to tie it in. Given the time period, it's less likely that it came from the LTHS band, so proving it came through the studio is the more likely route to establishing provenance. Unfortunately, far too many objects have been given word-of-mouth provenance that turn out to be completely false. Establish a paper trail unless the horn is so unique that in a momentary camera shot you can establish beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's the horn you have.

Unfortunately, Ernie Caneva passed away years ago. I don't know that many people remain who could answer your question. The local newspaper for the area around Lockport is the Joliet Herald News. Maybe place a classified ad to see if anyone who was a student in the movie is still around? They may have a recollection as to which instruments came from where.

If your horn was in the movie, you need to establish how it got from L.A. to Detroit. That's the sketchy part. If Meyers Music=Custom Music, see if they have the old records somewhere.

The LTHS band has one other movie under its belt - Ferris Beuhler's Day Off. Now that was fun.

[Alex F]

This sounds like one for The History Detectives

Most of the large studios have an archives department which include business records related to a production.

[Lew]

This sounds like one for The History Detectives

Most of the large studios have an archives department which include business records related to a production.

Actually if you write to them they might run it down. It might not be old enough for their show, but you never know because it is an interesting story. Check it out here:

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetective ... index.html