The Music Man

In Happy Days: Joanie Gets Wheels (1980), Howard and Marion Cunningham are coming out of a movie theater; they pause in the lobby and look at the poster for "The Music Man". Marion comments how much the little boy in the movie (Winthrop) "looks so much like Richie did when he was little". Both Winthrop and Richie were played by Ron Howard.

The two songs "76 Trombones" and "Good Night My Someone" are the same tune, played in different tempos. Meredith Willson used this technique to present a masculine and feminine slant on the on the events surrounding Harold Hill's arrival in River City and his budding relationship with Marian.

Despite Robert Preston's Tony-award winning performance in the Broadway production, Warner Bros. executives wanted a bankable star in the lead role of Professor Harold Hill for the movie. According to Shirley Jones, Frank Sinatra was offered the part, but Meredith Willson insisted on Preston and threatened to pull the movie rights. Cary Grant was also approached, but told the Warner Bros. executives, "Not only will I not star in it, if Robert Preston doesn't star in it, I will not see it." Preston finally got the part, and the movie was a big success, despite Warner Bros' misgivings. The same Hollywood legend is told about My Fair Lady, that Cary Grant was offered the part of Henry Higgins but told the producer that if Rex Harrison wasn't given the part he wouldn't even go see it.

Meredith Willson made more income off The Beatles' version of his song "Till There Was You" than he did off the play and the movie combined.

River City was based on Meredith Willson's home town of Mason City, Iowa. The movie had its world premiere there. Mason City also is known for its Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings and the Mason City Airport is where Buddy Holly's plane took off from on the day the music died.