Buffalo Bills from 'The Music Man' - 1962 

You make me giggle every time...

Heh; well, appropriate BALANCE would be nice, too.

I attended the barbershop national competition in Toronto in about 1964. We heard some excellent performances from the competing quartets, but the Buffalo Bills, superstars that they were, were the invited special guests. They received a standing ovation as they walked onstage! When they began to sing the audience quieted -- not so much as a cough, sniffle, or muted conversation. We were enthralled! Mesmerized! At the end, another standing ovation, this time for what seemed like minutes and minutes and minutes. I was raised in a SPEBSQSA family, and I'll never, ever forget this live Bills performance. BTW, my father (a baritone) once told me that SPEBSQSA really stands for: Some People Especially Baritones Should Quit Singing Altogether. This still makes me chuckle :) :). :) I revisit this video clip from.time to time...because it just makes me feel good!

@@suelistens3392 great harmonies, ma recorded with her a cappella quartet in the early 50's (not sure it was HERS, but) we're all baritones! Boulder Colorado Chautauqua used to hold their annual competition. Was fun just to sit outside of the old music hall and listen.

All I can say after hearing that is...WOW!!!

@@suelistens3392 Jealous, lol. You certainly have a wonderful memory there!!!! Just for the record, however, baritones DO serve a useful purpose....try having a quartet without at least one :-=}}.

I was 8 years old, and saw this great musical with my family, 2 weeks in a row! This "Barbershop" style of harmonized singing truly knocked my socks off! I had never heard anything like this before, and became completely immersed in the sound!!🎵🎶☺❤

I've been a fan of this movie for 50 years (I'm 68) but I don't think I've ever caught that until now. His ability to see the capability of those four and then show them how to do it shows that he has an innate musicality and can guide others to express their own.

There's always a band. Singing is sustained talking.

"For me, there's always a band." That's why he's so good at selling the townspeople on the band. Because he's sold himself on it first.

This is my favorite musical. My parents divorced when I was little & I didn’t see my Dad for 20 years. I knew he was from the Quad Cities & an Iowa man. I always loved this entire musical; somehow as a boy I internalized the romance of it all. I met him again 37 years ago & have been blessed with a father & siblings. For him & me, there’s always a band.

HAHAHHAHAHA so good

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMAYKE HIM

P

Oops no

Winston Beech The most beautiful thing about singing is that the human voice can be so unique...everyone sounds different when talking, if you keep it all natural, you will sound original. No trying to copy or toying or enhance, just you

Vern Reed is my dad and he would have turned 100 TODAY!!

@@smlx4 he and the " bills"were terrific!!!!!! loved em

@@smlx4 Love it! Have you seen this clip of your dad? Looks like he was really enjoying himself... :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UYXaWl2gAKs.html

And he never moves into head voice all in his diaphragm And your correct his voice isn’t very high for a tenor but his ability to blend that sound with the others is the art not every singer can do There are a couple of points where he does a move and so stands out but in general I don’t see him standing out over the others Love this movie

Vern Reed.

They soon found.a job singing as an 1890"s barber shop quartet.,

@@johnbockelie3899 They WERE a famous quartet from Buffalo NY

Meredith Wilson was already a fan of theirs.

Acting is just sustained not-singing.

ive seen bits and pieces of this and im from the 2000s

I'm back again in 2021, and am always stunningly impressed with these guys.

I did, too!!! Nice to meet someone who did the same thing!

I'm not a fan of musicals, in general, but this one I really like. You can tell Meredith Wilson drew on a lot of personal experiences when he wrote it. Gently poking fun at characters (like the mayor), nothing edgy and always with love and affection. It's a vision of the best of America - small town in the midwest, ca 1910 with summer band concerts in the park, ice cream socials, barbershop quartets. A place where we all knew our neighbors and their foibles, and managed to get along.

simply: GREAT ENTERTAINMENT = HARD WORK

Rose Weldon 😂🎶

I disagree completely. The Broadway production concentrated on the music, NOT fancy uniforms, marches, and glitter. I'll never forget that show. It was the first time I saw and heard ANYTHING on Broadway. WOW!

They're both good. Just different. I was 10 years old when I saw Robert Preston do this on Broadway. His performance was so remarkable that I still have strong images of him bouncing around the stage like a Mexican jumping bean. I have never seen anyone give that much energy to a performance. Decades later I was fortunate to perform in an orchestra with Barbara Cook who was also in the production I saw. I was able to talk with her briefly about the strong effect she and Robert had on my desire to enter the world of music performance.

I do prefer the movie but I must say the Broadway production's still pretty good

I've never seen a stage production of THE MUSIC MAN, but I imagine Preston's preference for the movie may be because his dancing would have likely been more restrained on a theatrical stage versus that of a Hollywood soundstage. He seemed to be all over the place in the movie; I'm not sure that would have been possible in the same way on Broadway. I wish Broadway productions had been filmed for posterity. There are so many classic shows I'd enjoy seeing -- musicals and plays.

My late mom was a "musical nut," so of course we had the LP record of the Broadway production. That, and the movie, were both great.

I wonder were there any Marchands there chirping away during practices?

Can u believe Bob Preston was not even nominated for best actor?

+John Croyle And, he was just as good in drama! He starred on Broadway in the original production of "The Lion in Winter" (not Peter O'Toole!)

Ha ha ha

I miss the musicals. You always cane out of the theatre with a happy feeling!

If there was a Grand Finale of musicals, this was certainly the one. I was ten years old when it came to the theaters...... still watch it today.

Superb casting of every part.

Amen brother

+Ripjaw105 on the contrary, that's a very common Barbershop trick and 101% on pitch, but still definitely the best part of the movie

Barbershop quartet is: Bass, Baritone, Lead Tenor, and First Tenor (preferably sharp.). He is not off pitch here. A sharp Tenor is highly thought of. I'm sure BBSQ members & fans appreciate this scene very much.

Its was more about resolving the chord. Another great chord to listen to is the last chord from "Notre Dame Melody by Ring Masters". The tenor is a full step down until he resolves up to complete the final chord.

Reed. Yes, I've seen a note from his daughter somewhere about his passing and suffering from Alzheimers. Looking forward to angelic chord busting when I do!

@@richardbrucegraham1642 Reed is correct... I do not know how that got to be Green on my post. He was 74 when he passed. My wife worked at the Alzheimer facility were he spent his last days. She told me that he had no clear memory of those glory days but, he did tend to occasionally head for the door to meet the boys for rehearsal. It's so sad, I think that is the worse illness ever. You lose all your past, good memories and bad. When I first started singing with the barbershopper's my voice hadn't changed yet, so I strived to be a tenor like him. As nature would have it, shortly after my voice changed from tenor to baritone.

+Sebastian Brinkmann This comment made my day, lol.

Sebastian Brinkmann

Sebastian Brinkmann His name is Oliver

If you are refering to the lead, he is Al Shea. The others are Vern Reed, Scotty Ward filling in for Dick Grapes, and Bill Spangenberg. The Buffalo Bills were the 1950 International Quartet Champions of the SPEBSQSA.

I think you're referring to the baritone, Wayne "Scotty" Ward.

Yeah! ...... "DOWN HERE"!

Make sure you film the reaction, ok? LOL

Newfangled four ?

"...music is a a ladder for the soul to ascend..." I know I've read that somewhere...