Eponymously Yours, W. Skeffington Higgins

Recently at a flea market, I picked up The Music Man: A Novel by Meredith Willson, Pyramid Books paperback #R-736. It was published in 1962 as a tie-in to the movie version of the hit Fifties musical. Here's a glimpse of the cover.

I love The Music Man, and so do daisy_knotwise and brotherguy and scarfman and minnehaha K. It is my favorite musical. I've read Willson's account of its creation, But He Doesn't Know the Territory. So for a buck, I knew this belonged in my library.

The book has some nice extras, such as numerous stills from the film, and a listing of all the song lyrics in the back. Nevertheless, it is a weird experience to read a novelized version of a story where you know the characters are supposed to break out into song. Paperbacks can't do that. I suppose there might be some hope for the Kindle. Or one could always turn to the lyrical appendix at the appropriate point in the story, and sing.

I would expect a book like this to be ghostwritten. However, a few things make me suspect it might really have come from Willson's typewriter.

First, it is dedicated "to Rini and Rosalie," an unnecessary touch for a ghostwriter and an insincere thing for the celebrity author to do if he didn't really write it.

Second, in But He Doesn't Know the Territory, Willson makes a big deal about speech-as-music, arranging words in rhythmic chants that seem like music. The most celebrated example is probably the number "Trouble," which is mostly talk and hardly any singing. In a moment, I'll give you an example from the novel.

Anyway, for all those who love this story, and wonder about the fate of the characters, the final page of the novel offers a veiled glimpse of the future. I thought you might like me to share. Naturally, there are spoilers.
( Spoilers for The Music Man )

The first sentence of the passage sounds like authentic Willson to my ear.