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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZWILLSON, Meredith(b Mason City, Iowa, 18 May '02) Composer, flautist. Played flute in John Philip Sousa band, then New York Philharmonic; was major in Armed Forces Radio Service during WWII; mus. dir. of KFRC radio in San Francisco, later also host on various radio and TV shows. Wrote music for films and TV, broadway shows Here's Love, The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (latter two filmed early '60s), drawing upon his own small-town background for smash hit Music Man, which ran for 1,375 performances on Broadway. (Robert Preston (b Robert Preston Meservy, 8 June '18, Newton Highlands MA; d 21 March '87, Santa Barbara CA) starred in Music Man on stage and in '61 film; also in Mame '73; of his many films from '48, among the best was the non-musical Dark At The Top Of The Stairs '60, from William Inge play.) |