Henry Meredith

One of the best comedies of its time - and coming out around Christmas time, it always reminded me of similar stories such as Miracle on 34th Street. All the actors do a terrific job. My favorite part, as a trumpeter, however, was the lengthy opening music for the credits and initial action (of Dick Van Dyke as butler Fitzwilly and his staff picking up stuff on other people's credit cards or conning store owners, such as acquiring a grand piano for a house re-decoration project that would bring them money to support Edith Evans's character's myth of wealth). The music by 'Johnny' Williams featured a buoyant piccolo trumpet solo (cadences with 2 trumpets), over a harpsichord, some screaming horns, and one of the most pyrotechnical tuba solos ever (played by Roger Bobo of the LA Phil, I think). The trumpet melody was a not too subtle adaptation of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. Charming, even though some critics claimed there was no Christmas music in this film, not recognizing this standard (or its musical pun of gifts stolen for the benefit of the true love for Miss Woodworth, the spinster owner of the broke estate), nor the fact that the 'Sub-Scouts' sang Christmas carols to aid the confusion in the store they were robbing on Christmas Eve. Johnny Williams at his best.