76 Trombones

My wife and I recently watched the 1962 released movie  "The Music Man."  If a reader has not seen the movie or play, the songs may be familiar, particularly 76 Trombones which is the most prominent.  The Broadway play and the movie take place in a fictional Iowa city called River City in the early part of the 20th century, specifically 1912.  First performed on Broadway in 1957, being placed in 1912 would recall to those who in 1957 were about age 60 or greater an era of a past, simpler time: before two world wars, the atom bomb, the cold war and the iron curtain of communism.  The play, music and lyrics were all by Meredith Wilson who hailed from Mason City, Iowa.  Mason City is located in north central Iowa and is but five miles from where my father was born in 1918 on the Hovel family farm southeast of Manly.  "The Music Man" will see a revival on Broadway next year, with Hugh Jackman as Professor Harold Hill.

Ed Hovel (Sr). His four children, all boys, would
play a musical instrument in the Hovel Brothers Band
Photo from family archives

To Mason City it is no secret that the idyllic River City is a take off of Mason City.  Prior to "Field of Dreams" Iowa had "The Music Man" to cling to.   Iowa does not have a lot to cling to. (At the time of the Field of Dreams movie there was a saying for Iowa that went IOWA: I Owe the World and Apology.) Mason City, which sits on the banks of the Winnebago River, hosted the premier showing of movie version of the musical "The Music Man" in 1962 during the annual North Iowa Band festival. The festival apparently emphasizes marching bands. Whether or not the combined bands had 76 trombones with 110 coronets close behind, I have not discovered.  It is said that Meredith Wilson based the musical on varied individuals he knew growing up in Mason City.  Wilson would often go back to Mason City for the band festival.  With some characters in the musical based on those in real life Mason City, I do not think that I even want to imagine the women of Mason City, including Mrs. Shinn, doing their Grecian Urn imitation in the park. Wilson, who was born in 1902 was 16 years older than my Dad, but he would be much closer in age to some of my father's cousins, who were born only a few years after Wilson.  Wilson attend high school in Mason City and also played in the high school band.

One of the main characters in the musical is Tommy, the leader of the local "gang," who, by chance,  is smitten with the daughter of the Mayor. Ye Gods!  Tommy would be of high school age and is referred to, by the Mayor, as belonging to that "Lithuanian family south of town."  Tommy was intended to be the drum major for Harold Hill's mythical band.  At least Mayor Shinn was not referring to a Bohemian family north of town, which could well have referred to some of the young Hovel family members.  The area southeast of Manly in Lincoln Township in which the Hovel family farmed has many Bohemian names: Hovel, Reindl, Cerny, Wise, and Yesek, to name but a few.  I suppose some of the boys in that area may well have had some of Tommy's traits.  Some of these other Bohemian families would have a child marry a Hovel.  Mason City may have produced Meredith Wilson, but the farm fields of Manly would produce the Hovel Brother's Band.

Ponderosa Gang, c 1993
Ed and Leo Hovel played in this band
Undated News Article from relative of the author

The Hovel Brothers band, comprised of sons of Ed (my grandfather's brother) and his wife Rose (Wise), began with the musical talents of their parents.  Little is known about Martin and Amelia (Ed and Rudy's parent)s playing instruments, but two of their three sons, Edward and my grandfather Rudy are known to have played.  To quote from "Manly Memories 1877-1977" by Marjorie Cutler:

The Hovel families were always interested in music.  Ed Hovel, Sr. was a fiddler in his younger days, playing barn dances and house parties along with his brother, Rudy, who played guitar.  Ed Jr., Reuben and Leo, sons of Ed Hovel [cousins of my Dad], all played in the school and town bands at concerts in Plymouth and Manly.  Art Hovel, also a son of the Ed Hovels' played drums with the group for a while.  

In 1932, three years after my Grandfather and grandmother with my Dad and Aunt moved to a farm just north of Sun Prairie, WI,  three sons of Rudy's brother Ed, those being Ed, Jr., Reuben, and Leo would form the Hovel brothers band and they would be known by that name until 1941 when World War II would intervene, and send all or some off to war. Arthur played in the band for awhile, but is not known to have been with the initial group.   After the war, Reuben and Leo played with the Scandinavians until 1985 when the two of them formed the Ponderosa Band, which was later renamed the Ponderosa Gang.  In what is probably 1993, the band was still active and per an undated news article (probably 1993) obtained from a relative:

The Ponderosa Gang will be playing at Manly's Railroad/Ag Day Celebration and will be drawing a large crowd of folks who enjoy dancing to their music, just as they have provided for the last 61 years.  

As Leo Hovel commented in a separate news article on his plowing of gardens and small farm plots he notes that "I've played a lot of polkas at wedding dances."  The polka was not only popular in Wisconsin, but also in north central Iowa.  I am not sure how much longer Leo played in his band.  In the late 1970's I took my grandfather to visit relatives in Manly.  I recall meeting Leo, Reuben and Arthur.  Unfortunately, as a teenager, family history was not any where near on my mind, so I never delved into conversations about the life in Manly.  As an aside, Leo married his wife Dorothy in 1946, but before marriage she taught elementary school in various Iowa small towns including Ottumwa, Iowa, the hometown of Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, from the long running television show MASH, a fictional Iowa hero.

Sons of Edward Hovel (Jr) their parents and grandparents
Photo from family archives

Until I read Manly Memories, I had not known my grandfather played the guitar, and always thought his main instrument was the fiddle.  My brother has a fiddle that once belonged to our Grandfather.  Perhaps Grandpa took up fiddling, learning it from his brother Ed Hovel, Sr.  It is nice to know that my grandfather learned and played guitar.  His great grandsons Mark and Andrew, therefore, have some distant pedigree in the guitar.  Reuben's daughter, Marcie, majored in music at Clarke College, specializing in piano, organ and guitar.  She would, by 1977, have accompanied the Clarke-Loras College singers on two European tours. Rudy may not have played the piano, but his great grandson Joe plays the piano.  Both Andrew and Joe were in the high school band, and played baritone and tuba, respectively.  Some of my siblings dabbled in a variety of instruments, but my brother Greg is the only one who stuck with music and is still engaged, playing the piano.  I am not aware of my Dad having played an instrument, and I have no musical talent, so the music gene must have skipped some generations.  If I were to play an instrument I have no doubt that the sound would even be worse than the River City band as they start to play Minute in G in the school gym near the end of the movie.  Although, the parents of those boys in the RIver City band, even with the terrible sound of Minute in G were proud their sons.  This is noted by parents proudly calling out the name of their child, such as "That's my Davy!";  I would be treated on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Leo Hovel, c 1994
From undated news article on Leo Hovel
from relative of author

I have long thought it would be neat to hear and see a band arrayed as identified in 76 Trombones. Not just for the gleam of the morning sun on the instruments, but to figure out what rows and rows of the finest virtuosos, and over a thousand reeds would look like.  That would be one large marching band, probably bigger than the 600 combined OSU and WI band members who played the National Anthem before the 2019 Big Ten Championship game.  Harold Hill found redemption with the Marianne the Librarian and when Tommy leads the boys in a out of tune Minute in G., all is forgiven by the towns folk.  But, then the mythical band leaves the school the sound from the version of 76 Trombones is worth hearing. Charlie Cowell, the anvil salesman who tries to out Harold Hill and his swindle tactics is left dropping his bag of anvils.  If he had traveled five miles north he may have found a buyer for an anvil in Ed and Rudy's oldest brother Joseph, who may have been need of an anvil as a farmer-blacksmith.

Rudy Hovel's Fiddle
Photo by G.P. Hovel

The Hovel Brother's Band was not near the notoriety of Meredith Wilson and the scores he produced, including his work "The Music Man", but I have to think to the residents of the Manly, Iowa area they were just fine, and proud of this local band.  After all, just after the Hovel Brothers Band was first formed in 1932 they played at the wedding of Glenn and Opal (Nunni) Reindl, and the Hovel boys, in bands by different names, again played at their 25th and 50th wedding anniversary parties.  After Opal passed away, Glenn remarried and the band played for his second wedding. In other words they had staying power.  Staying power for the small farm community of Manly in the lush farmland made out of the prairies of north central Iowa.  The Hovel brothers played for many years, perhaps near as many years as the number of trombones-- 76 --in "The Music Man"