Why Seventy-Six Trombones?

[marcmagus]

For some reason I can't remember at all, shortly after I crawled into bed last night shield_toad111 started singing "76 trombones". It must have made sense at the time, because I said something to the effect of "I was thinking that too!" But then I said those fateful words, "Why 76?"

There followed a few minutes of speculation (76 is a strange number. It

Comments

[_meej_]

Well, you've also got to factor in the question of why 110 cornets, too.

[marcmagus]

10x11 square, we immediately decided.

[tirerim]

You may have answered the question of how, but I don't think you answered why. I've always assumed that it was a patriotic reference to 1776... that, and the rhythm is nice.

[marcmagus]

Why: because the 32-circle is ugly. ;)

Yeah, I got sidetracked by the more interesting question.

Why 76? Because when you lie about numbers you have to pick something that doesn't end in 5 or 0.

[lordrefa]

Thank you for the exercise of my Google-fu, Marc!

This was the defining musical number in The Music Man. The basic plot is a con man comes into a little city to convince them to buy marching band equipment... So he spins a yarn about seeing a few large bands combined together and they just so happened to add up to 76. (I.e. He made the number up and didn't think about the formation.)... This is what the Wikipedia article says, at least.

The finale sequence(?) of the film, however shows them marching six players abreast. You don't get a good look at the last line at any point, but you'd be left to assume the last line of all of them is four wide.

[jhadania]

OK, said with all love and respect: Gold Medal in the Xtreme Dork Games :D