 Mason City served as the inspiration for the fictional town of River City, Iowa, in "The Music Man", a musical that was composed and written by Mason City native son Meredith Willson (although the 1962 film, which had its world premiere in Mason City, was shot entirely at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California).The majority of Mason City is served by Iowa Highway 122 and U.S. Route 65.U.S.