Stubs - The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music (1965) starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker.  Directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Ernest Lehman, with the partial use of ideas by Georg Hurdalek. Based on the musical The Sound of Music, music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, and originally produced on the stage by Leland Hayward, Richard Halliday, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein II (New York, 16 Nov 1959). Produced by Robert Wise. Run time: 172 minutes. Color. Musical, Drama, Romance

In 1965, 20^th Century Fox put out a movie that would not only help it recover from the $30 million loss on Cleopatra (1963), but would go on to be, for a time, the highest grossing film of all-time. By all standards, except for some early reviews, the film was wildly popular and a runaway hit. I remember it playing at my local theater for a year; unheard of today.

The movie is based on the musical that started its run in 1959. The musical’s narrative was derived from Maria Augusta von Trapp’s 1949 autobiography, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. At that time, the book had already been made into two popular West German feature films directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Die Trapp-Familie (1956), and its sequel, Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika (1958). The Broadway musical saw $2,325,000 in advance sales and ran from November 16, 1959 to June 15, 1963.

Paramount Pictures had optioned rights to Die Trapp-Familie, and approached Vincent J. Donehue, the musical’s Broadway director, about directing an American version, starring Audrey Hepburn, but Donehue advised the studio not to, “You can’t possibly make it as a movie, you’ve got to let it go; the way to do this is a musical for Mary Martin.” Paramount dropped its option when Hepburn wasn’t available.

In 1960, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. purchased a fifteen-year lease on screen rights to The Sound of Music for $1.25 million, the largest amount of money paid by a studio for a literary property at the time. The deal marked Twentieth Century-Fox’s fourth acquisition of a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical after Carousel and The King and I (both 1956), and South Pacific (1958). The contract stipulated that The Sound of Music could not be released until 1963, when the musical was set to end its first run on Broadway.

The original director was Henry Koster, who had recently directed Universal Pictures’ Flower Drum Song (1961). Darryl Zanuck, the president of the studio, hired Ernest Lehman, who had adapted The King and I and had recently been nominated for his work on West Side Story (1961). Sandra Church was then the top choice for the role of “Maria.” By March of 1963, Koster had been replaced by William Wyler and a production start date was set as October 1^st.

But Wyler was skeptical of the story, disliked the Broadway musical and didn’t like Lehman’s screenplay. He was fired by Zanuck when he asked for a leave of absence to work on the film The Sandpipers (1965) at MGM. His replacement was Robert Wise, the director on West Side Story.

With principal photography now scheduled to start on March 26, 1964, casting continued. Zanuck considered the project a risk, as Julie Andrews who was a relative unknown at the time. Her feature film debut, Mary Poppins (1964) had not yet been released. Christopher Plummer, who was known as a stage actor, was also new to film. This is why, in part, Eleanor Parker, an established film star, was signed to play The Baroness.

Production began on time in Salzburg, Austria, using such locations as Nonnberg Abbey, Mozart Bridge, Mirabell Gardens, Frohnburg Palace, Leopoldskron Castle, Anif Palace, Residenz Square, St. Peter’s Cemetery, Lake Wolfgangsee, and the Felsenreitschule theater. The production returned to Los Angeles in June 1964 for six more weeks when interiors were shot at the studio.

The film’s test screening took place in Minneapolis and received a standing ovation both at the intermission and at the end. The world premiere was on March 2, 1965 at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City, was a fundraiser for The March of Dimes. The film received a nationwide release on April 1, 1965 as a “roadshow release,” with reserved seating to accommodate its 70mm format and stereophonic sound system.

Maria (Julie Andrews) sings the title song "The Sound of Music."

In the film, Maria (Julie Andrews) is a novice at the abbey in Salzburg, Austria but she is a problem. She would much rather appreciate nature than be on time for church. While spinning on scenic hilltop, she sings “The Sound of Music.” While the Sisters at the Abbey seem to like her, they don’t know how to control her. They share their concerns with Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) also known as Reverend Mother in the song “Maria.”

Mother Abbess decides that Maria needs to test her choice to be a nun and sends her to fulfill a job as governess to the seven children of the widower Baron Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer), a retired naval officer (and, yes, Austria did have a small navy at the time of World War One).

Baron von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) introduces Maria to his seven children.

Georg treats his children like they are sailors under his command, from the uniforms he makes them wear, to his use of a whistle to call for them. He wants Maria to treat them like he does, but she bristles at the idea. The children, Liesl (Charmian Carr), Louisa (Heather Menzies), Friedrich (Nicholas Hammond), Kurt (Duane Chase), Brigitta (Angela Cartwright), Marta (Debbie Turner), and Gretl (Kym Karath), range in age from 5 to 16. They have gone through several governesses before, including the last one who only lasted a couple of hours on the job. The children are not above playing jokes on Maria, sticking a frog in her pocket the first time they meet her and putting a pine cone in her seat at her first dinner.

Liesl (Charmian Carr) has a crush on Rolfe (Daniel Truhitte).

Liesel, who is 16 going on 17, per the song, has a crush on Rolfe (Daniel Truhitte), a delivery boy for the telegraph office. He delivers a telegram to Georg and then waits outside for Liesel to show. She’s in love with him but he is a little cool on her, together they sing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”

Georg is leaving in the morning for Vienna, where he frequently goes, visiting a woman, whom the children only know as The Baroness but have never met. He expects Maria to run a tight ship while he’s away, including adherence to a strict bedtime.

On her first night, Liesel, who got caught in the rain, climbs into Maria’s bedroom, soaking wet. Maria agrees to keep her rendezvous with Rolfe a secret. Then as the storm increases with thunder and lightning, the children come to her to seek refuge. She ends up with all of them in her bed, seeking shelter from the storm and sings “My Favorite Things” to calm them down. That is until Georg enters and sends the kids back to their rooms.

Maria teaches the children about music.

Rather than strict studies, Maria dresses the children in clothes made from her old drapes and takes them on outings to places she likes and teaches them music, starting with the simplest song, "Do-Re-Mi". The children take to it and practice their singing in order to surprise their father and to welcome the Baroness upon his return.

At first, he is shocked to see his children out of uniform climbing in trees and then singing in a boat next to his estate. He is mad at Maria because she has given his children freedom, but gets even madder when she tells him that he doesn’t know his own children. He dismisses her on the spot, but after hearing them sing to the Baroness and Max Detweiler (Richard Haydn), he changes his tune. Not only does he sing with his children, but to them as well with “Edelweiss,” which is not a real Austrian folksong. Music helps break down the walls between them instantly and he rehires Maria.

Georg (actually Bill Lee) sings to his children.

Uncle Max, as he’s known to the children, is an entertainment agent looking for a replacement for a singing group at the upcoming Salzburg Festival, and, after hearing them sing, wants the von Trapp family to enter as a group. However, the Baron gives him a very firm, “No.”

The Baroness (Eleanor Parker) realizes there are real feelings between Maria and Georg, and she doesn't like it.

The Baroness convinces Georg to throw her a party, at which he proudly displays the Austrian flag. The children perform for the group before heading up to bed, “So Long, Farewell.” Later, Georg dances with Maria, and they both feel an attraction to the other. This is a new feeling for Maria and she’s shocked by it. The Baroness notices, too, and helps convince Maria to leave. Packing her things, Maria leaves that night and returns to the Abbey.

The children go to the Abbey, but are refused admittance to see Maria, who is in seclusion. Disappointed, they leave. Georg tells his children that they won’t need a governess anymore because the Baroness is going to be their new mother. The kids aren’t thrilled at the news.

       Mother Abbess, the Reverend Mother (Peggy Wood), encourages Maria to "Climb Every Mountain".

Meanwhile, Reverend Mother has Maria brought to her office. Maria admits to her confused feelings but is adamant about wanting to become a full nun. However, the Reverend Mother tells her that she should return to the children and see how she feels about Georg, using the song “Climb Every Mountain” to convey the message.

The children are happy when Maria returns.

She returns to the delight of the children, but when she learns of Georg’s pending marriage, she vows only to stay until a new governess is found.

That night, Georg stands on his balcony watching Maria as she walks about the grounds. The Baroness notices this, too. Georg tries to tell her that their marriage wouldn’t be right, however, before he’s through, the Baroness calls off the wedding.

Georg and Maria realize they’re in love and marry, and while they’re on their honeymoon, Nazi Germany takes over Austria.

In his absence, Max enters the children in the Salzburg Festival, which is still going forward to show that nothing has changed since the occupation. When Georg and Maria return, he tells Max he does not want his children to participate in the festival.

There is also a telegram that Rolfe, now a brownshirt, has Leisel deliver to her father. It is an order to report immediately to the German Naval base at Bremerhaven to accept a commission in the Kriegsmarine. Strongly opposed to the Nazis and their ideology, the Captain tells his family they must leave Austria.

They try to sneak away from the house by pushing their car out to the street. Maria tells one of the children that not telling the servants they were leaving lets them claim they didn’t know about the escape.

However, waiting on the street, just outside the gate is Nazi sympathizer Herr Zeller (Ben Wright) and two cars of stormtroopers. Georg tells them that they are on their way to sing at the Salzburg Festival; Max already had their names added to the program, and that they couldn’t get the car started, but a stormtrooper starts it right away. It is decided to let them sing at the festival and then make sure Georg reports to the naval base.

And while they sing and win the competition, they manage to sneak away before the awards are announced. They flee to the Abbey, where the nuns hide them in the graveyard in a gated section. The Nazis search the premises but don’t see them, however, Rolfe hears something and stays behind.

When they think the coast is clear, the von Trapps try to exit, but Rolfe waits back and catches them when they emerge. Georg tries to talk to him while the rest of the family escapes. But just when he thinks he might have gotten to Rolfe, the brownshirt reverts to form and calls out for backup.

The family escapes in the Abbey’s car. When the stormtroopers try to take chase, their cars won’t start. Two of the nuns confess to the Reverend Mother that they had removed the starters from the cars.

The von Trapps manage to climb up the mountains and into Switzerland.

The film, which had a budget of $8.2 million, would gross $278.8 million at the box office, making it for a time, the highest grossing film. In 2024 dollars, the film ranks 6^th with the equivalent of $3,059,000,000. It would play in theaters for four years. However, it’s interesting to know it received mixed reviews.

As Robert Wise recalled, "The East Coast, intellectual papers and magazines destroyed us, but the local papers and the trades gave us great reviews". So, while Judith Crist, writing in the New York Herald Tribune, dismissed the film as "icky sticky" and designed for "the five to even set and their mommies", Philip K. Scheuer, writing for the Los Angeles Times, described the film as "three hours of visual and vocal brilliance."

I would tend to go with Scheuer on this. While the film fictionalizes the lives of the von Trapps, and there are some historical inaccuracies, the film is very enjoyable from start to finish.

Julie Andrews’ talent is on full display here. An unknown quantity on film when she was signed for Maria, her first film, a little musical called Mary Poppins, had not yet opened. The British-born actress made her Broadway in The Boy Friend (1954) at the age of 19. It was her performance as Queen Guinevere in Camelot (1960) that apparently got Walt Disney’s attention. A versatile and marketable actress, Andrews would also make The Americanization of Emily (1964) opposite James Garner; Torn Curtain (1966) opposite Paul Newman and directed by Alfred Hitchcock; and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). While she was not the most memorable cast member in 10 (1979), directed by her husband Blake Edwards, she was definitely memorable in her next collaboration with Edwards, S.O.B. (1981), in which she exposed her breasts. She would also star in Victor/Victoria (1982) reuniting with Garner and her husband, who also directed the film.

Maria maybe one of her more memorable roles and you see why. It is more her singing than her acting that gets your attention, but she is good at that as well. She is playing a fictionalized version of Maria von Trapp, but that doesn’t really matter. It is hard to imagine anyone else in the role.

Canadian-born actor Christopher Plummer might not be your first choice for a musical; his singing was in fact dubbed by Bill Lee. While his singing was not his strong suit, he did make the Captain an interesting character. But Plummer was not enamored with the film and is quoted as calling it “so awful and sentimental and gooey.” He apparently found all aspects of making the film unpleasant, except working with Andrews, and he avoided using its name, instead calling it "that movie", "S&M" and "The Sound of Mucus".

Eleanor Parker’s career had peaked before she appeared in The Sound of Music. She had been nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films Caged (1950), Detective Story (1951), and Interrupted Melody (1955). By the time of this film, she was already transitioning into working on television. Still, her role as Baroness Elsa, or The Baroness, may be her most memorable, especially with people of a certain age. The character she plays is as much a manipulator as anything else and she does well in the role.

Richard Haydn, who played Uncle Max Detweiler, is perhaps best remembered for being the voice of the Caterpillar in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) or for his portrayal of Professor Oddley in Ball of Fire (1941). As an actor, he brings a certain expectation with him to The Sound of Music¸ and he doesn’t disappoint. Max has no problem going behind Georg’s back if it means he has an act in the festival. His performance is a hidden gem in the film.

It’s hard to pick one of the von Trapp children out from the bunch. Charmian Carr, who played Liesl von Trapp, has refuted the claim that the voices of the child actors were dubbed in the film and on the soundtrack. Carr contended that all the children who are in the film sing on the track, but four other children were added to most of the songs to give them a fuller sound; they did not replace them as singers.

The film would be nominated for 10 Academy Awards winning for Best Picture, Best Director both to Robert Wise; Best Film Editing (William H. Reynolds); Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment (Irwin Kostal); and Best Sound (James Corcoran and Fred Hynes). The film also received nominations for Best Actress (Julie Andrews); Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Wood); Best Art Direction – Color (Art Direction: Boris Leven; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott and Ruby R. Levitt); Best Cinematography – Color (Ted D. McCord) and Best Costume Design – Color (Dorothy Jeakins).

It is easy to see how the film could have slid into the realm of being too "icky sticky", but the songs are too memorable and the performances too good to let that happen. The fact that the story is based on a real family that did flee Nazis lends gravitas to the film and helps keep it from getting too sentimental.

The Sound of Music has stood the test of time. If you have a chance to see it on a big screen, do it, but the important thing is to see it. You should enjoy.