Saturday, August 05, 2006

The Hills Are Alive



Last week we introduced our children to "The Sound of Music" Who knew they would love it as much as I do? They have watched it over and over and over since the first viewing.

I was thinking back to the first time I saw the Sound of Music. I saw it with my brothers and my sister at the Murray Theatre. We saw many a movie at that theatre. I remember loving every minute of the movie and not wanting to miss a thing. Thank goodness they had an intermission back then for longer movies. So, you could refresh your drinks and popcorn, and use the little girls room.

They really should bring back the intermission...Movies like Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings that are 3 hours long. I can't sit that long.

Back to the topic at hand.

I remember going to see the Sound of Music over and over, so afraid that one of the times I saw it that they would cut something out of it. (they never did)

My favorite parts of the movie are....When they all get on the bed and sing "My favorite things" And when the Nuns confess to taking the car parts so they can get away at the end. Oh, and when that cute little Gretel tells how she ended up with a bandage on her finger, because "it got caught in Fredricks teeth".

Watching the movie with my kids just brought back good memories of watching it with my siblings. I think I now know why my Mom sent us to the movies as often as possible... 3 hours of peace and quiet for her!

I found some fun Trivia about the making of the Movie...

Trivia for The Sound of Music (1965)


*Originally to be directed by William Wyler, who actually scouted locations and toyed with the script. He had a different film in mind; tanks crashing through walls, etc.
*Director Robert Wise considered Yul Brynner for the role of Captain Von Trapp.
*The first musical number in the film, "The Sound of Music", was the final sequence shot in Europe before the cast and crew returned to Los Angeles. It was filmed in late June and early July of 1964. Despite the warm and sunny appearance, Julie Andrews notes that she was freezing running up that mountain over and over again. Director Robert Wise has said that he had to climb one of the trees nearby to be able to overview the helicopter shoot without getting in the picture.
*Julie Andrews relates that although she tried digging in her heels and bracing herself, she was knocked off her feet every time by the helicopter downdraft in the opening shot. After more than a dozen takes, she attempted to hand-signal to Robert Wise to have the helicopter make a wider pass, but the response she got was a thumbs-up - he was finally satisfied with the shot.
*"Sixteen Going On Seventeen" was shot in the gazebo, one of the last to be done. On the first take, Charmian Carr (Liesl) slipped while leaping across a bench, and fell through a pane of glass. Although she was not badly injured, her ankle was hurt and the scene was later shot with her leg wrapped and makeup covering the bandages.
*Cameo: [Maria von Trapp] The elder of the two women in Austrian peasant garb who are in the background as Maria walks through a brick archway during "I Have Confidence".
*The front and back of the Von Trapp estate were filmed at 2 different locations in Salzburg, Austria.
*In the end when the family is climbing over the hills to safety, it is not really Gretl on the shoulders of Captain von Trapp. In the DVD version, it is revealed that while in Austria, Kym Karath gained a lot of weight. This was one of the last shots filmed and so she was evidently a bit too heavy to be carried on Christopher Plummer's back. He requested a stunt double and that is who's seen being carried on his back.
*Debbie Turner had many loose teeth during filming. When they fell out, they were replaced with false teeth.
*Mary Martin, who originated the role of Maria on Broadway and co-produced the film, would eventually see nearly $8,000,000 from the film. In contrast, Julie Andrews earned just $225,000 for her performance.
*Two years before the musical made its Broadway debut, Paramount bought the rights to the Von Trapp Singers story, intending to cast Audrey Hepburn as Maria. When Hepburn declined, Paramount dropped plans for a film.
*The librettists, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, originally intended to use songs that the real von Trapp family had sung. However, Mary Martin, who was to be in the play, asked Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II to write a song for her character. Due to concerns that their original song would not mix well with the folk music, Rodgers and Hammerstein suggested writing a whole new score, the music we know today.
*During the scene with Maria and the Captain at the gazebo, Julie Andrews couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of singing so closely to someone else's face. After more than 20 takes, the scene was altered to silhouette the two and to hide Andrews' giggles.
*Six burly Austrians were hired to pull the heavy car by two ropes while the actors push from behind when the von Trapps are escaping their home in Salzburg.
*Sean Connery and Richard Burton were considered for the part of Captain von Trapp.
*Kim Darby was tested for the part of the eldest von Trapp daughter.
*Nicholas Hammond has brown hair, and had to undergo several painful hair bleaching treatments before and during filming to make his hair blond.
*Right after her talk with Maria, the Baroness is at the party talking to Max. The song the orchestra is playing is a song from the play version that was not used in the movie called "How Can Love Survive". This song was sung by the Baroness and Max.
*Kym Karath (Gretl) couldn't swim, so the original idea was to get Julie Andrews to catch her when the boat tips up and they all fall in the water. However, during the second take the boat toppled over so that Andrews fell to one side and Karath fell to the other. Heather Menzies had to save her instead. Andrews stated later she felt guilty about this for years.
*Kym Karath swallowed too much water upon falling out of the rowboat, and threw up on Heather Menzies.
*Twentieth Century-Fox bought the film rights to the musical in 1960, along with the rights to two German films about the family. The project was jeopardized by the poor box-office showing of a compilation of the German films, as well as Fox's financial difficulties resulting from Cleopatra (1963).
*The von Trapp street address is '53'. When Maria first comes to the villa and is looking through the gate, the address sign is on the stone pillar to the left.
*Maria never uses the Captain's first name, "Georg", in the film. Instead, she calls him Captain, Sir and Darling.
*One of the actresses who tried out for the role of Liesl was Mia Farrow.
*Along with The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966), this is one of the few Twentieth Century-Fox films in which no music at all is heard when the Twentieth Century-Fox logo appears on screen.
*According to director Robert Wise the grass on the hill of the opening song was supposed to be much longer than it was. The filmmakers had made an arrangement with the farmer who owned the land to leave the grass long, but when they arrived for filming it had been cut. Wise commented that the scene turned out very well after all.
*Doris Day was apparently offered the role of Maria von Trapp, but turned it down.
*William Wyler wanted Audrey Hepburn to play Maria von Trapp.
*Voted number 18 in channel 4's (UK) "Greatest Family Films"
*When Maria is running through the courtyard to the Von Trapp house in "I Have Confidence", she trips. This was an accident; however, director Robert Wise liked this so much that he kept it in the movie. He felt it added to the nervousness of the song and of the character.
*The actors had to be continually hosed down while filming the scene after they had fallen out of the boat, in order to remain dripping wet.
*When the film was released in South Korea, it did so much business that some theaters were showing it four and five times a day. One theater owner in Seoul tried to figure out a way to be able to show it even more often, in order to bring in more customers. So he cut out all the musical numbers.
*The film sets its story "in the last golden days of the thirties", when in actual fact Maria became governess to the Von Trapp family in 1927 and married the Captain in November of that year
*The songs "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good" were written specially for the film, by Richard Rodgers, the latter song replacing "An Ordinary Couple" from the stage version. The two numbers became so popular and so integrated into the musical, that most subsequent stage productions, including the 1998 Broadway Revival, have felt the need to add them on (and delete "An Ordinary Couple" in the process).
*Danny Lockin tested for the role of Rolfe.
*Peggy Wood's singing was dubbed, as she herself declared that she was too old to handle the vocals.
*Four other children were brought in to augment the singing of the seven von Trapp children - to produce a better, fuller, more polished sound. Among the four "extra singers" was Charmian Carr's younger sister, Darleen Carr.
*Duane Chase's (Kurt) high note in the "So Long, Farewell" number was actually sung by Darleen Carr (younger sister of Charmian Carr), as that note was beyond Chase's range.
*Although Christopher Plummer's own vocals were in fact recorded, it was subsequently decided that he should be dubbed.
*Charmian Carr sings "Sixteen Going On Seventeen". In reality she was nearly 22 at the time.
*In Spain the film is known as "Smiles and Tears". In France it is known as "The Melody of Happiness".
*The first time they filmed the wedding scene between the Captain and Maria, there was nobody at the altar to wed them when they reached the top of the stairs - someone had forgotten to summon the actor playing the bishop. According to Julie Andrews, the real bishop of Salzburg is seen in the movie.
*The gazebo changes size (becomes larger) when we go inside it. This is intentional. There was a real gazebo on the property where they filmed the scenes at the back of the house, but it was too small for the dance numbers, so they built an interior for the gazebo in Hollywood that was significantly larger.
*Came second in the UK's Ultimate Film, in which films were placed in order of how many seats they sold at cinemas
*Among kids who auditioned to play one of the Von Trapp children were Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Veronica Cartwright, and the four eldest Osmond Brothers (Alan Osmond, Jay Osmond, Merrill Osmond and Wayne Osmond). Dreyfuss couldn't dance.
*Christopher Plummer intensely disliked working on the film. He's been known to refer to it as "The Sound of Mucus" and likened working with Julie Andrews to "being hit over the head with a big Valentine's Day card, every day." Nontheless, he and Andrews have remained close friends ever since.
*The outfit that Kurt wears at the party is called a Tracht, an authentic Austrian costume. The jacket he wears is called a Loden.
*"Edelweiss" was the last song Oscar Hammerstein II wrote before his death.
*The Reverend Mother's line, "I will lift mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help!" is the first line of the Psalm 121. However, she uses the King James version of the Psalm, unheard of in Austria, and also uses this normally celebratory Psalm out of context, using it instead as a prayer to get to hills.

If you haven't watched your copy of this movie, pull it out and share it with your children.

9 comments:

Char @ Crap I've Made said...

My favorite movie EVER. Love it. I have 2 versions on DVD and one version on VHS. No wonder I heart you, Janer.

Alicia said...

I love this post!!! I had so much fun reading the interesting facts! I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I have the special edition released a few years ago on DVD. Little Boy has seen it, but it's been a long time! I'm pulling it out today!

I thought it was "Frederick's TEA" not teeth!

And I would love to see Sean Connery as the Captain!

Valarie said...

wow, that's a lot of information. I haven't seen this in years. I'm going to have to rent a copy.

Lee said...

Such a good movie.. We don't own it, but we have the music book. I think I should look at getting it though!

Blackeyedsue said...

THAT was a fun read. I love that movie. We just introduce our oldest to it and she LOVES it. Her favorite song is "These are a few of my favorite things". I am stitching it for our wall.

Thanks for sharing!!!

Kristen said...

Love, love, love that movie!! I can't wait until my girls get a little older to show it to them. Musicals are wonderful!!

Meemer said...

I love this movie now and forever. So do my kids. In fact they ask to listen to the soundrack all the time.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Sound of Music! Oh, you made me want to watch it! I've got to get it. I love it!

Anonymous said...

best regards, nice info Em hold line play texas cellulite tabs pictures cellulitis of the leg Nashville land rover cbs news april 26 2004 herbal supplements Inhouse training in management courses uk Zyrtec us-pharmacy net cisco memory cellulitis tissue excess cellulite Twin cities golf courses Diet pills and women How to shop for butalbital online