It’s been 50 years since The Sound of Music opened in theaters. You know the songs, you might recall the story, and now it’s time to learn a few things about the making of the film. Starring Julie Andrews, it is loosely based on the autobiography of the real Maria von Trapp. And it wasn’t an easy film shoot.
1. Julie Andrews Kept Falling Over During The Mountain Scene.
The opening scene of Andrews twirling on the mountaintop may look effortless, but it was anything but. Not only was it raining and cold throughout production, the helicopter kept knocking Andrews over. “This was a jet helicopter,” she said. “And the down draft from those jets was so strong that every time … the helicopter circled around me and the down draft just flattened me into the grass. And I mean flattened. It was fine for a couple of takes, but after that you begin to get just a little bit angry… And I really tried. I mean, I braced myself, I thought, ‘It’s not going to get me this time.’ And every single time, I bit the dust.”
7. Andrews Kept Giggling During The Love Scene.
When Maria and Captain von Trapp declare their love in the gazebo, Andrews and Plummer had to stand close together and sing “Something Good.” But the romance was interrupted when the lights above them made rude noises that caused Andrews to giggle. “Christopher would be looking into my eyes and saying 'Oh Maria I love you,' and there’d be this awful raspberry coming from the lights above us,” Andrews said. Finally, director Robert Wise turned the lights off and filmed the scene in silhouette.
Just those two tidbits ought to give you something to think about the next time you watch those scenes. The children didn’t fare much better, between growth spurts, injuries, and trauma. Read the rest of the trivia list about The Sound of Music at mental_floss.
Would have made for an interesting sequel, though.