11 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Sound of Music'

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  • 1/11
    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, but the helicopter kept knocking Andrews over.
    1/11 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, but the helicopter kept knocking Andrews over.
  • 2/11
    It Was The Last Rodgers And Hammerstein Musical: The musical theatre partnership between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II yielded Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The King and I, among others. The Sound of Music opened on Broadway in 1959. In 1960, Hammerstein died from stomach cancer. The last song he wrote was "Edelweiss."
    2/11 It Was The Last Rodgers And Hammerstein Musical: The musical theatre partnership between Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II yielded Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The King and I, among others. The Sound of Music opened on Broadway in 1959. In 1960, Hammerstein died from stomach cancer. The last song he wrote was "Edelweiss."
  • 3/11
    Two Years Before The Movie, Julie Andrews Spoofed The Musical: In the 1962 TV special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, Andrews and Carol Burnett parodied The Sound Of Music in a skit called Pratt Family Singers.
    3/11 Two Years Before The Movie, Julie Andrews Spoofed The Musical: In the 1962 TV special Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, Andrews and Carol Burnett parodied The Sound Of Music in a skit called Pratt Family Singers.
  • 4/11
    The Boat Scene Traumatised Gretl: The scene where the rowboat overturns and Maria and the kids fall into a lake was hard on Kym Karath, who played 5-year-old Gretl. Since Karath couldn’t swim, Andrews was supposed to fall forward when the boat turned over and rescue her. Instead, Andrews fell backwards and couldn’t get to Karath in time.
    4/11 The Boat Scene Traumatised Gretl: The scene where the rowboat overturns and Maria and the kids fall into a lake was hard on Kym Karath, who played 5-year-old Gretl. Since Karath couldn’t swim, Andrews was supposed to fall forward when the boat turned over and rescue her. Instead, Andrews fell backwards and couldn’t get to Karath in time.
  • 5/11
    Christopher Plummer Hated The Movie: Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, hated the film so much that he called it The Sound of Mucus. “Because it was so awful and sentimental and gooey,” he said. He drank and ate away his sorrows in Salzburg, which caused him to gain so much weight his costumes had to be let out. He also admitted that he was drunk when filming.
    5/11 Christopher Plummer Hated The Movie: Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, hated the film so much that he called it The Sound of Mucus. “Because it was so awful and sentimental and gooey,” he said. He drank and ate away his sorrows in Salzburg, which caused him to gain so much weight his costumes had to be let out. He also admitted that he was drunk when filming.
  • 6/11
    Andrews Almost Wasn't Cast: Richard Rodgers knew that Julie Andrews would be perfect for the role of Maria after she auditioned for one of his musicals in 1956. But because she starred in My Fair Lady, no one felt the theater actress would work well on a movie screen in colour—until Walt Disney showed them the rushes from Mary Poppins, and everyone realised she was perfect.
    6/11 Andrews Almost Wasn't Cast: Richard Rodgers knew that Julie Andrews would be perfect for the role of Maria after she auditioned for one of his musicals in 1956. But because she starred in My Fair Lady, no one felt the theater actress would work well on a movie screen in colour—until Walt Disney showed them the rushes from Mary Poppins, and everyone realised she was perfect.
  • 7/11
    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. Finally, director Robert Wise turned the lights off and filmed the scene in silhouette.
    7/11 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. Finally, director Robert Wise turned the lights off and filmed the scene in silhouette.
  • 8/11
    Mia Farrow Auditioned For Liesl: Farrow was one of many actors who tested for Liesl, but in the end, the part went to Charmian Carr.
    8/11 Mia Farrow Auditioned For Liesl: Farrow was one of many actors who tested for Liesl, but in the end, the part went to Charmian Carr.
  • 9/11
    Carr Injured Herself During “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”: While filming the song “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” Carr—who, incidentally, was 21 years old at the time—fell through the glass in the gazebo and injured her ankle. In the scene, she’s wearing a bandage covered with make-up on her leg.
    9/11 Carr Injured Herself During “Sixteen Going On Seventeen”: While filming the song “Sixteen Going On Seventeen,” Carr—who, incidentally, was 21 years old at the time—fell through the glass in the gazebo and injured her ankle. In the scene, she’s wearing a bandage covered with make-up on her leg.
  • 10/11
    Friedrich Grew Six Inches During Filming: Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich, grew from 5'3 to 5'9 during the six months of shooting. Since Friedrich had to be shorter than Liesl but taller than Louisa, the growth spurt posed a continuity problem. At the start of the film, Hammond had lifts on his shoes; by the end, his shoes were off, and Carr had to stand on a box.
    10/11 Friedrich Grew Six Inches During Filming: Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich, grew from 5'3 to 5'9 during the six months of shooting. Since Friedrich had to be shorter than Liesl but taller than Louisa, the growth spurt posed a continuity problem. At the start of the film, Hammond had lifts on his shoes; by the end, his shoes were off, and Carr had to stand on a box.
  • 11/11
    The Von Trapps Didn’t Escape Over A Mountain: In the movie, the von Trapp family escape the Nazis by crossing over the mountains into Switzerland. In real life, the von Trapps took the train to Italy. If they had gone over the Austrian mountains, they would have ended up in Germany—right by where Hitler had his mountain retreat.
    11/11 The Von Trapps Didn’t Escape Over A Mountain: In the movie, the von Trapp family escape the Nazis by crossing over the mountains into Switzerland. In real life, the von Trapps took the train to Italy. If they had gone over the Austrian mountains, they would have ended up in Germany—right by where Hitler had his mountain retreat.

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It has been 51 years since 'The Sound of Music' - starring Julie Andrews as Maria von Trapp, an aspiring nun who is sent to care for the seven children of an Austrian naval captain - was released!

Here's 11 things you might not know about the film...