The Entire Cast Of, "The Sound of Music," Visits Oprah

I was waiting anxiously for this special Oprah Winfrey show. Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and the entire cast of children from, "The Sound of Music," movie, appeared on, Oprah, on October 28, 2010 for their first group reunion after forty-five years.

As a lover of music, especially for the older musicals, "The Sound of Music," is one of my favorite. I've swung around in my living room with my arms open wide while singing, "The Hills Are Live," umpteen times, and also cried while I sang the emotional, "Edelweiss." The music score of, "The Sound of Music," will have you singing along. There have been movie showings of this musical with audience participation.

"The Sound Of Music," was shot in Austria in 1965 and won five Oscars. It's a musical based on the amazing true story of the Trapp family during the beginning of Hitler's reign in Austria.

The rights for the true story of the Trapp family were obtained in 1956 from Mrs. Maria Von Trapp. Captain George Ritter Von Trapp, played by Christopher Plummer, was a widow with seven children who served in the Austrian navy. Maria Kutschern, played by Julie Andrews, was a nun in the Nonnberg Abbey. Maria was hired as the governess for the Trapp children and left the nunnery when she fell in love with George. They married in November of 1927 after the children convinced their father to ask Maria to marry him.

The Trapp family's hobby centered around music and with the encouragement of, Father Wasner, a family friend, the Trapps entered music competitions and won a 1935 choral competition. Captain Trapp made the dangerous decision to flee his beloved Austria when Adolf Hitler took over Austria's military. He was offered a high military position in Hitler's navy but his righteous conscience refused to submit to the dictator. Captain George Ritter Von Trapp and Maria Von Trapp left their beloved Austria home with their children and traveled through the Austrian Alps by train, managing to travel through Italy, Switzerland, France and London before traveling to America. The Trapp family continued to compete under the direction of Father Wesner who escaped Austria with them. They traveled through the USA and eventually abroad, and settled on a Vermont farm in 1941. Captain George Ritter Von Trapp died in 1947, and Maria eventually opened their home, the Trapp Family Lodge, to guests after twenty years of touring. The rebuilt lodge after a devastating fire is still being run by family members. Maria Von Trapp died in 1987. The new young generation of the Trapp family presently tour as the Trapp family singers, and sang, "Edelweiss," on Oprah's show today.

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer shared memories about being on set making, "The Sound of Music," on Oprah's show. Christopher Plummer shared his story about how he spent time drinking in Austria and also enjoying the food and the people. Julie Andrews shared a story about the famous mountain top scene, saying she was thrown to the ground each time the filming helicopter swooped around to take another shot. The entire cast of the Trapp children appeared also; Charmian Carr played Liesl, Heather Menzies played Louisa, Nicholas Hammond played Friedrich, Duane Chase played Kurt, Angela Cartwright played Brigitta, Debbie Turner played Marta, and Kim Karath played Gretl. The children's cast of characters had a reunion in Salzburg, Austria, in 2000 and filmed a documentary titled, "After They Were Famous."

Julie Andrew's exquisite voice was taken from her when she had a devastating throat surgery which rendered her unable to sing ever again. She offered this on Oprah, "When one door closes, another opens." She now enjoys writing children's books with her daughter and goes on speaking engagements to share her life story.

"The Sound of Music," should be on your family's list of videos to see. The musical is about love, compassion, and standing by your faith and beliefs, and also shares how bonding as a family could help you achieve your dreams and face and conquer difficulties.

To find out more about the wonderful true story of the Trapp family, "The Sound of Music," musical, and the cast and their follow-ups, please connect to the website link below.

http://www.sound-of-music.com/

You can also find out more about, The Sound of Music," reunion on Oprah's show at the website link below.

www.oprah.com

The End