One of the world’s most beloved movie musical just happens to be one of Oprah’s favorite things. That’s why it was such a treat to watch her swoon over the cast of The Sound of Music as they celebrated the film’s 45th anniversary in her TV show. And true to Oprah’s well-meaning but grandiose generosity (remember “you get a car… and you get a car…?) she flew the whole cast to her Harpo studios, the first time the Von Trapps got together since they premiered the film in 1965. And you know what? I could not help but feel the same way I felt when I first saw the movie on betamax in 1985. You know what I mean, that warm fuzzy feeling on the inside that immediately evokes warm milk and Hi-Ro chocolate cookies, afternoon Bugs Bunny movies, Six Million Dollar Man lunch boxes and the lyrics of the Jam Morales pop ditty “A Smile of The Heart”. The actors that played Von Trapp children are so much older now, even the little girl that sang “the sun has gone and so must I…”. One even became a Playboy model! The Captain (Christopher Plummer) came across as a bit stand- offish, even admitting to once calling the film The Sound of Mucus. But redeemed himself to the studio audience when he eventually acknowledged that it could be “one of the best cinematic version of a musical” . That said, he then managed to be a creepy lecherous old man when it was revealed to him during the interview that the actress who played Leisl, Von Trapp’s sixteen-year old daughter, had a crush on him during filming. To this he said “where was your room?” Ugh. Ms. Julie Andrews of course remains as the light and spirit of the lot. The world’s favorite nanny (Mary Poppins and Sound of Music were made within a span of one year and has remained to this day one of her most memorable roles) has lost her singing voice because of a botched throat operation. But her writing collaborations with her real life daughter has enabled her to find “a new voice”, co-writing children’s books. Watch the interview (in three parts) in YouTube.
