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Still one of the most beloved musicals of all time, "The Sound of Music" looks as fresh today as it did when the movie was released in 1965. It is based on the true story of the Von Trapp family's adventures in their native Austria and their escape from the Nazis to sail to America just before World War II.

The story begins with Maria, a novice nun who is not certain she will choose the cloistered life. She is sent out to serve as the governess of a brood of motherless children of the stern Austrian Navy Captain Von Trapp. At first the children are hostile and sabotage Maria's attempts to teach them, but she soon charms them into both behaving children and expert group singers. She then charms the Captain and they fall in love.

Though the movie garnered many Academy Awards, not too many people remember that the Rogers and Hammerstein musical was first performed on Broadway in 1958, with Mary Martin in the role of Maria. There's a complicated backstage story that has many coincidences and some heartbreak.

When casting for the movie, and considering the camera's cruel close-ups, Hollywood decided Mary Martin was too old to portray the young nun. The part went to the youthful Miss Andrews, who had just completed her Broadway run in another great hit, "My Fair Lady." However, Hollywood decided Miss Andrews was not quite right for the movie version. The part went to Audrey Hepburn, whose songs were dubbed because she couldn't sing. The final irony was that Miss Andrews won the Academy Award for portraying Maria.

The music can still be heard in revivals in professional, college and amateur theaters around the world. Such numbers as, "The Sound of Music", "I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen," "Climb Every Mountain", "Do Re Me" and "Eidelweis" have become classics.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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