The Sound of Music is a holiday favorite. I happened to catch the last hour or so the other night. The music is such fun and it's hard to believe that I still remember most of the words to the songs.
Watching the film got me curious - how much of the story was real and how much was Hollywood.
Of course in 1965 there wasn't an Internet so for years I had no idea ... now I could find out.
Here are some surprises ......
Captain von Trapp was indeed a very respected officer of the Austrian Navy. He married the lovely Agathe Whitehead, granddaughter of the English engineer Robert Whitehead, who invented the torpedo which provided the family their wealth.
After Agathe's death, the Captain's daughter (also named Maria) wasn't well and need to be home schooled. This is where Maria comes in. She was orphaned at a young age, lived in the abbey and given her love of the outdoors was considered a good person to tutor the young girl.
The family did enjoy singing - remember this was before TV! The kids found Maria strict and stern (obviously a different version from the film) but suggested to their father that he marry her. It was the kids who proposed the idea to Maria.
The family's money was in England with Lloyd's of London, but a family friend encouraged the Captain to put it in an Austrian bank. The bank failed and they lost it all.
The family moved to the top floor of their house and rented the lower level to a Catholic school. The priest was quite taken by the family's singing and suggested they tour much to the consternation of the Captain who didn't like them performing in public.
The family became a hit and were once requested to perform in front of Hitler. The Captain and Maria had three children of their own. They left Austria for a trip to perform in Italy and then moved to the U.S.
What is the connection to the current economic crisis you ask? While the Captain wasn't thrilled about his family performing in public (they actually did win the Salzburg Festival as portrayed in the film), the economic situation meant that they had to tap into their other talents that would allow them to live, put a roof over their heads and food on the table. One can imagine that after living the life of servants and ballrooms, it was quite an adjustment.
Sounds like good advice for 2009!
p.s. In real life, there wasn't a Baroness. But two women fighting over a man is irresistible to Hollywood!
