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Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of 'Sound of Music' Comment By Ben Steelman StarNews Online MailTribune.com By Ben Steelman StarNews Online Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM By Ben Steelman StarNews Online Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM » Social News Not everyone loved “The Sound of Music.” Pauline Kael earned her critical spurs back in 1965, calling the beloved musical “the sugar-coated lie that people seem to want to eat … We have been turned into emotional and aesthetic imbeciles when we hear ourselves humming the sickly, goody-goody songs.” Judith Crist predicted the 20th Century Fox spectacular would appeal only to “the 5-to-7 set and all their mommies.” Bosley Crowther of The New York Times termed it “romantic nonsense and sentiment.” Even Christopher Plummer, who grumbled off-camera while playing Captain Von Trapp in the picture, referred to it as “The Sound of Mucus.” But what do critics know? “The Sound of Music” wound up earning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Adjusted for inflation, it’s the fifth-highest grossing movie of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, behind “Gone With the Wind,” “Avatar,” the original “Star Wars” and “Titanic.” Now, thanks to Turner Classic Movies and Regal Cinemas, “The Sound of Music” is returning to the big screen for its 50th anniversary. Regal theaters, including the one at Mayfaire Town Center, will bring back the three-hour movie musical for two showings daily on Sunday and Wednesday. Just in time, St. Martin’s Press has come out with “The Sound of Music Story” by veteran entertainment writer Tom Santopietro. The volume proves a fascinating compendium of “Sound of Music” trivia for fans. Some tidbits: “The Sound of Music” was not the first time the story of the Von Trapp Family Singers was filmed. Two German-language features in the 1950s followed the family’s adventures. Hollywood stretched the truth a bit. Maria and the Captain wed in the 1920s, not in 1938. The family began singing professionally during the Depression and were well-known in Europe before Nazi Germany seized Austria. Also, as the real Maria von Trapp pointed out, if the family climbed into the Salzburg Alps, they would have wound up not in Switzerland but in Nazi Germany. In fact, the family quietly caught a train to Italy, then boarded a liner to the U.S. The opening scene proved hard to shoot. The wind created by a helicopter’s rotors kept knocking Julie Andrews down. Director Robert Wise (“West Side Story”) nearly turned “The Sound of Music” down; he thought it was too treacly. Aside from Angela Cartwright, who went on to appear in TV’s “Lost in Space,” most of the actors playing the Von Trapp children avoided Hollywood. Duane Chase, who played Kurt, became a geologist and later a software designer. Charmian Carr, who played Liesl, became a prominent California decorator who designed much of the Neverland Ranch for Michael Jackson. Santopietro makes clear that “The Sound of Music” was just about the last of the great golden-age Hollywood musicals. Audience tastes were changing fast. In two years, the hot movies would be “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate,” closely followed by “Midnight Cowboy” and “Easy Rider.” When Andrews tried to reproduce her musical success in “Star!” and “Darling Lilli,” both pictures bombed. Hollywood would make more musicals: “Cabaret,” “Chicago” and, more recently, “Into the Woods.” With the exception of the notably retro “Dirty Dancing,” though, the cockeyed optimism of the Rodgers and Hammerstein era would never be seen again. Ben Steelman writes for StarNews in Wilmington, N.C. Contact him at Ben.Steelman @StarNewsOnline.com. By Ben Steelman StarNews Online MailTribune.com By Ben Steelman StarNews Online Posted Apr. 15, 2015 at 9:39 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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