‘Sound of Music’ cast reminisces about filming, drinking on ‘Oprah Winfrey’
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The upcoming release of the 45th-anniversary deluxe DVD box set of ‘The Sound of Music’ got a huge promotional push on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ Thursday when the principal cast members of the classic movie musical -- including Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer -- appeared on the talk show to reminisce about the making of the 1965 film.
It was just five years ago that 20th Century Fox released the 40th-anniversary DVD edition of the movie. (That DVD release was memorably spoofed by MADtv, with comedians Nicole Parker and Michael McDonald playing Andrews and Plummer, respectively.)
No doubt smelling another big payday, the studio has packed the latest version -- which is available in Blu-ray -- with an abundance of extras to keep you occupied for weeks.
On the Oprah show, Andrews related stories about filming a few of the movie’s iconic scenes. She also talked about her throat operation in the late ‘90s that resulted in her losing her singing voice. The actress said that she has since learned to sing several low notes and can do a good rendition of ‘Old Man River.’
Plummer injected a good amount of salty humor in the proceedings, relating how he once nicknamed the movie ‘The Sound of Mucus.’ He also confirmed that he drank a good deal during the location shooting in Austria. Unlike Andrews, Plummer has kept his distance from the movie in the years since it was first released. But he said Thursday that he considers it to be one of the best movie musicals ever made.
The two stars were joined in the studio by the seven actors who played the Von Trapp children. During the telecast, they shared stories from the shooting of the movie, which took a total of nine months for rehearsals and filming. The Oprah website has some video clips. In one anecdote, actress Charmian Carr, who played the eldest daughter, Liesl, recounted how Plummer taught her to drink. Actor Nicholas Hammond, who played the eldest son, Friederich, grew so much during the filming that Carr had to stand on boxes during certain scenes.
During a commercial break, TV viewers got the opportunity to see a short musical film, sponsored by Dove, in which ‘Glee’ actress Lea Michele performed ‘My Favorite Things.’
In case you missed any of this, not to worry. The 50th-anniversary DVD edition of ‘The Sound of Music’ is just five years away.
-- David Ng
Photo (top): the cast of ‘The Sound of Music’ on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Credit: Reuters
Photo (bottom): Julie Andrews in ‘The Sound of Music.’ Credit: American Cinematheque
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