When The Sound of Music was released in early 1965, American moviegoers instantly fell in love. After all, who wouldn’t be charmed by seven endearing kids and an energetic, lovable governess who sing and dance their way through Salzburg?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences agreed with the public. In 1966, the members nominated The Sound of Music for 10 Academy Awards. It won five, including Best Picture.
I saw The Sound of Music at my best friend’s birthday party, and it became one of my favorite movies. I enjoyed the story and the music but especially remembered the drop-dead gorgeous alpine scenery. I was barely nine years old and only had a vague idea of where Austria was. However, I decided then and there that someday I’d go there to see the filming locations.
The Original Sound of Music Tour
“Someday” finally came and I joined a group of couples of all ages, a few families and several other single travelers on “The Original Sound of Music Tour.” We spent the afternoon seeing familiar scenes from the movie, beginning with Nonnburg Abbey, where Maria was a novice. We weren’t allowed inside since it’s a working convent, but we saw the main entrance where the Von Trapp children were when they tried to visit Maria and where the Nazis arrived to search for the family.
Leopoldskron Castle
We gazed across the lake at the Leopoldskron Castle where various scenes in and around the Von Trapp villa were shot. Now a luxury hotel and the home of the Salzburg Global Seminar, Leopoldskron Castle was built in 1736 for Prince Archbishop Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian. During World War II, it served as a hotel for SS officers on leave.
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Frohnburg Castle
We immediately recognized the front of Frohnburg Castle as Maria’s first glimpse of the Von Trapp estate. It was originally a summer home for Prince Archbishop Max Gandolf and is now a dormitory and concert venue for the Mozarteum Art University.
Hellebrunner Allee
Frohnburg Castle is on Hellbrunner Allee where Maria danced and sang “I’ve Got Confidence” on her way to the Von Trapp villa. Some members of our group entertained us by dancing down the lane and recreating the scene.
Gazebo
Most fans remember the gazebo where Rolf and Liesl danced while singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” and where Maria and Captain Von Trapp declared their love. It was originally in the garden at Leopoldskron Castle. However, there were so many trespassers after the movie was released that city officials moved it to a park on the Hellbrunn Palace grounds.
Basilika St Michael
In the movie, it looks like Maria and Captain Von Trapp were married in Nonnburg Abbey. The film crew could only film from outside the wall since they weren’t allowed inside the Abbey. So, most of the wedding scenes are at Basilika St Michael in Mondsee, a town in the Salzkammergut Lake District about 15 miles east of Salzburg.
Mirabell Palace Gardens
Our last stop was the Mirabell Palace Gardens, where Maria and the Von Trapp children sang “Do-Re-Me.” Some members of our group marched around the fountain with the Pegasus Statue and jumped up and down the steps singing “Do-Re-Me steps” like Maria and the kids did in the movie. A few super-dedicated fans stayed after the tour to walk (or run?) through the Hedge Tunnel and visit the Gnome Garden.
Residenzplatz Square and Fountain
Our tour didn’t include Residenzplatz Square with the water-spouting horse fountain, Residenz Palace and Salzburg Cathedral because the streets in Old Town Salzburg are too narrow for tour buses. It’s easy to walk to Residenzplatz Square to see where Maria sang “I’ve Got Confidence.”
What Happened Behind the Scenes?
It took six months–from April to September 1964–to film 83 scenes for The Sound of Music, and things didn’t always go smoothly. One of the most interesting parts of the tour was hearing the stories about the problems the filming crew and cast experienced.
Acting is Hazardous Duty
Directors anticipate problems when filming a movie, but a few of The Sound of Music’s cast members could have justifiably demanded hazardous duty pay.
In the iconic opening scene, Julie Andrews spins through a verdant alpine meadow singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.” The production crew used a helicopter to get aerial panorama shots as she came into view. It took a week to shoot the scene because the downdraft from the helicopter kept knocking her down. It took nine takes to shoot the scene and her hair, makeup and clothes needed to be refreshed each time.
Five-year-old Kym Karath, who played Gretl almost drowned while filming the scene where Maria and the children fall out of the rowboat. Karath was reluctant to do the scene because she didn’t know how to swim. The producers finally persuaded her when Andrews promised to catch her when she fell in the lake.
It took four takes before the director was satisfied, and this worked for the first three. On the fourth take, Andrews lost her footing and fell backward and Karath fell forward. After the director yelled, “Cut,” everyone realized Karath was missing, and divers who were standing by rescued her from the bottom of the lake. In the movie, some “creative” editing makes it look like Heather Menzies, who played Louisa, catches Karath.
Charmian Carr, who played Liesl, sprained her ankle while she and Daniel Truhitte, who played Rolf, were shooting the “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” dance scenes. The costume department forgot to add rubber soles to the bottom of her shoes. So, she slipped while leaping from bench to bench and crashed through one of the glass windows. Since the show must go on, a doctor wrapped her ankle and gave her an injection for the pain.
Growing Pains
One of the problems with producing a movie with children is that they grow. Seven-year-old Debbie Turner, who played Marta, lost her two front teeth. To maintain continuity, the director fitted her with false teeth to wear during filming. They were not only uncomfortable but made it difficult for her to talk and sing.
When the Von Trapp children are introduced, we see them lined up from oldest to youngest, and they’re graduated by height. During filming, 14-year-old Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich, had a growth spurt. He was 5’3” when production began in April and 5’9” by the end of the summer. Since this made him taller than Carr (Liesl), the filming crew used a lot of creative camera angles to make him appear shorter and her appear taller. In scenes where the kids were in a group, she stood on a box in the back.
Sound of Music Tour Tips
- Tours begin and end at the Panorama Tours office on Mirabellplatz next to St. Andrew’s Church (Andräkirche) and across from the Mirabell Palace and Gardens.
- Make your reservations in advance. The tours fill up quickly.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking and climbing on and off a bus.
- Bring bottled water, snacks and other items you think you’ll need. The stop in Mondsee is the only one with shops and restaurants.
- Bring Euros. Many Austrian shops and restaurants don’t accept credit or debit cards.
- You’re only in Mondsee for an hour and the restaurants are busy. So, allow plenty of time if you want to have lunch or a snack.
- Food trucks on the square in front of Basilika St Michael offer faster service and sell wursts, water and soft drinks.
- If you eat at one of the restaurants, pay for your food when it arrives so you don’t have to hunt for your server when you’re ready to leave.
- Bone up on your Sound of Music trivia and song lyrics and get ready to have fun!
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