Breaking Up The Band
The von Trapp family had many years of success as a traveling singing troupe, but by 1955 they decided to disband. The children, who were now all grown up, wanted to pursue their own interests. Four of the von Trapp daughters went to New Guinea in 1956 to perform missionary work, with daughter Maria deciding to remain there as a missionary for the next 30 years.
Rupert von Trapp became a physician while Agathe von Trapp moved to Maryland and became a kindergarten teacher. Werner von Trapp became a farmer and Hedwig von Trapp worked as a music teacher. The other children married, settled down and had children of their own.
Charmian Carr as Liesl von Trapp
Charmian Carr seemed like she was on the road to stardom after her bewitching portrayal of eldest daughter Liesl in The Sound of Music. Despite her good looks and obvious talent, the actress never managed to produce another hit. She had small parts in Take Her, She’s Mine, and Evening Primrose, a television musical written by the legendary Steven Sondheim.
Not long after, Carr decided to quit show-business and open her own interior design company in Encino, California. She looked back on the role of Liesl fondly and wrote two novels based on her knowledge of the character, titled Forever Liesl and Letters to Liesl. Sadly, Charmian Carr passed away in 2016 from complications of dementia at the age of 76.
Eleanor Parker As The Baroness von Schrader
Eleanor Parker was the Academy Award nominated actress who played the sophisticated yet cold Baroness von Schrader, Captain von Trapp’s devious fiancée in the film. Parker received Oscar nominations for her roles in the films Detective Story and Interrupted Melody, but her role in The Sound of Music is the one generations of fans cannot forget.
Eleanor Parker passed away in 2013 from complications of pneumonia, at a ripe 91 years old, just four days before NBC aired their live version of the musical. When he heard of her passing, Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp said, “I hardly believe the sad news for I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.”
Thoughts About The Film
Now that we know the differences between fact and fiction, you may be wondering what the real von Trapps thought about the movie and musical inspired by their lives. Maria felt relieved that her story wasn’t too different, and she approved of the way her character was depicted. On the other hand, she didn’t like the ways in which Georg was presented and his character altered.
As for the children, they felt that their story was oversimplified and that they were depicted as “lightweight” musicians. Johannes von Trapp explained this in 1998 to The New York Times, “It’s not what my family was about… [We were] about good taste, culture, all these wonderful upper-class standards that people make fun of in movies like ‘Titanic.’ We’re about environmental sensitivity, artistic sensitivity. ‘The Sound of Music’ simplifies everything. I think perhaps reality is at the same time less glamorous, but more interesting that the myth.”
The New Version
The Sound of Music Live is an NBC television special starring the incredible Carrie Underwood in the role of Maria. The show was filmed live in Bethpage, New York in front of a studio audience. The latest version of The Sound of Music received mixed reviews, critics agreed that Carrie Underwood was a wonderful singer, but felt that she was too inexperienced as an actor.
Even the real von Trapps remarked on her lack of experience and stated that her portrayal of Maria seemed lifeless. Despite the reviews, the performance was a big success, bringing in 18.62 million viewers and leading NBC to decide to produce more live versions of musicals.