7 Origin Stories Behind Classic Film Musicals
2. Sound Of Music
Just like Grease, The Sound of Music was written from a true life tale, this being one of the closest to the real experience of the characters within it. The original play was released in 1959, six years before the film release, starring famous musical actress Julie Andrews in the role of nun Maria.
The story originally came from the memoirs of Maria Von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, a real group of singing children and parents who travelled the country whilst also evading the events of the Nazi take over in Austria. The music was then written for film by Rogers and Hammerstein, changing some plot points to suit the film version.
The production company removed some of the Von Trapp children, including two that Maria and the Von Trapp father had together in the real story. They also decided to make him loathe music for the majority of the film which wasn't the real case, as the mother was said to encourage the family to perform together on the regular, of which the father kept the legacy continuing after her death and introduction of Maria.
The nun also only came to the house to nanny one child and not all of them like the musical suggests.