The Hills Are Alive: The Sound of Music 45th Anniversary

 On the anniversary of my birth I thought I would write about the anniversary of something older than me and that also happens to be one of my favorite things. I first fell in love with The Sound of Music after my family immigrated to the US. I loved it so much that I bought the VHS tape with the spending money my grandfather gave me for Christmas one year, which was the first purchase I ever made with "my" money. I was so in love with Maria and the music of the film that I even sang "The Sound of Music" at my church's annual talent show.

My love affair with the film continued through the years. I took a year of German in college (painful 8:00 AM class) so I could pick Liesl as my German name. I begged my friend Gleester to name her daughter Liesl (it makes sense for her since her husband is German!), but she politely refused. I've been to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont to go cross-country skiing and to eat an authentic Austrian meal. I reread Charmain Carr's memoir of The Sound of Music, Forever Liesl, every time I need something uplifting to feed my soul. When I come to the part where she recounts woman in Wales watched the movie 307 times in the first nine months of its release, I can understand why. The film makes you believe that there is good in this world, even in times of great evil.

I've tried to pass on my love for the film to the boys. H learned to sing with the song "Do-Re-Mi." The Sound of Music was the first non-animated movie that H sat through from start to finish. I wanted so much to go to the special Sing-A-Long Event showings of the film this month, but was unable to make it because of the boys. H would have been fine, but our last attempt to watch a movie in the theater resulted in R's intermittent crying for an hour and we finally bailed. With our recent move to San Jose, I haven't been able to build a list of reliable babysitters yet. I hope they will have a similar event for the 50th Anniversary. Perhaps by then, I'll have a girl in a white dress with a blue satin sash to take with me. Or I can borrow Gleester's daughter!

I've bought every special edition anniversary VHS, DVD, and CD as they've been released. Unfortunately we don't have a blu-ray machine, otherwise I would be buying the Sound Of Music 45th Anniversary Edition coming out for the first time on blu-ray next Tuesday, November 2 from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Instead I will be enjoying the 45th Anniversary Celebration in other ways:

Oprah Cast Reunion
For the first time in 45 years, the entire cast of The Sound of Music will gather for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion on the “Oprah” show stage tomorrow Friday, October 29, 2010.  The show will also include a performance from the singing group The von Trapp Children, which features members of the real von Trapp family.

VH1 Holiday Gala
On Monday, November 8th, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will honor, a living legend, JULIE ANDREWS along with previously announced Grammy® Award Winners John Legend, John Mayer and The ASCAP Foundation. The program for the evening will celebrate music as universal language that shapes our life stories and include a special tribute to the 45th Anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music.

Anniversary CD To mark the 45th Anniversary of the most popular movie musical of all time, Legacy Recordings, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are proud to announce the release THE SOUND OF MUSIC: 45th ANNIVERSARY EDITION.  The CD will include the soundtrack from the much-loved film, plus a vibrant new recording of the film’s signature tune, “My Favorite Things,” sung by Lea Michele from the popular FOX-TV series GLEE. (Two of my favorites on one CD, bonus!)

I did not receive any compensation for this post. I'm sharing this information because of how much I LOVE this movie. I recently met a teenage girl who had never watched it. I was incredulous! Her first comment was, "oh, she's Mary Poppins." I hope by sharing this information, I will never meet another person who hasn't watched The Sound of Music. The Hills Are Alive!!!!