The story of the Von Trapp family has fascinated the entire world since the film version of “The Sound of Music” aired in 1965. When the production began in Salzburg in 1964 nobody dreamed that this movie would become famous throughout the world. The leading actress, Julie Andrews, had recently made her successful debut in the Hollywood classic “Mary Poppins” and seemed predestined to play the part of a nanny.

Shortly after Max Reinhardt’s son Wolfgang bought the film rights from Maria von Trapp in 1956, the story was made into a German film with Ruth Leuwerik and Hans Holt. It was successful in Germany and later became famous throughout Europe and South America as well. The musical version also enjoyed a huge success on Broadway, yet the worldwide breakthrough didn’t occur until Rodgers & Hammerstein’s film version was produced...