It all began in June 1965, when The Sound of Music premiered at Nashville’s Belle Meade Theater—a magical place where my love affair with film was born. The movie played for an unprecedented 14 months, and local parents quickly discovered that the theater doubled as the cheapest babysitter in town. They dropped us off with Maria and the von Trapps at least six to eight times that year, knowing we were in good hands for a few hours of show tunes. Somewhere between “Do-Re-Mi” and the escape from the Nazis over the Alps, I fell hard for musicals, for Austria, and the very handsome Christopher Plummer. To this day, “The Lonely Goatherd” is permanently lodged in my brain, and I rewatch the film every Christmas without fail.
That early infatuation with Austria followed me into my career as a film, design, and travel journalist. Decades ago, I made my first pilgrimage to Salzburg to pay homage to the film’s storied locations—humming the music while wandering Mirabell Gardens and standing in awe before the baroque facades and Pegasus Fountain that had become cinematic landmarks. When The Sound of Music turned 60 this year, it seemed only fitting to return, this time to the Tyrolean Alps, just an hour from Salzburg. My base was the family-owned bio hotel Stanglwirt, a set decorator’s dream with period-perfect wood-beamed rooms, traditional Alpine-clad staff, and views of hills worthy of a musical number. Long considered one of Hollywood’s best kept secrets, it has hosted luminaries from Clark Gable and Bing Crosby to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jessica Alba, who is a repeat guest. Between watching the resident Lipizzaner stallions in training and breathing in the mountain air, it felt as if I’d wandered onto The Sound of Music set.
Widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s most beloved productions, the classic musical, which began on Broadway, is rooted in the true story of the von Trapp family, an aristocratic Austrian household of seven children, their widowed naval captain father, and a spirited governess named Maria. From the unforgettable opening shot of Julie Andrews twirling atop the Austrian Alps, viewers are swept into a world of idyllic scenery and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s timeless score.
Academy Award–winning production designer Boris Leven and set decorators Ruby R. Levitt and Walter Scott meticulously reimagined all the trappings of old-world Austrian aristocracy for the film, which shot on location in Salzburg as well as in a Los Angeles studio.
Starting September 12, The Sound of Music will be returning to select theaters throughout the country to celebrate its 60th year. In honor of this, we look back behind the scenes of this beloved film below.
Raindrops on roses—and more than a few mishaps behind the camera
For all its alpine splendor, the production was anything but idyllic. A summer of rain in Salzburg turned what should have been six weeks of shooting into eleven, and mishaps befell a number of cast members. Julie Andrews was repeatedly toppled by helicopter downdrafts while filming the opening scene, the rowboat sequence nearly ended in disaster when the boat capsized and Gretl (Kym Karath) almost drowned. What's more, Liesl (Charmian Carr) broke her ankle filming the carefree “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” dance in the glass gazebo.
The hills are alive with the grumbling of one very reluctant captain
The interiors of the von Trapp villa speak volumes about their owner. Austere, aristocratic, and impeccably ordered, the home reflects Captain von Trapp’s (Chistopher Plummer) rigid authority and devotion to tradition. Off camera, the actor had far less affection for the story, dubbing it, “The Sound of Mucus.” He also bristled at playing a character who was too stiff and wanted the captain’s character more “worldly” and “complex.” He even threatened to quit when told his vocals would be blended with a professional singer’s; despite lessons, the plan didn’t work, and his numbers were ultimately dubbed. Over time he softened, admitting a fondness for the film that had once been a headache.
“The Lonely Goatherd” wasn’t the only scene that took place before a painted backdrop
Part Hollywood illusion, part Salzburg postcard, The Sound of Music stitched together studio backdrops and authentic locations with such artistry that the two became inseparable. At Twentieth Century Fox, J.C. Backings created a hand-painted backdrop of the lake views from Leopoldskron Castle (known today as the luxury hotel Schloss Leopoldskron) that stood in for the real scenery. Their artistry also gave life to the gazebo where Liesl and Rolf danced, the Nonnberg Abbey courtyard where the family hid from the Nazis, and the sweeping alpine vista where they staged their escape.
“The Lonely Goatherd” puppet show was staged against a hand-painted mountain backdrop, complete with miniature chalets and dancing marionettes. The result was seamless and so convincing that audiences rarely noticed where Hollywood ended and Salzburg began. The children worked hand-in-hand with the puppeteers and choreographers for three weeks of rehearsals.
Multiple locations made up the film’s von Trapp villa
The film’s von Trapp villa was a combination of two Salzburg landmarks and a Paramount studio soundstage in Hollywood decorated with Baroque architecture, gilded mirrors, and a pair of carved grand staircases (immortalized in “So Long, Farewell”). The stately façade and tree-lined approach at elegant Frohnburg Palace provided the home’s exterior, while Leopoldskron Castle was used for its terrace and sweeping views. Today, the historic castle is known as the luxury hotel Schloss Leopoldskron.
You can still visit some iconic Sound of Music landmarks—and many tourists do!
When the film premiered, Mirabell Gardens was a public park in Salzburg, designed in the early 18th century as part of the Mirabell Palace complex. Its manicured lawns, baroque statues, and the Pegasus Fountain suddenly became international icons after Maria and the children skipped, hopped, and sang “Do-Re-Mi” through its rose-lined arches. When I first went to Salzburg decades ago, Mirabell Gardens felt like a secret shrine to the movie. You could wander without bumping into tour groups, and the locals treated it like their own backyard. These days it’s firmly on the Sound of Music circuit, the fountain steps crowded with visitors trying out the “Do-Re-Mi” choreography. Even so, the place hasn’t lost its grace. I still find myself pausing at the Pegasus Fountain, half-expecting Julie Andrews and the children to come skipping past.
Andrews turned Residenzplatz into her solo moment of song, splashing across the fountains on her way to the von Trapp villa as the new governess. I recall Residenzplatz felt like the charming city’s living room—more a gathering place for locals and markets than a film pilgrimage site and tour-guide free. Today, it draws fans of the film eager to retrace Maria’s confident steps across the cobblestone streets. Yet the square’s grandeur remains intact, with cathedral bells echoing overhead and horse-drawn carriages circling as they did long before Hollywood arrived.
