THE SOUND OF MUSIC AFTER FIFTY YEARS

This week, Sunday, April 19, 2015, through Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies has hosted the showing of THE SOUND OF MUSIC in theaters across the USA.

At this point in time, there are many who have seen this film yearly on their televisions screens. If you have not seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC on the big screen, then you really have not seen it. It is magnificent, a fact that hit me once again today. The makers of the Sound of Music were truly  inspired men (and women if such is the case). Each scene is a brilliant work of art. Salzburg is really another character in the film.

In a day and age where we look for bigger highs, more shock, more violence, pain and outrage to shake us up, The Sound of Music shocks us because of how different it is from all that. The film harkens back to a day when excellence and inspiration were the true goals of the top filmmakers.

The Sound of Music qualifies as a great film because we have many of the opposing qualities we find in reality.. We have gorgeous scenery and a troubled girl, great music and unhappy children getting happy, love against a backdrop of evil as the Nazis move in. We know that the face of the world is about to change forever, even as love triumphs for this couple and this family.

That the music of the film, written by the brilliant Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II makes the film goes without saying. It was great on Broadway, but again, the way the filmmakers have meshed the music with the actors and the landscape of Salzburg brings out it's true grandeur. And again, they could not have chosen a more perfect Maria than Julie Andrews.

In 1965, Julie Andrews was a fresh-faced young woman with an amazing voice. Although she was fairly well-known at that time, The Sound of Music would hurl her into the kind of fame where people can't get enough of you. Christopher Plummer, although handsome, seems rather churlish in a good portion of the film. It is Julie as Maria, who can't help being attracted to him and falling in love with him, that makes us believe he is a decent fellow. The children are brilliant as well. When one takes a simple song like Do-Re-Mi and sees how grand and wonderful it can be, it brightens your entire aspect on life!

I'm not saying I can write anything half decent on this film. It has been written and written about - both as great and as too sweet and silly, but maybe those watching it this week on the big screen, after all we have experienced in our world during the last 50 years, will see it with fresh eyes and find it is a necessary value in our world. We need this joy!

(c) Michelle Russell, 2015

Meeting Julie Andrews Again and, Finally, Thank You!

Note:  Much of this story has been edited down... At some point, it will be included in another work.

In the years following my meeting with Julie Andrews, I went on with my life. Julie was living a new life herself, as a wife, mother and film star. And as far as I knew, she spent most of her time in Europe. My memories and mementos of The Julie Andrews Hour were packed away in a closet in my parents’ California home, where they remained for the next 30 years.

Whenever I saw a mention of Julie’s success, I felt happy for her. In the late 70s, when she toured the country, singing in concert, I traveled to Westchester, NY to see her onstage. I was thrilled by her ease and beauty before an audience, receiving the applause she so richly deserved. The nay-sayers of Hollywood had been left far behind...

***

Singing at "The Bushes"
Park Royal Hotel around 1977

Although, I auditioned a lot, I never “made it big,” as they say. In time, I found it more to my liking to create shows and sing on a more intimate level in clubs.

After moving to Washington, D.C., I lost my voice -- a combination of  misuse and emotional trauma. Thank heaven for my coming into contact with an amazing teacher,  Don Zuckerman. Don taught singing using the Alexander Technique, as a basis, along with breathing techniques taught by an Olympic atheletic coach and a certain amount of pyschology. 

 Using these techniques Don taught helped me change habits and thoughts that were holding me back. I learned to laugh at myself and not to be afraid of any unpleasant sounds I made in the process of retraining my voice. I also learned to become aware of when my vocal production felt right, rather trying to listen to myself and create a sound I thought was good. None of us hear ourselves as we sound to others.

Humbled by the fact that I could not sing at all if I didn’t listen, I followed Don Zuckerman’s instructions to the letter. Like a baby learning to walk. I learned how to breathe and how to make sounds all over again Over the next three years, I began to be able to sing again. For the first time in my life, I knew this was my true voice.

"HOME"

My old friend Alice gave me a copy of Julie's wonderful book "Home."  Finally after finishing the writing of a two volume work of my own, I was able to sit down and enjoy it. 

When I picked up Home and began to read. I recognized the voice in the book. It was Julie. While some may have been surprised by the stories in Home, for me, it was a revelation and explanation of the woman I’d already spent so much time with. I felt as if Julie had taken me by the hand, and led me on a journey into her life; I felt I understood her better. And I felt grateful.

Reading Julie's book made me remember my old diaries on The Julie Andrews Hour. Where were they? What did they say? Was there a story there? When I finally took them out, I knew there was a story, and an exciting one.

Julie rehearsing for a number on The Julie Andrews Hour

One thing that surprised me the most in my research on The Julie Andrews Hour was that nothing had been done with the show. Many television shows had come out on DVD, but not Julie’s. In the long run I learned that it is not owned by ABC or anyone in the United States. It is owned by a television company in Great Britain. 

After reading my old diaries again and interviewing people who had worked on the show I was eagar to see Julie again. Maybe now that I'd grown up and lived a little I would be able to talk to Julie.

That opportunity came soon enough at an event where Julie and Emma Walton Hamilton were signing one of their new "Very Fairy Princes" books. Although things didn't go quite as planned - mainly because I was on a strong medication for my allergies, I am happy I saw her again and will treasure that last squeeze she gave my hand as we said goodbye.

     Here, I would like to say something I never really said. Julie, for all the beauty and inspiration you've given us these many years I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                     Michelle Russell

 

***

Catsong2@netzero.net

(c) Michelle Russell



NOTE: All photos included in this blog are for entertainment purposes only.

Julie Andrews, Lady Gaga and The Sound of Music - A Glorious Celebration

Salzburg, Austria

This month, The Sound of Music celebrates the 50^th anniversary of the film's release and Julie Andrews is top news. The big stories began with Lady Gaga’s grand appearance on the 2015 Academy Awards. For months, she had rehearsed songs from the much loved film. That night, dressed in a dazzling white ball gown, Lady Gaga stunned and then thrilled the audience with her superb, heartfelt tribute to Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music. As the audience responded with a standing ovation, nothing could have topped that moment except the presence of the original star, Julie – which is exactly what happened. Ms. Andrews appeared on stage and embraced Lady Gaga. Thrills and tears.

This week, fans waited impatiently for Diane Sawyers’ ABC special, “The Untold Story of ‘The Sound of Music.’ In the special, Diane visits Salzburg, Austria where she meets Julie Andrews, and together the pair travel to many of the film's sites, where Julie recalls events that took place during filming. Christopher Plummer is also interviewed and many, many rare pictures and film clips are shown. There is also a visit to the real von Trapp home, not used in the film.

Watching Julie Andrews and listening to her behind the scenes stories is sure to bring back fond memories of our own. Each person who has seen the film has their own very personal memories of where they were in their life when they first saw the film. Those of us who love it remember as well how it inspired us and affected our lives. Without a doubt, it is one of the most loved films ever, and a large part of this is due to the greatness of Julie Andrews’ performance. She brought passion, insecurity, humor and love to her portrayal of Maria, as well as that glorious voice, which touched us all.

I have my own memories of seeing the film for the first time. My grandmother and Great Aunt Dora took me to see "The Sound of Music" shortly after it opened. I was eleven years old at the time, and Aunt Dora, who had seen the Broadway production, thought I should see it. Of course, like most kids, I longed to be one of the children in the film, but being from a theatrical family, I also dreamed, not just of living the story, but of working with a group of children like those in the film and a singer like Julie. But who is like Julie? No, of course, I dreamed of working with Julie herself, humbly. And for the first time in my life, I thought about singing, not just as a child or a popular singer, but as a singer who could do something much finer, like Julie Andrews.

Only seven years after the release of “The Sound of Music,” I had the opportunity to watch Julie Andrews at work in-person, and I took advantage of it that opportunity as my blog tells. Now, seeing the clips of the film and Julie at that time makes my memories real. Indeed, it is time to tell the rest of my story, and in the next few weeks, I will.

To learn more about ABC’s Special, visit:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/journey-meadow-filmed-opening-scene-sound-music/story?id=29698288

(c) 2015 Michelle Russell

All photos and links here for entertainment purposes only.

Julie Andrews Hour Magazine Covers 1972-1973

In 1972, Julie Andrews was one of Hollywood’s greatest female stars, rivaled only perhaps by Barbra Streisand. Although, years later, critics made much of the fact that Ms. Andrews’ films after The Sound of the Music did not do that well at the box office, I can tell you --as person who lived through that period-- the average person was not judging Ms. Andrews based on the box office. She was a great star and everyone knew it.

During late 1972 and the first half of 1973, because Ms. Andrews was a great star, there was a great deal of attention as to what took place in Studio C at ABC where The Julie Andrews Hour was being taped. 

During this period, quite a few mainstream magazines chose to put Julie on their cover. These were beautiful covers. Here is a little bit about some of those cover stories.

TV Guide – December 9, 1972

Julie posed for this lovely photo on the set of The Julie Andrews Hour. This article, for which the writer interviewed Blake Edwards, gives something of the history of Julie’s career and the creation of The Julie Andrews Hour. It was hoped that the television series would continue for at least two years. In the article, producer Lew Grade states that if the show remains on the air just two years, he will earn about $15 million.

The TV Guide article also reveals that the show opened with a Nielsen rating of 17.3 and then descended to a rating of 11.4 the second week.  Unfortunately, the show had been given a 10 pm weeknight slot, which, as producer Nick Vanoff noted, was obviously too late for a good portion of Julie’s fans.

Toward the end of the article, an interview with Cass Elliott is quoted. Ms. Elliott speaks of working until 4am with Julie, noting how even at that hour, Julie was pulling out everything she had to make the show work. “I was embarrassed to complain. I dunno, but there is something very special there, which you grow to love…”

This McCalls cover was one of my favorite.
The blue of the "McCalls" and Julie's eyes
were perfectly matched!

             ***

One week after The Julie Andrews Hour won seven Emmys, the McCall’s May 1973 issue, with a beautiful photo of Julie on the cover, appeared on the newsstand. The article was titled “Julie Andrews Fights Back.”

Author Chris Chase interviewed Julie before anyone knew whether The Julie Andrews Hour would be renewed or cancelled. The article featured photos of Julie getting out of her car in front of her Beverly Hills home, standing by her pool, in the recording studio, and by the ocean at the beach house in Malibu. 

In response to the question about how she would feel if the show was cancelled, Julie says, “Off course I’ll be hurt, everyone wants to be accepted and loved, but all you can do is your best… I’ll feel sorry for all the people who’ve worked so hard…” To close our her statement, Ms. Andrews concludes that she’ll be rather glad to be home again, hinting that her daughter Emma has had a rather bad time with her being away from home so much.

Those who worked with her had this to say:

“She’s an angel,” -Nelson Riddle.

“She has no temperament,” -Ian Fraser.

“She’s so kind, so sensitive, so unwilling to see anyone embarrassed.” - Alice Ghostley

Women’s Homelife – June 1973

Summer 1973

The photo shoot for this cover can be seen in Blake Edwards’ documentary film, “Julie.”  The editors chose the brightest photo of the shoot and called the article, “The Trials and Triumphs of a Working Wife.”

The article stated that Blake was very protective of Julie. According to the writer, Julie loved to be silly and rowdy, but had to save that aspect of her personality for the times when Blake wasn’t around. However, he concluded, Blake was good for her.

The 1973 Emmy Awards - The Julie Andrews Hour Wins!

On April 20^th, 1973, the 25^th Annual Emmy Awards celebrated television’s best work for the previous season. That day The Los Angeles Times headlined the Emmy story with the fact that The Julie Andrews Hour and The Waltons were the leaders in this “Emmy Race.”

The Waltons, a wholesome series about a real family of the Depression area starring Richard Thomas, came in first with 12 nominations. 

No one involved with The Julie Andrews Hour was quite sure what to expect. The Times stated that while Julie’s show opened with “fanfare and critical favor,” it had never been able “to climb out of the bottom ratings.” 

That night, as the awards for The Julie Andrews Hour began to pile up, producers  Nick Vanoff and Bill Harbach were estatic. Last year, Mr. Harbach sent me a copy of a photo he and Nick had taken after the awards ceremony. 

Producer Lew Grade presenting Julie with her
Emmy Award for The Julie Andrews Hour

Photos appearing here are for entertainment purposes only!

Episode 24 - The Final Show with Henry Mancini

The final episode of The Julie Andrews Hour, which aired on March 31^st, 1973 was met with great anticipation and sorrow by fans who loved seeing Julie on their television every week. It had been a great adventure. Now it was over.

The show opened with a wide, seemingly vacant set, expect for the grand piano at the back of the stage. Julie stood next to it, wrapped in what appeared to be a grand cloak, ruffled about the neck and wrists, a style popular at the time.

Then, “Whistling in the Dark,” a song Henry Mancini wrote the film, Darling Lili, is heard and Julie begins to sing. The camera follows her as she walks through light and shadow. This is one of Julie Andrews’ finest performances, a melding of grand music, beautiful singing and subtle emotions which pass across her face, wrapping the audience into the experience.

At one point, Julie opens her cloak and we see that it is really a lightly made wrap under which she is wearing a sparkling bronze body-suit. Loosening the cloak, she waltzes to the soaring music. It is perfection.

Now the lights come up, revealing that a full orchestra is onstage. At the close of the number, the musicians are all on their feet, applauding. A true tribute.

Julie and Henry Mancini

Julie introduces us to Henry Mancini, by 1972 (as Julie tells us) winner of three Academy Awards and twenty Grammy Awards. Quite amazing. On entering, Henry, who seems to have a dry sense of humor, announces that he has been practicing his jokes and bird calls for the show.

Meanwhile, Julie asks if he recognizes one of the trumpet players in the orchestra, saying he looked slightly familiar. The camera turns to the orchestra and we see, it’s the Pink Panther sitting there.

After that, Julie, who has lost her clock and is now dressed only in her bronze halter pant suit, tries to track the Pink Panther down. Soon he has multiplied to four Pink Panthers, and a dance with comic moves follows. At one point, the Panthers indicate that Julie should jump in their arms. When she tries, they all vanish!

Following the Pink Panther segment, Julie comes to the piano where Henry Mancini is conducting a group of singers. She joins them, with no background music other than the chorus, to sing “The Days of Wine and Roses.” Needless to say, it’s lovely.

Then, we see Henry Mancini seated at the piano, half in dark, half in light. Julie appears, dressed in a trench coat, holding a gun. This is the Peter Gunn segment, no doubt a tribute to Blake Edwards as well as Mancini.

At one point, Julie tells Henry she’s looking for Blake Edwards. When he tells her that Blake is married to Julie Andrews, she says, “Mary Poppins? Oh, well, whatever turns him on.”

In the midst of all this, Julie shoots Henry and he falls on the piano, apparently dead. Then a chase begins, to find the killer backed by the music from Peter Gunn. Excitement and suspense are fill the scene as the dancers appear in spots of light. There is running and movement throughout the entire studio, including the audience area. Julie, in a trenchcoat is on the trail and at one point a woman passes clues in an envelope to her, taking it from her dress. Later, she has clues hidden in her garter. 

In the end, Julie arrives at a door, thinking she will find what she’s looking for. Behind the door is a man with his back to us. It turns out to be Nelson Riddle. He is the one who shot Mancini because, he says, Mancini was moving in on his orchestra.  The two men then join together for a short duet, Nelson on his trombone and Mancini on his piccolo. Julie joins them, vocalizing, and together they create another famous piece of music (Elephant Walk?)

                                                      ***

After a break, Julie and Henry Mancini are seated on the “Getting to Know You” set, having tea and speaking about Mancini’s family. He has twin girls who are now grown and a son. One of his daughters had written him a note in a card, which he then wrote music for and which became “Sometimes,” a song recorded by the Carpenters. Julie loves the song asks to sing it. It is a song of gratitude to those we love and with Henry Mancini playing and Julie singing, it is a special moment.

When Henry Mancini compliments Julie on her television series, he says that her work is always so “perfect.”  In response, Julie asks him not to call her perfect. Somehow, she comments, that word is always used about her, but she is far from perfect. She thinks the reason this work is used about her may be because of Mary Poppins’ “practically perfect in every way.” To prove how imperfect she is, she says they have some clips which will show all her mistakes, and we get to see some of these delightful bloopers.

There is also a very beautiful song included on this show. Julie tells us it was recorded some time ago but never seemed to fit in any show, so they are putting it on this show. It’s called “Once Upon a Time,” and in this lovely song, we also get to see Julie standing beneath the dazzling crystal tree.

When the cameras once again return to Julie and Henry on the set, Mancini comments that there are some people waiting to see her. The people are the eight male Tony Charmoli Dancers and Julie says she wants to see them as well because there’s something she’s been wanting to do for a long time.

When the dancers enter dancing to “This Guy’s In Love with You,” the camera pulls back to show Julie standing downstage, back to us, watching them. She says she wants to introduce the guys who have been dancers, singers and friends on the show. Performer Ken Berry later commented on Julie’s desire to introduce the dancers, saying that it was so kind of her because dancers work so hard and get very little in return, other than the joy of their art.

Julie introduced each dancer as they sang a phrase from “This Guy…” to her. They are introduced in this order:

Joe Kyle, Jerry Trent, Wayne Dugger, Walter Stratton, Gary Crabbe, Gary Menteer, Tom Anthony and Garrett Lewis.

This is the last time the dancers appear on the show. From here, we turn to a conversation between Julie and Henry about the importance of music in film; how it brings out the drama, comedy or whatever is in a scene. To illustrate this, they perform a scene from Gaslight (or what appears to be). For the first run-thru of this scene, Julie enters as a distraught wife, hearing things and fearing she is going mad, or that her husband is trying to drive her mad. The scene takes place in the late 1800s, and Julie and Henry are wearing period costume on a period set. Mancini is not a bad actor and looks like cold and forbidding at the beginning of the scene. The intensity of the music adds to the suspense.

For the second run-thru of the scene, there is rinky-dink piano playing in the background. There is also a laugh track, but the music alone is enough to make you laugh. Julie and Henry Mancini’s reactions only heighten the comic effect. When Mancini goes to take a drink of wine, attempting to ignore his wife’s (Julie) worry that he is driving her insane, he can’t help laughing. The director have left this uncut and it’s funny to watch his laughs.

Julie plays along. Standing at the back of the set, unable to see the laugh we do on camera, but obviously aware he’s loosing it, Julie asks, “Are you alright?” which makes it even funnier.

At the end, Mancini, attempting to push Julie out the window, falls out himself, only on the second time around, when she calls his name he answers. Going to the phone, she orders sandwiches and asks the restaurant to call the police (rather than calling herself) as there’s been an accident. What makes it even funnier is the fact that the old fashioned phone she’s talking on is not screwed tightly together and keeps falling apart, however, Julie, pro that she is, moves the parts around and just keeps going!

***

For the final segment of the show, we are back on the stage with a full orchestra. Henry Mancini is seated at the piano, and in the background we see Julie seated with the orchestra.  Mancini plays “A Time for Us” from Romeo and Juliet. Then, playing a phrase from Whistling in the Dark, he launches into Charade. Julie stands in the back among the musicians and sings, Charade, Sweetheart Tree and Dear Heart. Then, walking to the piano, she and Mancini conclude this wonderful musical performance with his most famous song, “Moon River.”

After this grand performance, there is no sentimentality about the ending of the series; in fact, no word is mentioned that this is the final show. After a break, Julie concludes the show with a few bars of her song, “Time is My Friend” while Henry Mancini does bird calls, making Julie laugh. Then, she says, “Goodnight,” and the two turn and walk to the back where Nelson Riddle is standing. The three can be seen, through the credits, talking and, at one point, Julie appears to be demonstrating a bird call of her own.

Thus ends this grand series

© Michelle Russell

Photos appearing here are for entertainment purposes only!

Cubby O'Brien - Drummer

One member of Nelson Riddle’s orchestra, though he didn’t start out that way, was drummer Cubby O’Brien.  O’Brien was a former Mouseketeer and by 1972, working with some name people. He began working on The Julie Andrews Hour as a rehearsal drummer.

Born in Burbank, California in 1946, Cubby’s given name was Carl Patrick O’Brien. As a baby, his mother thought he looked like a little bear cub and began calling him “Cubby.” The name stuck.

Cubby’s father, “Hack” O’Brien was a well-known drummer, who worked with some of the era’s great Big Bands.  All three O’Brien boys, of which Cubby was the youngest, were interested were interested in music.  Cubby began taking music lessons at the age of five. As a youngster, he performed with Roger Babcock Dixieland Band, sometimes appearing at charity events. At one of these events, a staffer for Walt Disney staffers saw him, and recommended him to Mr. Disney. As a result, Walt Disney personally asked nine year-old Cubby O’Brien to audition for The Mickey Mouse Club. (Walt Disney selected each member of the show himself.)  Cubby was among the first Mousekateers, appearing on the show from 1955 – 1958.

By 1972, Cubby O’Brien was a professional drummer. As he explains it, in those days there was a lot of work for musicians. He played for The Carpenters, among others and filled in wherever he could. When The Julie Andrews Hour went into production, he was hired to work as the rehearsal drummer for the dancers. He’d play during the week at dance rehearsals, drumming the beat of the music. On the weekends, he often traveled to Vegas to work with the Carpenters as well as other singers.

In addition, as Cubby explained it, although the music was always pre-recorded for the show, during the taping, usually one or more musician was there to play live. Eventually, he began to fill in on this work as well, and finally stepped in, playing with the band.

Cubby says he was thrilled to work with Nelson Riddle, a legend even then. And working with Julie Andrews was always a great pleasure.

Today Cubby O’Brien continues to work with singers, often backing Bernadette Peter.

More on Cubby later. You may find his site on the web.

© Michelle Russell

To request that The Julie Andrews Hour be released on DVD, please contact:  dan.gopal@itv.com    at ITV and let your voices heard!

Be sure to ask for the release of the music on CD as well!

Photos appearing here are for entertainment purposes only!