The Sound Of Cash In The Bank

Rating: 10/10 (23 April 2006)

After "Cleopatra" with Liz and Dicky Boy hit the movie theaters, the film almost drove 20th Century Fox into Bankruptcy and even their law suits against one another just added fuel to the bankruptcy fiasco of all time. So, in the meantime, while figuring out what to do to save Fox, Walt Disney had seen Julie Andrews in the stage version of "Camelot" on Broadway and decided that she was his "Mary Poppins" and the rest is movie history. Back at Fox, looking through their unfilmed scripts they came across "The sound of Music"; so, William Wyler, the original director who was casting the film, asked Julie Andrews to play Maria Von Trapp, and she said, "Of course! But what can you do with a Nun, a Captain, 7 children, and a bunch of Nuns?" So, Wyler cast the film, but he preferred to do something else, and Robert Wise took over. Wyler stated that he knew that the film would be a hit, but he didn't think that it would be THAT big a hit! In the meantime, at the Acamady Awards, Julie Anderews, the original Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" wins the Oscar for best actress in Mary Popp;ins, and Rex Harrision, the original 'Enry 'Iggins, wins an Oscar for "My Fair Lady", and Audrey Hepburn is overlooked for her excellent performance with too many excuses for why she didn't win! So, what made "The Sound of Music" such a hit? Good question! Not an easy answer! All the critics hated it; said it wouldn't last, but something happened, and not only did it last but became one of the great money makers of all time to the point that it played in reserved seat first run theaters for at least 3 years, and no movie had done that up to that time, but I think I have the answer: It was just right timing. There was a lot of violence on the movie screen, no musicals, no good-feel movies to leave the theater with your toes tapping with a song in your heart! Today, it would have probably flopped on its nose! So, when Julie Andrews won the Oscar for "Mary Poppins" she stated, "I've heard that you Americans are known for your hospitality, but this is ridiculous!" Next year when she was nominated for "Soound of Music", the rumor is that the Acadamy was told not to vote for her because it was unheard of for an actress to win the years in running for a musical! So, be the powers of Hollywood in those days! And in case you aren't aware of this, Marni Nixon, who dubbed singing for Deborah Kerr in "An Affair To Remember" and "The King and I", and who also dubbed partial-singing for Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady" can, for once, not only be heard, but can be seen as well singing for herself as Sister Sophia as one of the Nuns in the number "How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?" So, the cash flow saved 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy; but it took many years for the movie public to get over that their virginal Julie Andrews was human beings, and it too many years for Jack Warner to wipe the egg off his face for making such a boo-boo about the possibility of becoming a movie star, and Julie Anderews never, but never, worked on a film for Jack Warner! But, many have made the same mistake. There were those who said that Liza Minelli would never make it in the big-time because she was the daughter of Judy Garland! Boy! Did those know-it-alls, like Jack Warner, eat crow for many years to come!