Every great movie has great behind-the-scenes stories and photos. Here are a few from The Sound of Music. It took several takes to get the perfect opening shot. Julie Andrews remembers she would come from one side of the hill and the helicopter with the cameraman hanging out the side would come from the other. When the helicopter circled around her, the downdraft would fling her to the ground. She kept motioning for the helicopter to not circle so close but all she kept getting was a thumbs up. After they got the shot, Andrews was whisked away by helicopter to another mountain where they filmed the ending hike. Rehearsals. Andrews, Plummer, and Carr (Liesl) all had to learn guitar for their roles. Andrews has said that "Edelweiss" is her favorite song from the film. However, it was Plummer's least favorite. Goofing around From Charmian Carr's memoir, Forever Liesl: "Kymmie [Kym Karath] was an adorable and very self-assured little girl. I always used to tell people that, even though her birth certificate said she was five, she was really forty-two. She would climb up into my lap and squish my cheeks together as if she were my grandmother and say, 'Oh, I just love your dimples! You're so cute!' " Skateboarding on the lot Drying up after the boat scene Preparing to film the conversation between Maria and the Captain. This was shot in two locations: one with the back of the house (Frohnburg) and the other with the "back yard" (Bertelsmann). Also on the same day, the scene where the Captain and Maria return from their honeymoon was filmed. Trying to stay warm With the director, Robert Wise One place I read said this is a photo of Julie Andrews finding out that she has been nominated for her performance in Mary Poppins. Another said they're looking at the script, but it doesn't look like a script to me. Andrews, Parker, and Carr With Angela Cartwright Julie Andrews freshening her make-up; sound check for Eleanor Parker; Plummer waiting on the set Carr getting her make-up freshened Parker with Duane Chase and Debbie Turner Here's the story behind this photo of Parker and Richard Haydn (you may also recognize his voice as that of the caterpillar in Disney's animated Alice in Wonderland): Haydn had appeared on an episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show who could imitate the call of a red-bellied gudgeon fish. In this photo, he got the very elegant Parker to do the imitation with him, much to the delight of everyone else. (Forever Liesl, 58). With the real Maria Von Trapp. You can see her crossing a street with one of her daughters in the background of the "I Have Confidence" number. Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries. If I don't then I know I'll turn back! Plummer and Chase Debbie Turner, Duane Chase, and Kym Karath On the set Karath (looking like she just stepped out of the turn-of-the-century), Andrews, and Turner Andrew's stand-in, Larri Thomas (right). Thomas is in the train scene and the tree-climbing scene, both some of the last scenes shot on location. Andrews and Plummer couldn't stop laughing during the scene. The solution was to film them in silhouette. You can see them smiling in this (weird orange) photo. The wedding gown had a 14 foot train and was very heavy. It took Andrews half a day to learn how to navigate it down the aisle. With director Robert Wise Doing some sightseeing Shopping for postcards in Austria Working with Julie Andrews is like getting hit over the head with a Valentine. - Christopher Plummer The kids now So long! Farewell! More behind-the-scenes photos View the rest of my Sound of Music posts here! Five Stories You Didn't Know About 'The Sound of Music' As Told By Julie Andrews '16 Going On 17' Things You Probably Didn't Know Other sources: Forever Liesl: A Memoir of 'The Sound of Music' by Charmian Carr, 2000. IMDb - lots more interesting tidbits here! Photos also found via Pinterest.