‘Sounds’ of music better left alone

Every time I hear those opening lyrics, “the hills are alive with the sound of music” I feel compelled to stop what I am doing and sing along.
During the holiday break, the TV was on and the movie The Sound of Music came on.
One of Cort’s friends, Tucker, asked, “What is this?” I nearly fell off my chair to think that he had never seen it!
Tucker sat and watched it with me for a while. He couldn’t get over the way a story could be told and all of a sudden the entire cast burst in to song.
“Oh, my gosh – who would do that?” he asked incredulously as the scene unfolded with the entire clan in a village, on bicycles, singing out their little hearts.
Mesmerized. I remember the first time I ever saw the movie, I was totally mesmerized by the scenery, the music, all of the adorable children. The opening scene, on a huge theater screen, was simply breathtaking.
It took me no time at all to decide, on no uncertain terms, that I wanted to become a nun who then becomes a nanny. Me and about 10 million other little girls, I am sure!
My parents politely pointed out that it was highly unlikely that I could or would become a nun. I was incensed!
“Why can’t I become a nun? I can be anything I want to be!” was my obvious reaction. Well, it turned out, even though my dad would have loved to send me (and my three older sisters) to a convent on the other side of the world, it turned out that we didn’t meet one particular prerequisite: We weren’t Catholic. Ah, a technicality.
I guess that meant I would just have to skip the nun part and become a nanny who has no nun training.
‘Larger than life.’ When I asked my friend Cindy if she remembered the first time she saw The Sound of Music, she didn’t have to think for a minute.
“Oh, it was just beautiful, larger than life! I loved the scene with them all singing on top of that mountain. … I can remember it like it was yesterday!”
The nun who flies. And then there was Sally Field in The Flying Nun, which once again made me long for the nunnery. All she had to do was put on that funny-looking hat and she was able to accomplish wonderful, magical things.
Within my little pack of girlfriends, we discussed this endlessly. We all wanted to be just like her in the worst way.
I remember heading off to the barn one morning thinking that perhaps I could fly, too, if I just didn’t have to wear these darned old heavy boots and coveralls. If I only had a hat … that one particular hat!
There has been some talk out of Hollywood of a remake of the Sound of Music, which strikes me as not a good idea. Who, in today’s world, could play the role that Julie Andrews portrayed so impeccably?
I can just picture a producer deciding to add some new twist, like the family simply must have a dog that talks or sings along or something.
Some things are better left alone. This is one movie that ought to stand on its own through all of time.