Forever Liesl written by Charmian Carr with Jean A.S. Strauss

I am sixteen going on seventeen…

Oh my goodness! Guess who wrote a book about her life on the set of the classic movie of all time, The Sound of Music? That’s right our very own Liesl Von Trapp, played by the late Chairmain Carr, wrote her own memoir called Forever Liesl along with Jean A. S. Strauss.

Chairmain wrote her memoires of playing the beloved character, Liesle Von Trapp, who was the oldest of the Von Trapp family in the film The Sound of Music. But did you know that in the real Von Trapp family, the oldest child was a boy not a girl? Charmain does mention in her book why the people working behind the film changed the family line up.

Want to hear something really wild? In The Sound of Music, remember that famous song, Sixteen Going On Seventeen, which Liesl sang to her boyfriend, Rolf, in that famous gazebo? Well Charmian did mention in her book that she actually hurt her ankle while shooting that famous scene, she had to reshoot the scene several times while wearing a brace! Can you tell that she was wearing a brace in the film?

One more secret that Charmain does mention in her book, remember when Fräulein Maria (Julie Andrews) was praying next to her bed? While she was asking God to bless the Von Trapp children, Liesl snuck into her window. Noticed how Julie Andrews spoke one of her lines a bit louder? That’s because Charmaian couldn’t hear her cue behind the wall to sneak through Maria’s window. Talking from experience, an actor or actress cannot miss a cue or the scene is messed up, which makes the director not happy!

Besides talking about her life behind the scenes of The Sound of Music, Charmain talks about her life leaving her acting career and becoming an interior designer! She went on to design rooms for famous people. Such as the late pop signer, Michael Jackson, and a Von Trapp costar from The Sound of Music.

If you love The Sound of Music and of course Liesl Von Trapp. I would recommend reading Forever Liesl written by The Sound of Music . Dir. Robert Wise . Perf. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer . Twentieth Century-Fox , 1965. Film. Web. Carr herself along with Jean A. S. Strauss. Who doesn’t want to learn about the actors, actresses, and the secrets behind The Sound of Music?

On September 17, 2016. Charmian Carr passed away; she will be forever missed for playing the beloved Liesl Von Trapp.  

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/20/charmian-carr-obituary

Trivia Questions:

1) How did Chairmain hurt her ankle while shooting Sixteen Going On Seventeen?

2) While designing several rooms for Michael Jackson, Charmain needed ideas to redo the rooms for Michael's Neverland home, where did she go with Michael and his family to get ideas for Michael's home?

Carr, Charmian, and Jean A. S. Strauss. Forever Liesl: a memoir of The Sound of Music. Thorndike, ME: Thorndike Press, 2000. Print.

Bergan, Ronald. "Charmian Carr obituary." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Sept. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
The Sound of Music . Dir. Robert Wise . Perf. Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer . Twentieth Century-Fox , 1965. Film.
I want to put citations in my blogs to show credit to the author(s) and editor(s) who published the book. The description above are my words.