The “Sound of Music” Connection

The Directors

William Wyler: Now he's in, now he's out

“I hated the show, but keep talking.”
William Wyler after seeing the Broadway version of SOM

William Wyler and Robert Wise

German-American director William Wyler
spent several weeks scouting sites in
Austria for "The Sound of Music"
before he dropped out of the project.
Photo: Roger Edens Collection, USC Cinema-TV Library

Before Robert Wise ultimately took the helm of “The Sound of Music,” several other directors had been considered. Ironically, Wise had been Twentieth Century Fox's first choice, but he was busy with pre-production on “The Sand Pebbles” and not particularly interested in doing a musical anyway. Indeed, the SOM project was so unpopular (“too sweet and sentimental” said critics of the Broadway show) that several other candidates turned the studio down. Before the Alsatian German William (Willy) Wyler was brought on board, both Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly had rebuffed Fox.

Finally, screenwriter Ernest Lehman, Dick and and Darryl Zanuck of Fox brought Wyler to New York in an effort to persuade him to take on “The Sound of Music.” Their efforts almost backfired when Wyler was invited to view the Broadway production. After watching several performances of the musical, Wyler's reaction was less than positive. He was not at all sure this was something he wanted to get involved with, but he told Lehman: “I hated the show, Ernie, but keep talking.” The Fox people were now so desperate that they failed to heed the obvious signs that Wyler really didn't have his heart in the project at all. A few weeks later, after some more arm-twisting and assurances that he could make significant changes for the film, Wyler agreed to direct.

Soon Wyler, Lehman and musical supervisor Roger Edens were in the Salzburg area, where they spent several weeks scouting locations for the film. But once back in California, Wyler would find a project he liked much better: “The Collector.” In the end, Wyler would go on to direct “The Collector” and Robert Wise would become best known for “The Sound of Music,” the project he had previously rejected.

As luck would have it, Wise's “Sand Pebbles” project was on hold, and Lehman had secretly sent the director a copy of the first draft of the SOM script that he had written for Wyler. In between films, and after consulting with Saul Chaplin, the associate producer he had worked with on “West Side Story,” Wise at last agreed to direct the film that was destined to become a huge box-office hit and a cult classic. He was filming the long-delayed “Sand Pebbles” in Hong Kong in April 1966 when he received word of his Best Director Oscar for “The Sound Music.”

N E X T > Maria von Trapp

More “Sound of Music”

Introduction
SOM 1: The Directors
SOM 2: Maria von Trapp
SOM 3: Rodgers and Hammerstein
SOM 4: Shooting Locations
SOM 5: Links
A "Sound of Music" Sampler

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