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The real-life love story of Maria and Georg Von Trapp we didn't see in 'The Sound of Music'

"I really and truly was not in love."

Photo credit: Public domain

Maria Von Trapp was not in love with Georg when they got married, but that changed.

The Sound of Music has been beloved for generations, partially for the music (and Julie Andrews' angelic voice), partially for the historical storyline, and partially for the love story between Maria and Georg Von Trapp. The idea of a nun-in-training softening the heart of a curmudgeonly widower, falling in love with him, and ultimately becoming a big, happy family is just an irresistible love story.

But it turns out the real love story behind their union is even more fascinating.

maria von trapp, georg von trapp, the sound of music, love story, history Maria Von Trapp (left) was played by Julie Andrews and her husband Georg was played by Christopher Plummer in "The Sound of Music."Photo credit: Public domain

The National Archives has collected information about what's fact and what's fiction in The Sound of Music, which is based on a real family in Austria named Von Trapp. The film was generally based on the first section of Maria Von Trapp's 1949 autobiography, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, with some of the details being true and others fictionalized for a movie audience.

For instance, Maria was actually hired on as a tutor for just one of Georg's children, not as a governess for all of them. The children, whose names, ages and sexes were changed, were already musically inclined before Maria arrived. Georg was not the cold, grumpy dad he was portrayed as in the beginning of the film, but rather a warm and involved parent who enjoyed making music with his kids. Maria and Georg were married 11 years before leaving Austria, not right before the Nazi takeover. The Von Trapps left by train, not in a secret excursion over the mountains.

But perhaps the most intriguing detail? Maria was not in love with Georg at all when they got married.

gif, the sound of music, von trapp family, movie, true events Sound Of Music Flag GIF by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization Giphy

It doesn't initially make for a great Hollywood romance, but the Von Trapp love story began with marriage for other reasons and evolved into a genuine love story. Maria wrote that she fell in love with Georg's children at first sight, but she wasn't sure about leaving her religious calling when Georg asked her to marry him. The nuns urged her to do God's will and marry him, but for Maria it was all about the children, not him. When Georg proposed, he asked her to stay with him and become a second mother to his children. "God must have made him word it that way," Maria wrote, "because if he had only asked me to marry him I might not have said yes."

"I really and truly was not in love," she wrote. "I liked him but didn't love him. However, I loved the children, so in a way I really married the children."

However, she shared that her feelings for Georg changed over time. "…[B]y and by I learned to love him more than I have ever loved before or after."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

The idea of marrying someone you don't love is antithetical to every romantic notion our society celebrates, yet the evolution of Maria's love for Georg has been a common occurrence across many cultures throughout history. Romantic love was not always the primary impetus for marriage. It was more often an economic proposition and communal arrangement that united families and peoples, formed the basis of alliances, and enabled individuals to rise through social ranks. Some cultures still practice arranged marriage, which limited research has found has outcomes identical to love-first marriage in reports of passionate love, companionate love, satisfaction, and commitment. The idea of marrying someone you don't already love is anathema to modern Western sensibilities, but the reality is that people have married over the centuries for many reasons, only one of which is falling in love.

Maria's marriage to Georg actually was about falling in love, but not with him. She loved his children and wanted to be with them. It definitely helped that she liked the guy, but she wasn't swept off her feet by him, there were no moonlit confessions of love a la "Something Good," and their happily ever after love story didn't come until much later.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Ultimately, Maria and Georg's love story was one for the ages, just not one that fits the Hollywood film trope. And it's a compelling reminder that our unwritten rules and social norms determining what love and marriage should look like aren't set in stone. Do marriages for reasons other than love always evolve into genuine love? No. Do marriages based on falling in love first always last? Also no. Should a marriage that starts with "like" and develops into to a genuine, deep love over years be considered "true love" in the way we usually think of it? Who can say? Lots to ponder over in this love story.

But Maria's description of learning "to love him more than I have ever loved before or after" is a pretty high bar, so clearly it worked for them. The Von Trapps were married for 20 years and had three more children together before Georg died of lung cancer in 1947. Maria would live another four decades and never remarried. She died in 1987 at age 82 and is buried next to Georg on the family's property in Vermont.

This article originally appeared in June.

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He uses a wheelchair, and so does this TV character. That matters more than you think.

'Julie's Greenroom' is a magical children's show with an inclusive message.

If you had to describe the target audience of Julie Andrews' latest TV show as a single person, it'd probably be someone who looks a lot like Luca, a 2-year-old boy from Virginia.

The show, a Netflix original called "Julie's Greenroom," has everything a curious-minded youngster could want: puppets, laughs, songs, and Mary Poppins herself. It's no wonder that Luca and his mom, Stephanie, have been enjoying the show since its March 17 premiere.

It's an adorable, delightful show about the wonders of the theater.

But there's one character in particular that Luca and Stephanie have have come to love: Hank, a piano-playing prodigy puppet who happens to use a wheelchair.

Image via Netflix.

Like Hank, Luca also uses a wheelchair.

Luca was born with a condition called spina bifida, and while his wheelchair is just a part of his life, it's a part he doesn't often see in TV shows or movies.

"Julie's Greenroom" changed that for him in an important way.

One of the things Stephanie says she appreciated about "Julie's Greenroom" is that the show doesn't immediately call attention to the fact that Hank uses a wheelchair. Instead, the show "showed the character as just another child with the same abilities and interests," Stephanie explains over email as to why she sees the show as a victory for representation. "All too often it is the physical differences that are noticed before any similarities."

Luca plays with his sister. Photo via Stephanie Rasmon, used with permission.

It's important for children to see themselves in the world, and it's just as important for them to be seen by others.

"I want Luca to know there are other people and even children that use wheelchairs," Stephanie writes. "I don't want a stigma to be associated with having a disability. It is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about — it is part of him and what makes our family a whole."

Image via Netflix.

Disabled characters are often severely underrepresented in media, making "Julie's Greenroom" a huge step in the right direction.

A recent study found that only a tiny fraction of all speaking or named characters in TV and movies were shown with a disability. In the real world, nearly 1 in 5 people report having some form of disability. When it comes to inclusivity and representation, the media just isn't being realistic.

It matters that Luca is able to see himself in shows because it turns out that not seeing positive portrayals of others who look or act like you can result in low self-esteem. And it matters that kids without disabilities see others who aren't like them because seeing those unlike yourself is key to building empathy and social skills. In other words, diversity in the media is a win-win situation for all kids.

Luca teams up with a dinosaur for playtime. Photo via Stephanie Rasmon, used with permission.

"I think the more we talk about differences, the more we will be accepting of others and look beyond their equipment," writes Stephanie.

And there's a lot to see "beyond their equipment." You can check out the adorable trailer for "Julie's Greenroom" below and learn more about how you can support children like Luca at the Spina Bifida Association website.

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5 ways Julie Andrews is even cooler than you already thought.

No one is practically perfect in every way ... but she comes close!

On her 80th birthday, we decided to look into the ways that Julie Andrews inspires us all to be better humans. (Aside from the obvious, which are ... obvious! Voice! Beauty! Poise! Great at winking!)

As it turns out, there are more than many ways, so we narrowed it down to five!

1. She knows about the many different ways she can use her voice.

After surgery on some non-cancerous nodules in her throat, Ms. Andrews' voice was destroyed. She was so devastated she had to go to grief counseling! (I needed some grief counseling, and it's not my voice!)

So she focused her energy on something else. Using her voice not to sing but to write! 26 children's books and counting! From her own imprint.

As she told Vanity Fair, "My daughter Emma and I began to work together and formed our small book-publishing company."

“I was bemoaning my fate one day and said, 'God, I miss singing, Emma. I can't begin to tell you.' And she said, 'I know, but look, you've found a new way of using your voice.'"

2. She could handle a hater. Even one that didn't recognize her talent or her potential.

Julie Andrews was famously turned down for the film role of the musical "My Fair Lady" even though it was Andrews who built the role on the stage. The head of the studio making the movie musical, Jack Warner, decided to cast Audrey Hepburn, a non-singer. He just overdubbed another singer, and that was that!

In the meantime, Julie soldiered on and got the part of Mary Poppins in a little movie called ... "Mary Poppins." Maybe you've heard to it? Well, needless to say, "Mary Poppins" was a hit and Julie Andrews won an Oscar for her role.

https://lolololori.tumblr.com/post/130291125962/damejulieandrewsedwards-never

He gets it.

When she accepted the Oscar she won for "Mary Poppins," she thanked Jack Warner, the guy who didn't give her the part in "My Fair Lady." After all, without him, she wouldn't have been able to be Mary Poppins!

Hater handled.

3. She OWNS change, life passing by, and being differently abled from the years past.

“Well it's all right to cry. It helps a great deal sometimes..." ― Julie Andrews Edwards

It used to be that no one could surpass Julie Andrews when it came to singing. So magical. But since a surgery destroyed her voice, she can't sing like she used to.

So did she give up music entirely?

No! It seems like she can still hit a few notes, albeit in a lower register. And as this clip with Stephen Colbert shows, no one can take the magic away.

https://beeishappy.tumblr.com/post/127683548976/stephen-colbert-and-julie-andrews-sing

She's also gone on to write musicals as well. One of her books, "The Great American Mousical," was turned into a musical recently. It went up at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and Dame Julie directed it!

4. She's kind of a gay icon!

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Sure, she's just generally iconic, so why wouldn't she be an icon? But when you look at the gender nonconformity happening in her film "Victor Victoria," it becomes clear why she's embraced by more than just the "I love 'The Sound of Music'" communities!

Julie is edgy. Julie is not here for your gender norms.

5. She doesn't allow women to be pitted against each other just because that's how the system works sometimes.

Many have asked her if she was mad about not being cast in the film musical of "My Fair Lady," to which she has responded with a huge heart and a hugely genius brain for the entertainment business.

https://lejazzhot.com.br/post/122333627800/julie-andrews-on-my-fair-lady

I love it how she makes sure to point out that she and Audrey Hepburn, who got a part that Julie Andrews seemed to be destined for, were great friends.

Sorry, messed up Hollywood, Julie Andrews has no time for your pitting her against other women.

Happy 80th birthday, Julie Andrews! You show us all how to age with grace and coolness.

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