Daily Dialogue — September 11, 2017

Captain von Trapp: Now, when I want you, this is what you will hear.

Blows whistle.

Maria: Oh, no, sir. I’m sorry, sir. I could never answer to a whistle. Whistles are for dogs and cats and other animals, but not for children and definitely not for me. It would be too… humiliating.
Captain von Trapp: Fraulein, were you this much trouble at the Abbey?
Maria: Oh, much more, sir.
Captain von Trapp: Hmm.

Starts walking away. Maria blows her whistle and he turns around.

Maria: Excuse me, sir. I don’t know your signal.
Captain von Trapp: You may call me ‘Captain’.

— The Sound of Music (1965), screenplay by Ernest Lehman, stage musical book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Babysitting, suggested by Gisela Wehrl.

Trivia: The movie is based on Maria Von Trapp’s 1949 memoir, “The Story of the Von Trapp Family Singers”. She also published another book, “Maria”, in 1972 and said that while she was able to attend the opening of the musical on Broadway, she did not have the same luck with the film premiere in 1965. She was able to convince 20th Century Fox to let her see a preview of the movie and expected an invitation to the premiere but “when I didn’t hear anything about it and no invitation arrived, I really humbled myself to go and ask the producer whether I would be allowed to come. He said he was very sorry, indeed, but there were no seats left” (p. 216).

Dialogue On Dialogue: Just hired as a governess, Maria has a rather rude introduction to the seven children to be under her care.