The actress who played Liesl von Trapp in The Sound of Music discusses life on the set of this beloved film, her relationships with her film siblings, and her life since the making of the movie. Original. Charmian Carr played eldest von Trapp daughter Liesl in the mega-successful film version of The Sound of Music , and judging from her earnest memoir, the story's sentimental wholesomeness rubbed off on her permanently. It's a "great movie," she avers, acknowledging that the critics thought otherwise; she was "honored" to be part of it, and her onscreen siblings became her lifelong friends. Carr's reasonably interesting chronicle of shooting the film is interspersed with personal narratives by people who love it: a nine-year-old boy who found comforting parallels between the distant but ultimately loving Captain von Trapp and his own recently deceased father; a girl who got the video for Christmas just after her brother had surgery; and so on. The author tempers all that sweetness and light with frank accounts of her parents' divorce, her mother's alcoholism, and later conflicts with the studio over financial remuneration for promoting the movie. Adult costars Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews come across as consummate professionals less enthralled by the experience than their youthful supporting cast. But in general the book is determinedly upbeat and definitely not for the cynical. Those who share Carr's rapturous regard for The Sound of Music and even those who don't but are willing to be touched by sincere emotion will enjoy her stroll down memory lane. --Wendy Smith It's difficult to believe that even the upcoming 35th anniversary of The Sound of Music could justify this memoir by the girl who played Liesl Von Trapp. The title is apt: although Carr gave up acting to marry a dentist not long after her debut, she doesn't seem to have gotten very far beyond this period of her life. She spends a lot of the book drawing parallels between the film and "life itself," telling her own story alongside the stories of others--she lets us know what happened to her former castmates (curiously, Julie Andrews is absent from her acknowledgments) and reprints testimonials from Sound of Music fans about how important this film was to their lives. A perhaps too-detailed look inside the making of The Sound of Music (there is a whole chapter on why Carr only likes dark chocolate), this is a fairly breathy puff piece. A marginal purchase. -Rosellen Brewer, Monterey Bay Area Cooperative Lib. Syst., Pacific Grove, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. "The Sound of Music" was voted by People's Choice Awards as one of the three most popular films of the Twentieth Century. For over three decades it has enchanted untold millions worldwide. Here, finally, is the story of how this film changed the lives of those who made it, and those who fell in love with it. "Letters to Liesl" is sure to become a 'favorite thing' for any lover of the film. When "Forever Liesl", my memoir of "The Sound of Music", was published in 2000, I received thousands of letters from people all across the globe. I was astounded by the many ways in which the movie has become a part of people's lives, and I realized a whole new story needed to be told. Here, then, are more stories about "The Sound of Music", a film whose legacy is perhaps more far-reaching than any other movie ever made. Charmian Carr was 21 years old when she played Liesl von Trapp in The Sound of Music . Now an interior designer, Carr continues to promote the movie on special occasions. She lives in Encino, California. Jean A. S. Strauss is the wife of a college president and the author of Birthright (Penguin) and lives in Claremont, California. CHAPTER ONE: HOMEWARD BOUND Over the years, I've received many letters from fans wanting to see the "von Trapp children" reunited. Now, thirty-six years after we filmed "The Sound of Music", I sit on a plane bound for Salzburg with Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich), Heather Menzies (Louisa), Duane Chase (Kurt), Angela Cartwright (Brigitta), Debbie Turner (Marta), and Kym Karath (Gretl). En route to doing a British documentary about the making of the film, we have taken over the first two rows of this Austrian Airlines jet and can't help grinning at each other. We are on a very special adventure, one that we have waited a long time to make, and when Nicky leans over and whispers to me, "This is so cool!", I nod my head in agreement. Back in 1964, when I sat next to Dan Truhitte (Rolf) during the long journey across the Atlantic to Austria, my stomach had been filled with butterflies. My whole life had been in front of me back then and I had no idea what the future would bring. I certainly had no inkling that the film we were making would have such an unending and wonderful impact upon all our lives. Today, much of my life is behind me, and there is much to think about as I look out the window at the ocean below. It has taken