All the Things We Never Knew About “The Sound of Music”

The Fabrication of Liesl

In the movie, Liesl, who is the eldest daughter in the von Trapp family, falls in love with a German soldier who later tries to expose the entire family. However, this is not accurate at all when compared with the real story – mainly because the eldest von Trapp child wasactually a boy named Rupert!

Rupert Georg von Trapp and Charmian Carr side by side

Source: Wikimedia / Photo by Davidson & Choy Publicity

Both the character of Liesl and her storyline were invented by the writers, who believed it would add more depth to the movie. By the time “The Sound of Music” was released, Rupert was 54 and living in Vermont. He worked as a physician and would often tell his patients that he was “the real Liesl,” but no one actually believed him.

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