Rare Austrian Production of 'The Sound of Music' Reflects Nation's Schizophrenic Nazi Past

Associated Press ^ | 2-27-05 | George Jahn

[Pharmboy]

[singing] "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Griswold..."(that movie ruined it for me).

[pabianice]

I cannot understand -- or forgive -- urban Jews who flock to see the "funny" Nazis in "The Producers." What is wrong with people?

[happyathome]

I think Mel Brooks said that mocking Nazis was his personal form of revenge against them. Notwithstanding the power of mockery, sometimes it seems a bit strange to laugh about the Nazis, given how utterly evil they were.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

I cannot understand -- or forgive -- urban Jews who flock to see the "funny" Nazis in "The Producers." What is wrong with people?

I haven't seen the musical, but have seen and enjoyed the original movie. I also get a kick out of Mel Brooks's "Hitler Rap," which he did at the time he did "To Be or Not To Be."

Here's the thing: It's a shot at memory of Hitler. Not only is he a villain and a monster. He's the butt of a joke. If he's in some afterlife where he's aware of what goes on the world that sort of insulting of his memory of him probably hurts him more than anything, other than the continued survival and success of the Jews.

[Pharmboy]

Funny you should mention that.

I used to work with a guy in NYC who was connected to Broadway. He got tickets to see "The Producers" when it was still in previews and being worked on. As luck would have it, his seat was directly in front of Mel Brooks who was there with his wife, Anne Bancroft. They were still revising the show.

At any rate, when it was over and they all were leaving, this feisty old Jewish man with a cane approaches Brooks and starts screaming at him with a thick Central European accent about "the Nazis not being funny..." and how he suffered in a concentration camp. My friend said Mel was shook up.

[wideminded]

Also, Austrian tourism surveys show that three out of four Americans come to Salzburg, the former home of the real-life von Trapp family, because of the musical.

Once there, many of them ignore Mozart, the city's most famous native son, to take part in "The Sound of Music" tour,

Unbelievable.

[paudio]

with actors dressed as Nazi storm troopers standing guard in the audience, a theater box filled with mock Nazi dignitaries, and a huge swastika banner draped onstage

And when some teenage prince wore swastika in private costum party, everybody there freak out...

[BenLurkin]

This lovely Austrian song is the sole bright spot in the show, IMO:

"EDELWEISS"

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me

Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

[jocon307]

"Some foreigners think "Edelweiss" - composed for the musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and never sung by the real-life von Trapps - is Austria's national anthem."

Is this true? I thought it was a real folk song, not the national Anthem. At my mother-in-law's Presbyterian church (it must have some German backround to it) this tune is sung with different words at the end of the service.

[basil]

I love visiting Austria. It is so incredibly beautiful--and when I have been there I have been amazed to think that anyone growing up and living there, surrounded by such natural beauty could turn into a Hitler.

Once there, many of (the tourists) ignore Mozart, the city's most famous native son, to take part in "The Sound of Music" tour,

Unfortunately, Mozart's birth place is now over a MacDonald's. He lived in the upstairs apartment. It's a shock to me that this was allowed.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

I love visiting Austria. It is so incredibly beautiful--and when I have been there I have been amazed to think that anyone growing up and living there, surrounded by such natural beauty could turn into a Hitler.

Somebody will probably get upset with me for this joke, but what the hey.

Two middle aged Jewish ladies are in a concentration camp, about to go to the gas chamber, when one says to the other, "So, Minna, you couldn't have gone out with that little Abie fellow, just once?"

[Pharmboy]

The Europeans say that the two greatest achievements of Austria are convincing the world that 1) Hitler was German and 2) Beethoven was Austrian.

[Alouette]

I cannot understand -- or forgive -- urban Jews who flock to see the "funny" Nazis in "The Producers." What is wrong with people?

The funniest movie scene ever filmed is the Hitler audition from "The Producers."

[BenLurkin]

It's a folk song.

[Mad Mammoth]

Good points on mocking Hitler.

I'm still waiting however, for the biting ridicule and theatrical trashing of tyrants who killed even more than did Hitler, like Stalin, Mao, etc. just to name two?

Hello Hollywood? Broadway? Anybody listening?

Guess not.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"Der hills... are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive...!"

[Celtjew Libertarian]

On the bright side, the ZAZ boys (Zucker, Abrahams & Zucker) got in some shots at Saddam, the Ayatollah, and Arafat. Jerry Haleva has 6 acting credits, all of which are playing Saddam Hussein in movies. There's some great stuff mocking Bin Laden on the Internet. (Anyone remember seeing the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" Internet cartoon?)

[andyandval]

The Europeans say that the two greatest achievements of Austria are convincing the world that 1) Hitler was German and 2) Beethoven was Austrian.

That is a tasty little morsel.

I'm pretty sure this is the first movie I ever saw in a theater. Still one of my favorite movies.

'Bout time the Austrians took a look at it.

[jocon307]

I saw this play with my daughter, she's about Mel Brooks' biggest fan, and after the "Springtime for Hitler" big number that closes the act and brings down the house, I felt very guilty for applauding. I'm part German too, so maybe that had something to do with my guilt. I told the kid how I felt after the show and she said: Mom, the audience HAS to love that scene and go nuts, otherwise the rest of the play doesn't make sense!

Of course she was right, and I was then very impressed with how they make the audience really a part of the play, and get the needed effect, but so differently from the way it is done in the movie.

I think there's a point to be made about "The Producers" at least, that Hitler and the Nazis are always regarded as anthanema, that's why they think the show will fail. Unlike Hogan's Heros for example where "actual" Nazis are portrayed in a comical way. But I liked that show too, but that's cause Bob Crane (and Richard Dawson!) was soooo cute, what a shame the life Crane lived and the end he met.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Now there was something about Hogan's Heroes: Two of the actors (Robert Clary (LeBeau) and John Banner (Sgt. Schultz)) had been concentration camp survivors (Banner from when it when prisoners were still sometimes released from them). Werner Klemperer had fled Nazi Germany as a teenager.

Doing a little research (I wasn't sure how to spell Klemperer's name) I note that the four actors who regularly played Nazis on the show (Werner Klemperer, Howard Caine, Leon Askin, and John Banner) were all Jewish.