Angela Cartwright Spends a Little Time With Patch

The hills of Moraga will come alive this Saturday, September 18th, when The California Independent Film Festival Association presents The Sound of Music, at the New Rheem Theatre.

The screening promises to draw a large audience: at last month's Classic Film Series event, more than fifty people had to be turned away when the theater reached full capacity.

And it's not just Julie Andrews who will be sending her melodic lines soaring into the atmosphere: Angela Cartwright, who played Brigitta, one of the Von Trapp children, will attend the screening and participate in a Q and A after the film.

As if appearing in an iconic film and more than one well-known television series were not enough, Cartwright parades in front of a sparkling list of unexpected accomplishments.  She is a photographer, painter, clothing designer, doll-maker, blogger, mother of two adult children, and one of the liveliest interviews in the film industry.

One look at her website, http://angela-cartwright.com, reveals a tech-savvy head for marketing and a generosity to fans and friends alike.  The site features film clips, photographs, personal notes, and The Nine, a list of nine charities to which a portion of the proceeds from Cartwright's art sales are donated.

In a free-flowing telephone conversation, Cartwright talked about The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews, the television shows Make Room for Daddy, Glee, 24, and more.

"I haven't hit artist's block yet," Cartwright says, an understatement, considering the plethora of artistic forms she has explored.  "I'm what's known as Older Age, or, as we like to call it, the Classic Age. But I'm like a sponge: I just soak it all up."

Her focus — that enormous creative stride-ability — has been a Cartwright characteristic from the start.  "With Make Room for Daddy, originally, they wanted an older child.  I did Mary Had a Little Lamb for the audition.  I had to do it happy, then turn around and do it sad.  Whatever they saw, they must have liked, because I was given the part."

Working with Danny Thomas was "truly an adventure every week," according to Cartwright.  "Danny didn't always say the words as they appeared in the script. I learned more by osmosis than by sitting down together (with him).  He was a force to be reckoned with: an explorer of television.  He was very loud and gregarious, but he always listened to me, too.  He let me use the names of my real friends in the show: he wanted it to be real for me," she says.

Life on the television set with mostly adults was lonely, so when, at the age of 11, she was cast in The Sound of Music, Cartwright was thrilled. Heather Menzies, who played Louisa in the film, became a close friend. "We hit it off immediately. I think it was because of the Beatles. We both loved them. And because I had just come off this show where I didn't really have a buddy, I loved working with Heather."

The same was true for Julie Andrews.  "With Julie, you could tell we adored her.  She created a warm, funny persona.  It was her own making — she knew she was working with kids, many who didn't have experience.  She taught us songs, she danced between takes.  She built that relationship deliberately, and I think it shows in the film."

Christopher Plummer was more removed.  "Chris had a different approach," she says.  "He did have to have kids be a little fearful.  He kept his distance off the set.  I liked him, so I never had anything but respect for his professionalism."

Cartwright says watching the film over the years has increased her admiration for the actor.  "It would have been easy to cross the line into a sappy, prince charming kind of character. But he brought a humor to it that meant he was a respected captain, a good man."

The cast was good, even great, but the weather wasn't.  "You never can predict Mother Nature," Cartwright says, "but Robert Wise really wanted it to be shot outside.  I was perfectly happy on the shoot, but I do know that first shot with Julie on the hill was horrid.  They were up against the wall for time and it would rain, then stop, then rain again.  And when we shot the end scene it was so cold!  It was at night and it was a bit tough, but we got to stay up late and I really dug that!"

Cartwright attributes her "perfect happiness" on the set to being young and highly experienced, more than to relentless optimism.  "On a movie, there was no schedule.  Every day, you never knew what would happen.  It took us a year to do Sound of Music.  We were gone three months in Austria — it was supposed to be only six to eight weeks."

Her mother, and eventually her father and sister, accompanied her to Austria.  "I'm not sure how my mom worked it out, but we were a close knit family and there was no way my mom could be away from my dad for that long," she remembers.

Cartwright points to the film's importance beyond the Academy Awards and the lasting popularity it won. "Do-Re-Mi is like the first movie/music video ever.  It was shot in different locations, which really hadn't been done before.  Maybe because Wise was an editor, he knew it would work to film it that way."

Now, forty-five years later, Cartwright still loves television and film. "One of the reasons I do love Glee, is that it's fresh.  And the kids are fantastic."  She wouldn't say "no" to making a guest appearance, and with some coaxing, begins to imagine the plot: "They would be doing Sound of Music, and I would be the director…."  she begins, then stops.  Like any great storytelling actor, she leaves the rest dangling.

Cartwright liked 24 too, and regrets the show's cancellation.  "Watching 24, the suspension of disbelief was totally acceptable.  I forgave them everything."  She plans to "sit and watch every new show this season — at least once.  You have to stay current!"

On Saturday, Cartwright will come packing a camera.  "I always have one in my purse," she says.  After her parents gave her a camera at the age of 15, Cartwright says, "I went with it.  I'd coerce my friends into being the models, then buy them pizza."

It might be best to order the pizza ahead of time: at the Rheem, Cartwright will share more stories, shoot a few pics, and more than likely, make new friends.