Ping to watch this later. My friend read Maria Von Trapp’s memoirs, that I guess, maybe the movie was based on.
I’m pretty sure they took a bunch of liberties with the story, but my impression from my friend is that it is in spirit true.
But I’m guessing the whole DO-A-Deer bit was made up.
However, judging from Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind, you can make some gosh darn fine clothes out of draperies!
It is an understatement to say they took some liberties... they took a LOT. The real story would not likely have been as endearing. Baron von Trapp was a much older man, for instance. Maria was a much different personality. Indeed, it was the Baron who was fun loving and warm and she was a battle axe. I recall one anecdote that she locked up one of the daughters to keep her away from a boyfriend.
When there was a screening for the family for the film, the reported reaction was that they were literally rolling in the aisles with laughter because it was nothing like the reality. There was also no rollicking escape from the Nazis as described. They merely went down to the train station and left the country.