The Sound of Music, over 20 times. When I was about 17,  I watched it twice in a row in our local flea-pit, in the days when you could spend all day in the same cinema without being thrown out. The film is almost 3 hours long, and in those days they  had a 15 minute interval just after the ball room scene when Julie is running back to the Nunnery. Both times I went to see it at the SING-A-LONGA-THE -SOUND-OF-MUSIC, I was the loudest heckler in the audience, as  almost I know the whole script, so could scream out ridicuous questions just before dialogue. ha ha.

I have already mentioned that in my younger years I  had a complete adoration of Julie Andrews, and how I always seemed to end up with a haircut like Maria Von Trapp.  I first saw The Sound of Music when I was about 6 and my head was turned for ever. I remember switching all the lights on in our front room when no-one was looking and dancing around to what I recollect was the  fake version of the soundtrack,  hoping to be ‘discovered’  by some big shot producer who might have been walking past our obscure street in our obscure town in our humble home county. The real  soundtrack record was considered much too much of an expense in our house – one of the first huge life  disappointments . Now I may be wrong about the fake soundtrack,  as I seem to find no record of there being one, unless they all got chucked away, but I know for sure that either  the Mary Poppins or  Sound of Music record in our house was the cheaper alternative, just like the ‘Top of the Pops’ records you could buy where all the songs from the charts were re-recorded, so you could buy the LP for half the price. They just really upset me when I was a younger as I had such a good ear, I could not stand them.

SO there it is – The Sound of Music. I have to say I have not seen it for a while, but then have not sat still for 3 hours, doing something so frivolous for a long time.

My second and third  most watched films are probably Oh Brother Where Art Thou and Two Weeks Notice   (don’t ask!!)

SONG OF THE DAY  –I have confidence – Julie Andrews

I went on a The Voice Explained  course ( highly recommended by me) and Anne-Marie  played this as an example of the finest vocals. It is really superb. One thing you cannot fault J.A is the fact you can hear every word. And if you are putting a song across that is so  fundamental…go on listen to it with fresh ears, without the visuals, it is superb!