‘The Sound of Music’ Almost Starred … Angie Dickinson?!

Gabrielle Moss December 13, 2024

Today, it’s hard to imagine anyone besides Julie Andrews taming those adorable Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music. But when the 1965 film was still being developed, producers kicked around the names of a number of other actresses who they felt could potentially play singing nun-turned-nanny Maria … and one of them was the Police Woman herself, Angie Dickinson.

Though Dickinson is thought of as more Swingin’ ’60s than Austrian ’30s, the idea isn’t as far-fetched as it may sound today. She had a high profile in the early ’60s, after appearing in major films like Rio Bravo and Ocean’s 11. And while she was perhaps a little glamorous for the role of a young nun, she could sing — as she did with second husband Burt Bacharach, when they hosted an episode of the variety show The Hollywood Palace in 1970:

There were many possible Marias

Dickinson wasn’t the only alternate choice — producers also considered Anne Bancroft, Leslie Caron, Grace Kelly, Shirley Jones, and Doris Day. Mary Martin, who originated the role of Maria on Broadway, pursued the part, but was turned down. (It was ironic that Andrews was hired for the role over someone who originated the part on Broadway, since Andrews had been stuck in the same situation herself the previous year — she was turned down for the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in favor of Audrey Hepburn , even though she had starred as Eliza in the very first stage production of the musical.)

Supposedly, shortly before the producers had to make a casting decision, director Robert Wise went to Disney to view a rough cut of Mary Poppins. After watching just a few minutes, he supposedly turned to a producer and said “Let’s go sign this girl [Julie Andrews] before somebody else sees this film and grabs her!”

Captain Von Trapp was almost Bing Crosby

The role of Captain Von Trapp was also almost very different; Rex Harrison, Yul Brenner, Richard Burton, Bing Crosby, and Sean Connery were all supposedly considered for the role. After considering all those vocal powerhouses, it’s a bit funny the producers eventually selected Christopher Plummer — since Plummer had to have his singing voice dubbed in the final film.

Things, of course, turned out fine for Dickinson in the end: in 1974, she got her own series, Police Woman, which ran for four seasons, won her a Golden Globe, got her nominated for an Emmy, and led to a direct increase in the number of women applying to be police officers across the country.

Plus, her infamous 1966 Esquire photo shoot (where she sported a sweater but no pants) was already controversial when it was released.

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But imagine the scandal that would have ensued if the pants-less beauty gracing the pages of a men’s magazine had also been the star of one of the most wholesome family films of the ’60s. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, it isn’t!