Silver threads: Singalong

The last time I saw The Sound of Music on a big screen was about 40 years ago, when I was younger than my daughter — who accompanied me to the Saenger Orleans — is now.

That theatre — sadly missed for years by folks my age — was built by putting a big screen in front of the balcony of the venerable Saenger and enclosing the whole. It had its own box office entrance on Rampart Street, and you took an escalator ride from there.

The night Jill and I saw the movie, the balcony was just about filled, and the crowd included a group of six to eight older women around the age I am now. One of them gushed at intermission, “This is so much better than the last time we saw it, don’t you think?”

I was highly amused. Old biddies. Did they think Hollywood “improved” a movie every time it came out?

I got to thinking about that the other day when I read that “The Sound of Music Sing ALong” will be playing Saturday night at the World War II Museum. I was excited — perhaps I could get Jill to go with me again — and singing “DO, a deer, a female deer … RE, a drop of golden sun … MI, a name I call myself … FA, a long, long way to run …” until I read the big “Sold Out” on the web page advertising it.

Darn! And featuring Becky Allen as one of the hosts of the evening, too.

Now I’ve been more timely at discovering other scheduled events at the WWII Museum during the past year. California visitors and my husband and I saw a Louis Prima show, and I joined my daughter and son-in-law at a tribute to Frank Sinatra, both along with excellent performances and dinners at the Stage Door Canteen.

And I’m thinking I’d better put my name on the list for “Thanks for the Memories: Bob Hope and His All-Star Pacific Tour” slated to play Sept. 16 at the Canteen. “Back by popular demand is this tribute to the incredible shows and stars Bob Hope took to war-zone islands during World War II.” A cast of 14 recreates Judy Garland, The Andrews Sisters, Deanna Durbin, Carmen Miranda, Lena Horne, Frances Langford, and Bob himself, along with the WWII Museum’s Victory Swing band. “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “In the Mood,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and, of course, “Thanks for the Memories.”

Another show I’m interested in will be on at midday a week from today. It’s The Victory Belles present “Songs that Won the War” in the Stage Door Canteen. The Belles bring to life the songs that inspired the Allies to victory during World War II. This new show features musical gems of the era such as “White Cliffs of Dover,” “Harbor Lights,” “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” “La Vie En Rose,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You,” all sung in three-part harmony.

Some of the shows are repeated weekly or monthly at the museum, and there is a full schedule on their website. You’ll need to visit the site on a regular basis: The sing-along won’t be the only sold-out goodie you’ll miss if you don’t.

I may see whether or not “The Sound of Music” is available on Amazon or Netflix; surely it is. Then I’ll watch it again from an easy chair, turn off the sound, and do “Do Re Mi” without any competition from Julie Andrews or the von Trapp kids.

I really do think the movie will be better this time around.