Magic Mountain

Frontdesk by David Waggoner

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings—these are a few of my favorite things....When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

These words ring in my head, a sing-along from my own sixties childhood. I remember when my parents took me to see The Sound of Music—starring this month’s cover story, Julie Andrews—and I fell in love with the star, as well as the theme of turning the odds in your favor. A singing nun brimming with goodness and cheer, Andrews in the role of Maria von Trapp was a big-screen miracle worker. She could stand up to the Nazis, all while teaching her new charges how to lose their timidity and lift up their spirits. Julie Andrews was the perfect teacher for millions of shy kids everywhere, promising if one has the will then one has the way to “climb ev’ry mountain” and “ford ev’ry stream.” And now, forty years later, Julie Andrews continues to teach us that such human disasters as Katrina and AIDS are all not impossible to overcome.

In an era when some movie stars carefully navigate photo-ops, and choose roles based on the public’s perception of them, others take a risk and use their art and celebrity to help draw attention to the toughest social issues of the day but without worrying about if it’s going to affect their careers. Whatever you think of Madonna, it was her efforts that got people talking about “AIDS in Malawi,” among other challenges the country is facing. To older fans and younger ones alike, Ms. Andrews represents this ability to get things going, something I have always liked about the creative community’s leaders. And she continues to inspire and embolden thousands of her newly minted fans in the fight against AIDS, raising money and visibility over the years for pediatric AIDS and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS as well as weighing in on the current administration’s confused approach to AIDS.

Cancer, poverty, AIDS, these are issues that don’t go away after one year. They’re always in the top ten. They have staying power as do some of its most giving celebs. Like Julie Andrews. Although she will always be associated with the role of Maria, the actress has amply proven that she has range and the knack for reinvention. She is taking on new roles, whether it be as the Queen of Genovia in The Princess Diaries franchise, or lending her inimitable and perfectly regal tones in next year’s release of the latest Shrek installment. Or advocating for a tweaking of Medicare. But Andrews is too humble in her roles of philanthropist and humanitarian. She would rather point to others than single herself out as a hero. It’s typically British, and typically understated, as is Julie. How can you stop the epidemic? Her response: “How can you underrate its devastation?”

Perhaps a little known fact is truer than it sounds: According to the British tabloid The Sun, the soundtrack to the movie The Sound of Music was selected by the BBC to be broadcast in the event of a nuclear strike in order to improve the morale of survivors. According to a statement by the BBC, “We cannot confirm or deny this story, saying this is a security issue so we cannot comment.” So in times like these—with the threat of nuclear proliferation and spiraling-out-of-control pandemics—it is inspiring to know that this month’s cover story is correctly designated a mega-morale booster. But it’s also inspiring to know that her brand of optimism is not sugar-coated (sorry, Mary Poppins) but grounded in reality. Indeed, Ms. Andrews gives new meaning to “magical realism.”

November 2006