Notable Passings

...Agathe von Trapp, the eldest daughter of the singing family which inspired THE SOUND OF MUSIC, passed away one week ago at the age of 97.

The family's story was chronicled in several books by Maria Augusta von Trapp, including THE STORY OF THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS, A FAMILY ON WHEELS, and MARIA: MY OWN STORY.

Agathe published her own memoir, MEMORIES BEFORE AND AFTER THE SOUND OF MUSIC, last fall.

The musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC changed several details, including all seven of the children's names and the fact that the oldest von Trapp child was actually a boy, not a girl.

Agathe is survived by her sister Maria ("Louisa" in the musical) and three half-siblings born to Maria and Georg von Trapp, Rosmarie, Eleonore, and Johannes.

...Character actor Bill Erwin died on December 29th. He was 96.

One of Erwin's best-known roles was as Arthur, the bellman, in the beloved fantasy SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980).

This website chronicles Erwin's long screen career, which began with the film YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW in 1941. The site includes photos from numerous SOMEWHERE IN TIME weekends held at Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Erwin had over 200 film and TV credits, and he received an Emmy nomination for a guest appearance on SEINFELD.