In the early 1970′s, I saw Maria von Trapp herself on the television show Dinah Shore, and boy, it was not like the version of Julie Andrews, Mary! It does not look like Julie, and she came across as a true force of nature. Reflecting on the fictionalized adaptation of Maria von Trapp, in comparison with this very real Maria von Trapp, I came to the conclusion that the history of the family von Trapp is probably something closer to human beings, and therefore much more interesting than the movie led me to believe . Families, as well as their musical director, Rev Franz Wasner, and secretary, Martha Zochbauer, left Austria to Italy in June 1938. They entered the U.S. in New York in autumn 1938 under 6 months of visas for visitors, and almost immediately began a concert tour in Pennsylvania. Son Johannes was born in January 1939 in Philadelphia. Their visitor visas expired and they left for a short tour of Scandinavia. Back in the U.S. in autumn 1939 on visas for visitors, they came to New York, as seen on the passenger list excerpts below: All von Trapps are listed, as well as their musical director, Rev Franz Wasner. Please note that many of their first names in Italian. There was apparently confusion about the status of the von Trapps, and they were investigated, as shown in the entry of aliens detained by the special inquiry below:
