Young Von Trapps out of 'Music' shadow

MONTPELIER, Vt., Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A 36-year-old member of the von Trapp family made famous by "The Sound of Music" says his generation was distanced from the famous U.S. film.

Sam von Trapp said while his father, Johannes, was thrust into the media spotlight because of the 1965 film, he and his siblings were never forced to live in that mighty shadow, The New York Times said Thursday.

"For him, there were all those issues in the family, too, that came along with that little leap into fame," von Trapp said.

The real-life exploits of the von Trapp family and their governess, Maria, are the focus of "The Sound of Music," which starred Julie Andrews as Maria.

Now von Trapp has returned to Stowe, Vt., to run his family's Trapp Family Lodge after 10 years of surfing in Chile and serving as a ski instructor in Colorado.

But despite the lengthy delay in joining the family business, von Trapp insists he is driven to succeed in the hospitality business.

"Nobody has the level of commitment I do," he told the Times. "Nobody has as much to gain."