The Sound of Music (film) of the film; the actor accepted after being assured that he could work with Lehman to improve the character; Plummer later described himself as having become quite arrogant at the time, "spoiled by too many great theater roles". Wise also spent considerable time and effort on casting the secondary characters. For the role of Max Detweiler, Wise initially considered Victor Borge, Noël Coward, and Hal Holbrook among others before deciding on Richard Haydn. For the character of Baroness Elsa Schraeder, Wise looked for a "name" actress—Andrews and Plummer were not yet widely known to film audiences—and decided on Eleanor Parker.
The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event by stating "the arrangements are faithful to either the original Broadway production or, most often, the 1965 film -- which is appropriate" and concluded by stating "This 2013 staging is a nostalgic celebration of one of the most beloved 20th century musicals and it does right by its source material." Matt Bjorke of "Roughstock" praised Underwood's vocals stating "She really suits musical theater (much like she’s a classical country singer at heart). Her pure and pristine voice simply shines on songs like "The Sound of Music" and "My Favorite Things" (with Audra McDonald). Bjorke also predicted that the album would