I found this short but sweet Oprah Winfrey biography video online on You Tube. It features some great photos along with interesting information on Oprah's childhood and life. For instance, did you know that Oprah once won a beauty pageant that led to a career as a newswoman? You can find a more detailed biography here on EverythingOprah.com, enjoy the video clip. (Email subscribers can click here to view the Oprah Winfrey biography video clip).
Sound of Music fans tuned into to the Friday, October 29, 2010 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. The original "Sound of Music" cast appeared together on the show, where they talked about what it was like filming the classic movie. Julie Andrews talked to Oprah about the children's books she and her daughter have written.
The von Trapp Children Singers
The highlight of the show was the special performance from The von Trapp Children Singers who sang "Edelweiss." Unfortunately the Oprah video clip is not available, but I've posted the video of The Von Trapp Children singing "Carol of The Bells" on a recent "The View" appearance. The singers are the great grandchildren of Maria von Trapp (you can find out more about the history of the von Trapp family below).
Georg von Trapp was married to Agathe Whitehead, the wealthy couple had seven children. In 1922 Agathe died of scarlet fever. Two years later, the family moved to a villa in Aigen, Austria. In 1926 Georg hired Maria Augusta Kutschera as a tutor for his daughter Maria Franziska who was recovering after an illness.
Maria came from the Nonnberg Abbey. In 1927 Maria and George married and had three children of their own. In 1936 Maria von Trapp forms the Trapp Family Singers musical group and the family wins first place in the Salzburg Music Festival competition. In 1938, while Austria was under Nazi influence, the Von Trapp family decides to flee their country and begins a European concert tour. In 1939 the family immigrates to the United States, living in Pennsylvania and later to Stowe, Vermont.
The von Trapp family opened up their own music camp in 1945 and in 1947 Georg von Trapp dies at the age of 67. In 1950 the family opened up "The Trapp Family Lodge" and in 1956 "The Trapp Family Singers" performed their last U.S. concert. The "Sound of Music" Broadway musical began in 1959 and the hit movie was released in 1965. The "Sound of Music" movie starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer won five Academy Awards including an Oscar for "Best Picture."
Maria von Trapp died in 1987 and was buried in the Trapp Family Lodge cemetery. Today, Maria von Trapp's great-grandchildren continue the family tradition by performing the classic music to live audiences.
Kim Noble recently appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show where she shared her story of living with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Oprah Winfrey interviewed another person with DID, Truddi Chase, in 1990, shedding light on multiple personality disorder.
Kim Noble, 49, has at least 20 different personalities, including the main personality named Patricia who raises her 13-year-old daughter Aimee. Aimee considers Patricia to be her mother and Patricia is the responsible personality that takes care of the home and pays the bills.
The Different Personalities
Kim Noble’s therapists believe that Kim’s mind split into multiple personalities during severe sexual abuse she suffered as a very young child. In an attempt to unlock the key to Kim Noble’s traumatic past her psychologist communicates with each of the personalities as unique individuals. Each personality has its own email address and password which they use to communicate with the psychologist.
The different personalities also have their own set of clothes and own separate toothbrushes. When it is Aimee’s birthday she receives multiple gifts and cards from many of the different personalities that inhabit her mother Kim. Child Protective Services stepped in when Aimee was a baby, but eventually decided to let Kim Noble raise her child with the help of psychologists. The stress of CPS taking Aimee away as a baby created further trauma for Kim.
Kim Noble's Unique Paintings
The personality "Patricia" believes that Kim Noble could not handle life and is now sleeping while the others keep living. When Oprah asked Patricia whether or not she remember her childhood abuse she said that she does not remember any type of abuse. Since each personality has their own set of memories it would be another one of the personalities that would hold the memories of sexual abuse.
One therapist started Kim Noble on art therapy which has helped her to learn about the different personalities and their individual memories. Kim's personality "Ria" has created many disturbing paintings that could reflect her horrible childhood sexual abuse. Noble's interesting paintings have been displayed at many art exhibitions.
Oprah Winfrey invited Truddi Chase for a rare Oprah Winfrey Show interview in 1990. Truddi Chase suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). She had 92 distinct personalities that stemmed from her horrible childhood sexual and physical abuse that began at the age of two and continued until her teen years. According to Chase, her stepfather sexually abused her and her mother physically abused and neglected her. You can find out about recent DID guest Kim Noble here on EverythingOprah.com.
Dissociative Identity Disorder is caused by the stress of an extremely traumatic event. The trauma of sexual or physical abuse causes the victim's mind to split into multiple identities. Each identity believes that they are a unique individual, and although they understand that they share the same body with the other identities, they do not believe they are the same person. The mind splitting into multiple personalities is a coping mechanism designed to protect the mind from further trauma. Victim's of horrific abuse have been able to continue living productive lives by dissociating with the traumatic childhood events they experienced.
Oprah found it very difficult to interview Truddi Chase in 1990 because it brought up issues that she had with her own sexual abuse. The Oprah Show producers were not willing to stop rolling the cameras so Oprah continued on with the Truddi Chase interview despite her tears. During the interview Oprah asked Truddi Chase about her book "When Rabbit Howls." Truddi Chase is one of very few psychiatric patients to have written a book about their disorder. Truddi Chase passed away on March 10, 2010 at the age of 74. Her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show helped many victims of sexual abuse and raised awareness of Multiple Personality Disorder.