After the overwhelming success of***The Sound of Music* (1965), Robert Wise kept up the momentum with a string of excellent releases. The epic war film *Sand Pebbles* (1966) and the musical drama *Star*! (1968) received a warm critical reception, while his sci-fi thriller, *The Andromeda Strain*, debuted 55 years ago on March 12, 1971, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.