May 8, 2001
United States. English. Black-and-white (Sepiatone) and Technicolor. 101 minutes. Available: VCR and DVD.
Crew
Director: Victor Fleming
Cinematography: Harold Rosson
Writing: L. Frank Baum (novel), Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons
Producer: Victor Fleming
Original Music: Harold Arlen
Editing: Blanche Sewell
Cast
Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale)
Ray Bolger (Hunk Andrews/Scarecrow)
Jack Haley (Hickory Twicker/Tin Woodman)
Bert Lahr (Zeke/Cowardly Lion)
Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel/Guardian of the Gates/Cabbie/Soldier/the Wizard of Oz)
Billie Burke (Glinda, the Good Witch of the North)
Margaret Hamilton (Miss Almira Gulch/the Wicked Witch of the West)
Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry Gale)
Clara Blandick (Aunt Emily 'Auntie Em' Gale)
Dorothy Gale is a young girl who lives on a farm in Kansas with her Aunt Emily (Auntie Em), her Uncle Henry, her beloved dog Toto, and their farmhands. After Toto becomes a nuisance to Miss Gulch, a neighbor, the witch-like woman comes to the farm and takes him away. Upset, Dorothy finds Toto and runs away. She comes to a fortune teller, Professor Marvel who tells her that her Aunt's heart is breaking. Dorothy is upset by this and rushes home in an oncoming tornado to be with her aunt. Upon arriving back home, as she is searching the house for her family, she is struck on the head by a window and is rendered unconscious. Dorothy begins dreaming about a magical land Over the Rainbow, where she meets Munchkins and Glinda (a good witch) who tell her she has just killed a wicked witch. The witch's sister (the Wicked Witch of the West), who greatly resembles Miss Gulch, arrives and threatens to take her sister's ruby slippers that have appeared on Dorothy's feet. She is unable to do this, but threatens to return. When Dorothy tells the Munchkins that she wishes to return home, they suggest that she follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City of Oz, where a wizard (the Wizard of Oz) will surely grant her wish. On her journey down the yellow brick road, Dorothy meets a Scarecrow without a brain, a Tinman without a heart and a Cowardly Lion. The four of them together proceed toward Oz, to have their wishes fulfilled (to receive a brain, heart and courage, respectively). Their musical journey is not without obstacle, as the Wicked Witch tries repeatedly to foil their plans. When the group finally reaches the Emerald City, the Great and Powerful Oz says that in order to grant their wishes, they must bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch. Scared but determined, they set off once again. After a struggle, the Witch is accidentally melted by water, and her guards give Dorothy the broom. The foursome return to the Wizard and present him with their triumph. They come to find that the Great and Powerful Wizard is nothing but a simple man (who greatly resembles Professor Marvel). Nonetheless, he presents the Scarecrow with a diploma, the Tinman with a heart and the Lion with courage. The Wizard tries to help Dorothy get home in a hot air balloon, but Dorothy misses it and thinks she is stranded in Oz forever. Glinda appears and tells Dorothy she has had the power to return home all along. All she needs to do is tap her ruby slippered heels together and say, "There's no place like home". Dorothy says a heartfelt goodbye to her new friends and taps her heels. She awakens at home, surrounded by her concerned family and friends.
Nugent, Frank S. "The Wizard of Oz," The New York Times 16 August 18, 1939.
Nugent describes The Wizard of Oz (1939) as "a delightful piece of wonder-working which had the youngsters eyes shining and brought a quietly amused gleam to the wiser ones of the oldsters.". He also compares it to a fairy tale such as Disney's Snow White, in that it contains fantastical creatures, far off places, imagination, color, and merry fun. It is clear from descriptions like this that he enjoyed the film very much. He even goes on to say that anyone who doesn't should be sent to bed supperless with a spanking. Nugent also talks about how the film doesn't deal with reason, and even though you know it is not possible deep down, you still feel that it could be real. He goes into a summary of the film and makes comments along the way. He calls the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion "Three of Frank Baum's most enchanting creations". He calls Dorothy a heroine, and also describes her as fresh-faced with wonder-lit eyes, characteristics that were not common of heroines at the time, or even now. He goes on to continue summarizing, throwing lyrics from the score in here and there to liven it up a bit. Nugent makes special note of certain aspects of the film, concentrating on the most fanciful and impossible things he can, such as the apple-throwing trees, the enchanted poppy field, and the horse of a different color. He discusses how wonderfully these all come together to create a deliciously entertaining film for all to relish. At the end of the review, he makes special mention of the dreamers behind the dream, Mr. Dawn (make-up), Victor Fleming (the director), Arnold Gillespie (special-effects) and Mervyn LeRoy (the producer), calling each of them a Wizard in their own department. He closes by saying these men have every reason to be pleased as punch with the tricks they played. From his review, it is very clear that Nugent thoroughly enjoyed the film and there is no doubt in his mind that everyone will share his sentiment. He is of course, correct. After reading this review, it is clear to me that this film was just a popular and enchanting when it was released as it is today, proven that a well-made film can last forever.
"The Wizard of Oz," Time 34 August 21, 1939, 14.
This anonymous article begins by noting that this film settles the old Hollywood controversy of whether fantasy can be successfully produced for the big screen, using human actors. The answer is a resounding yes, thanks to the whimsy and magic of the film. This article also compares The Wizard of Oz to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, saying as long as it sticks to the whimsy and magic, it will remain in the same rare atmosphere of enchantment as Snow White. This article goes on to compare the film to the play and the novel, saying that it sticks to the story, but is lavish in sets and adult in humor. This lavishness is enhanced by the remarkable performances by veteran actors, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley (the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tinman, respectively). The article says that Oz also proves itself by putting its $3,000,000 to good use, creating a twister that rivaled Sam Goldwyn's in Hurricane. The article also compares The Wizard of Oz to Little Women, saying they each concluded with the same amount of sentiment. It is apparent from this review that the author enjoyed the film very much. Although this review isn't very descriptive, it makes a point of acknowledging the talent in the film and comparing it to other films of its caliber. Once again, it is proven that a good film can last forever.
"The Wizard of Oz," Variety August 16, 1939, 14.
Although this anonymous review was written in 1939, it could very well have been written yesterday. Many of the statements made by the author are comments that are not usually said until a film proves to be a classic by lasting through generations. It begins by making a prediction that this film will go on to be a record breaker. It is, of course, correct, but it is rare that this can be predicted correctly so early into a films run. The author compares 'Oz' to a fairy tale but says 'It's a mixture of childish fantasy and adult satire and a kind of humor that never seems to grow old.' Since this is one of the most loved aspects of this film, the author is clearly correct in this prediction as well. The author also states that there have been no other comparable movies released in Hollywood recently to the lavish scale that this one has, and although that was in 1939, this statement still holds true today. Even though there have been considerable advances in filmmaking, this film is still regarded as one of the best and is held in a class all its own. Another comment made that still holds true today is that 'Oz has a message well timed to current events.' It teaches a lesson that was, is and will always be relevant to anyone who watches the film. That fact that comments made over sixty years ago are still made by critics today proves that this film is truly a classic in every sense of the word.
This section will include information about the film that many people do not know including facts about the cast, the costumes, props, sets, cut scenes, and things you might have missed.
Cast
According to Jerry Maren (the lead Munchkin), the 'little people' on the set were paid $50 a week for a 6 day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.
Many of the Munchkins' voices were dubbed by professional singers, because many of the actors had poor English or could not sing.
Ray Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Woodsman. However, he insisted that he would rather play the Scarecrow because his childhood idol, Fred Stone had originated that role on the stage in 1902.
Buddy Ebsen had been cast as the Scarecrow and now switched roles with Bolger, but the aluminum powder make-up for the Tin Woodsman was toxic and Ebsen apparently reacted allergically to it as well. He left the film, but his voice can still be heard in 'Off to see the Wizard'.
Jack Haley took over the Tin Woodsman's role, and the make-up was changed to a paste so that he did not inhale the aluminum as much. He presumed that Ebsen had been fired and did not learn the truth until later.
Director Victor Fleming did not finish the film. He was assigned to take over direction of Gone with the Wind. He stayed with Oz until the color photography was completed, then handed over to King Vidor, who directed the black and white sequences.
Costumes, Props and Sets
There were an estimated seven pair of ruby slippers, of which the whereabouts of five are known. Each has an estimated value of $1.5 million, making them the most expensive Hollywood memorabilia.
The 'tornado' was a 35 foot long muslin stocking, photographed with miniatures of a Kansas farm and fields.
The horses in the Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.
The yellow brick road originally showed up as green in the first prints. This stopped production and required everything to be repainted so it would show appropriately on the Technicolor film.
Cut Scenes
A reprise of 'Over the Rainbow' was filmed, in which Dorothy was remembering Kansas while being imprisoned in the Witch's castle. Judy Garland did begin to cry, along with the film crew, because the song was so sad. The song was later cut, but can be seen on the Special Edition Dvd.
The entire song 'Over the Rainbow' was nearly cut.
The film originally contained an elaborate production number called 'the Jitterbug', which cost $80,000 and took five weeks to film. In the scene, Dorothy and friends are on their way to the Witch's castle when they are attacked by furry pink and blue mosquito-like creatures (jitterbugs) that give one the jitters while buzzing around in the air. After its first preview, the movie was judged too long so Mgm officials decided to sacrifice the Jitterbug scene. They reasoned that it added little to the plot and because a song and dance by the same name had just become popular, they worried it might date the picture. However, the Witch still refers to the bug in the final film, just before telling the monkeys to 'Fly!' Only home movies of the filming of 'The Jitterbug' survive, which can be seen on the Special Edition Dvd.
When filming started, Garland wore a blonde wig and heavy, 'baby-doll' make-up; when George Cukor assumed the role of intermediate director, he got rid of the wig and most of the make-up and told her to just be herself. Still photographs of the 'preliminary Dorothys' are available on the Special Edition Dvd.
Originally, Betty Jaynes was cast as Princess Betty of Oz and Kenny Baker was to play her lover, the Grand Duke. They were supposed to share the vocal load with Garland. However, after several re-writes, their characters were completely written out of the film.
A sequence in which Dorothy and her companions make a triumphant return to the Emerald City after melting the Witch, known as the "restoration scene," was ultimately cut. This sequence can also be seen on the Special Edition Dvd.
Trivia and things you might have missed
The Wizard of Oz was a very elaborate production. It required 29 sound stages and 65 separate sets.
The Wizard of Oz has been the most frequently repeated movie shown on both CBS and NBC networks.
At the beginning of the 'We're off to see the Wizard' sequence, there is a disturbance in the trees off to the right. This was rumored to be one of the crew hanging himself, but it is in fact an animal handler recapturing an escaped animal (an ostrich).
Author Frank L. Baum named his magical land after his eye fell on a pair of file drawers labeled 'A-N' and 'O-Z'.
The Pink Floyd album, 'Dark Side of the Moon' synchronizes nicely with events in the film. The album must be started when the Mgm lion roars for the third time.
The steam shooting from the Tin Man's cap startles Toto, who runs out of the shot.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922. Her parents were vaudevillians and Frances and her two sisters joined the act at a young age. The girls were enrolled in a theatrical school outside L.A. while they were performing. They developed into a singing team, with Frances as the lead. They were performing in Chicago when they were mistakenly introduced as the Garland sisters, which stuck with them.
At 13 years old, Frances had a voice that could fill an auditorium. It became clear that she would be the family's main source of income. She auditioned at Mgm in September of 1935, with accompaniment by Roger Edens, who became her lifelong mentor. She was awarded a contract and renamed Judy. While the studio was making plans for her, Judy signed a contract with Decca Records. She made her first film in 1936, and worked continuously until she reached a turning point in her career. This turning point happened when Judy was only 16 years old and was a little film called The Wizard of Oz.
In The Wizard of Oz Judy was cast as Dorothy, a Kansas farm girl who experiences a wild trip 'over the rainbow'. Judy would do some of her best work in the film, which went on to be one of the most popular films of all time. From then on, she was permanently associated with her character of Dorothy and with the song 'Over the Rainbow'. Judy was known for her work in musicals, because she avoided the exaggerated acting style that so many musical performers adopt. She consistently grounds her characters in reality, which is what made Dorothy Gale believable and fully developed. This approach brought an added dimension of reality to her musical films.
After Oz, Judy was working constantly, making two or three pictures a year. This took its toll on the young performer, and she turned to drugs. This habit interfered with her work and affected her looks. At the age of 28 she was considered washed up. After many attempts (some mildly successful, some failures) to revive her career, five marriages, children, and a drug habit, Judy Garland died in London from an apparent accidental overdose of barbiturates on June 22, 1969. Her funeral was bigger than Rudolph Valintino's: 21,000 came to mourn the loss of Judy Garland, whose distinctive personal style and broad range of talents helped shape Hollywood musicals at the height of their popularity.
Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming was born in Pasadena, California on February 23, 1883. He had many jobs throughout his lifetime including racing car driver and chauffeur before being hired as a cameraman at American Film Company in 1910. He worked with such people as Allan Dwan, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. In 1932 he became contract director at Mgm. He became a successful, respected director with some of Mgm's biggest and most celebrated films including two Hollywood classics. Gone with the Wind and, of course, The Wizard of Oz. Although Fleming was largely responsible for the success of these films, he was never quite given the recognition he deserved, due to the complicated collaborations which took place under the old studio system. Fleming was known as a man's director, which makes it interesting that one of his greatest works was directing Judy Garland in her biggest role.
Although Fleming received directorial credit for two of the most important films in the history of Hollywood, his name is not well known today, and not much is known about his life. It is known, however, that his work stands as an example of the best done by those directors who worked within the studio system, allowing the studio stamp to become the style of the film rather than creating a personal vision of their own.
In the film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy goes on a journey to a new land in search of the wizard that will help her return home. Throughout the film, Dorothy learns many things about her home and her family that she loves and is anxious to get back to. When she finally does return home, she is changed by the experience. In this analysis, I will explore if and how this experience has changed Dorothy's view of the concept of home. I will focus on what it was specifically that changed her mind, and why it affected her views.
During Dorothy's journey, she meets many people and sees many things that are new to her. Many of these things have an affect on her, but none as much as the three friends she makes who journey to the Emerald City with her, the Scarecrow in search of a brain, the Tinman in search of a heart, and the Cowardly Lion in search of courage.
Each of these characters in her dream represents one of her friends from home (Hunk, Hickory and Zeke). The Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion each possess the good qualities of Hunk, Hickory and Zeke, respectively, but amplified to make them more obvious to Dorothy. Dorothy doesn't realize that deep down she already knows her three friends, but she knows there is something familiar about them that she can't quite put her finger on. She comes to love them all for who they are, despite any flaws they feel they have. After meeting the wizard, they learn that what they really wanted to change about themselves didn't need to be changed at all.
Dorothy's new friends also teach her that no matter how much you feel you are missing something and no matter how far you travel to look for it, you can usually find it by looking inside yourself. Each of the characters learns this from the wizard who tells them that what they were looking for (a brain, heart, and courage) were inside of them the whole time. Even Dorothy had the power within her to return home. Before she leaves Oz, she tells everyone there that she learned that if you think you've lost something, you shouldn't look any further than your own backyard, and if you don't find it there, it was never lost to begin with.
When Dorothy returns home, because of the lessons she has learned in Oz, it makes her see things in a different way. She realizes how much she really cares for her friends. She also realizes that you should love your friends for good and bad, but focus mainly on the good. Everyone has flaws but if you love someone enough you should be willing to overlook them. This helps Dorothy to appreciate her home more. It teaches her that absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.
Dorothy's journey to Oz also makes her realize how much she really loved her home in general. Before her dream, she wanted to leave Kansas and visit places 'over the rainbow' where things would be better for her (or so she thought). When she gets to Oz, it is a beautiful magical place where she makes new friends and becomes a hero. Despite all of this, she wants nothing more than to be back in Kansas.
When Dorothy finally does return home, it is the same place as when she left, but she sees it through new eyes. It is truly as though she is awakening, and not just from her dream. She had learned that "home" is not just a house (if this were the case she could have stayed in Oz, because after arriving there, her house remained in Munchkinland). She learned that "home" was the people she left behind. She missed her family and friends, and was willing to give up her dream of the magical, beautiful place over the rainbow to be with them.
American National Biography Online. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2001. http://www.anb.org/.
Basinger, Jeanine. The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Volume II: Directors and Filmmakers. Chicago: St. James Press, 1986.
Green, Stanley. Encyclopedia of the Musical Film. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2001 http://www.imdb.com/.
Lorenz, Janet E. The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. Volume III: Actors and Actresses. Chicago: St. James Press, 1997.
The Wizard of Oz. Special Edition DVD, Warner Brothers Entertainment, 2000.