"The Wizard of Oz" 1939 Movie Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Synopsis            A cyclone picks up a house, a girl, and her dog Toto and transports them to the strange land of Oz, where she meets the Munchkin people and Glinda, Good Witch of The North, who gives Dorothy protective ruby slippers. In order to return home to Kansas, Dorothy must travel the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, to seek help from the 'great and powerful' Wizard of Oz. Along the way she is joined by a Tin Woodsman, a Cowardly Lion, and a Scarecrow.
           But the Wizard refuses to help them unless they bring him the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of The West. They set off; Dorothy & Toto are captured by the Witch's flying monkey army, and then rescued by her three friends. They overcome the Witch and bring her broomstick back to the Wizard.
           Again, the Wizard balks at helping Dorothy, until frisky Toto pulls aside a curtain to reveal a little old man operating levers & dials to produce the awesome 'Wizard'. The apologetic man quickly rewards the Scarecrow with a diploma, the Lion with a medal of valor, and the Tin Woodsman with a heart-shaped watch, and appoints them rulers of Oz in his absence. He then reveals a hot-air balloon and agrees to transport Dorothy back to Kansas; but Toto gets loose and the Wizard flies off without them. Glinda appears and reveals that Dorothy has always had the power to return home by clicking the heels of her ruby slippers, so Dorothy says goodbye to her friends and returns to her family in Kansas.

Judy Garland & Frank Morgan 'great & powerful Oz' soundbite [38-second .wav file]

History of The Film

           After publication of the first book in 1900, the new motion picture industry was soon to make Oz shorts & feature films, including three in 1910, three in 1914, a major silent production in 1925, an animated cartoon feature in 1933, and sound features in 1932, 1936 & 1938.
           The pre-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 film was fraught with the usual problems: Shirley Temple was considered for the role of Dorothy, but her vocal style was deemed wrong; Buddy Ebsen filmed in costume as the Tin Woodman for nine days, and serious reaction to the makeup put him in the hospital (to be quickly replaced by Jack Haley); Gale Sondergaard was originally cast as the Wicked Witch, but became unhappy with changes to the script and was replaced by Margaret Hamilton.
           The film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but fellow M.G.M. feature "Gone With The Wind" won that honor. "The Wizard of Oz" won Oscars only for Best Original Music Score & Best Original Song. Judy Garland won a Special Juvenile Award Oscar® that year, which was for her work in both "The Wizard of Oz" and the musical "Babes In Arms".
           The movie opened in August of 1939; box-office receipts were good, but barely more than the high production cost. M.G.M. did not see a profit on the film until the theatrical re-release of 1949. The Kansas sepia sequences were changed to plain black-and-white from 1949 to the 60th anniversary restoration of 1998, when they reverted.
           The first network television showing was in November 1956, as the last episode of the "Ford Star Jubilee" TV series, hosted by actor Bert Lahr and Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli. The film was not considered a classic until the showings on television, which became an annual tradition from 1959 to 1991.
           The owners at M.G.M decided to promote the 75th anniversary by creating 70mm IMAX prints in 3-D for national U.S. release in September 2013, followed by foreign releases.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" [1900] by L. Frank Baum
Young Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are swept away by a Kansas cyclone and find themselves in a strange land called Oz; she meets the Munchkins and joins the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion on a journey to the Emerald City to seek help from the all-powerful Wizard of Oz.
Signet Classics mass pb [10/2006] for $3.95

Produced by Mervyn LeRoy, directed by Victor Fleming {Kansas scenes directed by King Vidor}; based on the novel
by L. Frank Baum [1856-1919]; starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton,
Charley Grapewin & Terry {as Toto}; won Oscars for Best Music Score & Best Song, Juvenile Award for Judy Garland; Oscar noms for
Best Picture, Best Color Cinematography, Best Special Effects & Best Art Direction; listed on National Film Registry (1989)

"The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic & Studio
Power In The Prime of M.G.M." [1984]
by Aljean Harmetz, Introduction by Margaret Hamilton
Hyperion 9¼x6¼ pb [12/98] out of print/used
Limelight Editions pb [1/84] out of print/used
"The Making of The Wizard of Oz" documentary [1979 TV]
Script by Aljean Harmetz, based on her book; hosted by Angela Lansbury;
interviewees include Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger & Jack Haley
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic" documentary [CBS-TV special Feb 1990]
Co-produced, co-written & directed by Jack Haley, Jr.; hosted by Angela Lansbury; Emmy nomination for Outstanding
Directing; available on the 2-disk & 3-disk editions above; full credits from IMDb

ad for 'Wizard of Oz' network showing on Ford Star Jubilee TV series

"Ford Star Jubilee" TV series [CBS-TV 1955-56]
series broadcast twelve 90-minute special programs on Saturday evenings on the CBS-TV Network; each special monthly show pre-empted "Gunsmoke"; shows included "The Judy Garland Special" episode #1 [CBS-TV Sept 1955] with guest David Wayne {IMDb} and "The Wizard of Oz" 2-hour episode #12 [CBS-TV Nov 1956]: the first network broadcast of the 1939 classic, hosted by actor Bert Lahr and Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli {IMDb}
series credits at IMDb • series entry at Wikipedia
episode #1: Synergy Ent. DVD [3/2013] for $9.99

The Munchkins
Munchkins entry at Wikipedia
There were 124 adult actors with dwarfism signed on to the 1939 movie, supplemented by a dozen or so child actresses (kept in the background). The Munchkins were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 20 November 2007; seven were able to attend the ceremony. The last surviving munchkin from the 1939 movie, actor Jerry Maren, died in May 2018 at age 98.

	"The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History" book & CD [1989] by John Fricke, Jay Scarfone & William Stillman Grand Central Publng 11x8½ pb & audio CD [8/90] out of print/many used Warner/St. Martin hardcover 11¼x8¾ [8/89] out of print/many used Hodder & Stoughton hardcover & audio CD [10/89] out of print/used Piggy Toes Press hardcover & audio CD [10/2000] out of print/used
	"The Ruby Slippers of Oz" [1989] by Rhys Thomas Tale Weaver 9x5¾ pb [8/89] out of print/used
	"The Wizard of Oz Collector's Treasury" [1992] by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman, photographs by Tim McGowan Schiffer Publng 11x8½ hardcover [3/92] for $59.95
	"The Wizard of Oz" critical text [1992] Essay & short story by Salman Rushdie British Film Institute 7¼x5¼ pb [5/92] for $10.17
	"Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry & Magic of The 1939 M-G-M Classic" [1999] by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman Applause / Hal Leonard Publng 10¾x8½ revised & expanded pb [7/2004] for $14.96 Gramercy 11¼x9 hardcover [10/99] out of print/used
	"I, Toto: The Autobiography of Terry, The Dog Who Was Toto" [2001] by Willard Carroll Stewart, Tabori & Chang 8½x10 hardcover [9/2001] for $14.96 Terry's credits at IMDb

Dorothy poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	Scarecrow poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	Tin Woodsman poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	Cowardly Lion poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	blue sky poster 24"x36" poster from Amazon	orange Dorothy poster 27"x40" poster from Amazon

yellow sky poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	red letters poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon	white poster 24"x36" poster from Amazon	rainbow poster 24"x36" poster from Amazon	French poster 12"x16" poster from Amazon	red, white & blue poster 11"x17" poster from Amazon

Oz foursome poster 17"x11" poster from Amazon	wide black-yellow poster 14"x11" poster from Amazon	ruby slippers poster 16"x16" poster from Amazon	lobby card poster 20"x16" poster from Amazon	limited-edition "Wizard of Oz" poster signed by two Munchkins 24"x36" poster from Amazon

	Warner Collector's Edition color DVD pkg [10/2005] 3 disks for $36.99 Warner Special Edition color DVD set [10/2005] 2 disks for $19.99 Warner/Turner color DVD [10/99] out of prodn/many used M.G.M. color clamshell VHS [9/96] out of prodn/many used M.G.M. color VHS [4/92] out of prodn/many used
	soundtrack CDs from Rhino/W.E.A. and M.G.M. M.G.M. soundtrack CD [11/2007] for $12.99 Rhino/W.E.A. Special Edition soundtrack CD [9/98] for $14.99 Rhino/W.E.A. Deluxe Edition soundtrack CD [7/95] for $22.99

	"The Munchkins of Oz" [orig 1989, rev 2001] by Stephen Cox Cumberland House Publng 10x8 3rd edition pb [3/2002] out of print/used Cumberland House Publng 10x8 pb [12/2001] out of print/used "The Munchkins Remember: The Wizard of Oz and Beyond" [1989] by Stephen Cox Plume 7x5 pb [6/89] out of print/used
	"Memories of A Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down The Yellow Brick Road" [2005] by Meinhardt Raabe [1915-2010], with Daniel Kinske Watson-Guptill / Back Stage Books 10½x8¾ hardcover [4/2005] for $31.16
	"Short and Sweet: The Life & Times of The Lollipop Munchkin" [2006] by Jerry Maren [1920-2018] Cumberland House Publng 9x7 pb [10/2006] for $16.47

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store "The Wizard of Oz"1939 Movie

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
"The Wizard of Oz"
1939 Movie