The Wizard of Oz

Director: Victor Fleming Victor Fleming

Overview

The third and definitive film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy, this musical adventure is a genuine family classic that made Judy Garland a star for her heartfelt performance as Dorothy Gale, an orphaned young girl unhappy with her drab black-and-white existence on her aunt and uncle's dusty Kansas farm. Dorothy yearns to travel "over the rainbow" to a different world, and she gets her wish when a tornado whisks her and her little dog, Toto, to the Technicolorful land of Oz. Having offended the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), Dorothy is protected from the old crone's wrath by the ruby slippers that she wears. At the suggestion of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke), Dorothy heads down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where dwells the all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who might be able to help the girl return to Kansas. En route, she befriends a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley), and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). The Scarecrow would like to have some brains, the Tin Man craves a heart, and the Lion wants to attain courage; hoping that the Wizard will help them too, they join Dorothy on her odyssey to the Emerald City.

Garland was MGM's second choice for Dorothy after Shirley Temple dropped out of the project; and Bolger was to have played the Tin Man but talked co-star Buddy Ebsen into switching roles. When Ebsen proved allergic to the chemicals used in his silver makeup, he was replaced by Haley. Gale Sondergaard was originally to have played the Wicked Witch of the West in a glamorous fashion, until the decision was made to opt for belligerent ugliness, and the Wizard was written for W.C. Fields, who reportedly turned it down because MGM couldn't meet his price. Although Victor Fleming, who also directed Gone With the Wind, was given sole directorial credit, several directors were involved in the shooting, included King Vidor, who shot the opening and closing black-and-white sequences. Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's now-classic Oscar-winning song "Over the Rainbow" was nearly chopped from the picture after the first preview because it "slowed down the action." The Wizard of Oz was too expensive to post a large profit upon initial release; however, after a disappointing reissue in 1955, it was sold to network television, where its annual showings made it a classic.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/29/2019
UPC:	0883929536511
Original Release:	1939
Source:	Warner Home Video
Format:	Blu-ray

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Judy Garland	Dorothy Gale
Frank Morgan	Prof. Marvel/The Wizard
Ray Bolger	Hunk/The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr	Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley	Hickory/The Tin Woodsman
Gus Wayne	Munchkin
Billie Burke	Glinda, the Good Witch
Margaret Hamilton	Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch
Pat Walshe	Nikko
Clara Blandick	Auntie Em
Billy Bletcher	Mayor/Lollypop Guild (voice)
Tyler Brook	Ozmite
Adriana Caselotti	Juliet (voice)
Pinto Colvig	Munchkin Voice (voice)
Billy Curtis	City Father
Abe Dinovitch	Apple Tree/Munchkin Voice (voice)
Major Doyle	Munchkin (uncredited)
Daisy Earles	Munchkin Villager
Harry Earles	Guild Singer
Buddy Ebsen	Tin Woodman on "We're Off to See the Wizard" (voice)
Charles Grapewin	Uncle Henry
Charles Irwin	Ozmite
Lois January	Cat Owner
Mitchell Lewis	Head Winkie
Jerry Maren	Guild Leader
Singer Midgets	Munchkins
Walter Miller	Bespectacled Munchkin
George Ministeri	Coach Driver
Yvonne Moray	League Dancer
Lee Murray	Winged Monkey
Frank Packard	Munchkin (uncredited)
Lillian Porter	Munchkin (uncredited)
"Little Billy" Rhodes	Barrister
Jimmy Rosen	Munchkin (uncredited)
Oliver Smith	Ozmite
Terry	Toto
Carol Tevis	Munchkin Voice (voice)
Bobby Watson	Ozmite

Technical Credits

Noel Langley

Florence Ryerson

Edgar Allan Woolf

Victor Fleming	Director
Adrian	Costumes/Costume Designer
Harold Arlen	Score Composer
George Bassman	Score Composer
Bobby Connolly	Choreography
Jack Dawn	Makeup
Cedric Gibbons	Art Director
Arnold A. Gillespie	Special Effects
Noel Langley	Screenwriter
Mervyn LeRoy	Producer
Harold Hal Rosson	Cinematographer
Florence Ryerson	Screenwriter
Blanche Sewell	Editor
George Stoll	Score Composer
Herbert Stothart	Score Composer
Edwin B. Willis	Set Decoration/Design
Edgar Allan Woolf	Screenwriter
L. Frank Baum	Source Author

Editorial Reviews

Hollywood magic has rarely worked as well as it did in MGM's adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel. This fairy tale about a Kansas farm girl who is swept by a tornado into the land of the Munchkins has burned itself into the collective consciousness of generations of moviegoers. By today's standards, the special effects look primitive, but when Dorothy (Judy Garland) steps out of monochromatic Kansas into the Technicolor splendor of Oz, the moment still invokes wonder. And the songs, especially the Academy Award-winning "Over the Rainbow," remain infectious. As the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr, respectively, bring humor and humanity to their make-believe characters, while the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) remains among the screen's scariest villains. Finally, though, it is the emotional truthfulness of Judy Garland's performance, infused with all the yearnings of adolescence, that makes The Wizard of Oz a masterpiece.

Barnes & Noble - Kryssa Schemmerling

The lavish MGM production of L. Frank Baum's children's book may have lost a million dollars on its initial release, but its songcraft, technical artistry, star-making performance from Judy Garland, and unexpected TV success turned it into a perennial classic. With future ace MGM musical producer Arthur Freed lending producer Mervyn LeRoy an uncredited hand in pre-production, Cedric Gibbons' art direction, Adrian's costumes, and Hal Rosson's sparkling cinematography maximized the creative potential of Technicolor film, as Dorothy goes "over the rainbow" from a sepia-toned black-and-white Kansas to a fantastically rendered Oz of ruby slippers, emerald cities, and yellow brick roads. Lent ample support by vaudeville vets Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr, neophyte Garland delivered a touching performance as Dorothy, proving that she had the acting talent to match her superb singing. As with Gone With the Wind, the film went through several directors and Victor Fleming got the credit; King Vidor directed the Kansas sequences, including Garland's solo "Over the Rainbow." Almost cut for the sake of pacing, "Over the Rainbow" became an Oscar winner for Best Song and a Garland standard. Although the 2.7-million-dollar film wilted at the box office, The Wizard of Oz was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture (which it lost to Gone With the Wind), winning for Herbert Stothart's score and Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's song. It was the first feature sold for prime-time TV telecast, and its 1956 TV debut was a ratings hit, finally turning it into the crowd-pleasing blockbuster that MGM had always meant it to be.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola