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‘The Wizard of Oz’“The Wizard of Oz” is a 1939 musical film based on the 1900 L. Frank Baum novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” The movie is considered a landmark moment in cinematic history and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, though it was initially a commercial failure. It gained popularity after being broadcast repeatedly on television, with some estimates suggesting that it’s one of the most viewed films in history.
With “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Baum intended to write a uniquely American fairy tale that would allow children to escape from the world’s darker elements. The book was a hit upon its release, and Baum would go on to write 13 more “Oz” books before his death.
Because the copyright for Baum’s work lapsed in 1956, the story has been adapted and reinterpreted consistently throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, including the 1978 film “The Wiz” and the ongoing “Wicked” franchise.Explore ‘The Wizard of Oz’
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The 'Wicked' movies turned an already-successful Broadway show into a behemothThe production was already one of the most successful in Broadway history, but the release of the first movie kicked it into overdrive: It grossed 15% more in 2024, the year "Wicked: Part I" was released, than the previous year, bringing in more than $112M. The New York TimesSome believe L. Frank Baum wrote 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' on vacationThe writer vacationed in Macatawa, Michigan, in 1899. His great-grandson claims most of the book was written while staying there on the shores of Lake Michigan. The nearby town of Holland commemorated the book with the Oz Sculpture Garden. Discover Holland MichiganElphaba, the Wicked Witch of 'Wicked,' is named after 'The Wizard of Oz' authorGregory Maguire named the Wicked Witch of the West after L. Frank Baum. “I tried Lafaba, I tried Lafeyba," he said. "And then I tried Elphaba. As soon as I got Elphaba, I thought, oh, that's it.” WGBHOver the years, Baum’s story has had several adaptations and reinterpretationsThe original 1900 book, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ has been adapted in various forms for various audiences. There’s been a Muppet-centric Oz, a 3D-generated Dorothy, and one that imagines an adult Dorothy living as a children’s author in New York, just to name a few. Movie Web'The Wizard of Oz' flopped in theaters but exploded on TVThe film cost $2.7M to make—$1M more than the average production in 1939, but didn’t recoup it for almost two decades. Its success is mainly due to television. It aired annually from 1956 to 1965 and was watched by more than 49% of all television viewers. The New York Times'The Wizard of Oz' was panned by some cntemporary criticsA 1939 New Yorker review by Russel Maloney said the movie displayed ''no trace of imagination, good taste, or ingenuity.'' The New Republic’s Otis Ferguson wrote, “It has dwarfs, music, Technicolor, freak characters, and Judy Garland. It can’t be expected to have a sense of humor as well." KQEDJudy Garland's body double wore a sepia dress in the movie's most famous sceneA famous scene from “The Wizard of Oz” features Dorothy leaving behind her home in Kansas and walking into Oz. The filmmakers wanted the character to exit a colorless world and enter a Technicolor one, though the nascent technology required more than some clever postproduction tricks. The scene was painted sepia, as was Judy Garland's body double's dress. As she walks through the door, into Oz, the camera turns away. Then, Judy Garland strides back into frame, wearing her iconic blue dress. Kevin LynchA theory about Pink Floyd and 'The Wizard of Oz' was popularized by a 19-year-oldPink Floyd’s seminal album “Dark Side of the Moon” eerily synchronizes with “The Wizard of Oz,” offering a psychedelic soundtrack for the movie. Journalist Charlie Savage popularized the phenomenon when he was 19. He’d go on to write for the Boston Globe and New York Times winning a Pulitzer Prize. Mojo'The Wizard of Oz' wasn't the first film to use TechnicolorTechnicolor provided warm color to films. it was first used in 1917. But the 1939 film used Technicolor in such an intentional way—by having Dorothy exit a dull, sepia-toned world before entering the Technicolor Oz—it popularized the technology, even though audiences had likely seen it used before then. VoxThe 1939 ‘Wizard of Oz’ reimagined Baum’s book for a new ageTechnological breakthroughs brought high-quality, synchronized sound to films by the end of the 1920s. By the 1930s, the movie-musical, a genre that blended artful cinematography and Broadway-style musicals, became more popular. “The Wizard of Oz” evolved the form further by structuring the plot into episodes anchored by memorable, revelatory songs. One Hundred Years of CinemaThe musical 'The Wizard of Oz' debuted in 1902Following the success of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ Baum adapted the novel for the stage. It premiered at Chicago’s Grand Opera House in 1902 and made it to Broadway’s Majestic Theatre in 1903. It then toured the country through 1909. It was also a musical adaptation of the story. New York Public LibraryThe 1925 ‘Wizard of Oz’ predates the classic 1939 filmThe film differs significantly from the 1900 book and the later 1939 film adaptation: Dorothy is 18 years old, the Tin Woodman is a villain, and the entire story of Oz is framed by a toy-maker reading the original Baum book to his granddaughter. André Bourbeau'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was the first major American fantasyBaum blended elements of Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Lewis Carroll, placing them in an American context. The illustrations of William Wallace Denslow brought the fantastical elements to life, as seen below. The book was an instant smash hit, selling out its initial 10,000-book pressing within the first eight months. By the time it entered the public domain in 1956, it had sold 3 million copies. Library of CongressSome believe 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' is a political allegoryAlthough Baum claimed his book was intended as a simple children's story, scholars challenged that notion. One high school history teacher, Henry Littlefield, began teaching the book as a satire of the Gilded Age and published an essay inspiring other scholars to consider the text as a politically charged allegory. TED-EdRead the complete text of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'The 1900 L. Frank Baum book that established the world of Oz entered the public domain in 1956, making it available for anyone who would like to read, distribute or reinterpret it. That also means you can browse the complete, original text for free. Project Gutenberg'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was inspired by a droughtIn 1886, Baum moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, opening a general store and a newspaper. A drought afflicted the area, decimating crops. Baum moved, but his first 'Oz' book describes Dorothy's Kansas in a way that matched what he saw in South Dakota. American Experience | PBSBaum wrote 14 'Oz' novels in totalFollowing the success of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’ Baum continued writing about the fictional world until his death, turning the world into a lucrative brand. One of the books, “The Patchwork Girl of Oz,” was turned into a silent film and released in 1914. EncourageTVEY 'Yip' Harburg is the lyricist behind 'The Wizard of Oz'The 1939 film’s songs were written by composer Harold Arlen and lyricist EY “Yip” Harburg. In an early draft of "Over the Rainbow," the movie's most famous song, Harburg scribbled "Some day I’ll wish upon a star + wake + find the darkness far behind me,” which would eventually become the iconic line, “Some day I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.” Smithsonian MagazineA set of wild fan theories about the 'Wizard of Oz'Both the 1900 book and the 1939 film have become iconic classics beloved for decades. The story's mostly undefined symbolism of a yellow brick road, ruby red slippers, and more has left it open to wild interpretation. Some theories suggest the Wizard of Oz is the father of Willy Wonka, or that Dorothy was the Wicked Witch of the East. Mental Floss‘Torch songs’ are passionate expressions of unrequited loveThe term comes from an idiom about dedicated romantics carrying torches for their love interests. The style was especially popular for female vocalists before the rise of rock ‘n’ roll and significantly influenced early girl group records. American MastersThe 'Wicked' movie is based on several previous ‘Oz’ adaptationsGregory Maguire's novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," published in 1995, is based on"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It offers an adult-oriented retelling of the Oz story, focusing on Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The book was then adapted for the stage, which premiered on Broadway in 2003. The Broadway musical was then adapted for the screen—the first film in the series debuted in 2024. the GuardianA Disney architect designed Epic's headquartersEpic Systems provides electronic medical records in the US—but its offices are far from bland. The HQ has five different campuses that are inspired by "Harry Potter," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Alice in Wonderland." The Wall Street Journal'Wicked' lost for best musical in 2004For many musical theater fans, the choice for the 2004 award for best musical was clear: "Wicked," the box office smash based on a retelling of L. Frank Baum's novel "The Wizard of Oz." So when the raunchy puppets of "Avenue Q" pulled off a surprise win, people were shocked and angry. Wait in the WingsThe best podcasts about Old HollywoodIf you’re intrigued by the gossip and scandals of Hollywood’s early years, you’ll want to check out this Vanity Fair list of some of the best podcasts on the topic. Some, like Karina Longworth’s "You Must Remember This," cover a different event from Hollywood history with every episode. Others follow a single topic over the course of an entire season, like "No Place Like Home", which explores the 2005 theft of the original "Wizard of Oz" ruby slippers. Variety
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