The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. When I was growing up, it was televised once a year and it was a big occasion for the whole family to gather around to watch it while eating popcorn and other special snacks.

Given that The Wizard of Oz is over 60 years old, it is not surprising that there is no nudity, profanity or anything that young children shouldn't be exposed to. Yes, there is the Wicked Witch and her underlings, but she is gotten ridden of in the fairly tale manner of being doused with water and melting.

I have the 50th Anniversary Edition of this movie, which comes with a small booklet which includes pictures and additional information about the show, such as how the film was made and characters and storylines that never made it to the final cut, like The Cowardly Lion really being a hero who was out to rescue Princess Betty of Oz.

One day while in the mall, my then three year old son picked up a copy of The Wizard of Oz and asked if we could buy it, so when we got home we put our copy into the VCR. Before we watched the show, we got out the Wizard of Oz Toys that my husband and I purchased at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, which are 4 inch tall plastic replicas of Dorothy, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion and Toto.

Eventually, my son was thrilled that he could watch his toys come to life on the screen! Unfortunately, with all of his anticipation in watching this film for the first time, he fell asleep before Dorothy even made it to Oz. The next morning he requested it again, and sat through the entire thing, while playing with his toys.

At first I thought he might be afraid of certain parts, but, as he reminded me, it is all just pretend. Since he did not find it scary, my younger daughter who always wants to copy her big brother, has watched it numerous time without being afraid.

Here is a brief synopsis of The Wizard of Oz for anyone who needs a refresher.

Twelve year old Dorothy Gale is unhappy with her life and feels that life would be better "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." She lives on a farm in Kansas, and the area gets struck by a twister, causing Dorothy to get hit on the head and go into a coma-like state. While in this condition she dreams that she has left her drab and dreary life (which is in black and white film) and has gone to a colorful and fantastic land.

Due to the twister, Dorothy's farmhouse gets swept up and brings her and her dog Toto to Munchkinland. The house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, who is wearing ruby slippers. Since Dorothy killed her with the house, Glinda, the Good Witch, informs her that they are now hers and will keep her safe. She will have the Wicked Witch of the West to contend with as she is after those slippers.

Dorothy meets a variety of interesting characters from little Munchkins who reside in this strange land, to witches, to her new-found friends The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man (all of whom bear a remarkable resemblance to the farmhands back in Kansas).

Glinda starts Dorothy on a journey down the Yellow Brick Road to find the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz who she believes can get her safely home to Kansas, since this land is a bit scary and she really wants to get home to her Auntie Em and her Uncle Henry. In addition, the Scarecrow would like a brain, the Lion would like courage, and the Tin Man would like a heart.

Dorothy and company escape the Wicked Witch's attempts to capture them, and eventually make their way to the Wizard. They do not actually see him, but hear a booming voice and a huge, somewhat demonic face surrounded by smoke and fire. He gives them the task of bringing back the Wicked Witch's broom in exchange for helping them. The Witch captures Dorothy, but her friends locate her and together they are able to conquer the Witch by dousing her with water.

They return to the Wizard , broomstick in hand, and he still refuses to help them. While Dorothy and the others argue with him, Toto pulls back a curtain to expose the "Great and Powerful Wizard" to be nothing more than an ordinary man, who is not a bad man, "just a very bad wizard." He does give each of Dorothy's friends what they sought, but does not have a magical way to return Dorothy to Kansas.

The Wizard is a balloonist and decides to take Dorothy and Toto back to Kansas himself. Unfortunately, Toto jumps out of the basket and Dorothy follows in an attempt to capture him. The hot air balloon is already on its way skyward and it leaves without them.

Glinda arrives then tells Dorothy that she has always had the power to get home, but she had to learn for herself that there's no place like home. By clicking her heels together and saying "There's no place like home" three times, the magical ruby slippers will deliver her back to Kansas.

Dorothy awakens in her bed with her family and friends around her and begins to tell the tale of her magical journey. They laugh it off and tell her she got a bump on the head and had a bad dream. After insisting that it was real, the movie ends with her stating again that "There's no place like home."

My 50th Anniversary edition has supplemental video at the end of the movie, including the original movie trailer and a portion of the 1939 Academy Awards with Bob Hope introducing Mickey Rooney, who then gives Judy Garland the Outstanding Juvenile Actress Award.

Additionally there is home video of a tour group visiting the MGM studios and spending some time with Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Bert Lahr(Cowardly Lion) and Buddy Ebsen (the original Tin Man). There is a recording of Ebsen singing "If I Only Had A Heart" with still pictures in his costume. He was unable to complete the film due to an allergic reaction to the metallic paint of the costume.

"The Jitterbug" was a song and dance scene that was cut from the final version of the movie, but still pictures and home movies are set to the original recording. The final clip on this video is an extended choreographed version of Ray Bolger's singing and dancing in "If I Only Had a Brain."

Most people have seen The Wizard of Oz numerous times, but how many own it so that they can watch it whenever the mood strikes? There are other special editions and gift sets available, so a copy of this film might be the perfect holiday gift for somebody in your life.