Journey with me, Over the Rainbow

These days it seems the news is only getting worse and worse. Apart from the miracle of Elizabeth Smart, the news is grim and depressing. So I decided to take a nostalgic journey over the rainbow back to my childhood when I didn't have to worry about wars and terrorism, only nuclear obliteration.

"The Wizard of Oz" is another truly classic film from the golden year of Hollywood's golden age, 1939. As the world prepared to embark upon another terrible war, people crowded into theatres looking for escapist fare. And Hollywood delivered. Curiously, "The Wizard of Oz" was not initially a big success, despite being hyped and well reviewed. Fortunately, annual television viewing has given this film a devoted following, making it one of the best known and well loved musical/fantasies of all time.

The story of course, is about Dorothy Gale, a young farm girl from Kansas. Dorothy always seems to be getting in the way of people. Her Aunt Emily and Uncle Henry don't have a lot of time for her, though the ranch helpers are nice to her. Dorothy seems to wish for a life outside of her dreary black & white farm (who can blame her?) Where else but over the rainbow?

Dorothy has made an enemy in Miss Gulch, the crotchety old neighbour of theirs. Miss Gulch wants Dorothy's little dog Toto destroyed for chasing her cat. Since Miss Gulch has threatened to take away their farm if they don't comply, the Gales have no choice but to comply. Toto however escapes from Miss Gulch and makes his way back home. Realizing that Miss Gulch will be back for Toto once she misses him, Dorothy decides to run away. However on her journey, Dorothy meets a phony fortune teller who manages to convince her that she is missed at home (Pee-Wee's Big Adventure memorably spoofed this scene). A distraught Dorothy makes her way back to her farm.

A twister is brewing when she gets back, and her family has made their way into the storm shelter. When the window is blown off the frame and smashes her on the head, so begins Dorothy's bizarre journey. It's amusing to see how some of the characters and situations from Kansas will be reflected in Dorothy's (dream?) world to which she is journeying.

Upon waking up, Dorothy finds the tornado has lifted the house from the ground and into the funnel of the twister. Eventually, the twister subsides, the house lands on the ground, and Dorothy finds herself in Munchkin Land, over the rainbow. Here, the land is in brilliant colour, and the people are small and peaceful.

Dorothy is hailed as a hero to the munchkins. It seems that when the house came down, it accidentally landed on the Wicked Witch of the East who had been terrorizing the munchkins. Dorothy is herself mistaken for a witch, due to the unusual circumstances of her arrival. This initially causes her offense, until Glinda the Good Witch of the North explains to her the difference between good witches and bad witches.

Things seem to be looking up, until the Wicked Witch of the West arrives.(For some reasons north/south witches are good while east/west witches are bad. Why is that?) The WWW is ticked off at Dorothy for killing her sister. She can't do anything to her as long as Dorothy has the ruby slippers that Glinda gave her, but the WWW warns Dorothy that she'll get her revenge. Talk about holding a grudge!

Dorothy desperately wants to go home, so Glinda instructs Dorothy to make her way to the Emerald City to get help from the Wizard of Oz. To get there, she must simply follow the yellow brick road. Along the way, she'll meet a scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion. Each of them is lacking something; the Scarecrow a brain, the Tin Man a heart, and the Lion courage. Why not journey with Dorothy to the Emerald City to ask help from the Wizard?

Along the way, the four of them encounter many trials and tribulations including talking trees, a dark forest, poison poppies, and several run-ins with the Wicked Witch. Finally, they find themselves at the doors of the Emerald City and believe their journey is over. But their journey has just begun...

One of the things I remember most vividly from my childhood was the incredible use of colour. Colour films from the thirties through the fifties were a lot brighter than the colour films seen today. The reds, yellows, and greens really stand out. Look at Dorothy's red ruby slippers, at the yellow in the Yellow Brick Road, and at the green Emerald City. This is as much due to the incredible sets as it is to the use of technicolor. While the set-bound way of filmmaking may cause some people to smirk today, they help in this case give the film a look of unreality.

The special effects were remarkable for their day. It's interesting to hear on the "Making Of..." documentary how they did certain effects, like the tornado and the flying house.

The songs of course have entered into public consciousness. Even people who have never seen the movie know how they go. They are:

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
Amazingly, this song was nearly cut. What a loss that would have been to all of us. This became Judy Garland's signature song, and she did a lovely job.

"We're Off to See the Wizard"
This is the song of course, that everyone sings when they are journeying one place to another.

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road"
Whenever people sing this song today, they are referring to the path they are looking to take to obtain success.

"If I Only Had a Brain/Heart/Nerve"
The kind of song we think about whenever there's something in ourselves that we wish we could change.

"Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead"
We'd always sing this as a kid whenever we wished for some horrible fate to befall a hated adult authority figure, eg. a teacher, mother. Do kids still sing this today?


THE CAST:

Judy Garland is wonderful in the role of Dorothy. Shirley Temple was briefly considered for her role, but was forbidden by MGM under who's contract she was under. This is fortunate, as I don't think Ms. Temple could have matched the mature performance and singing that Judy Garland gives. It's great to see Ms. Garland at age sixteen before the studio got the troubled actress hooked on prescription drugs to maintain her grueling schedule and to keep her slim. This is how we'll always remember her.

Frank Morgan is enjoyable as the great and powerful Oz. Frank Morgan also played the Emerald City doorman, the horseman, and the gypsy Professor Marvel.

Ray Bolger is great fun as the Scarecrow. Bolger managed to incorporate many of his onstage dancing routines into the Scarecrow's clumsy walking style. Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man and had to fight for the part of the Scarecrow. It's a good thing for the rest of us that he won.

Bert Lahr is hilarious as the Cowardly Lion, who proves to be anything but. He makes a memorable entrance in the forest scene where he prepares to pounce on the trio, only to burst into tears when Dorothy slaps him. Definitely not your typical lion.

Billie Burke is a bit syrupy as Glinda the Good Witch. I found her high-pitched voice to be a bit annoying. Also, I thought she was somewhat overdressed, even for a good witch.

Margaret Hamilton's is perhaps the standout performance as the Wicked Witch of the West. With her green skin, gangly hands, and cackle, she scared a whole generation of children. Ironic since according to her IMDb bio, her first job was as a kindergarten teacher. Years later, Ms. Hamilton would make a guest appearance on Mister Rogers Neighborhood to try to convince kids that she was not so scary.

Classic though it is, a couple of problems have always bothered me about the movie.

Problem #1: In the scene where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow at the fork in the road, how do Dorothy and the Scarecrow know which way to go? Dorothy seems initially hesitant, yet a moment later she and the Scarecrow head confidently down one path.

Problem #2: At the end of the film, won't Miss Gulch just be coming back for Toto? This seems to be something the filmmakers have completely forgotten. After all, Dorothy didn't run away because she was unhappy, but because she feared for her dog's life.


So what is this film all about? Well, it's partly about people looking to get something that, unbeknownst to them, they already have. The Scarecrow goes to the Wizard to get his brain, not aware of the fact that he is in fact very smart. The Tin Man goes to the Wizard because he believes he is without a heart, yet by the end of the film he proves himself to be a very caring person. And the Lion, who thinks he has no nerve, proves himself to be very courageous indeed. There's a message in here for all of us who think we lack something.

Yet the main message of the film seems to be Dorothy's words at the end of the film, "There's no place like home." The filmmakers are trying to push the conservative view that people belong at home. I didn't buy into it. Who would want to live in a dull tornado ridden black & white farm in Kansas, when one could live in the beautiful colourful land of Oz.

Stay in Oz, Dorothy. It's better than the terrible world we live in.