Must See

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2020)

This film is beyond classic that fully lives up to its status . The Wizard of Oz remains the weirdest, scariest, kookiest, most haunting story made. This Technicolor extravaganza contains such trippy imagery . Most of us first saw Wizard as children, but I, for one, appreciate it much more as an adult. I see flaws in most of the films I liked as a child but look back on as a grown up. Many of them can be enjoyed only for their nostalgia value. When I re-watch Wizard, I realize that as a kid I didn't have the full set of tools to enjoy it properly. The film has an enduring impression on me.
Adapted from L. Frank Baum's timeless children's tale about a Kansas girl's journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman's Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939.
Director: George Cukor and King Vidor and Mervyn LeRoy and Norman Taurog and Victor Fleming
Starring: Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Frank Morgan, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger
Adapted from L. Frank Baum's timeless children's tale about a Kansas girl's journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman's Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939.
"Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut from the film; MGM felt that it made the Kansas sequence too long, as well as being too far over the heads of the children for whom it was intended.
The song "Over the Rainbow" was ranked #1 by the American Film Institute in 2004 on the 100 Greatest Songs in American Films list.
Included among the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.
The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.
The "tornado" was a 35-foot-long muslin stocking, spun around among miniatures of a Kansas farm and fields in a dusty atmosphere.
Dorothy's iconic red slippers now live at the Smithsonian Institution, and are so popular that the carpet in front of the attraction has had to be replaced numerous times due to wear and tear.

A recent study claimed that this is the most watched movie in film history, largely due to the number of television screenings each year as well as the various video/DVD/Blu-ray/4K releases, which have enabled children of every and all generations to see it.
Judy Garland found it difficult to be afraid of Margaret Hamilton, because she was such a nice lady off-camera.
It took upwards of 12 takes to have Toto run alongside the actors as they skipped down the yellow brick road.
Terry (Toto) was stepped on by one of the witch's guards, and had a double for two weeks. A second double was obtained, because it resembled Toto more closely. Judy Garland very much wanted to adopt Terry after the two spent so much time together shooting the film. Unfortunately, the owner of the dog wouldn't give her up, and Terry went on to a long career in films. She died in 1945 and was buried in her trainer's yard.
The Munchkins troupe came from Europe, many of them were Jewish and a number of them took advantage of the trip to stay in the US in order to escape the Nazis. Professional singers dubbed most of their voices, as many of them couldn't speak English and or sing well.
The Munchkins were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November, 2007.
The movie's line "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" was voted as the #99 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100). "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" was #4. "There's no place like home." was #23.
Besides "The Jitterbug" being completely cut, other songs were trimmed. "Lions and tigers and bears (oh my!)" was a song rather than just a chant. The lion's "If I Only Had the Nerve" was longer, and the Scarecrow had a long dance sequence in "If I Only Had a Brain."
The Cowardly Lion's facial makeup included a brown paper bag. Bert Lahr couldn't eat without ruining his makeup. Tired of eating soup and milkshakes, he decided to eat lunch and have his makeup redone daily :)
Many of The Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton's performance was thought to be too frightening for audiences.