What more can you say about it?

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2005)

Come on! You know what happens in "The Wizard of Oz"! All that I can do is try to analyze it. Joseph Campbell always talked about the hero's journey, and "TWOO" is clearly that. Maybe Dorothy is a different kind of hero, but a hero nonetheless. Obviously, released as it was towards the end of the Depression and near the beginning of WWII, perhaps "TWOO" was a sign of new things to come.
We can look at connections to other things. As many people know, Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man, but the makeup gave him an allergic reaction. If it hadn't, then think about it...Jed Clampett as the Tin Man! I suspect that some people might take offense at the negative portrayal of witches (as "Bewitched" showed, witches are hot!), but there were also good witches. And since Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island" was based on Dorothy, we can read into it further: the Scarecrow has no brain, like Gilligan; the Tin Man has no heart, like Mr. Howell; the Lion has no courage, like both Mrs. Howell and Ginger (or do those two have courage?); the Wicked Witch of the West is a bully, like the Skipper; and the Wizard knows everything, like the Professor.
That all reminds me. When I was in 6th grade, my class went to see a re-release of "TWOO". One of my classmates said that the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion would make good politicians, because the Tin Man has no heart, like Pat Buchanan; the Scarecrow has no brains, like Bob Dole; and the Lion has no courage, like Steve Forbes.
Oh, well. Life goes on. I guess that the point is that "The Wizard of Oz" will always be there. It's a true classic in every sense of the word.