At one time, the world's most popular movie! Maybe it still is?

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2017)

Copyright 7 August 1939 by Loew's Inc. A Victor Fleming production, presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. New York opening at the Capitol, 17 August 1939. U.S. release 25 August 1939. U.K. release: February 1940. 10 reels. 101 minutes.
NOTES: Academy Awards for Best Original Score, Herbert Stothart. Best Song, "Over the Rainbow". Special Award, Judy Garland, the outstanding screen juvenile of 1939. Also nominated for Best Picture (GWTW), Art Direction (GWTW), and Special Effects (The Rains Came). Number 7 on the 1939 Film Daily poll of U.S. film critics.
Shooting commenced 13 October 1938, and finished 16 March 1939. Because he was needed to take over the direction of "Gone With the Wind", Fleming was replaced by King Vidor on 15 February 1939. At this stage, just about all the Technicolor scenes had been photographed except the finish of the song, "We're Off To See the Wizard". However, the opening and closing sepia episodes, including Judy singing "Over the Rainbow", had still to be filmed. Even though he was working on GWTW all day at Selznick Studios, Fleming returned to MGM on many a night to supervise the editing of Oz.
Negative cost: $2,777,000. Initial domestic rental gross: $3,017,000, a very poor result which was greatly offset by the 1948 re-issue which returned an additional domestic rental gross of $1,564,000. Re- issued in 1954, the movie gained a further domestic gross of $456,000. At this point, the movie was within $500,000 of breaking even (if no allowance was made for inflation or for the amount of money the movie lost in overseas markets where the movie failed to recoup even its modest distribution costs). Fortunately, U.S. television really came to the rescue by netting no less than $21 million before the studio sold its entire inventory to Turner. Warner video and DVD sales have so far yielded a further $5 million.
COMMENT: It's not hard to understand why "The Wizard of Oz" was eventually such an outstanding success in the U.S.A. A well-known and well-loved novel, translated to the screen not only with fidelity but with style, vivacity and color, it offers an incredibly lavish and spectacular escapist fantasy with bright songs, overwhelming special effects and a most ingratiating array of ingenious characters — enacted by a highly personable and sympathetic group of deservedly popular players. This of course was the movie that catapulted Judy into the big time, leading directly to her later cult status. In fact, the movie itself has always enjoyed a considerable cult following.
The Wizard of Oz has been seen by more people than any other movie ever made. That's true. Amazing isn't it? I thought that honor belonged to Gone With The Wind, but Wiz has enjoyed many more airings on TV.
The magical qualities of Wizard of Oz are so imaginative that the movie appeals even more to adults than children. In many respects, it is an American Alice In Wonderland with wonderfully way-out characters engaged in a Through the Looking Glass quest for various Holy Grails. These characters and their desires are more than just faithfully transcribed from Baum's book. They are actually improved. The meandering original story with its long anti-climax after the Wizard goes off in his balloon, is not only tightened and sharpened but made more suspenseful by various inspired devices, such as introducing the Wicked Witch from the outset and arranging her demise much more logically by having her threaten the Scarecrow with a match. Also I think it was a clever idea to give the Oz characters real-life Kansan counterparts, if only because it allows us to see Bolger, Lahr and Haley without make-up.
Before the movie's release, the studio contemplated cutting the Kansan episodes because (1) they were not reflected in the book and (2) they delayed the journey to Oz. It was even seriously suggested that Judy's now-trade-mark song, "Over the Rainbow", be eliminated. Fortunately, the enthusiasm of preview audiences quashed these ideas.
Gone With The Wind of course is the world's second most popular movie. Both Wind and Oz were directed — at one stage virtually simultaneously — by Victor Fleming. If you count up the number of books on Fleming published to date, the answer will surprise you. Some years ago, I did a search and at that time – not counting tracts – there was only One!
Like Casablanca, the perfect cast of this perfect film was achieved by a series of happy accidents. Freed always wanted Judy for Dorothy, but LeRoy went after a "box-office name": first Shirley Temple and then Deanna Durbin. In an interoffice memo sent by Freed on 31 January 1938 to LeRoy (reproduced in Hugh Fordin's treasure of a book The World of Entertainment), Ray Bolger was suggested for the Tin Woodman, Buddy Ebsen for the Scarecrow, Frank Morgan (replacing W. C. Fields who would not accept MGM's proposed fee) for the Wizard, Edna May Oliver for the Wicked Witch, Fanny Brice for Glinda, Betty Jaynes for "The Princess of Oz, who sings opera", and Benny Baker for the Prince. How wonderful that these proposals metamorphosed into the thrillingly superlative line-up of the final film!
AVAILABLE on a superb Warner DVD.