The Wizard of Oz
Tags: flashback

Plot synopsis:
The film begins in Kansas, which is depicted in a sepia tone. Dorothy Gale lives with her dog Toto on the farm of her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Dorothy's dog gets in trouble with a mean neighbor, Miss Almira Gulch, when Toto bites her. However, Dorothy's family and the farmhands are all too busy to pay her any attention. Miss Gulch arrives with permission from the sheriff to have Toto put down. She takes him away, but he escapes and returns to Dorothy, who then decides to run away from home, fearing that Miss Gulch will return.
They meet Professor Marvel, a phony but kindly fortune teller, who realizes Dorothy has run away and uses his crystal ball to dupe her into believing that Aunt Em is ill so that she must return home. She races home just as a powerful tornado strikes. Unable to get into her family's storm cellar, she seeks safety in her bedroom. A wind-blown window sash hits her in the head, knocking her out. Dorothy then awakens to find the house has apparently been picked up and sent spinning up into the air by the twister. She looks outside the window and sees an elderly lady (not Aunt Em as some thought) in a chair, several farm animals, two men rowing a boat, and Miss Gulch (still pedaling her bicycle), who transforms into a cackling Wicked Witch of the East flying on a broomstick.
The farmhouse crashes in Munchkinland in the Land of Oz, and just as Dorothy opens the door of her house the film changes to Technicolor. Glinda the Good Witch of the North and the Munchkins welcome her as their heroine, singing "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" - the house has landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East, leaving only her feet poking out from under the house. In the middle of the celebration, the Wicked Witch of the West arrives in a ball of smoke and fire to claim her sister's ruby slippers, but Glinda transports the shoes onto Dorothy's feet before the witch can get them. The Wicked Witch of the West swears revenge on Dorothy for her sister's death. Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz might be able to help her get back home.
On her way, Dorothy meets and befriends the Scarecrow, who wants a brain, and is invited by Dorothy to join her on her journey. Eventually Dorothy and Scarecrow come to an apple tree orchard where Dorothy picks an apple off a tree and the trees come to life and scold her for it. But Scarecrow taunts and provokes the trees, causing them to become angry and throw apples at him. As Dorothy picks up the thrown apples, she and Scarecrow find and befriend the Tin Woodman, who desires a heart. After they invite the Tin Man to come along, the Witch appears and makes threats to the three of them. Then deep in the woods, they meet the Cowardly Lion, who is in need of courage and he too is invited to come along as well. After the Witch attempts to stop them several times, they finally reach the Emerald City. Inside, after being initially rejected, they are permitted to see the Wizard (who appears as a large disembodied head surrounded by fire). He agrees to grant their wishes when they bring him the Witch of the West's broomstick (which implies they must kill her to get it).
On their journey to the Witch's castle, the group passes through the Haunted Forest, while the Witch views their progress through a crystal ball. She sends her winged monkeys to attack the group; they capture Dorothy and Toto. At the castle, the Witch receives a magical shock when she tries to get the slippers off Dorothy, then remembers that Dorothy must be dead first. Toto escapes and leads her friends to the castle. After ambushing three Winkie guards, they march inside wearing the stolen guards' uniforms and free her, but the Witch discovers them and traps them. However, the Scarecrow uses the Tin Man's axe to cut a rope nearby and send a gigantic chandelier, swinging overhead, down onto the Witch's soldiers, knocking them to the floor and the quartet attempt to escape. The Witch and her guards chase them through the castle, across battlements and finally surround them. When the Witch sets fire to the Scarecrow, Dorothy puts out the flames with a bucket of water which splashes on the Witch and it causes her to melt away. The guards rejoice that she is dead and give Dorothy the charred broomstick in gratitude.
Back at the Emerald City, the Wizard delays granting their requests. Then Toto pulls back a curtain and exposes the "Wizard" as a normal middle-aged man who has been projecting the fearsome image; he denies Dorothy's accusation that he is a bad man, but admits to being a humbug. He then gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Lion a medal, and the Tin Man a ticking heart-shaped watch, making them realize that they had what they wanted all along, they just did not know it yet. He then prepares to launch his hot air balloon to take Dorothy home, but Toto chases a cat, Dorothy follows, and the balloon leaves without them. Suddenly, Glinda returns and tells her that she can still return home by using the Ruby Slippers. Dorothy then shares a tearful farewell with her friends. Following Glinda's instructions, Dorothy taps her heels together three times and repeats, "There's no place like home". Dorothy wakes up in bed at her home in Kansas, surrounded by her family, the farmhands, Professor Marvel and Toto. Though her family and friends dismiss her adventure as a dream, Dorothy insists that it was all real, and that there is no place like home.

Review: This is a pretty weird adaptation of the "Wizard of Oz", bearing only a passing resemblance either to the original book or to the beloved Judy Garland version.
Frankly, most of it isn't really very good, although for those who enjoy silent films there are some points of historical interest.Instead of the more familiar story of young Dorothy's trip to Oz, the scenario here has a melodrama centering on a somewhat older Dorothy (Dorothy Dwan), combined with some slapstick involving the Oz characters.
It really looks as if Larry Semon just tried far too hard to put his own personal stamp on the story, instead of simply trying to make a good movie version of the Wizard.
It's also plagued with a lot of excruciating puns in the title cards, plus other similar problems.Some of the finest movies ever made came from this era, when the silents were at their peak, and it should have been possible to make a first-rate adaptation of the Oz story, but unfortunately this isn't it.
Instead of the usual short films he was known for, Semon decided to do something "important" and made this (for the time) long film adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ,....or at least that's what the title indicates it should be.
In fact, apart from a few names here and there, it is pretty much unrecognizable as the story about Dorothy and Oz. Instead, it was just an excuse to string along a lot of familiar and not especially funny gags--like I have seen in several other Larry Semon films, the big stunt is his swinging from tower to tower.
This one is better off staying forgotten or seen by the morbidly curious as the project that may have ultimately destroyed Semon's career.PS--In addition to being a terrible movie, there is a Black man named "Snowflake" that likes to eat watermelon!
This WIZARD OF OZ is merely a frantic slapstick showcase for LARRY SEMON, apparently a silent comedian who is unknown to today's audiences and who died at a young age (39).
He had a hand in the production and even designed his own Scarecrow costume, but the film is a curio that starts with a toymaker (again, LARRY SEMON) who tells a little girl the story of Dorothy (DOROTHY DWAN) from Kansas who, it turns out, is heir to be ruler of The Land of Oz.But the story he tells has nothing whatsoever to do with L.
Frank Baum's story as we know it from the '39 version starring Judy Garland.
And this Dorothy is a grown-up young lady of 18 who bats her eyelashes and puts a finger to her lips in a coy manner as though signifying youthful uncertainty.The only connection to the Oz story Baum gave us is the tornado, the effects for which are very good for 1925, and the combination of the Tin Man, The Scarecrow and The Cowardly Lion.
OLIVER HARDY is the Tin Man (before his screen partnership with Stan Laurel), SPENCER BELL, a black man, is the Cowardly Lion and LARRY SEMON hogs the whole show as The Scarecrow.
Frank Baum's famous story "The Wizard Of Oz" - the most interesting thing about it being that it seems to have little to do with either L.
Frank Baum or The Wizard Of Oz. The story, as it's told here, is really about the attempt of a wicked tyrant named "Kruel" to continue to oppress the inhabitants of a land called "Oz." In this version of the story, there is no wicked witch - nor is there a good witch for that matter.
The movie revolves around the characters played by Larry Semon, a successful veteran of silent films, who also directed and produced this, along with helping to adapt the book.
I'd have to believe that the reason a lot of people think it's so bad is because it just isn't "The Wizard Of Oz." It was a very expensive movie for its day, and basically was responsible for bankrupting Chadwick Pictures.
In many cases I wouldn't think a small child would even want to watch a film with no talking (I certainly didn't), even if it is the Wizard of Oz. A lot of the actors are funny.
The film is definitely a product of it's time, with the black man being the whipping boy and Dorothy playing a demure female..
But, the story isn't.**** The Wizard of Oz (4/13/25) Larry Semon ~ Larry Semon, Dorothy Dwan, Bryant Washburn, Oliver Hardy.
Larry Semon, who plays a farmhand and the scarecrow, also directed this version.
Other than that, it isn't too bad a movie.This version has a lot of politics in Oz which is not in the 1939 version, but since I have not read the original book I don't know whether it was added here or omitted in 1939.
Larry Semon and Oliver Hardy are hilarious in their roles as farmhands who end up disguising themselves as a scarecrow and a tin woodsman..
The 1925 silent "Wizard of Oz' Is, in many ways, a vanity project for Larry Semon, his brand of mugging to the camera comedy is a bit hard to take now, that said this is still pretty interesting and good for a silent.Rather different from the book and later MGM Movie, this version, the print I saw is the restored 100 minute print with added narration by Jaqueline Lovell, bookends the story with a grandfather reading Baum's book to his granddaughter.
The land of OZ is basically a big soundstage, but it moves pretty well for a silent.Some things are bad though, the character of Snowball is listed as being played by G.
Frank Baum's story about an 18-year-old Dorothy who learns that she's the future ruler of Oz but of course there are some bad men who want to keep her away from her position.
Those expecting anything in common with the Baum stories are going to be disappointed because this film might contain 10% of the stories and the rest is all slapstick for Semon fans.
The majority of the film has Semon getting injured by various falls and we have Oliver Hardy in a role that doesn't allow him to do very much.
The farm hands dress in costume as the lion, scarecrow and tin man so I'm sure this is going to disappoint many but once again you shouldn't go into this thing expecting any type of real adaptation.
This version of THE WIZARD OF OZ is a pretty bad movie but at the same time it's almost worth viewing just to see how badly Semon messed it up..
Way too much slapstick that isn't funny, and way too much air time for Larry Semon, who plays the Scarecrow and also produced, directed, and wrote this mess.
Frank Baum Jr., that's the original author's son who was probably more involved in the business aspects, and regardless, his father must have been rolling over in his grave.) Semon put his real-life fiancé Dorothy Dwan in the role of an 18-year-old Dorothy, courted by two farmhands (himself and Oliver Hardy), but there's nothing at all interesting in her surprisingly limited role.
Eventually whisked off to Oz in a magnificent windstorm, Dorothy and her friends, soon disguising themselves as the Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, try to do their best to ensure she gains and remains on the throne of Oz while most of the male characters also seem to want to wed her!
But getting past that, this really does provide one with plenty of moments almost certain to result in belly-shaking laughter, director Larry Semon's sweet-natured Scarecrow providing the best moments especially during his interactions with a young Oliver Hardy's Tin Woodsman and earlier on as a farmhand under Uncle Henry..
Before films were a going concern, The Wizard Of Oz had a stage version that ran a couple of years in the first decade of the last century that starred the famous vaudeville team of David Montgomery&Fred Stone.This silent version of Larry Semon's creation will never replace the MGM classic of 1939.
She discovers this on her 18th birthday when her heritage is revealed.Another thing is that indeed the Wizard is as much a humbug as Frank Morgan was in 1939, but here he's supposed to change the farmhands who along with Uncle Henry and Auntie Em have come with Dorothy to Oz in that massive tornado.
What happens just isn't funny and worse you know that Lahr and Bolger would have carried off the comedy.I think most people watch this version of The Wizard Of Oz to see Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man. At this time before he teamed with Stan Laurel, Ollie was doing a lot of work as a second banana comedian with Semon.
Larry Semon's "Wizard of Oz" is a movie that needs to be re-evaluated.
It also may be one of those films that just needs all the help it can get, which it does get in a pristine print with a brilliant soundtrack by Robert Israel, via WarnerVideo.So far as I can find, there is only ONE source for this version: The Wizard of Oz (Four-Disc Emerald Edition) (2006) "70th Anniversary", selling on Amazon for a mere $13.58.Being interested in early cinema fantasy, I bought this set specifically for its inclusion of the 1910 Oz movie (pretty good, by the way).
And with Semon's imaginative cinematography, the movie was playing out like a classic.
Forgotten silent film comedian Larry Semon co-writes directs and stars (Scarecrow) in this disembodied film version of the Frank Baum novel.
Semon's faithfulness to the book goes awry early making it more of a curiosity piece in the shadow of the 39 Oz to end all Ozes but it does have a modicum of comic moments and high wire slapstick to keep itself above water some of the of the way.A toy maker commences to tell a little girl a story about the Kingdom of Oz. Suffering from early signs of undetected ADD the child is soon bored by the structure and requests the old man to leap ahead to the meanwhile back at the farm segment where Dorothy heir to the thrown of Oz, living an Anastasia like existence in Kansas remains a disquieting presence to the farm's male population much to the chagrin of a brutish uncle (limberly played by 325 pound Frank Alexander) who bullies one and all.
Before this happens however Dorothy and farmhands (no Totos allowed) are blown by what looks like a hurricane as much as a tornado to you guessed it, Oz. Vishus accepts Dorothy as Queen of Oz but remains steadfast ("But I'm still dictator") in keeping his position and power to liquidate threats, especially The Scarecrow and Prince Kynd.Semon's adaptatation is bizarre bric a brac; his acting lifeless and unfunny; his direction a free for all of Sennett pratfalls and rage sluggishley conveyed save for a couple of gripping swan dives and aeronautic stunts.
When the great John and Dorothy Hampton were running The Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles, a Larry Semon picture was the occasional fare, so I speak from actual knowledge and experience, and unfailingly it was dismal.Tarmcgator noted correctly the stunt work was outstanding in this otherwise very bad movie.And I repeat that, otherwise, it is worth watching solely as an intriguing stage along the evolution of the motion picture..
A Scarecrow In The Slapstick Land Of Oz. In the silent year of 1925, the popular Amerikan comedian Herr Larry Semon, adapted, produced and starred in Frank Baum's greatest children 's book "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz"and this German count finds it is possible to say that it is a perfect film vehicle for Herr Semon but no one else in the story.
Except for that popular silent comedian, there is no room or chance for the other characters; Dorothy ( Dame Dorothy Dwan ) is no more than a supporting character( no trace of Toto ) and the great wizard seems no mightier than a magician's apprentice.The first half of the film might be described as "A Farmhand ( obviously Herr Larry Semon himself ) In The Pratfall Land Of Texas" where a lot of sight gags are displayed, especially the inventive use of many animations tricks (amazing to this German count) The second half of the film or "A Scarecrow ( Herr Larry Semon himself again )In The Slapstick Land Of Oz", includes funny and elaborate and very well assembled scenes with walker boxes and hungry lions.Due to the omnipresent Herr Semon , the rest of the cast has little to do.
Oliver Hardy (The Tin Woodsman) and Dorothy Dwan were regular supporting actors in many of Herr Semon comedy shorts.
Dame Dwan is pretty old for her character so it is no great loss that her part is so minor but it's a pity in Herr Hardy's case, especially since he has a triple role."The Wizard Of Oz" is, in spite of it all, is an interesting oeuvre but Herr Larry Semon's artistic selfishness and his presence in almost scene becomes a kind of artistic egocentrism; a great classic becomes no more than a vanity project.And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must go to Berlin, the nearest place to Oz.Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/.
In fact, aside from the obvious enlargement of Larry Semon's role with the addition of a goodly number of comic routines, this movie is a pretty faithful transcription of the play.True, some of the best jokes (the business with packing cases, for example), are worked to exhaustion.
In this silent film version, everything is minimal but still it is entertaining at times.
The film has retained Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the lion in it's cast.
But then there's Larry Semon's 1925 version, which has to be one of the single weirdest movies ever made.
And by very loosely I mean its taken a few basic ideas - a girl called Dorothy, three workers from her farm in Kansas who (sort of) become a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion, and a far off land called Oz where resides a 'wizard'.Larry Semon's complete re-working of the story just fails.
Some of the elements of Baum's original story are shoe-horned into the plot without much logic behind them, and there are a number of sub-plots that are not satisfactorily resolved.Dorothy loves her Auntie Em - but once the action switches to Oz, Auntie Em and Kansas are just forgotten about.Then there's Oliver Hardy's character which is inconsistent throughout the film.
Likewise Dorothy's Uncle Henry is initially hostile towards her, then is a protective guardian before becoming a bit of a villain again by the end.Most disgracefully the film's eponymous character, the Wizard, is hardly in the plot at all.
He's not a wizard but a charlatan and has little relevance to the story other than to provide a (very tenuous) reason why the farmhands disguise themselves as a scarecrow, tin man and lion.Dorothy totally lacks any motive throughout this film.
Dorothy falls for the prince she hardly knows (just like that) and the supposed hero of the film, Semon, is seen falling (to his death?) from an aeroplane.
But, uh, good luck reminding yourself of this as you try to sit through the movie.Some boys play with electric trains to feel like big men, Semon played with L Frank Baum's novel and a film camera and then sought to inflict this film upon cinema-goers when it seems to have been made solely to amuse himself.
The movie strings together slapstick moments, a story about Dorothy being a kidnapped and relocated princess of Oz, a perverted uncle, a racially-stereotyped black farmhand, and a convoluted set of scenes with a disturbing-looking grandfather reading the Oz story to his granddaughter and presenting the story.
All these ideas that may seem inspired in isolation are not presented in any coherent form here, and the movie comes across as a contrived attempt at a star vehicle for Semon.Yes, every film adaptation of a story will make departures from the original material.
However, if other films put a few dents and dings in Baum's novel, this one smashed it into Semon's oncoming ego.Watch it for historical interest, see Oliver Hardy developing the characteristics that would become legendary in his partnerships with Stan Laurel, chuckle at the occasional stunts and pratfalls, but don't expect to be too impressed...
A few years later, Frank Baum himself produced three Wizard of Oz movies, the most notable being "His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz" (1914).
It just might be the best version before 1939.Larry Semon's "Wizard of Oz" (1925), produced six years after Baum's death, is dreadful.
Rather, the film is a silent showpiece for comedic actor Larry Semon, who not only butchers the basic story-line, but morphs it into a bizarre tale that ultimately bankrupted him.
Frank Baum Jr. really co-write this beauty?The movie commences with Semon, starring as an eerie-looking toymaker (in one of several roles), who is coaxed into reading the Wizard of Oz tale by his granddaughter.
Semon would become the Wizard's Scarecrow in Oz, and also would court Dorothy, who is really destined for Prince Kynd.
So it's probable that Larry Semon developed his version less from the book(s) than from the play.Though they are disguises and not characters, Semon and Hardy made a pretty good Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.Semon didn't seem to know when to stop wringing a joke.
Now,I'm not saying it's a bad movie but it's certainly not at the level of "silent era creativity" I expect from that time.The best things here are the sets for one,very inventive,some of the visual effects (like the director/star jumping hundreds of feet to the ground and surviving!) Yeah..right!
Frank Baum classic - so memorably filmed in glorious Technicolor in 1939 - is nothing like the famous version we all know and love.