Claim: The Wizard of Oz is based on a book.

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , and the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum . The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale . The co-stars are Ray Bolger , Jack Haley , Bert Lahr , Frank Morgan , Billie Burke , and Margaret Hamilton , with Charley Grapewin , Pat Walshe and Clara Blandick , Terry the dog -LRB- billed as Toto -RRB- , and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins .   Notable for its use of Technicolor , fantasy storytelling , musical score , and unusual characters , over the years it has become an icon of American popular culture . It was nominated for six Academy Awards , including Best Picture , but lost to Gone with the Wind . It did win in two other categories , including Best Original Song for `` Over the Rainbow '' and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart . However , the film was a box office disappointment on its initial release , earning only $ 3,017,000 on a $ 2,777,000 budget , despite receiving largely positive reviews . It was MGM 's most expensive production to date and did not completely recoup the studio 's investment nor turn a profit until theatrical re-releases starting in 1949 .   The 1956 broadcast television premiere of the film on the CBS network reintroduced the film to the wider public and eventually made the presentation an annual tradition , making it one of the best known films in movie history . The film was named the most-viewed motion picture on television syndication by the Library of Congress , which also included the film in its National Film Registry in its inaugural year in 1989 . Designation on the registry calls for efforts to preserve it for being `` culturally , historically , and aesthetically significant '' . It is also one of the few films on UNESCO 's Memory of the World Register .   The Wizard of Oz is often ranked on best-movie lists in critics ' and public polls . It is the source of many quotes referenced in contemporary popular culture . It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming -LRB- who left production to take over direction on the troubled Gone with the Wind production -RRB- . Noel Langley , Florence Ryerson , and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay , but uncredited contributions were made by others . The songs were written by Edgar `` Yip '' Harburg -LRB- lyrics -RRB- and Harold Arlen -LRB- music -RRB- . The musical score and the incidental music were composed by Stothart .