I saw a great movie last night from 1939!

[Titus Andronicus]

I have heard so much over the years about "The Wizard of Oz," that I had come to believe that I must have seen it as a child; Song lyrics, references, character names, quotes, and so on. I knew who the actors were, from which directions the various witches came, and remember seeing the characters dancing along the Yellow Brick Road. (or rather pictures of a dancing scarecrow arm-in-arm with a dancing lion, a dancing tin man, and of course a dancing Judy Garland.)

I had even gone to see the Broadway play "Wicked" with the understanding that it was a sort of continuation of the Wicked Witch story. (I remember thinking after that I did not quite "get" the play, even though I enjoyed it ... but I continued to believe that I had seen the movie as a child.)

Last night I happened to stumble across TCM jjust as this movie was beginning and decided to rewatch it.

Even the Dorothy-in-Kansas sequence in the beginning did not throw me too much, but when she awoke in Oz and the Good Witch appeared out of a bubble, I became confused and realized the reality: I had never seen this film ... ever! and Yikes, was it good!

The version on TCM was colorized, or at least partly so, and I am not sure if the color had been added later or if this was original. In any case, along with some remastering, it probablly made the film better.

In any case, it was a Christmas treat. How a 73 year old guy could delight in such a simple story line amazes me ... but that is what happened!

 

[ThamesHawk]

There are also a couple hidden gems called Casablanca and Citizen Kane.

 

[NDallasRuss]

The color when she's in Oz is how the movie was made. It's a terrific movie.

Victor Fleming - the original director - left before the movie was done to take over Gone With The Wind.

A current fascination of mine is looking at when actors were born in old movies that like. I was amazed that there were actors in Wizard of Oz born right after the end of the Civil War - I think the oldest was born in 1869, but others were born in the 1870s.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

F that movie and those damn flying monkeys. Traumatized.

 

[Fan In Black]

I thought I had read everything on this site

 

[h-hawk]

1939 was the best year ever for movies - keep watching! And damn the naysayers who disagree!

 

[JWolf74]

No one believes OP is only 73

 

[artradley]

I have heard so much over the years about "The Wizard of Oz," that I had come to believe that I must have seen it as a child; Song lyrics, references, character names, quotes, and so on. I knew who the actors were, from which directions the various witches came, and remember seeing the characters dancing along the Yellow Brick Road. (or rather pictures of a dancing scarecrow arm-in-arm with a dancing lion, a dancing tin man, and of course a dancing Judy Garland.)

I had even gone to see the Broadway play "Wicked" with the understanding that it was a sort of continuation of the Wicked Witch story. (I remember thinking after that I did not quite "get" the play, even though I enjoyed it ... but I continued to believe that I had seen the movie as a child.)

Last night I happened to stumble across TCM jjust as this movie was beginning and decided to rewatch it.

Even the Dorothy-in-Kansas sequence in the beginning did not throw me too much, but when she awoke in Oz and the Good Witch appeared out of a bubble, I became confused and realized the reality: I had never seen this film ... ever! and Yikes, was it good!

The version on TCM was colorized, or at least partly so, and I am not sure if the color had been added later or if this was original. In any case, along with some remastering, it probablly made the film better.

In any case, it was a Christmas treat. How a 73 year old guy could delight in such a simple story line amazes me ... but that is what happened!

You were in a very small group, especially among people > forty years old.

Btw, the scenes filmed in Kansas were B&W, the scenes in Oz were in color. It was an artistic decision in the original film.

 

[baddog25]

I was amazed at the special effects considering that it was made 80 yrs. ago. I don't think they could be improved that much even with todays technology. As to what St. Louis Hawk posted. I read somewhere that they had to cut something like 20 mins. of the flying monkeys because the kids scared shitless.

 

[IamHawkeye]

I have heard so much over the years about "The Wizard of Oz," that I had come to believe that I must have seen it as a child; Song lyrics, references, character names, quotes, and so on. I knew who the actors were, from which directions the various witches came, and remember seeing the characters dancing along the Yellow Brick Road. (or rather pictures of a dancing scarecrow arm-in-arm with a dancing lion, a dancing tin man, and of course a dancing Judy Garland.)

I had even gone to see the Broadway play "Wicked" with the understanding that it was a sort of continuation of the Wicked Witch story. (I remember thinking after that I did not quite "get" the play, even though I enjoyed it ... but I continued to believe that I had seen the movie as a child.)

Last night I happened to stumble across TCM jjust as this movie was beginning and decided to rewatch it.

Even the Dorothy-in-Kansas sequence in the beginning did not throw me too much, but when she awoke in Oz and the Good Witch appeared out of a bubble, I became confused and realized the reality: I had never seen this film ... ever! and Yikes, was it good!

The version on TCM was colorized, or at least partly so, and I am not sure if the color had been added later or if this was original. In any case, along with some remastering, it probablly made the film better.

In any case, it was a Christmas treat. How a 73 year old guy could delight in such a simple story line amazes me ... but that is what happened!

A midget ( at least a very short man) who was employed at a Des Moines store used to claim he was one of the "Lollipop kids in the munchkin sequence,but it was researched and it wasn't so. Poor guy .

 

[SoDakHawk]

The Wizard of Oz was on TBS last night at 8pm right after A Christmas Story, I think that is what you were watching.

I think you are missing the point of the "color" parts of the movie. The movie is black and white during the Kansas scenes and in color during the Land of Oz scenes on purpose, like a previous poster stated, for artistical purposes.

I actually think the Munchkins, specifically "The Lollipop Guild", were as creepy as hell and freaked me out more than flying monkeys. Flying monkeys aren't scaring any kids these days, have you seen what these kids watch on cartoons nowadays?

Yes, the movie is fantastic. Usually watch it about once a year.

 

[Fan In Black]

someone tell OP about playing Dark Side of the Moon and Wizard of Oz..

 

[83Hawk]

Hadn’t seen Wizard of Oz in years. Early this year Jordan Creek Theater in West Des Moines had it on the big screen. Wife and I went to see it...amazing to see it in a theater.

 

[DooBi]

I hadn't seen it in a long long time when my son and I watched it a couple years ago. I told my son you have to watch this with the horses in the palace, they change color fight in front of your eyes! It's amazing they could do that in 1939!

Then we saw the camera cuts every time the color changes lol. For some reason I remember they changed on camera lol. Csb

 

[Scott559]

I have heard so much over the years about "The Wizard of Oz," that I had come to believe that I must have seen it as a child; Song lyrics, references, character names, quotes, and so on. I knew who the actors were, from which directions the various witches came, and remember seeing the characters dancing along the Yellow Brick Road. (or rather pictures of a dancing scarecrow arm-in-arm with a dancing lion, a dancing tin man, and of course a dancing Judy Garland.)

I had even gone to see the Broadway play "Wicked" with the understanding that it was a sort of continuation of the Wicked Witch story. (I remember thinking after that I did not quite "get" the play, even though I enjoyed it ... but I continued to believe that I had seen the movie as a child.)

Last night I happened to stumble across TCM jjust as this movie was beginning and decided to rewatch it.

Even the Dorothy-in-Kansas sequence in the beginning did not throw me too much, but when she awoke in Oz and the Good Witch appeared out of a bubble, I became confused and realized the reality: I had never seen this film ... ever! and Yikes, was it good!

The version on TCM was colorized, or at least partly so, and I am not sure if the color had been added later or if this was original. In any case, along with some remastering, it probablly made the film better.

In any case, it was a Christmas treat. How a 73 year old guy could delight in such a simple story line amazes me ... but that is what happened!

 

[OrlandNole]

The Wizard of Oz was on TBS last night at 8pm right after A Christmas Story, I think that is what you were watching.

I think you are missing the point of the "color" parts of the movie. The movie is black and white during the Kansas scenes and in color during the Land of Oz scenes on purpose, like a previous poster stated, for artistical purposes.

I actually think the Munchkins, specifically "The Lollipop Guild", were as creepy as hell and freaked me out more than flying monkeys. Flying monkeys aren't scaring any kids these days, have you seen what these kids watch on cartoons nowadays?

Yes, the movie is fantastic. Usually watch it about once a year.

This. I can't think of a movie that aged better than Wizard of Oz.

I tell my kids that when I was a kid, Wizard of Oz came on TV once a year. If you missed it, you had to wait a whole year to see it again.

Now get off my lawn!

 

[INXS83]

A midget ( at least a very short man) who was employed at a Des Moines store used to claim he was one of the "Lollipop kids in the munchkin sequence,but it was researched and it wasn't so. Poor guy .

I knew an old guy in Cedar Rapids who worked in Hollywood as a stage grip during the filming of "GWTW". He claimed to have the green drapes Scarlett used to make a new dress. He had a house full of that type of stuff on 3rd Ave. SE.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

Something worth considering for those of you that think you’ve seen it all with this movie. A few years ago they released a 3D conversion of the movie. It is amazing. Really adds depth to the scenes and makes Oz really pop. I read a review that talked about why the 3D was so good when done 70+ years after the fact. As an old movie it didn’t have that many cuts. That means that your eyes get longer to adjust to the 3D effect before the next cut compared to modern movies. Plus the camera moves so little and so slowly compared to modern movies that your eyes get even more time to see the effect. It is also one of the brightest stereoscopic movies out there.

It has to be one of the best 3D conversions of a live action film out there. Jurassic Park 3D was pretty good but was filmed 64 years after Oz.

 

[IACub]

There’s a new Christmas movie out called It’s A Wonderful Life. You should check it out.

 

[hawkeye54545]

The last 2 days have brought us Hallmark Channel and Wizard Of Oz threads.

Further evidence the pussification of men is a real epidemic.

 

[IACub]

The last 2 days have brought us Hallmark Channel and Wizard Of Oz threads.

Further evidence the pussification of men is a real epidemic.

You serious, Clark?

 

[Chuck C]

The midgets who worked in that film had a good time. Drunken orgies, knife fights, pimping and whoring.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/wizard-oz-secrets-dwarf-orgies-4029364.amp