Stepping Out

Over the Rainbow: The Wizard of Oz turns 75

Island Park Theatre Group to present iconic musical

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The movie version of “The Wizard of Oz” made its glorious Hollywood debut 75 years ago, on Aug. 15, 1939, astounding audiences with its lively and original characters, its storyline message, and its brilliant, colorful change from Dorothy’s dust bowl farm, filmed in black and white, to her arrival in Munchkinland — where the movie cinematics burst into beautiful, dazzling Technicolor.

Adapted from one of Frank L. Baum’s novels, generations of audiences have followed Dorothy, along with her travel companions the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion — along with the Munchkins, the frightful Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys, the ever-patient Wicked Witch of the North, the joyful Ozians and, of course, the great and powerful Wizard of Oz himself — right along the path of the yellow brick road to the Utopian Emerald City, only to find out, ultimately, that her true bliss was really back home on her monochromatic Kansas farm.

In 1903, a musical version of “The Wizard of Oz” was performed and played on Broadway for a decade. Silent-film versions were made in 1908, 1910, 1914 and 1925.

Produced by MGM, the 1939 film, based on the 1900 novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was directed by Norman Taurog, King Vidor, Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy and George Cukor (yes, there were many changes in directors and actors) and starred 16-year-old Judy Garland and actors Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr as her travel companions. Frank Morgan, Billie Berke and Margaret Hamilton rounded out the cast. The Wizard of Oz was not an instant hit at the box office, despite garnering good reviews. It was nominated for six Academy awards, including Best Picture, but lost to “Gone with the Wind.” Ultimately, the Library of Congress named it the most viewed motion picture, and it frequently shows up on the Top Ten Best Movies of All Time lists.

Memories of the movie

The Wizard of Oz version that is performed in community and regional theaters around the country is slightly different than the movie version, and includes some numbers that were deleted from the movie, including the dance sequence, The Jitterbug.

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