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Wizard of Oz
WIZARD OF OZ
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Grand Theatre Study Guide 2009H10 Season
Wizard of Oz
About the Novelist
Lyman (Frank) Baum was born May 15 1856 in Chittenango, New
York to a Methodist family of German and Scottish descent.
Parents Cynthia and Benjamin Ward Baum (a barrel maker who
made a fortune in oil), had nine children; Frank was the seventh.
Despite having a heart condition that caused his parents to be
over-protective, he survived into adulthood along with only four of
his siblings. Due to his condition, Baum was tutored at their home,
Rose Lawn Estates, until the age of 12.
An avid day dreamer and unable to participate in most childhood
activities, he spent a lot of time reading fairy tales, making up
stories and using his imagination to explore the world. After
receiving a printing press from his father, Baum began producing
his own publication, The Rose Lawn Home Journal, at the age of
15 for their neighbours. He continued to write and established a
second amateur journal, The Empire, by the age of 17.
He later established a trade journal, The Poultry Record, and at the
age of 30 had his first book published about the breed of chicken
he had been breeding, The Book of the Hamburgs: A Brief Treatise
upon the Mating, Rearing, and Management of the Different
Varieties of Hamburgs.
Baum’s father owned several opera houses and theatres
throughout New York and Pennsylvania which Baum helped
manage in 1880. Baum developed a Shakespearian acting troupe
which he performed with. He also began writing plays, the most
successful being a melodrama The Maid of Arran, which he wrote
in 1881,based on the novel A Princess of Thule by William Black.
While touring The Maid of Arran, one of the family’s theatres
caught fire, destroying costumes, props and the sole copies of
many scripts. It was during this tour he met Maud Gage, the
youngest daughter of women’s right activist Matilda Josilyn Gage
(who co-wrote History of Woman Suffrage with Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Susan B. Anthony). Despite the opposition of her
family, the couple married in 1882. With the arrival of their first
child, Baum found a replacement manager and new leading man
and settled with his family in Syracuse, NY.
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In Syracuse, Baum worked in sales as Maud took over running the
house and their personal finances. In addition to his weakening
health, Baum had to deal with complications with the theatre
company’s finances. In 1884, a temporary bookkeeper had made
such a mess of the books that an audit could not be conducted,
and the bookkeeper was nowhere to be found. The theatre
managed to stay afloat until Baum’s father died in 1887. Another
replacement had to be hired and in the spring of 1888 Baum
found the new clerk dead on his office desk. Baum discovered that
the clerk had been gambling with the theatre’s money instead of
paying the bills. Forced to sell the business, Baum and his family
moved once again.
Baum temporarily owned and operated a general store, Baum’s
Bazaar, in South Dakota in the late 1880’s that became rather
popular with children who came to hear Baum’s imaginative
stories. When droughts hit the community, the store went
bankrupt by 1890. Although unable to find financial stability,
moving to South Dakota would later prove to be wise as it inspired
many of Baum’s stories including The Wizard of Oz.
In 1893, the couple and their four sons (Frank Joslyn, Robert
Stanton, Harry Neal and Kenneth Gage) moved to Chicago, Illinois
where Baum juggled several jobs including reporting for the
Evening Post, editing an advertising agency’s magazine and doorto-door sales. With the encouragement of his mother-in-law he
submitted his stories for publication, finding success as a children’s
author. In 1897, a collection of Mother Goose rhymes written
as stories, Mother Goose in Prose provided enough success for
Baum to focus on writing. Working with illustrator W.W. Denslow,
his next book Father Goose, His Book became the best-selling
children’s book of 1899.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. It was
originally titled The Emerald City but the publishers were
superstitious about releasing a book with a jewel in the title. It
remained the best-selling children’s book for two years. Despite
changing publishers and claiming that subsequent novels about
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Oz would be his last, he succumbed to popular demand and wrote
another 13 novels in the series.
Teaming up with composer Paul Tietjens and director Julian
Mitchell, Baum and Denslow produced a musical stage adaptation
of the story entitled The Wizard of Oz. The successful stage
version that played in Chicago, on Broadway and toured
throughout the United States differed from the book in many
ways to appeal to an adult audience.
Due to Baum’s love for theatre, he continued to fund musicals
which led to more financial troubles. Eventually, he sold the rights
to his earlier work including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in order
to regain financial stability.
In 1914, Baum moved to Hollywood and opened an independent
film production company, The Oz Film Manufacturing Company
where he served as president, producer and screenwriter.
The goal of the film company was to produce family-oriented
entertainment, which was needed to counteract the violence of
Westerns that most children watched at the time. This venture
was not successful and was sold to Universal in 1915. Although
Baum did not have any of his own money tied into the project, its
failure impacted his health for the worse. He passed away after
complications with gall bladder surgery on May 5 1919 at the
age of 62.
In 1920, a year after his death, the final Oz book written by Baum,
Glinda of Oz, was published. His publisher commissioned writers
to continue the Oz series, most notably being author Ruth Plumly
Thompson who wrote 19 additional novels. Seven other Oz books
were also written resulting in a total of 40 in the official series. In
addition to the 14 Oz books, Baum had written 55 novels, nine
fantasy novels, 82 short stories, over 200 poems and numerous
scripts using his own name as well as various pen names.
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Adapted By
John Kane, born October 27 1945 is a writer and actor who has
worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Kane became an
Associate Member of the company at the age of 19, making him
the youngest actor ever to be granted this honour. He continued
to perform with them for seven years before leaving in 1972 to
pursue a career in writing.
Beginning as a writer for the sketch show Scott On, Kane was hired
to write for the BBC television comedy, Terry and June, which
aired from 1979-1987.
Amidst acting and writing for film and television, Kane taught
drama classes and has returned to the Royal Shakespeare
Company several times over the last 45 years. Most recently he
played the lead roles in Henry VI and Richard III in 2002. In 1987,
Kane adapted The Wizard of Oz for the RSC, basing the story
from the film rather than the L.F. Baum novel. The musical was
presented by the RSC in London in 1988. Although there has
been other stage versions of The Wizard of Oz, his adaptation
has become widely accepted and is played almost continually
throughout the United States and Canada.
In 1991 he became the Director of Theatre Studies at Lafayette
College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Kane’s screenplay for the film
Daisies in December, won the Cable Ace Best Screenplay Award
in Los Angeles in 1997. His project based on the music of Steven
Sondheim, Moving On, opened in London in the summer of 2000,
followed by a short run in California in 2001. He then returned to
teaching as the Tutor of Drama at St. Peter’s College in England
where he continues to write today. His latest musical, Call Me
Merman (a tribute to Ethel Merman) had a very successful run in
2003-2004.
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a British ensemble
theatre company that employs over 700 people. His Royal
Highness, The Prince of Wales is president of the RSC and chair
of their annual general meeting and Her Majesty, The Queen, is a
patron.
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Beginning in 1875, Charles Edward Flower, a local brewer,
launched a campaign to have a theatre built in William
Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. He donated twoacres of land on which the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was
built.
Due to a fire in March of 1926 productions for that season were
moved to a converted local cinema and fundraising began to
rebuild the theatre. On Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23 1932, The
Prince of Wales opened the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre.
The theatre was designed by 29 year-old architect Elisabeth Scott
who was chosen after an open competition was held. The theatre
has been recognized as the first important work erected in England
from a woman’s design.
In 2007, major renovations to the theatre were launched that will
be completed in 2010.
Many notable actors and actresses have appeared in RSC
productions including: Daniel Day-Lewis, Mia Farrow, Colin Firth,
Dustin Hoffman, Ian Holm, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, John Lithgow,
Lord Laurence Olivier, Anthony Quayle, David Tennant, and Irene
Worth among many others.
About the Music
Composer Harold Arlen was born February 18 1905 in Buffalo,
NY as Hyman Arluck. During his childhood, he took piano lessons
and formed a band, Hyman Arluck’s Snappy Trio. After receiving
local success, he moved to New York City in his 20s and changed
his name to Harold Arlen. Until the mid 1930s, he recorded with
various artists and along with lyricist Ted Koehler, he composed his
first of many hit songs, “Get Happy”. The two continued to work
together writing hits like “Stormy Weather”, “I’ve Got the World
on a String” and “The Moment I Laid Eyes On You” for Broadway,
Hollywood films and Harlem nightclubs.
In 1932 he met model/actress/showgirl Anya Taranda, who was
10 years his junior. Despite the objections of both families, the
couple married in 1937. Arlen spent more of his time in California
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and began working with lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg. The two
were hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1938 to compose
songs for the film The Wizard of Oz, in which Ray Bolger, friend
and former roommate of Arlen, who had been cast in the film. He
continued to write hit songs both on his own and in collaborations
with others.
Anya Taranda was institutionalized from 1951-1958 after growing
increasingly violent, threatening her husband and others physically.
During this time, Arlen lost both his parents: his father, Cantor
Samuel Arluck in 1953 and his mother, Celia Arluck in 1956. He
became ill himself in 1954 with a bleeding ulcer, but recovered and
continued writing. Anya passed away in 1970 from a brain tumor
and Arlen began to withdraw from his friends and family. Arlen
died in New York City in 1986 at the age of 81.
Over his life, Arlen had written over 400 songs and received many
awards and recognitions for his work. He was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971 and the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Golden Circle in
1980. The following year, the ASCAP also presented him with an
Outstanding Country Song award for “Over the Rainbow” and
he contributed musically to Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
Live on Broadway which won a Grammy Award for Best Cast Show
Album. In 1995, he was inducted into the New York University
Musical Theatre Hall of Fame and in 1996 was featured on a
commemorative stamp by the United States Postal Service.
About the Lyrics
Lyricist Edgar Yipsel Harburg was born April 8 1896 in New York,
NY, with the name Isidore Hochberg to an immigrant RussianJewish family. He went by “Yip” from childhood, eventually
changing his name to include this nickname. He was the youngest
of four surviving children of the 10 born into his family.
During high school, Harburg met and befriended Ira Gershwin (a
successful lyricist who wrote many Broadway hits including “I Got
Rhythm”, “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Embraceable You”).
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Together they worked on the school paper before attending City
College in New York City together.
As a socialist, Harburg spent three years in Uruguay after
graduation to avoid being drafted into World War I. When the war
ended, he returned to New York and married Alice Richmond and
together they had two children. He began writing verse for the
local newspapers. Thanks to the market crash of 1929, Harburg
was up to $70,000 US in debt after the company he co-owned (the
Consolidated Electrical Appliance Company) went bankrupt. With
some encouragement from Ira Gershwin, he began writing song
lyrics. He was introduced to songwriter Jay Gorney and the two
collaborated on Earl Carroll’s Sketchbook, a Broadway review of
Earl Carroll. Following the success of this production, Harburg
continued to work on reviews and in 1932 wrote the lyrics for the
song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” for the musical Americana.
This song became an anthem of the Great Depression.
After being offered a contract with Paramount, Harburg worked
with many other composers, including Harold Arlen. The two
were hired to write the music for the MGM film adaptation of The
Wizard of Oz. As one of 11 screenwriters as well, Harburg was the
final editor and therefore contributed (without credit) to the script
for the film. He continued to write songs for Broadway musicals,
integrating social messages into his work. In 1944, Bloomer Girls
about feminist Amelia Bloomer, debuted followed by his most
successful show in 1947, a political satire Finian’s Rainbow which
was then adapted for film in 1968.
Harburg was blacklisted during the McCarthy era (1951-1962) in
Hollywood by movie studios for suspicion of involvement with the
American Communist Party. Although he wasn’t able to work in
the Hollywood film industry, he continued to write for Broadway
and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. On
March 4 1981 Harburg was involved in a car accident on Sunset
Boulevard and consequently died at the age of 84.
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Over his life, Harburg wrote lyrics for over 600 songs, the most
successful being “Over the Rainbow”. A commemorative stamp
featuring lyrics from the song was issued by the United States
Postal Service in Harburg’s honour in April 2005.
Over The Rainbow
“Over the Rainbow”, the signature song of Judy Garland (the
actress who played Dorothy in MGM’s 1939 version of The Wizard
of Oz) has been quite successful for composer Harold Arlen and
lyricist E.Y. Harburg. The song won the Academy Award for Best
Song in a Motion Picture in 1938 and went on to be named the
Number One Song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry
Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts
in 2000. In 2004, the American Film Institute also named it the
Best Film Song of All Time. Despite all of its success, the song was
nearly cut from the film numerous times.
Associate producer Arthur Freed hired Arlen and Harburg to write
the score for The Wizard of Oz. They only had two months to
complete the project and were able to compose most of the songs
without any troubles, but they struggled with “Over the Rainbow”.
On his way to see a movie with his wife, the melody struck Arlen
out of nowhere. He felt that the film needed something to contrast
with the high-energy of the other songs and after a bit of tweaking,
he eagerly shared the song with Harburg who unfortunately,
did not share his partner’s enthusiasm. Harburg felt that the
song was too complex for a young Kansas girl to be singing and
that the iconic octave-jump between the first two notes (“somewhere”) would be too difficult for 14 year-old Garland to sing.
He eventually gave in and wrote the lyrics after his friend, Ira
Gershwin, heard the melody and approved. Garland immediately
shared Arlen’s love for the song, but MGM sided with Harburg
and deleted the song three times from the script. The studio felt
that children would not understand the song and it would make
the Kansas sequence too long for the film. Freed argued the song
back into the film each time and only a part of the song was cut
from its final version.
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Artists such as Eric Clapton, Tori Amos, Patti LaBelle, Barbara
Steisand, Tony Bennet, Trisha Yearwood, Beyonce Knowles
and Mariah Carey have all covered “Over the Rainbow”. It was
also performed by Harry Connick Jr. at the closing ceremonies
of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. One of
the most famous covers is by Hawaiian ukulele musician Israel
Kamakawiwo’ole, recorded in 1993. This medley version of “Over
the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” was featured on
the television shows American Idol, ER, Charmed, Providence and
Party of Five and in the films 50 First Dates, Meet Joe Black, Made
and Finding Forrester.
Also referred to as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, the song
about a young girl’s desire to escape from her meek reality
in exchange for a bright new world was used as a symbol of
the United States by the troops during World War II. Harburg
intended for the lyrics to have political significance by expressing
hope during the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
About the Movie
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz originated as a bedtime story that
L.F. Baum told his children in the late 1890s. It was turned into a
very successful children’s book in 1900, and companies yearned
to adapt it for both the stage and film. The first silent film version
was created in 1910 by the Selig Polyscope Company. This version
had a run time of only 13 minutes with no input from Baum himself
and focused on the Wicked Witch of the West. In 1925, another
silent film was made in collaboration with Baum’s son, Frank Josyln
Baum and directed by Larry Semon. This version was significantly
different than the novel and previous adaptations, as the plot
revolved around Dorothy’s discovery that she was actually Princess
Dorothea of Oz. As early as 1924, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
was interested in turning The Wizard of Oz into a movie but was
unable to agree on the terms with the Baums. In 1933, the studio
tried again to secure the rights to the novel in hopes of developing
an animated cartoon that also fell through. However, in February
of 1938, after they had already begun hiring actors for their film
adaptation, MGM successfully secured the rights to the book.
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It was uncommon for film companies to produce fantasy films in
the late 1930s until Walt Disney released their film adaptation of
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. It became the biggest
grossing film up to that time and other studios quickly began
working on their own fantasy productions, hoping to emulate
Disney’s success. Arthur Freed, a songwriter with MGM studios
was interested in producing and wanted an outlet for actress and
singer Judy Garland, who had been with MGM since 1935 but was
hardly used. He felt that The Wizard of Oz was the perfect project
to achieve both these goals. Producer Mervyn LeRoy was also a
fan of The Wizard of Oz and convinced studio executives to secure
the rights to the film. At the time it was rare for songwriters to be
promoted, yet Freed was named associate producer on the film
which started his very successful career.
On August 12 1939, the 101-minute film adaptation of The Wizard
of Oz premiered in Wisconsin. It cost over $2.7 million US to
make, which was nearly three times the cost of other productions
at the time. As this was one of the first motion pictures to appear
in colour, there were a lot of additional expenses that black and
white films did not have. It was filmed in three-colour Technicolor,
which required bright lighting as well as Technicolor cameras
that were rented along with camera technicians and a supervisor.
Colour showed up quite differently on film and therefore many
design elements had to be redesigned to appear properly.
The film starred Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger at the
Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly
Lion, Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch of the North, Margaret
Hamilton as the Wicked Witch and Frank Morgan as the Wizard.
Casting these roles were one of several complications associated
with production of the film as many changes were made between
the initial concept of the film and its final product.
Although associate producer Arthur Freed had wanted the role
of Dorothy to go to Judy Garland from the start and even pushed
for the script written for her, executives at MGM were hoping to
cast Shirley Temple in the role instead. They were concerned that
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Garland did not have the same box office appeal that Temple had
and were pressuring producer Mervyn LeRoy to arrange a deal
with 20th Century Fox, whom Temple was under contract with.
It is not clear why Temple was not hired but it is believed to be
either because a deal could not be reached with Fox or that LeRoy
heard Temple sing and he decided that Garland was in fact a
better fit for the part.
In 1936, Ray Bolger signed a contract with MGM that stipulated
that he would play any part the studio chose. He was originally
cast to play the Tin Man, as the role of the Scarecrow was already
given to Buddy Ebsen (who is best known for his role as Jed
Clampett in The Beverley Hillbillies). Feeling that his style of
dance was closer to the Scarecrow’s than the Tin Man’s, Bolger
convinced the producers and Ebsen to switch roles, which proved
to be a beneficial move for Bolger but not for Ebsen. After filming
had begun, Ebsen had a toxic reaction to the makeup used to
complete the Tin Man’s look. The powdered aluminum makeup
used had been coating his lungs and nearly killed him. He was
replaced with Jack Haley, who was unaware of why Ebsen left the
cast as it was not publicized. The makeup was replaced with a
silver paste as to avoid another illness, nonetheless, the paste gave
Haley an eye infection which was treated in time to prevent any
permanent damage.
The role of the Wicked Witch of the West also had to be recast
when George Cukor took over directing and decided the character
should be less glamorous and more grotesque. Actress Gale
Sondergaard gave up the part, fearing the disfiguring makeup
would damage her career and was replaced by Margaret Hamilton.
While filming her exit from Munchkinland, Hamilton was severely
burned after a malfunction and spent six weeks in a hospital
recuperating. The green make-up used in her costume contained
copper, which is highly flammable. She was lucky to survive,
although she lost most of the skin on her right hand. She refused
to work with fire upon returning to the set, causing several scenes
to be cut. A stand-in, Betty Danko, was used where needed, who
was also accidently severely burned while filming after an explosion
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embedded parts of the costume into her leg. Terry, the female
dog playing Toto was also injured after being accidently stepped
on by one of the Witch’s guards. She had to be replaced for two
weeks to recover.
There were similar problems on the production side of the film as
well, particularly with their screenwriters and directors. Norman
Taurog was the original director but was replaced before filming
began by Richard Thorpe. Thorpe was fired after only two weeks
because it was felt by the studio that he wasn’t able to capture
the element of fantasy they were hoping for. He insisted that
Judy Garland wear a blonde wig and makeup that made her
look older than the innocent girl from Kansas the story called for.
He was temporarily replaced by George Cukor who made the
costume changes for Dorothy and the Wicked Witch, until Victor
Fleming was hired. Fleming left to work on Gone With the Wind
in February 1939, three weeks prior to the end of filming, and the
final Kansas scenes were directed by his friend King Vidor. Vidor
wished to remain un-credited for his contributions until after
Fleming died in 1949.
Although there are only three writers credited, Noel Langley,
Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, there were several other
writers hired who did not significantly contribute to the script.
There were also other alterations and additions made by people
in other areas of production, such as Arthur Freed, Jack Haley
and E.Y. Harburg. The script was finalized after more than eight
months of revisions on October 8 1938. Many elements from the
original novel were changed or excluded from the film version and
additional characters and scenes were added to it.
Many additional scenes were written and some were recorded
for the film that did not make the final cut. With so many writers
contributing to the script, it ventured further and further away from
the original novel until Langley, Ryerson and Woolf stepped in and
brought the story back, closer to its roots. In attempt to attract a
youthful audience, many modern elements were added including a
singing contest between Dorothy and the Princess of Oz. Several
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additional characters were introduced at one point including
relatives for Miss Gultch and the Wicked Witch of the West and
a love interest for the farmhand, Hunk in Kansas. A romance was
also implied between Hunk and Dorothy in one revision, thus
explaining why she preferred the Scarecrow over her other Oz
companions. A preview for the movie was over two hours long
which audiences and executives felt was too long. “The Jitterbug”
scene, which was revived in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s
stage adaptation, was cut as well as a scene where the Wicked
Witch turns the Tin Man into a beehive.
The biggest difference between L.F. Baum’s novel and the motion
picture is that Oz is a real place according to the books whereas
in the film Oz only exists in Dorothy’s dream. Executives at MGM
believed that their audience was too sophisticated to accept the
fantasy as it was and therefore staged it as a dream to make it
more realistic. Fans of the book did not appreciate this change as
it took away from the other books in the series.
In order to further distinguish the difference between Kansas and
Oz and to really emphasis the use of colour in film, more characters
were added to the Kansas scenes in the movie, thus making the
opening and ending longer. Very little of the novel takes place in
Kansas as it is only Dorothy, Toto, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry living
on the farm and there are no neighbours or farmhands. Zeke,
Hickory, Hunk, Almira Gultch and Professor Marvel were created
specifically for the film. MGM also took advantage of the use of
colour by making the silver shoes from the novel into ruby red
slippers. The ruby slippers, which are actually more of a burgundy
colour in order to appear ruby on film, are still legally protected by
MGM and can only be used for a fee.
Although MGM’s head of special effects, Buddy Gillespie was
given a large budget and encouraged to experiment, there were
limited options for special effects in the late 1930s. For example,
when Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion fall asleep in the poppy
field, the Scarecrow and Tin Man carry Dorothy and Toto out of the
field, but the Lion is too heavy. Instead, thousands of mice help
pull the Lion out on a dolly made by the Tin Man. While this scene
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would be possible to film using today’s technology, it was not
possible then as special effects like synchronized cameras, blue/
green-screen effects and computer animations were not available.
Similarly, the Wicked Witch is only supposed to have one eye,
which would have been nearly impossible to reproduce realistically
for the film. Other effects were achieved using straight-forward,
yet brilliant techniques. A miniature set of the Kansas farm was
built along with a cloth tornado that could be rotated at different
speeds to film the cyclone scenes. Dorothy’s house falling from
the sky was also filmed using miniatures. A combination of actors
in costumes and working models were used to create the Winged
Monkeys and a simple trap door and small elevator were used
to melt the Wicked Witch. Footage from these special effects
were included as bonus material on the DVD releases of The
Wizard of Oz.
Despite being the most watched movie of all time, it lost the
Academy Award for Best Picture to Gone With the Wind, which
was also directed by Victor Fleming that year. The film did
however win two Academy Awards for Best Song (“Over the
Rainbow”) and Best Original Score (composer, Herbert Stotgart).
Judy Garland also won the Special Academy Juvenile Award for
her performances in The Wizard of Oz and the film adaptation of
Babes in Arms. The American Film Institute (AFI) has recognized
The Wizard of Oz numerous times including naming it the number
one Fantasy Film, the number three Best Musical, the number
six Best Film and honoured the Wicked Witch of the West as the
number four Best Villain. It has also been included in numerous
top 100 film lists including Rolling Stones, Entertainment Weekly
and The Village Voice.
About the Play
The Wizard of Oz has been adapted many times since its release
in 1900. On average, it is staged over 25 times a year by various
theatre groups worldwide and it is particularly popular with high
school drama departments. Today, there are two distinct musical
stage versions available for production by rental - the Municipal
Opera Association of St. Louis (MUNY) and the Royal Shakespeare
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Company (RSC ). The L.F. Baum novel is in the public domain and
therefore many theatres create their own original non-musical
script of The Wizard of Oz and only pay royalties if there are songs
and/or dialogue from the 1939 film version included.
Almost immediately following its first publication, the idea of
adapting The Wizard of Oz for the stage was there. This was made
a reality in 1902 with the premiere of the musical, The Wizard of
Oz, in Chicago, Illinois. Although written by Baum and based on
his novel, this version was intended for adults and included many
changes. Elements from this adaptation were later used in the in
MGM film version, such as using snow to break the Wicked Witch’s
sleeping spell in the poppy field. In 1903, the play moved to
Broadway for nearly 300 performances before closing in 1904.
The play then toured North America with the original cast until
1909. Although novelist L.F. Baum tried to adapt other books
from the Oz series for the stage, none of them were able to reach
the same level of success as The Wizard of Oz.
In the early 1940s, after the release of the MGM motion picture in
1939, the St. Louis Light Opera performed a version of The Wizard
of Oz, adapted by Frank Gabrielson. The performance brought
great success to the opera company and to the Municipal Opera
Association of St. Louis (MUNY). This version focused more on the
book, staying away almost entirely from the film with the exception
of including a few Harburg/Arlen songs. Although rental fees to
stage this production are more affordable than the RSC version,
much of its humour is dated and not politically acceptable today.
In 1975, The Wiz, a new production by Ken Harper opened on
Broadway including new music and an all African-American cast.
This version stayed closer to the original book and was also very
successful running over 1600 performances in four years and
winning seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best
Original Score. The Wiz was later adapted into a movie and
continues to be performed by theatres worldwide.
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Wizard of Oz
An adaptation of The Wizard of Oz was written in 1987 by John
Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company to celebrate the
upcoming 50th anniversary of the film. He based his version more
from the movie than the novel making only minor changes and
additions. The play includes the same songs and underscoring
from the motion picture (by Larry Wilcox) and includes three
additional songs that were originally cut from the film: “The
Jitterbug”, “Over the Rainbow (Reprise)” and “Ding Dong the
Witch is Dead (Reprise)”. “The Jitterbug” was completely rescored
and choreographed for this production. Kane’s adaptation is
more technical than other stage versions as it includes many
special effects to imitate those used in the film. The original RSC
production opened at the Barbican Theatre in London, England
with enough success to merit an extended run a year later. Kane’s
adaptation has become the most commonly performed version
of The Wizard of Oz as it is more familiar to audiences than the
MUNY version.
In 2003, Wicked opened on Broadway after gaining success in San
Francisco. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical
opened to mixed reviews, but attracted mass audiences making it
one of the most successful Broadway productions in recent years.
The story focuses on the relationship between Glinda the Good
Witch and Elphaba who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
The role of Elphaba was originated on Broadway by actress Idina
Menzel who won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in
2004 for her performance. The production was nominated for 10
Tony Awards that year and took home another two. It also won a
Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2004.
Play Synopsis
The Wizard of Oz is a story about Dorothy Gale, a young orphan,
who lives with her dog, Toto, her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a
farm in Kansas. Dorothy dreams of escaping her dreary life and
after the farm is hit by a tornado she finds herself in the magical
Land of Oz. There she is pursued by the Wicked Witch of the West
who is after the ruby slippers. Dorothy must travel to the Emerald
City and defeat the Wicked Witch with the help of her new friends
on her quest to return home.
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Wizard of Oz
Setting: A small, grey prairie farm in Kansas in 1889 and the
magical Land of Oz.
ACT I
The story begins with Dorothy upset at Miss Almira Gultch, her
neighbour, for hurting her dog, Toto, after he chased Miss Gultch’s
cat through her garden. Dorothy tries to tell her Aunt Em and
Uncle Henry about the incident, but they are too busy tending to
the farm to listen. She then tries talking to the farmhands, Zeke,
Hickory and Hunk, who offer her some advice before Aunt Em
interrupts telling them to get back to work and asking Dorothy
to find a place where she won’t get into any trouble. Dorothy
wanders off wondering if such a place exists, when Miss Gultch
returns to the farm with an order from the sheriff to take Toto away
and have him destroyed. Despite their pleas, there is nothing
anyone can do and Miss Gultch takes Toto. Dorothy is devastated
until Toto escapes and returns back home to the farm. She
decides they must run away in order to protect him and on their
way they meet a fortune teller named Professor Marvel. While
looking into his crystal ball, he suggests to Dorothy that she return
home as her Aunt Em is sick and misses her. She takes Professor
Marvel’s advice and heads back towards the farm. On their way
the weather begins to turn and she discovers the storm cellar is
already locked. She goes into her bedroom where the wind blows
the window open, hitting her on the head and knocking her back
onto the bed. Suddenly Dorothy finds herself in the middle of a
cyclone with objects flying by her window including Miss Gultch
who transforms into the Wicked Witch of the West, causing
Dorothy to faint.
Dorothy’s house lands with a thump, awakening her. She hesitantly
steps out into the vividly coloured Munchkin land. A shining globe
begins to descend towards her and Toto and from inside, Glinda,
The Good Witch of the North, appears. Glinda asks Dorothy if she
is a good witch or a bad witch and Dorothy explains that she is not
a witch at all. Glinda insists that Dorothy must be a witch as the
Munchkins had told her that a witch had dropped a house on the
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Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy meets the Munchkins and learns
that she has freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East. With
an explosion, the Wicked Witch of the West appears and discovers
her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, has died. All that is left
of her sister is her legs sticking out from under the house with
the ruby slippers on her feet. The Wicked Witch of the West
goes to claim the ruby slippers when they suddenly vanish and
appear on Dorothy’s feet. The Wicked Witch, who is powerless
in the presence of Glinda, leaves after threatening Dorothy and
Toto. Glinda advises Dorothy to get out of Oz as soon as she can
and explains that only the Wizard of Oz can help her. She sends
Dorothy down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to see
the Wizard.
Dorothy comes to a crossroad where she encounters scarecrow
and soon learns he is alive. Reluctantly, Dorothy approaches the
scarecrow and learns that although he has no brains, he is able
to talk. Dorothy formally introduces herself and helps him down
from the pole. A crow lands on the Scarecrows shoulder and he is
unable to scare it away. Dorothy tells him that she is on her way to
see the Wizard to ask him for his help to get back to Kansas. The
Scarecrow hopes the Wizard can give him brains and decides to
join Dorothy on her journey.
Further down the yellow brick road, Dorothy, Toto and the
Scarecrow come across some apple trees. Dorothy, who is hungry,
tries to pick an apple from one of the trees and to her surprise the
tree slaps her. The Scarecrow tricks the trees into getting apples
for Dorothy by mocking them until they start throwing their apples
at them. Embarrassed by this, the trees leave and Dorothy and the
Scarecrow notice a man made of tin. He is completely rusted and
barely able to speak, but manages to get the pair to oil his joints
so he can move again. He tells them that he was once a human
who had fallen in love with a Munchkin. The Munchkin’s mother
disliked the Tin Man and had the Wicked Witch cast a spell on his
axe that causes him to cut off his own limbs. Luckily he knew a
tinsmith who was able to build him a whole new body out of tin.
However, because he was hollow on the inside he no longer had a
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heart and therefore could no longer love. One day he was caught
in a rainstorm and rusted in place for ages until Dorothy and the
Scarecrow came along. Upon hearing his story, Dorothy suggests
he join them on their journey to ask the Wizard of Oz for a heart.
He agrees, but before the three can continue on their way, the
Wicked Witch of the West appears. She throws fireballs at the
Scarecrow who catches on fire, warning him not to help Dorothy.
The Tin Man puts the fire out and the Wicked Witch disappears.
Deep into the Haunted Forest, Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow and
the Tin Man are all scared that they will come across a wild animal
like a lion, tiger or bear. Suddenly a lion jumps out in front of
them and attempts to pick a fight with the Scarecrow and Tin Man
before turning to Toto. To protect Toto, Dorothy slaps the lion
on the nose and he begins to cry. Realizing he’s a coward, the
Scarecrow suggests that he asks the Wizard for some courage.
The Cowardly Lion joins them as they continue towards the
Emerald City.
The group decides to take a shortcut through a poppy field, not
knowing that the Wicked Witch had cast a sleeping spell on the
poppies. Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion hear singing and
instantly become sleepy. The Scarecrow and Tin Man, who are not
affected as they are not made of flesh, call for help as the other fall
fast asleep. Glinda, hearing their calls, casts her own spell which
makes it snow and dilutes the smell from the flowers. Dorothy,
Toto and the Cowardly Lion wake up and the snow stops to reveal
the Emerald City.
ACT II
At the gates of the Emerald City, the group is greeted by a guard
who they ask to let them in to see the Wizard. The guard explains
that no one has ever seen the Wizard before and only lets them in
after he sees Dorothy wearing the ruby slippers. They are all taken
to be tidied up before seeing the Wizard when the Wicked Witch
appears in the sky and writes “Surrender Dorothy”. The guard tells
the group to leave, but attempts to let them see the Wizard again
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upon discovering that she is the Dorothy the Wicked Witch is after.
The Wizard once again refuses to see them and Dorothy begins
to cry, which makes the guard cry as well. He gives in and allows
them to see the Wizard after all.
Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion
enter the Wizard’s Chambers. Oz appears as a head between
smoke and fire, which frightens the group. He calls the Tin Man,
Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion forward one at a time and the Lion
faints out of fear. Dorothy stands up to Oz and he finally agrees
to grant them their wishes – if they bring him the Wicked Witch’s
broomstick. Reluctantly, they agree and start to head west
towards the witch’s castle.
Meanwhile, at the witch’s castle, the Wicked Witch calls Nikko,
the leader of her flying monkeys. She commands him to capture
Dorothy and Toto and bring them to her. Nikko protests and the
Wicked Witch agrees to cast another spell on them to help make
it easier to apprehend them. She sends the Jitter-bug after them
who forces the group to dance frantically until the flying monkeys
appear. The monkeys pull the Scarecrow apart and fly off with
Dorothy and Toto towards the witch’s castle. The Tin Man and
Cowardly Lion help put the Scarecrow back together and they set
off to rescue Dorothy and Toto.
Back at the castle, the Wicked Witch threatens to drop Toto in
the river unless Dorothy gives her the ruby slippers. The Wicked
Witch tries to take the shoes from Dorothy, but they give off
violent sparks that hurt her. Dorothy grabs the basket containing
Toto and sets him free. He runs off and Nikko is unable to catch
him. The Wicked Witch realizing that the ruby slippers will never
come off as long as Dorothy is alive, turns over an hour glass to
count down how long Dorothy has left to live. Outside, however,
the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion are contemplating how
they are going to find and rescue Dorothy when Toto suddenly
appears. They are able to overcome three of the Winkie Soldiers,
steal their uniforms and march into the castle unsuspected.
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Wizard of Oz
The sand in the hour glass is nearly out when the Tin Man breaks
down the door and finds Dorothy. Planning to escape through
the window, they are halted by the Wicked Witch. The end of
her broomstick bursts into flames and she inches closer to the
Scarecrow. Dorothy throws a bucket of water onto the flame,
soaking the Wicked Witch in the process. The water makes the
Wicked Witch melt and the Winkies celebrate, hailing Dorothy as
their new queen. All Dorothy asks in return is to have the witch’s
broomstick to take back to the Wizard.
The group triumphantly returns to the Emerald City, but are told
by the Wizard to come back tomorrow. Dorothy, the Scarecrow,
Tin Man and Cowardly Lion argue with the Wizard, explaining that
they have brought the witch’s broomstick like he asked and he
should keep his promises in return. Toto scampers off towards a
booth surrounded by curtains and when Dorothy goes to pick Toto
up she discovers a little old man behind the curtain operating some
machinery. The Wizard gives up his charade and finally presents
the Scarecrow with a diploma, the Lion with a medal and the Tin
Man with a heart-shaped watch. As a balloonist also from Kansas,
the Wizard agrees to take Dorothy home himself. Oz leaves the
Scarecrow in charge and tells everyone that he is going to visit his
brother. Before Dorothy can leave, Toto runs off chasing a cat into
the crowd. The guard kindly offers to get Toto for her, but lets
go of the ropes in the process and the balloon accidently takes off
without Dorothy. Fearing she will never get home, Glinda appears,
points to the ruby slippers and informs Dorothy that she has had
the power to get home all along. Dorothy says goodbye to her
new friends and clicks her ruby slippers three times, chanting
“there’s no place like home.”
Back in Kansas, Uncle Henry and Professor Marvel are looking for
Dorothy when they hear Toto whimpering and discover Dorothy
with a lump on her forehead. Dorothy tries to explain Oz to them
but Aunt Em comes in and insists Dorothy get to bed right away.
Still concerned for the safety of Toto, Dorothy learns that during
the storm, a telegraph pole fell on Miss Gultch, breaking her leg
and that they won’t be hearing from her for a while. Thankfully, the
storm passed by the farm without causing any damages.
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Characters
Dorothy Gale: A loyal, resourceful young farm girl who lives in
Kansas with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and dog, Toto. She wakes
up in Oz after being hit on the head during a tornado.
Aunt Em/Emily Gale: Dorothy’s aunt who is in her 50s and is
married to Henry Gale.
Glinda the Good Witch of the North: A beautiful and kind witch,
who acts as a mother-figure to Dorothy and the Munchkins in the
Land of Oz.
Uncle Henry/Henry Gale: Dorothy’s uncle who is in his 50s and is
married to Emily Gale.
Emerald City Guard: Guard of the Emerald City gates.
Toto: Dorothy’s beloved, yet mischievous pet dog that causes
many problems both in Kansas and in Oz.
Hunk: A farmhand in Kansas.
Scarecrow: A scarecrow who can talk despite not having a brain,
but cannot scare crows. He is gentle and clumsy and becomes
Dorothy’s best friend in Oz.
Hickory: A farmhand in Kansas.
Tin Woodsman: A man who was once human, but is now entirely
made of tin and therefore doesn’t have a heart.
Zeke: A farmhand in Kansas.
Cowardly Lion: A lion in Oz who feels inadequate as his cowardice
has prevented him from becoming King of the Forest.
Miss Almira Gultch: A rich, grumpy old spinster neighbour of the
Gales who attempts to take Toto from Dorothy.
Wicked Witch of the West: An ugly and mean witch who seeks
revenge on Dorothy for accidently killing her sister, the Wicked
Witch of the East and taking the ruby slippers.
Professor Chester Marvel: A travelling fortune-teller who
convinces Dorothy to return home to the farm.
Grand Theatre Study Guide 2009H10 Season
Wizard of Oz
Wizard of Oz: An old Kansas man who ended up in Oz after his
hot air balloon went off course. He was instantly acclaimed “Oz,
the First Wizard Deluxe” and used machinery and illusions to keep
up the charade until Dorothy discovers the truth.
Munchkins: A group of little people living in Oz, who were
enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East until Dorothy accidently
killed her.
Mayor: The mayor of Munchkinland.
Barrister: A barrister in Munchkinland.
Coroner: The coroner of Munchkinland.
Crows: Three crows in Oz who mock the Scarecrow.
Trees: Three apple trees that are tricked by the Scarecrow.
Osians: People living and working inside the Emerald City,
including beauticians, polishers and manicurists.
Winkies: Guards of the Wicked Witch of West’s castle.
Winkie General: General of the Winkies.
Flying Monkeys: Monkeys under the control of the Wicked Witch
of the West.
Nikko: Leader of the Flying Monkeys.
Jitterbug: A creature that casts a spell on Dorothy and her friends
that causes them to dance uncontrollably.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
(MGM)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM) is a media company from the
United States that produces and distributes films and television
programs. In New York in 1924, Marcus Loew amalgamated
recently purchased Metro Pictures with Goldwyn Pictures
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Wizard of Oz
Corporation in hopes of creating quality films for his theatre
chain, operated under Loew’s Incorporated. Needing someone
to oversee these operations in California, Loew bought Mayer
Pictures on April 16 1924, forming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Loew named producer Louis B. Mayer head of the Hollywood
studio operations and vice-president of Loew’s Incorporated, and
Harry Rapf and Irving Thalberg as co-heads of production.
Upon the acquisition of Goldwyn Pictures, MGM took over
production of Ben Hur. At the time, it was the most expensive film
to make, but helped establish a name for MGM who surpassed
Universal Studios as the largest studio in Hollywood by 1925.
After Marcus Loew died in 1927, his associate Nicholas Schenck
took over Loew’s Incorporated. In 1929, William Fox of Fox Film
Corporation proposed a merger between Fox and MGM which
would have made Schenck a rich man. Despite not always seeing
eye to eye, both Mayer and Thalberg protested this merger, but
had no authority in the matter. The merger fell through and the
stock market crashed in the fall. Schenck, however, blamed Mayer
and the already existing animosity between the two grew.
In 1928, MGM released The Viking, which was the first Technicolor
Process 3 film with sound, but no spoken dialogue. They had
previously experimented with the two-colour Technicolor Process
2 that was released in 1924. In 1934, the first live-action use of
three-strip Technicolor appeared in a musical number in The Cat
and the Fiddle, which was otherwise black and white. In 1938,
Sweethearts was the first film made entirely using three-strip
Technicolor by MGM, who continued to produce several films per
year in colour including The Wizard of Oz. MGM also produced
the first animation series with sound, using two-colour Technicolor
in 1930.
Since most of MGM’s theatres were located in New York, they
catered to a more sophisticated, urban audience. They dominated
box offices throughout the 1930s and even managed to survive the
Great Depression without losing any money. Through a partnership
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The American Musical Academy of Arts Association (AMAAA)
with MGM acquired some of the biggest names in cinema history
including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and
Clark Gable. Meanwhile, in California, Thalberg began to grow
ill and eventually stepped down as head of production in 1932.
Mayer served as his replacement after Thalberg’s death in 1936,
becoming the first executive to earn over a million dollars annually
in America.
In 1937, an in-house cartoon studio was established by MGM
which ran until 1957. In 1940, after several unsuccessful attempts
at cartoon series, character designer William Hanna and director
Joseph Barbera created Tom and Jerry. Originally, the two had
created another cat-and-mouse pairing for the animated short,
Puss Gets the Boot, which was somewhat successful and Hanna
and Barbera set out to create another. The department head,
Fred Quimby, felt that the premise was worn-out and asked them
to work on other projects until the animated short received an
Academy Award nomination. Quimby then allowed Hanna and
Barbera to create new Tom and Jerry animations. The cat and
mouse duo won seven Academy Awards for Best Short Subject
(Cartoon) between 1943 and 1953.
MGM was the leading motion picture studio in Hollywood
through 1945, releasing on average one film per week at its peak.
Although production value was high, many of the films became
bland in content and few new actors were being developed. After
1940, Mayer decided to cut back to 25 films per year which helped
revive the studio’s reputation but caused financial troubles. The
Freed Unit was established, headed by producer Arthur Freed,
which was a combination of writers, directors, composers and
actors who focused on musicals that ran until 1960. New talents
such as Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney
were discovered by the Freed Unit, who all went on to make
movie history. Schenck insisted that a permanent replacement be
found for head of production to help control finances. Writer and
producer Dore Schary was hired in 1948, but he unfortunately, did
not work well with Mayer and Mayer was fired in 1951.
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Wizard of Oz
In 1948, an anti-trust case, the United States vs. Paramount
Pictures, Inc. (also known as the Paramount Decision), ruled that
motion picture studios must sell their theatres. At the time,
studios were exclusively showing their films in their own theatres,
which the courts felt was a violation of the U.S. antitrust laws that
prohibited exclusive dealing arrangements. This decision led to
higher production costs for the studios and reduced the number of
movies they made each year, but resulted in higher quality movies.
More independent producers and agents emerged to replace
studio bosses.
Following the major restructuring of the motion picture industry
in the 1950s and 1960s, MGM wasn’t able to cope with the loss of
their theatres. Additionally, the introduction of television greatly
affected the motion picture industry. Schary had to cut short many
contracts with actors, including Judy Garland, to keep the studio
running. Despite releasing some of their biggest hits like Singin’
in the Rain, Show Boat and An American in Paris, most of MGM’s
films at the time failed as people preferred to stay home.
MGM attempted to enter the home entertainment market by
developing programming for television, but initially failed. In 1956,
however, The Wizard of Oz aired on CBS television and was aired
annually starting in 1959. This helped to establish the film as one
of the greatest motion pictures ever made, as well keep MGM
afloat. In 1957, MGM lost money for the first time in 34 years and
had to close their animation studio and let Schary go. Schenck
had retired two years prior in 1955 and for years new executive
heads came and went, but were no match to the success these
men had brought.
In 1959, MGM celebrated one of their most successful years thanks
to a remake of their 1925 silent film, Ben Hur. This four-hour film,
starring Charlton Heston, won 11 Academy Awards, including Best
Picture – a record that has only been met by Titanic in 1997 and
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. This began
a disastrous policy for MGM, who relied on one big-budget epic
picture per year to support all other productions. Unfortunately,
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most subsequent epics were not profitable enough to carry the
studio, with the exception of Doctor Zhivago in 1965.
A Canadian investor, Edgar Bronfman Sr., bought MGM in 1967,
but sold it in 1969 to Kirk Kerkorian of Nevada. Kerkorian hired
James T. Aubrey Jr. as president of MGM who sold off studio
memorabilia to help with finances, including Dorothy’s famous
ruby slippers. Film output drastically slowed down throughout the
1970s and MGM’s sales and distribution offices closed in 1973.
Kerkorian used the studio’s name to open the MGM Grand Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas. Although Kerkorian distanced himself
from the studio and focused more on the hotel, he purchased
another film studio, United Artists (UA) in 1981. He sold both
studios to Ted Turner in 1986, but because of the huge debts
of MGM and UA, Turner sold UA and the MGM trademark back
to Kerkorian, but kept the MGM film library. He began airing
these films on Turner Network Television, causing controversy by
colourizing many classic black and white films.
An Italian financier, Giancarlo Parretti temporarily bought MGM/
UA in 1990, but after fraud charges were laid against him, his bank,
Credit Lyonnais became the owner, eventually selling it back to
Kirk Kerkorian once again in the mid 1990s. Former executive of
Paramount Pictures, Frank Mancuso Sr. was brought on as CEO
in hopes to maintain and revive the studio. They were somewhat
successful, but were limited by their lack of funds.
In 1997, MGM increased its catalog by purchasing billionaire, John
Kluge’s collection which included 1984’s Amadeus, 1990’s Dances
With Wolves and 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. Along with the
James Bond franchise, this catalog serves as MGM’s greatest asset.
In 2004, the company was acquired by a partnership led by Sony
Corporation of America and Comcast, in association with Texas
Pacific Group and Providence Equity Partners. Two billion dollars
of the $5 billion purchase price was used to pay off MGM’s debt.
Sony was interested in purchasing MGM as they wanted to ensure
that MGM films would support Blue-ray Disc technology. By
combining MGM’s movie catalog (which was the largest in the
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world), with their own catalog, Sony/MGM owns approximately half
of all the colour motion pictures ever made.
2006 started a new era for MGM, as the focus returned on
theatrical distribution. MGM Home Entertainment, a division
of MGM was transferred from Sony to 20th Century Fox Home
Entertainment. Actor and producer Tom Cruise, along with his
production partner Paula Wagner, became chief executives of the
United Artist division. In 2007, MGM released about 100 movies
for download via iTunes and introduced High-Definition formatting.
In 2008, MGM launched a video-on-demand channel called Impact
and announced that they will be releasing full length films on
YouTube.
Something Interesting...
1.
Toto, the infamous and beloved dog of Dorothy, was
replaced by Imogene, a cow, in the 1902 musical stage
version of The Wizard of Oz as it was easier to put a person
in a cow costume than it was to train a dog. Imogene later
appeared in the 1910 silent film version as an additional
character alongside Toto as well as in The Giant Garden of
Oz, written by Eric Shanower in 1993. In this novel, she is a
white-and-purple cow from Oz with the ability to produce
different dairy products, based on her mood (such as sour
cream when angry) as well as healing golden milk.
2.
There were at least four original pairs of ruby slippers made
for the film, with a possibility of up to three more. Although
they are now worth millions, one pair was given away as
second prize by MGM in a contest in 1940 and the others
were destined for the trash until Kent Warner, who was hired
by MGM to help prepare wardrobe items for auction, rescued
them in 1970. One pair is currently on permanent exhibit at
the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, D.C. Another pair was stolen from
the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in
2005, which have not yet been recovered. The remaining two
known pairs are owned by private collectors.
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Questions & Activities
3.
After the Scarecrow receives his diploma from the Wizard, he
recites: “The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an
isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining
side” – which is believed to be the Pythagorean Theorem.
He is, however, wrong. Ray Bolger, who played the
Scarecrow, simply could not get the line right during filming,
so executives at MGM used the best take they had. What he
should have said was: “The sum of the squares of the legs of
a right triangle is equal to the square of the remaining side.”
While most people aren’t aware of this mistake, it was made
fun of in an episode of The Simpsons when Homer recites
Bolger’s version.
1.
In the story, the Scarecrow longs for a brain, the Tin Man for
a heart and the Cowardly Lion for courage, yet each of the
three display these traits throughout their journey. Identify
when these instances occur.
2.
Re-enact a scene from the play, but allow Toto to talk.
3.
If you found yourself in Oz, what characteristic or trait would
you ask the Wizard of Oz for and why.
4.
Many gemstones and precious metals are used in Oz.
Research and compare silver, gold, emeralds and rubies.
Why do you think theses stones and metals were used?
5.
Hold a mock police investigation into the disappearance of
Dorothy. Interview the characters that she saw before her
disappearance.
6.
Compare the role of witches and wizard in The Wizard of Oz
to those found in other famous stories (such as The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe, The Crucible, Macbeth, the Harry
Potter series, Disney movies, Joan of Arc, Merlin, etc.).
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7.
What is a rainbow? Is it possible to go over a rainbow?
How are rainbows symbolized in Oz?
8.
In groups, organize a natural disaster preparedness kit. What
items should be included?
9.
Make your own tornado.
What you need:
- two 2-liter pop bottles (empty and clean)
- water
- 1-inch metal washer
- duct tape OR a “tornado tube” that will connect the two
bottles together (available at most science supply stores)
- optional: food colouring, glitter
Directions:
- Fill one bottle two-thirds of the way full of water
- Add food colouring or glitter, if desired
- Place the metal washer or the “tornado tube” over the
opening of the bottle
- Turn the second, empty bottle upside-down and place it on
the washer and fasten the two bottles together securely with
duct tape OR connect the empty bottle to the other end of
the “tornado tube”
- Turn the tornado maker over so that the bottle with water is
on the top
- Quickly swirl the bottle in a circular motion
- Watch a tornado form in the top bottle as the water rushes
to the bottom
10. Research Kansas. Why do you think L.F. Baum decided to use
Kansas as the setting for The Wizard of Oz?
11. Read the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from
1900 and compare it to the 1939 movie and The Grand
Theatre’s stage version.
12.
Explore the history of the hot air balloon. As a class, make
your own hot air balloon.
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13. How does Dorothy display wisdom, love and courage
throughout the story? How does she compare to other
young female heroines in literature?
14.
Some people consider The Wizard of Oz to be a fairytale,
while others do not. What qualifies a story as a fairytale?
Does The Wizard of Oz fit the requirements? Explain.
15. As a class, create an “Oz Museum” featuring items found
in Oz.
Reference Materials
1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website. “The Wonderful
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Globe Theatre. “The Wizard of Oz Study Guide.” [Online]
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20012002season/wizardstudyguide.htm>.
Lorraine Kisma Theatre for Young People. “The Wizard of Oz
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ca/media/WizardSG.pdf> .
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Grand Theatre Study Guide 2009H10 Season
Wizard of Oz
10.
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[Online] 9 January 2009. <http://www.rsc.org.uk>.
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Grand Theatre Study Guide 2009H10 Season
Wizard of Oz
20. Turner Classic Movies. “The Wizard of Oz.” [Online] 22
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22. Warner Bros. Studios. “The Wizard of Oz.” [Online] 26
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33. Wikipedia. “Wizard (Oz)”. [Online] 12 February 2009.
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Grand Theatre Study Guide 2009H10 Season