Jarrett Jones
English 1101
April 26, 2013
Mr. Patrick Garner
Wizard of Oz
A very memorable and amazing story brought joy to so many in the year of 1939. Victor Fleming directed The Wizard of Oz in 1939, based on the novel by L. Frank Baum. Judy Garland was the star of the film playing Dorothy, and her helpers were played by Frank Morgan (Prof. Marvel/Wizard of Oz), Ray Bolger (Hunk/the Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (Zeke/The Cowardly Lion), Jack Haley (Hickory/The Tin Man), and Billie Burke (Glinda, Good Witch of the North). The evil genius was Miss Gulch in the normal world and the Wicked Witch of the West in the adventure world, played by Margaret Hamilton. Although the film received largely positive reviews, it was not a huge box office success on its initial release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,000,000 budget. The film was MGM's most expensive production up to that time, but its initial release failed to recoup the studio's investment. Amazing actors, wonderful storyline and beautiful music made up for that, however. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It lost that award to Gone with the Wind, but won two others, including Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow". The song was ranked first in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list (web).
The Wizard of Oz had an amazing crew. In the movie Dorothy Gale is the main character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and several others of the Oz books. She is striped as being a young girl from Kansas. After returning to Kansas via the ruby slippers (or silver shoes), she returns to Oz several more times before settling there in The Emerald City of Oz (sparknotes). The Wizard of Oz is the title character of the movie and first book (web). In the first book, the characters journey to him for assistance with their problems. It is later revealed that he is a humbug circus performer named Oscar Diggs from Omaha, Nebraska. Also he had conquered Ozma’s throne with the assistance of Mombi. The Wizard...