Why America Can’t Get Enough Of The Wizard Of Oz

The MGM lion roars. Dramatic philharmonic notes reminiscent of pealing bells ringing retired arsenic nan words The Wizard of Oz look connected nan surface successful looping text. Mesmerizing choral voices evoke nan swirl and sway of upwind and thing other-worldly arsenic we alert done a sepia cloud-filled sky. For ninety glorious seconds, while an orchestral medley teases nan philharmonic numbers yet to come, nan opening credits rotation earlier we trim to a young woman moving on a workplace track, a canine astatine her heels. What happens adjacent is enshrined successful Hollywood and movie history, and nan lurching panic and dream we acquisition pinch Dorothy on nan Yellow Brick Road will, for galore of us, go a halfway memory.

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Victor Fleming’s 1939 movie is astir people’s preamble to The Wizard of Oz, and our astir acquainted type of L. Frank Baum’s characters. But this was not nan first adjustment of Baum’s book, nor would it beryllium nan last. On publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz successful 1900, immoderate 10,000 copies were printed, but Baum’s publisher, George W. Hill, doubted nan book’s imaginable for success. A shape adjustment of The Wizard of Oz, written arsenic a philharmonic extravaganza to suit an big audience, was developed to thief pinch publicity.

The first capacity took spot astatine nan Chicago Grand Opera House successful June 1902, and by 1903 had moved connected to Broadway wherever it ran for astir 300 performances earlier touring passim America for almost a decade. Baum’s fairytale was good connected its measurement to becoming an intrinsic portion of American popular culture. Yet The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has had its challenges. Banned successful 1957 by Detroit libraries, Baum’s book became a root of contention again successful 1986 erstwhile it was deemed unsuitable by schoolhouse governors successful Tennessee. Yet Dorothy and her friends weathered nan large wind and nan American Library of Congress would yet state nan book to beryllium ‘America’s top and best-loved homegrown fairytale.’

From nan first printed edition, and nan first philharmonic adaptation, Dorothy’s adventures successful Oz person been recreated galore times, astir famously pinch nan 1939 movie starring Judy Garland. At nan clip of nan film’s release, a cardinal copies of Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz had been sold and, successful consequence to request from his young readers, he’d moreover written thirteen Oz sequels up to nan twelvemonth of his decease successful 1919. From nan outset, nan Oz books look to person near galore questions unanswered, truthful it is possibly nary astonishment that nan communicative has continued to scope audiences successful caller and varied formats connected screen, stage, and page.

For novelists, Baum’s characters and settings connection a tantalizing world to research and grow and galore literate useful inspired by The Wizard of Oz person go immense bestsellers. Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of nan Wicked Witch of nan West is arguably nan astir successful. Maguire’s inspiration for nan book came from a statement successful nan MGM movie wherever nan Wicked Witch refers to The Good Witch of nan North arsenic ‘Glinda’. “I thought to myself, ‘They cognize each other. They’ve crossed paths before. They went to schoolhouse together!'” Wicked, and a greenish babe called Elphaba, were born. Maguire’s root communicative moreover has its ain prequel now successful this year’s merchandise of Elphie.

Other literate rotation offs person besides proven popular. Elizabeth Letts explores nan making of nan 1939 movie and Maud Gage Baum’s domiciled successful managing her husband’s bequest successful Finding Dorothy. Danielle Page’s NYT bestselling Dorothy Must Die bid imagines a deliciously sinister move of events successful Oz, while Children’s Laureate, Sir Michael Morpurgo, presents nan Oz communicative from Toto’s POV in, you guessed it, Toto. In my caller Before Dorothy, I ideate nan life of Auntie Em arsenic she raises Dorothy successful Kansas during nan particulate vessel years.

And each nan while, nan original communicative endures. Walk into immoderate bookshop and you’ll find astatine slightest 1 version of Baum’s book. For Oz devotees and collectors, location are countless clothbound classics, mesmerizing pop-up books, and an annotated matter by Michael Patrick Hearn—a fascinating archive for anyone looking for a line-by-line heavy dive into Baum’s inspirations and themes.

The beauty and brilliance of Baum’s communicative is undoubtedly successful its timeless powerfulness to operation an affectional consequence successful america arsenic adults. Like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House stories, J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan, aliases Lucy Maud Mongomery’s Anne of Green Gables, erstwhile read, these tales go portion of us, everlastingly linking america backmost to nan wide-eyed kid of our first encounter. Like a scent pinch nan expertise to carrier america backmost to a infinitesimal successful clip and place, nan champion stories person that aforesaid transportive power. Perhaps it is not The Wizard of Oz itself that pulls america backmost clip and again, but nan representation it evokes of who we erstwhile were.

Off nan page, Oz has inspired musicals and movies. The Wiz debuted connected Broadway successful 1974, mounting nan communicative successful modern African-American culture, pinch nan 1978 movie adjustment starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Return to Oz brought Dorothy’s arguable electric-shock curen and nan panic of nan wheelies to movie-goers successful 1985. Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s lavish philharmonic adjustment of Wicked opened connected Broadway successful 2003, pinch past year’s cinematic adjustment starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Eviro bringing Oz roaring backmost to life erstwhile again. Wicked: (Part One) has attracted a caller procreation of Oz fans while besides inviting Oz devotees to measurement backmost into a world that is truthful familiar, and yet truthful new.

Watching Wicked connected nan large surface evokes almost overwhelming feelings of nostalgia for those of america who person loved these characters for decades, nan Oz Easter eggs John M. Chu sprinkles among his scenes for illustration treasure; small gifts that whisper, “I cognize you know.”

Beyond nan adaptations, sequels and prequels–oh my!–there are regular day showings of nan 1939 movie, countless re-recordings of Over nan Rainbow, Oz taxable parks and conventions. A digitally adapted type of nan MGM movie will beryllium shown astatine nan Las Vegas Sphere this summer, utilizing AI technology. Controversial aliases inevitable, it will nary uncertainty beryllium a immense occurrence arsenic this astir celebrated type of a beloved fairytale captures our imaginations still.

From Judy Garland’s pitch-perfect portrayal of Dorothy Gale, to nan unforgettable songs, and nan evergreen themes of friendship, bully versus evil, courageousness and fear, family and home, specified is our familiarity pinch nan movie that its songs and quotes person stepped disconnected nan surface and into our hearts and voices. How often do we say, ‘There’s nary spot for illustration home’, ‘I’ll get you my pretty’, ‘We’re not successful Kansas anymore’, and who doesn’t yell, ‘Dorothyyyyy! Dorothy!’ successful nan mediate of a storm, mimicking Auntie Em’s panicked cries!

Baum introduced his book to young readers arsenic ‘a modernized fairy tale, successful which nan wonderment and joyousness are retained and nan heartaches and nightmares are near out’. The fairytale has now go folklore. Few things past a lifetime, but The Wizard of Oz has already lasted many. Whether a caller favorite, aliases a beloved aged friend, it is, rather simply, wonderful.

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Hazel Gaynor’s Before Dorothy is disposable now from Berkley.