![]() John Fricke, author of several books about The Wizard of Oz, recalls watching the movie for the first time on television as a child. He remembers being five years old and watching it with his cousins. They were all scared of the monkeys and the witch. However, he also praises the film's ability to make its songs an integral part of the narrative, essential to understanding the characters' motivations. To have a young Judy Garland play Dorothy was a songwriter's dream come true. I was one who had a life-changing experience while working on this project. A lobby card from Victor Fleming's 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, showcases the movie's iconic scenes and memorable characters. Fricke explains that Oz was one of the first movie musicals to make its songs an essential part of the narrative. He notes that all the kids were scared of the monkeys and the witch, but everyone walked away two hours later having had a great and happy evening. The talents of the cast, including Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley, along with a rich orchestral score from Herbert Stothart, helped make The Wizard of Oz one of the most widely seen, best-known, and best-loved motion pictures in history. However, it wouldn't have worked without the songs, which were written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg - two guys with a piano, imagination, and energy. ![]() ![]() A photo from 1939 shows Bert Lahr (far right), Ray Bolger (back row, right), Judy Garland (sitting, right), composer Harold Arlen (sitting left), and various MGM and music publishing executives singing songs from the film around a microphone in an NBC radio studio.
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