A Few Words About A few words about…™ The Wizard of Oz — in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

There was an article I seem to recall about one theater, running WoO for a ‘60s re-issue, and having had rigging installed for William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill for his Emergo process, wired up flying monkeys that flew over the heads of the audience as the film unspooled on screen in it’s original glorious 3D process.

Most theaters, beginning with the original release, decided to forego 3D, and only ran the Left eye.

The Right eye, which had apparently gone missing in inventory was finally restored for the WB Blu-ray.

 

[RichMurphy]

I usually cringe when classic films are doctored (as opposed to restored) by modern technology, but I must admit the IMAX 3D version of THE WIZARD OF OZ was very entertaining and lovingly done. I was impressed that the presentation began with the IMAX intro trailer in Academy ratio and sepia tone.

 

[KPmusmag]

Here, I'll quote my friend's letter---If I hear any additional information, I'll post it!

"There were two or three additional lines before "Yeah, it's sad, believe me missy." I wish I could remember them exactly, but it was something about being "vicious as a kitten" and I think the rhyme before that used the word "admittin'". So that's very perplexing! Why would the UK print have a longer song? I read somewhere that the Lion's song was recorded and filmed as a longer version, about equal to the other two characters' part of the song, but then it was trimmed down because he had a song of his own later. Makes me wonder if the 1939 US prints had a longer song and then it was trimmed for the 1949 reissue or in 1956 for television. But then why would it? It's so brief .......

FWIW, I checked the sheet music, and there are extra lyrics for the Lion that we do not hear in the film:

Oh I'd be in my stride, a king down to the core,
I'd roar the way I never roared before,
And then I'd woof ... and roar some more.

I would show the dinosaurus who's king aroun' the fores'
a king they'd better serve.
Why, with my regal beezer I could be another Caesar
If I only had the nerve.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

This morning I was thumbing through YouTube videos and one led to another (as it always does) and I found this little gem.

I am surprised this documentary was never included with any home video release, as far as I know. It has some remarkable photos, backstories, and interviews with cast members who were still alive in 1979.

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, it was produced after her book on the making of the film came out. Warners tended to fall back on that CBS special about the film hosted by Angela Lansbury.

 

[Clemdog]

Wow! I thought I’d seen, read and heard pretty much everything related to the making of WOZ. This was a real treat to watch!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Wow! I thought I’d seen, read and heard pretty much everything related to the making of WOZ. This was a real treat to watch!

It was!

I have never seen Jack Haley interviewed. And, from what we learn, he was reluctant to do the role of the Tin Man. From the actor's own words, we learn that he didn't have a great time doing the film and that it was exceptionally difficult and demanding work.

 

[battlebeast]

This morning I was thumbing through YouTube videos and one led to another (as it always does) and I found this little gem.

I am surprised this documentary was never included with any home video release, as far as I know. It has some remarkable photos, backstories, and interviews with cast members who were still alive in 1979.

This is awesome!

 

[darkrock17]

I never knew Aljean Harmetz is a woman, I always thought the person who wrote the making of The Wizard Of Oz was a man all these years.

Many of the interviews from this 1979 documentary were reused in the more known and seen 1990 documentary directed by Jack Haley Jr. and hosted and narrated by Angela Lansbury.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Resurrecting this thread once again.

I don't purposely look for this stuff, but I just happened to come across this terrific site called The Judy Room.

There is another video contained here I have never seen before. Perhaps some of you can confirm if it has been included in any prior home video release. The full YouTube description is included below the video from the site ie was pulled from



Here is all of the known film footage of Judy Garland as the blonde Dorothy in one short video. First up is some short footage of Judy on MGM’s backlot on her way to look at something. What that is, is unknown. We then have a quick three shots in color, repeated at a slower speed so you can see them better. Finally, there is the narrated footage from the 1938 MGM short "Another Romance of Celluloid: Electricity" which showed the amount of electricity it took to light MGM’s film sets. Included in the short is this quick look at Judy being readied for a take on the original Cornfield set. All of the film footage that was shot during the “Thorpe Era” has been lost. It’s assumed MGM destroyed the footage after the decision was made to revamp everything and start over. If any footage did survive, it probably perished in that famous vault fire in 1965. October 13, 1938, was the first day of filming on "The Wizard of Oz." Scenes shot on this day were with Judy and Ray Bolger in the cornfield ("If I Only Had A Brain") under the direction of the film's original director, Richard Thorpe. Judy also posed for some costume and makeup test photos. The entire sequence would be re-shot after Thorpe was fired and the costumes and makeup for most of the principles (specifically Judy's look as Dorothy), and even the style of the bricks on the Yellow Brick Road, was changed. Most of the changes were made by interim director George Cukor before Victor Fleming took over to direct the bulk of the film over the next several months.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thank you, Ron. I had NEVER seen the Blonde Judy footage before, and I thought I had seen and read everything about this movie that it's possible to see and hear. I cannot imagine who thought that luxurious hairstyle was right for a simple farm girl, and Judy was never going to be effective as a blonde.

 

[darkrock17]

I've seen some of the Blonde Dorothy footage before, I think it's on the original special edition DVD from 1999.

 

[octobercountry]

Mystery solved!

The UK nitrate print of “Oz” was run again at the Dryden last night---to a sold-out crowd, no less. And my friend in attendance took particular note of the lion’s introductory song, to see if it really was in fact different than the version with which we are all familiar.

What she found? The footage itself is identical to the version we've all known since 1939.

However, the audio is different. The first couple of lines have been dubbed over, so now, instead of singing:

Yeah it's sad, believe me, Missy
When you're born to be a sissy
Without the vim and verve...

In the UK version he sings:

Yeah it's sad to be admittin'
I'm as vicious as a kitten
Without the vim and verve…..

So why the change? Apparently the word “sissy” was more problematic in the UK than in the US, back in the forties. So the UK print had altered lyrics.

Oh, I know it's not a big deal, but I think it’s cool to note the difference. The interesting thing is.... I've NEVER heard the alternate version anywhere before. Even on that "Deluxe Oz” two-disc CD, which seemed to include just about every Oz extended/alternate snippet of audio that could be found. And I don't recall it from “The Ultimate Oz” laserdisc either, though to be honest it's been many years since I've listened to that, so perhaps I just don't remember?

Hmmmm, so perhaps it's possible that this tiny snippet of audio only exists now on this mid-forties UK print? This may be quite unique---do any other UK prints of the film even exist from that time period? Or---perhaps later UK prints also had the altered lyric, who knows?

(And totally off-topic…. It’s kinda fascinating to listen to that 2-disc Oz soundtrack, which basically is the music for the original rough cut, before it was trimmed down---that version of the picture ran maybe 20 minutes longer than the finished film? There are a LOT of differences, and you can easily see why “The Jitterbug” was deleted. The placement of that number totally destroyed the pacing of the story.)

 

[bobclampett]

This morning I was thumbing through YouTube videos and one led to another (as it always does) and I found this little gem.

I am surprised this documentary was never included with any home video release, as far as I know. It has some remarkable photos, backstories, and interviews with cast members who were still alive in 1979.

Thanks. Enjoyed that.