Ruth Leon recommends… The Wizard of Oz – Judy Garland
Ruth Leon recommendsOver the Rainbow
On 9th November 1939, 86 years ago this week, one of the greatest, and certainly one of the most popular movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz, had its UK premiere.
It had arrived on US screens a few months earlier in August, and had been an immediate hit with children and their parents although it didn’t make a profit until its 1949 re-release, earning only $3 million on a $2.7 million budget, making it MGM’s most expensive production at the time.
To celebrate that momentous moment in the history of the cinema and lest we forget what made it great, here she is, Judy Garland, aged 16, but playing a 12-year old, with That Song.
My favorite movie of all time. It still draws a tear when, at the end, Dorothy says “Oh auntie Em, there’s no place like home!” BTW: the “re-imagining” being shown at The Sphere in Las Vegas, while an impressive technological achievement will disappoint fans. They cut about 30 minutes off the run time. At least The Song made it past the editors.
Nobody needs to have The Wizard of Oz “recommended” to them. Grow up.
Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg’s music and lyrics live on throughout the world some 86 years after the release of “The Wizard of Oz”. Think of another film where one can endklessly sing the lyrics from memory, not just “Over the Rainbow” but throughout the film score.
“They asked me how I knew, my true love was true. I of course replied, something here inside cannot be denied”. – 1933 – Kern/Harbach
Herbert Stothart’s incidental music and underscore are great, too! He didn’t win an Academy Award for nothing. It’s certainly odd that both times I’ve seen the Wizard of Oz screened with a live orchestra here in Milwaukee, including last week, no mention was made at all of Stothart’s origins in the city.
I love this movie and Judy Garland ‘s voice and talent are timeless. The absolute best of the best!! ❤️