Oz 2014 page 5

Oz 2014 page 5 by ric gustafson


The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900 and was instantly transformed into a musical comedy. The stage show debuted at Chicago's Grand Opera House in 1902 and became a Broadway smash in 1903. In 1910, a silent film of the story was released which was thirteen minutes in length.
In February 1938, MGM acquired the movie rights to the story. The studio studied the Broadway musical but thought that the jokes were outdated and the songs were unrelated to the story. Two aspects of the Broadway play were used and enhanced in the film. The first was the cyclone scene and the second was the poppy field scene. In the original story, the Wicked Witch of the West carried an umbrella not a broomstick. In the silent film and the MGM film, she has a broomstick.
Inspiration for the MGM film came from different sources. Characters from the 1933 film Alice in Wonderland were studied. A film named ' She' was studied for the idea of the Winkie guards. The film that was studied the most was ' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. The Wicked Witch of the West was based on studying the Evil Queen. Music from the film inspired the music for the Wizard of Oz.
Next, we will look at the story of Oz from an allegory perspective.


research help: ' The Wizard of Oz' by I-5 Publishing


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric