By Michael P Coleman
“It really was no miracle! What happened then was this!”
What happened then, in 1939, was the release of the MGM’s classic musical The Wizard Of Oz.
While it made a splash of sorts at the box office way back then, it was really the advent of television, and annual broadcasts of the film, that led to it being beloved the world over. Today’s “on demand” viewers might find it hard to imagine a time when you had ONE SHOT EACH YEAR to catch the movie on TV. If you missed it, you were screwed.
Who can resist a 16 year old Judy Garland singing her heart out on “Over The Rainbow,” Margaret Hamilton’s definitive depiction of the Wicked Witch of the West (she scared me to death as a kid!), or the film’s special effects, which were cutting edge 80 years ago.
While different versions of the Oz tale have been successful (The Wiz, Wicked), the best of them go back to the source material, the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, and steer clear of direct comparisons to the 1939 cinematic masterpiece…
…which is why I’m really looking forward to the Broadway touring production of The Wizard Of Oz, which blows into Modesto like a cyclone January 22 and 23. From the looks of things, they’re bravely taking Garland & Company on! Take a look:
I can’t wait to check this one out!
Click here to purchase tickets.
Click here to connect with freelance writer Michael P Coleman, or follow him on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP.
