Over the Rainbow: Oz Premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre

On August 15 in film and cinema history, one significant event took place in 1939. On this day, the classic Hollywood musical film "The Wizard of Oz," starring Judy Garland, premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.

"The Wizard of Oz" is based on the 1900 children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. The film tells the story of Dorothy Gale, a young girl from Kansas who is transported to the magical Land of Oz by a tornado. Along with her dog Toto and three new friends—the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion—Dorothy embarks on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz, who she believes can help her return home.

The film was directed by Victor Fleming, who was known for his work on other classic films such as "Gone with the Wind" (1939). The screenplay was written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf, with uncredited contributions from several other writers.

"The Wizard of Oz" is renowned for its use of Technicolor, which was a relatively new technology at the time. The film's vibrant colors and imaginative sets have become iconic, particularly the yellow brick road and the Emerald City.

The film's cast also included Frank Morgan as the Wizard, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch has become one of the most recognizable villains in cinema history.

The film's music, composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, has also become legendary. The song "Over the Rainbow," sung by Judy Garland, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and has been ranked as the greatest movie song of all time by the American Film Institute.

Despite its eventual success, "The Wizard of Oz" initially struggled at the box office and failed to recoup its production costs. However, it gained popularity through multiple re-releases and annual television broadcasts, becoming a beloved classic and a staple of American popular culture.

The film's enduring popularity has led to numerous adaptations, spin-offs, and tributes, including the Broadway musical "Wicked," which tells the story from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West.

In 1989, "The Wizard of Oz" was one of the first 25 films to be added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being recognized as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The premiere of "The Wizard of Oz" on August 15, 1939, marked the beginning of an enduring cinematic legacy that continues to captivate audiences of all ages around the world.


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to this moment in film history, and let's get
rolling and find out what happened in film on August fifteenth.
In film and cinema history, one significant event to place
in nineteen thirty nine. On this day, The classic Hollywood
musical film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, premiered
at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. The Wizard of

(00:23):
Oz is based on the nineteen hundred children's novel The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film
tells the story of Dorothy Gale, a young girl from
Kansas who is transported to the magical land of Oz
by a tornado. Along with her dog Toto, and three
new friends, the Scarecrow, the tin Man, and the cowardly Lion.

(00:45):
Dorothy embarks on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz,
who she believes can help her return home. The film
was directed by Victor Fleming, who was known for his
work on other classic films such as Gone with the
Wind nineteen thirty nine. The screenplay was written by Noel Langley,
Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Wolf, with uncredited contributions from

(01:06):
several other writers Hungry Feet Weak Lemon I Saw One
Night at the same time. The Wizard of Oz is
renowned for its use of technicolor, which was a relatively
new technology at the time. The film's vibrant colors and
imaginative sets have become iconic, particularly the Yellow Brick Road
and the Emerald City. The film's cast also included Frank

(01:29):
Morgan as the Wizard, Ray Bulger as the Scarecrow, Jack
Hayley is the tin Man, Burke Lar is the cowardly Lion,
Billy Burke is Glinda, the Goodwitch, and Margaret Hamilton is
the Wicked Witch of the West. Hamilton's portrayal of the
Wicked Witch has become one of the most recognizable villains
in cinema history. The film's music, composed by Harold Arlen

(01:49):
with lyrics by e. Y Harburg, has also become legendary.
The song Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland, won
the Academy Award for Best Original Song and has been
ranked as the greatest movie song of all time by
the American Film Institute. Despite its eventual success, The Wizard
of Oz initially struggled at the box office and failed

(02:10):
to recoup its production costs. However, it gained popularity through
multiple re releases and annual television broadcasts, becoming a beloved
classic and a staple of American popular culture. The film's
enduring popularity has led to numerous adaptations, spin offs, and tributes,
including the Broadway musical Wicked, which tells the story from

(02:33):
the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. In
nineteen eighty nine, The Wizard of Oz was one of
the first twenty five films to be added to the
United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress,
being recognized as culturally, historically, or esthetically significant. The premiere
of The Wizard of Oz on August fifteenth, nineteen thirty nine,

(02:55):
marked the beginning of an enduring cinematic legacy that continues
to captivate audiences of all ages around the world, and
that is cut for this day in film history. This
has been a Quiet Please production. For more check out
Quiet Please dot Ai. Thank you for listening.