Nov. 29, 2009
FLASHBACK: Off to See a Wizard on a Big Theatre Screen
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Do you remember the first time you watched “The Wizard of Oz?” Likely, it’s a combination of images and thoughts, but one commonality --- you likely watched it in the living room or den on a television set.
Obviously, you know the story, dialogue and songs. In fact, most viewers have seen it so many times they could easily orchestrate an interactive version if it were shown in a theatre.
Come Monday at 4 and 7 p.m. Huntington’s Cinema Theater, 1023 Fourth Avenue, begins its “Flashback” series with the showing of “Oz.”
Aside from an annual holiday tradition, “The Wizard” shines the spotlight on Judy Garland, who sings “Over the Rainbow” and clicks her two ruby slippers together for a feel good climax.
Although it did not rise to cinematic prominence, an fictional reconstruction (call it an imagining ) of the commencement of filming of “Oz” was released in 1981 complete with a long list of ‘little people’ (Munckins) who romp and nearly disassemble the Culver Hotel in “Under the Rainbow.” Oh, two “other” stars graced the comedy, Chevy (“Saturday Night Live”) Chase and Carrie (“Star Wars”) Fisher.
The 1981 picture received more star talk than most in and around the Tri-State and Kanawha Valley due to the Scarlet Oaks Celebrity Golf Tournament. Clint Eastwood received all the attention, but Robert (“Mork and Mindy”) Donner and Billy Barty, who founded Little People of America and the Billy Barty Foundation, both praised the then forthcoming “Under the Rainbow.” Barty did not have a role in “Oz,” but having started in show business at age three, he’s probably one of the most memorable ‘little people’ from stage and screen.
Munckin Land has a special impact itself in “Oz,” as after riding the house through the cyclone Dorothy exits and the characters go from glorious black and white to living color, so that the Emerald City , Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardy Lion and the Wicked Witch enchant you and old alike.
Interestingly, the color was not the only change when Dorothy landed in Oz. The Kansas scenes were directed by King Vidor. His career spanned both the silent and talking era. He was one of the first on the creative side of the camera to receive a 20% share of net profits of “The Big Parade” (1925). MGM began so-called “creative financing” and persuaded the King to sell his share for a small sum. He earned $425 a week directing “Parade,” which played 93 weeks at NYC’s Astor Theatre. Needless to say, he would have gone from struggling young director to millionaire.
Why did Vidor direct the Kansas scenes as well as the iconic “Over the Rainbow” selection? Victor Fleming , Oz’s credited director, could not complete his job on “Oz.” He moved from the Emerald City to a Confederate Atlanta populated by Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara.
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FLASHBACK: Off to See a Wizard on a Big Theatre Screen
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Do you remember the first time you watched “The Wizard of Oz?” Likely, it’s a combination of images and thoughts, but one commonality --- you likely watched it in the living room or den on a television set.
Obviously, you know the story, dialogue and songs. In fact, most viewers have seen it so many times they could easily orchestrate an interactive version if it were shown in a theatre.
Come Monday at 4 and 7 p.m. Huntington’s Cinema Theater, 1023 Fourth Avenue, begins its “Flashback” series with the showing of “Oz.”
Aside from an annual holiday tradition, “The Wizard” shines the spotlight on Judy Garland, who sings “Over the Rainbow” and clicks her two ruby slippers together for a feel good climax.
Although it did not rise to cinematic prominence, an fictional reconstruction (call it an imagining ) of the commencement of filming of “Oz” was released in 1981 complete with a long list of ‘little people’ (Munckins) who romp and nearly disassemble the Culver Hotel in “Under the Rainbow.” Oh, two “other” stars graced the comedy, Chevy (“Saturday Night Live”) Chase and Carrie (“Star Wars”) Fisher.
The 1981 picture received more star talk than most in and around the Tri-State and Kanawha Valley due to the Scarlet Oaks Celebrity Golf Tournament. Clint Eastwood received all the attention, but Robert (“Mork and Mindy”) Donner and Billy Barty, who founded Little People of America and the Billy Barty Foundation, both praised the then forthcoming “Under the Rainbow.” Barty did not have a role in “Oz,” but having started in show business at age three, he’s probably one of the most memorable ‘little people’ from stage and screen.
Munckin Land has a special impact itself in “Oz,” as after riding the house through the cyclone Dorothy exits and the characters go from glorious black and white to living color, so that the Emerald City , Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardy Lion and the Wicked Witch enchant you and old alike.
Interestingly, the color was not the only change when Dorothy landed in Oz. The Kansas scenes were directed by King Vidor. His career spanned both the silent and talking era. He was one of the first on the creative side of the camera to receive a 20% share of net profits of “The Big Parade” (1925). MGM began so-called “creative financing” and persuaded the King to sell his share for a small sum. He earned $425 a week directing “Parade,” which played 93 weeks at NYC’s Astor Theatre. Needless to say, he would have gone from struggling young director to millionaire.
Why did Vidor direct the Kansas scenes as well as the iconic “Over the Rainbow” selection? Victor Fleming , Oz’s credited director, could not complete his job on “Oz.” He moved from the Emerald City to a Confederate Atlanta populated by Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara.
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