The Chaos Behind The Wizard of Oz (and why it turned out ok anyway)

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In this video I take a look at the four directors who worked on the Wizard of Oz and explain why each of them (except Richard Thorpe…flop!!) was in the right place at the right time.
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Watch The Wizard of Oz free here: archive.org/details/the-wizar...
Spanish subtitles by Angélica Blanco
Music by Epidemic Sound
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[@abrahamaytemo]

Its pretty common knowledge to Oz fans that Over the Rainbow was almost cut from the movie because it was thought to have slowed down the movie and that it was seen as undignified for an MGM star to be seen singing in a barnyard, but less known is that when Little Mermaid was going through test screenings Jeff Katzenberg apparently wanted to do the same thing with Part of Your World, and had to be convinced by Howard Ashman and Glen Keane to not do it, and they apparently invoked Over the Rainbow as an example of how an "I Want" song that had a slower pace relative to the rest of the film's action but conveyed alot of meaning and power in just a short period of time. So I guess in some way we have Oz to thank for Part of Your World staying in TLM lol

[@jamesa.romano8500]

Well Snow White begat Wizard of Oz and then Oz begat Rainbow which begat Part of Your World so its full circle haha

[@TheJillers]

I think among fans of each movie these are, nowadays, pretty well known. But could you imagine either movie without their (arguably) most iconic songs?

[@RLucas3000]

@@TheJillers I had no clue about Katzenburger, though a new fact about Oz would shock me at this point, as I was obsessed with that movie for years, especially once I heard that there was a 1904 musical of it.

[@padminimayur4049]

Goes to show the continued lack of imagination on the business side of movie making!

[@davidwh2653]

am i the only one who thinks ballads are better than uptempo numbers especially in musicals? sure they have a lower tempo but they aren't boring because of it

[@amandahartsell8387]

Honestly it makes a lot of sense that the Kansas and Oz scenes were directed by two different people. They feel different plus it makes sense narratively to have such different directing styles and tones for those scenes.

[@Tolstoy111]

The King Vidor Kansas stuff is the best filmmaking in the film!

[@jesustovar2549]

@@Tolstoy111 The twister scene aged very well, it served as an inspiration for other disaster films such as Twister which contained several references to Oz.

[@Tolstoy111]

@@jesustovar2549 Oh I'm not saying it's bad. Just the artistry of the Kansas scenes is the most "Auteurist" stuff in the film. It made by an artist as opposed to the twister scene which was made by technicians.

[@williamseaverii1579]

Well spoken.

[@MaskedMan66]

Victor Fleming is reported to have been very impressed by Vidor's work.

[@MaskedMan66]

A wonderful story: Not long after seeing The Wizard of Oz, a little girl named Natalie Norris fell ill and was hospitalized. Her mother wrote to MGM and relayed her daughter's wish that she could get a visit from Dorothy. They called Judy, who was of course delighted to do it, and sent Natalie a letter telling her that they had a date. She wanted to come in full Dorothy kit, but by that time everything had been put away in storage, so Judy wore a simple frock and her own short hair, and Natalie didn't mind a bit. Judy chatted with her a while and even sang "Over the Rainbow" to her, bringing Natalie's mother to tears. Later, Natalie showed rapid improvement, and not only recovered, but later in life became a singer herself!

[@shirleyminassian1547]

Thank you for sharing, that's so beautiful 🧡

[@MaskedMan66]

@@shirleyminassian1547 You're welcome! The story is told in greater detail in the book "The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece" by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman.

[@shirleyminassian1547]

@@MaskedMan66 ok, Thank you.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@shirleyminassian1547 Welcome once again! 🙂

[@teaganjeras156]

​@MaskedMan66 if someone want to make a Wizard of Oz movie like no other, I would have the Kansas scenes be live action while Oz is completely animated in hand drawn.

[@raystaar]

My son discovered The Wizard of Oz quite early on. I think he was nearly 3 when he first saw it. From that day forward, he insisted on watching it at least once a day for two solid years. Although today he swears he has absolutely no memory of ever having seen the movie, he nevertheless named his firstborn son Oz. :)

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.

[@MaskedMan66]

Has he ever read the book?

[@MaskedMan66]

The Wizard's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambrois Diggs!

[@grumpyotter]

I was born in 1965 and grew up watching The Wizard of Oz once a year and it was an EVENT. That rainbow logo and music would send chills up my spine. And EVERYONE was watching -- the streets of my suburb would be empty that night. When VHS became a thing, it was one of the first I bought.

[@merricat3025]

Taped movies and shiws took away from the magic. We only used to see them once a year, and it was an occasion.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@merricat3025 Those were the days, eh? 🙂

[@grsnider]

I was born in 1970, and it was a yearly event for us, and TWOO usually played around Easter. These were the days when the only cable channel we had was HBO, so it was mostly network TV (and a few NYC local channels).

[@erestube]

Ha ha. I remember my classmates were divided into two groups: those who watched and those who didn't!

[@MaskedMan66]

@@erestube I'm guessing those who didn't were a far smaller number.

[@sophiabroom]

I love that you pick specific areas of film history and have a unique take on widely known films

[@coreyham3753]

Very interesting discussion on the making of the Wizard of Oz.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I was so happy to hear you started the year by declaring you’re a Full time KZbinr. Also, delighted to see this topic being covered.

[@DMovieman]

When I read Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, I really appreciated the context in which the author referenced the impact of the film: "Oz speaks to the feelings of the audience, not their intellects. That message, which they find comforting and inspiring....is that if a poor little girl from Kansas can walk down a perilous path, slay wicked witches, and stand up to mighty wizards, so too can they confront the threats, real and imagined, to their own emerging futures. Dorothy's pilgrimage ends when the movie ends.....when she realizes that she does not need protection. She can take care of herself, face the future, and determine her own destiny."

[@divatalk9011]

What a wonderful comment. I must get this book

[@grumpyotter]

. . . As long as she has her friends. 🙂

[@Medusa0999]

Get happy is a great book!

[@JessicaC8486]

I found this book at a thrift store a couple months ago and seriously need to start reading, it seems so good!

[@kittiwhieldon4329]

Great book. I really enjoyed it.

[@lindindotson1992]

Fun Fact: Margaret Hamilton - the Wicked Witch herself - was the kindest to Judy out of everyone onset & thats so heartwarming to me.I fully believe that many of the cuts were made to the film (such as The Jitterbug scene, Dorothy's return to the Emerald City, some of the extended dance scenes, and even Rainbow) were done just fully out of sheer disrespect that they had for the poor girl at the time that they didn't want her to shine anymore than she had to because she was LB Mayer's "little Hunchback" and not Lana Turner or Deanna Durbin. I remember Judy was on some talk show and Margaret called in and Judy was ecstatic and emotional and couldn't stop praising her for how kind she had been to her (or maybe it was the other way around and Judy called in to Margaret I honestly can't remember). Just goes to show how KINDNESS goes a very long way in this world - you NEVER know how just small gestures will make all the difference ❤❤

[@benjaminjackson9449]

Most of Judy's deleted scenes would have overcrowded the narrative and removed the film's cohesion. It's definitely true that LB was not Judy's biggest fan, but I don't think that spilled into the screenwriter's and director's decisions to cut specific scenes. But the way the studio and many other plays at MGM treated Judy is a crime because she really was and is one of the greatest talents we have and will ever witness.

[@jamesa.romano8500]

@@benjaminjackson9449 I feel like they could have at least kept the Over the Rainbow reprise in, as it would have driven the message home just a little more. Also I've heard that Victor Fleming or one of the other directors went to some pretty extreme measures to get tears out of Judy and to listen to THAT specific audio of her singing the reprise those sound like real tears. Just sayin

[@benjaminjackson9449]

​@@jamesa.romano8500 I actually agree, the reprise would have worked really well in the last half of the movie because it moves so quickly, the central message can sometimes get lost in the action.

[@nickyoude2694]

That fact reminds me of Harry Secombe being one of the more gentle souls having beed worried about hurting Mark Lester's ear despite potraying the tyrannical Mr Bumble.

[@MaskedMan66]

The only person who ever claimed that Mayer called her a "hunchback" was Judy herself at the time in her life that she had become famous for telling tall tales. Nothing has been presented to substantiate that story. Nobody had any disrespect for Judy. Jack Haley said she was "born to brilliance." Margaret Hamilton flatly stated, "Judy kept us all going." Meinhardt Raabe spoke on behalf of his fellow Munchkins when he said, "We were treated as equals by her." She had already worked with Haley, Buddy Ebsen, and Billie Burke, so she was among friends, and made more friends. Ray Bolger in particular was blown away by her massive intelligence and the fact that she liked to learn three new words every day. Even the acerbic Noel Langley, who never had a kind word for anyone, told interviewers that she was an extraordinary girl, and always polite. And the whole reason she was cast was that Mervyn LeRoy thought she was the most talented juvenile performer he'd ever seen, and wanted his movie to be a showcase for her talents.

[@margotflynn1591]

this is fascinating, as a devout Wizard of Oz and Garland fan I can never tire of learning about the "behind the scenes" from one of the greatest films ever made. The Wizard of Oz was such a sparkling component of my complicated childhood. This movie means more to me than I could ever articulate through words. The vivid contrasting colors, the stunning costumes, and Judy Garland's groundbreaking performance will forever place a stamp on my heart, mind, and continue to inspire me with courage throughout my own journey down life's yellow brick road. No surprise I ended up to be a shoe girl ;) We would all be remised, if we failed to acknowledge that a large part of Oz's enduring success is solely because of Judy Garland's tremendous performance. This was the perfect breakout vehicle for Garland's blossoming star in that it fully displays her wide range of other worldly talents. Her acting is so utterly sincere, that as a little girl I felt her gut wrenching pain and fear as though her trails and tribulations were my own. Her awe inspiring vocal ability and innate musicality are perfectly captured in the song and dance sequences which were exquisitely choreographed. The musical numbers are never "fussy" but appear naturalistic, and lend the audience to believe all the more. Garland's performance is timeless and not only captures the imagination, yet lights it on fire, in a ruby red technicolor hue that could only be created by a true genius of her craft. Judy WAS Dorthy.

[@MaskedMan66]

Remiss.

[@telepath_baby]

my favorite film of all time. i’ve just recently been championing it again to others too (literally just like you said, “y’all, we are so accustomed to this movie, but it’s such a weird movie and it’s so good”) so this is perfect timing! love all your videos. thank you 🖤

[@padminimayur4049]

It's one of my earliest and favorite films, too!

[@MaskedMan66]

It's fantasy! Of course it's weird!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

‘The Wizard of Oz’ was such a moment in Movie History. A great spectacle of Colour Movies.

[@eamonndeane587]

And the source of some of the Most Memorable Lines in all of Cinema.

[@lydia1634]

"She wasn't going to look like a Dorothea Lange photograph." And now suddenly that is all I want to see in a new Wizard of Oz adaptation.

[@bkrewind]

Genuinely same

[@MaskedMan66]

?

[@cedarabbey]

Growing up in the '60s, when there were only three networks (and no cable, streaming, home video or Internet) the annual sole airing of OZ during the Thanksgiving season in late-November was a culture-wide event... Those things, for better or worse (or for both), are gone today.

[@divatalk9011]

Well done on becoming a full time KZbinr, that's an amazing feat!! It's a staggering achievement to create a cinematic classic given the absolute chaos of this production

[@LucyLioness100]

If you want something even crazier than this film’s production, just read up on 1963’s Cleopatra. Fox ended up bankrupt due to the ballooning cost of the film including issues with Liz Taylor (both her health and her affair with Richard Burton) & the various location changes that led to delay after delay. Not to mention the trimming down it underwent

[@divatalk9011]

@@LucyLioness100 I watched a documentary on that chaos, what's amazing about The Wizard of Oz is inspite of the madness it's become a classic

[@MaskedMan66]

It was not chaos. It was well-ordered as any movie, except for a few accidents which, all told, would take up less than a day out of the five-month principal photography period.

[@divatalk9011]

@@MaskedMan66 Drugging barely legal actors, accidents resulting in severe burns and accusations of sexual abuse don't appear that orderly

[@MaskedMan66]

@@divatalk9011 Get a clue; nobody was drugged, there were no accusations of sexual abuse, and as you say, Margaret Hamilton's accident was an *accident.* And I already mentioned the accidents. So on your bike.

[@Targemq8]

I only recently discovered your channel, and I am so impressed and delighted. I am not a big fan of Wizard of Oz (probably a reaction to the ubiquity you refer to at the beginning), but I may revisit it now. I had certainly heard all the disaster stories many times, but this breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of these directors is a fascinating new view I'd never heard before. Keep up the wonderful work!

[@unfabgirl]

Perhaps you might like the book the movie is based on? It often gets overlooked by how big the movie is, but is equally weird and amazing

[@padminimayur4049]

It is a weird, wonderful delight! Try it, you'll like it!

[@MaskedMan66]

@@unfabgirl More so!

[@MaskedMan66]

@@unfabgirl Scope-wise, the book is much bigger.

[@unfabgirl]

@@MaskedMan66 True, but there are advantages to the movie over the book (snd vice-versa, one of which is the scope)

[@floraposteschild4184]

One of the many projects influenced by WoO: Midsommar. Dani journeys from a dark (almost black and white) grim world to a bright fantasy land with three companions, each of whom are lacking in certain personal qualities. I'm counting Pelle as a guide, almost a Glinda figure. Drugged, she wakes up in a field and makes her way to a place where she is eventually treated like a queen. There's even a picture from the Wizard of Oz in Dani's room.

[@MaskedMan66]

That perv-fest isn't fit to lick TWoO's boots.

[@nicholaskatsikas4904]

Hello BKR I just wanted to say I found your channel recently and I have binged the majority of your content in the last week! I really love how you focus on film from the female perspective a perspective often disregarded in the history of film. You have really made me appreciate so many women who had been sadly ignorant of and made me gain a deeper appreciation of some that I already adored. I have no clue if you’ll see this but I needed to say this. You make great content and I hope you know how people really appreciate it.

[@Redmenace96]

Yeah. 100% dude. Women are not represented enough. Barbara Stanwyck, Betty Davis, Garbo, Katherine Hepburn.... they have been ignored. Joan Crawford was just short of 100 films! Their films don't get enough credit. Nobody listens to Pauline Kael, either. Marcia Lucas is not even considered as an editing genius. [sarcasm] But stick with your narrative of victim-hood. Women have been part of movie making since the beginning, and nobody (but you) thinks they are ignored. Dingbats think they have to educate the public about what they have recently discovered. right?

[@outinsider]

This was amazing! I like how you explored the different directors and their impacts on this classic film.

[@jamesa.romano8500]

The idea that Dorothy was very nearly played by Shirley Temple I think gets a laugh, and there continues to be this misinformation surrounding how that actually went down (I think the timeline of the Clark Gable-Jean Harlow trade for Shirley falling through due to Jean's death doesn't line up with the production history, but it even gets depicted in Shirley's TV biopic), but ironically Shirley was closer to the age of Dorothy in the actual book than Judy was. There's no doubt that Roger Edens was correct that she didn't have the vocal chops for the part, but she was after all just a kid, and it would have been interesting to see if she could have pulled it off had they made it around the time she did Since You Went Away. As it is, The Blue Bird was basically Fox's answer to Wizard and was everything people thought would be wrong with Wizard and irreparably damaged her career, but she DID get a chance to do an Oz project for her 1950's television show, and it was arguably much closer to the source material. (interestingly both Judy and Shirley had close ties to the books and loved them since childhood, as both their parents loved to read it to them when they were little).

[@lindindotson1992]

The Blue Bird was a good movie

[@jamesa.romano8500]

@@lindindotson1992 It was ok. It was beautifully shot anyway. I think part of it was bad timing. Shirley and her mother wanted to break from her little miss sunshine image by having her character be selfish and nasty but considering that America was on the precipice of entry into WWII I think they were looking more than ever to the Bright Eyes/Curly Top version and that just wasn't what Shirley wanted to be anymore (understandably mind you).

[@ZoraTheberge]

I heard once, (I think from Andrea McArdle) that the right age for a girl to play Annie is right when she’s about to look too old. I think Judy has that. It brings a “wise beyond her years” quality that’s needed for Over the Rainbow to work.

[@jesustovar2549]

When you think about it, the role of Dorothy was designed for Shirley Temple, she was talented, could sing and dance and was the highest paid child star, but I'm glad that Judy Garland took on the role, she was purely talented, a phenomenal actress and singer since an early age, she had one of the best and most beautiful voices I've ever heard, Dorothy Gale is certainly her most iconic role.

[@girliboi]

Definitely, the casting of Shirley Temple has become overblown over the years. It's true she was briefly considered once Mayer began looking at the cost of production and thought Temple more "bankable", but Freed and LeRoy always had Garland in mind from the very beginning.. . i think it just began as one of those irresistible little behind-the-scenes tidbits to pass along, that's now taken on a life of it's own with people acting like Temple was on the MGM lot being fitted for the ruby slippers (spoiler: she wasn't). However, I don't think it would be fair to say 'Blue Bird' killed her career either. I think her superstar days were numbered regardless of what role(s) she'd been given (too old to remain a "child star", while still another 5-10 years out from "leading lady" potential.. 'Blue Bird' has its flaws, but I admire both Temple and her mother for recognizing that it was time for her to attempt a different type of role, and she's honestly not bad in it. So many elements need to come together to have a hit (everything from writing to directing to editing, etc) it's basically capturing lightning in a bottle.

[@kittiwhieldon4329]

This is one of those channels that really begs the question “Why on earth don’t you have over a million subscribers?”. Your content is so polished and your presentation is always on point. You always find a new way of looking at an artist or movie and provide deep dive info that even hard core movie buffs find fresh and surprising. It always makes my day when you upload a new video. Thanks for all the great content!

[@TheListenerCanon]

Well I could ask the same as to why trash KZbinrs like SSSniperwolf and the Paul Brothers get over 20 million subscribers.

[@larrydirtybird]

Speaking of noticing and appreciating different things with time, for me with this movie, it was 10 years ago- observing 20 Chinese 7th graders in Shanghai who were watching it for the first time. I was teaching an afterschool theater program, and I adapted the book into a 1-hour play. None of the members of the cast had ever seen the movie, so I showed it to them, in the original English with Chinese subtitles. I sat in the back of the room and observed the kids watching the movie. They were totally entranced. They laughed, they cried, they made vocal reactions, and when it was over, it took a couple of minutes for them to adjust back to being in a plain ol’ room. This movie had worked its magic on a group of kids born over 60 years after it was released, and raised in a completely different culture. And it took them on a journey. It made me love the movie not just because we watched it every year on TV in the 1970s and ‘80s when I was growing up. But rather because it truly is one of the greatest films of all time.

[@denisesudell2538]

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it. Do you still work with Chinese students?

[@larrydirtybird]

@@denisesudell2538 , no, but I miss them so much. I taught in China for six years. One of the best experiences of my life. And I have a framed photo of the kids who played Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion, posing for the camera in full costume. It’s such a cute photo.

[@Redmenace96]

I love it! Great story!! WoOz is timeless.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

A friend described to me a similar experience he had showing *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs* (1937) to a group of people in rural Thailand.

[@stevenwolfnesbitt]

My heart hits behind my EYES every time I see there’s a new BKR video!! I love this channel so GD much. I hope someone gives you a million dollars someday so you can make these like no ones got a tomorrow.

[@youngkc866]

Its weird I almost thought there was gonna be some Puss in Boots The Last Wish joke somewhere in this vid, because its ALL over the internet right now and its clear that the Wizard of Oz was a blueprint of sorts for it,with a VERY similar message of "you've always had what you wanted all along" - even right down to Jack Horner mock quoting the Wicked Witch ("I'll get you my kitties and your little dog too"). Wizard was for me one of the first introductions to the idea that movies could be genuinely "scary," and I think Snow White, Pinocchio and Oz were generations of kids' intros to that idea as well. I honestly do think that Last Wish is one day going to be seen in the same light, and while I know that sounds crazy anyone who has seen it can get what I'm saying. Its THAT kind of film that is unafraid to be openly sentimental and yet can scare the hell out of adults and kids alike (the theater I was in several kids had to leave because the Wolf was "too scary").

[@darrylvarney9837]

I can get what you're saying... that Death Wolf was crazy as cat$**

[@youngkc866]

@@darrylvarney9837 I kno rite 🐺🐺

[@jamestyler7697]

I haven't seen it yet but I've seen it all over Tik Tok and I had to check to see if it was the right film. Something about the Wolf being Death or the Grim Reaper or something?? geez lol

[@youngkc866]

@@jamestyler7697 "And I don't mean it rhetorically or metaphorically or poetically or theoretically or any other fancy way. I'm DEATH. Straight. Up. And I've come for YOU." 😆☠💀🤣

[@nickyoude2694]

Almost every generation had that 'scary' kiddie pic. Wizard of Oz, Oliver!, Labarynth, Some might say Hunchback in the 1990s

[@lovettuduebor1902]

You may only glance at this, but I love your videos. I’ve been subscribed for a very long time and I’ve never regretted waiting for your next video because they are so well pieced together and researched. They’re always worth the wait. I hope you continue these videos for many years to come.

[@EyebrowCinema]

I love how you describe taking The Wizard of Oz for granted until a revisit really blew you away. It's such a delight when that happens.

[@CPTDoom]

What a wonderful video. As a long time watcher of your content, I'm thrilled to see what else you'll focus on now that you're full time. I think another reason this film is "weird" in its time is that it focuses on a female protagonist and antagonist, but they're not vying for anything that would normally be a woman's purpose in film at the time. There's no romance, and in fact there's only one married woman in the whole film, Auntie Em. I also think Cukor was right about the tone, because at the end you're not supposed to know if she actually traveled to Oz or it was all a dream, and in dreams we accept the weird and fantastical as completely ordinary.

[@colinneagle4495]

Such a good point about the non-traditional female roles in Oz!

[@MaskedMan66]

Females battling each other is an old, old scenario, going back to most of the world's mythologies and folklore. And besides, Dorothy's not "vying" with the Wicked Witch for anything, she just wants to get home. The Wicked Witch is basically an obstacle to be overcome. Dorothy is of course too young to get married, so that's not really an issue. And the fact that Dorothy did dream her experience is made blatantly clear by the whole setup in the first part of the film, particularly because of the five characters who were not even in the book and who became the templates for the characters she met in her dream. Producer Mervyn LeRoy was in fact under orders NOT to make the fantasy real.

[@hamilcross]

@@MaskedMan66 you're the most annoying type of person LMAO

[@MaskedMan66]

@@hamilcross Truth annoys you?

[@sauronbagginsd8032]

I’ve been researching the making of the movie for years and have always thought that the fact it was ever made at all, was a miracle. It was refreshing to see it from a different angle ! Great job !

[@lawrencetate145]

I went to see the 3D version in the theater about 10 years ago. I wasn't expecting much but the result was a really new experience. It was really like seeing it for the first time.

[@heathi51]

every time i watch a bkr video i feel so inspired to watch movies. specifically to watch indie films, older films, foreign films, under-appreciated, forgotten, or otherwise out-of-the-mainstream movies. it's honestly a beautiful feeling to be motivated to seek out and engage with art. it's a rare thing and so special.

[@lynnyhen]

I still cry when I hear “Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

[@tonybates6551]

You are so ridiculously talented at what you do. The research you do, the editing, the focus on people or movies that don't typically get a lot of attention (at least on youtube.) I'm such a fan of your work and wish you so much success! Thanks for another great video.

[@bigneon_glitter]

That was absolutely incredible. Brilliant work. Diggin' the longer form.

[@melenatorr]

Thanks for this very lovely look at the serendipity of the directors involved with "Wizard of Oz" - not for the first time, I had a chance, too, to reflect on the weird connections between "Oz" and "Gone With the Wind". I'm old enough to remember growing in the 60s and anticipating "Oz" broadcasts on our black and white tv - it was a long time before I understood the impact of the transition to color in the movie, and I think it's a tribute to the movie itself that it played so strongly in B&W. (I also remember that there was a periodic showing of Mary Martin in "Peter Pan" that we also always looked forward to).

[@pinkpandamiranda]

I'm so happy to see your stuff in my feed again!

[@ezb6798]

Being of a certain age, watching films many times was not part of my childhood experience. We went to see them once in the theater, or maybe saw them once on TV, but rarely was it possible to see them even twice, let alone endlessly as is the case today. The sole exceptions were Mary Poppins (which my sister and I loved so much that our parents took us to see it a second time in the theater) and The Wizard of Oz, which was on TV every Easter weekend throughout my childhood. I loved it, although when I was 5, I got so frightened when the Wicked Witch cackled right into the camera that I ran into the kitchen and had to be coaxed out from under the table by my mother. And my parents only splurged on a color TV when I was a teenager, so until then I never experienced the full wonder of Dorothy’s emergence into Oz. The power of the film for me is deeply rooted in those childhood experiences of it.

[@xXOpenYourHeart759Xx]

I know so much about The Wizard of Oz that I watched this to see if it could offer anything new. I was pleasantly surprised by this video's analysis. I enjoyed learning about the directors and why they were brought on to the project. I didn't know I could still learn so much about one of my favorite movies:)

[@MaskedMan66]

How much of what you know is true?

[@thefinalslug]

I found your channel yesterday on Nebula and immediately followed after watching the video on Dolly Parton. And now you've come out with one about Wizard of Oz?? Ahh I love it!!! Thank you for wonderful videos!

[@rayreineu]

Wow, this was so interesting! I didn't know any of this about the film and you explained the events and people involved so well. Another wonderful video, thank you!

[@jedwards2883]

Great job putting this together! I love all of the little details. There are so many movies that you mentioned that I have never seen. They are definitely going on my watch list. I love seeing big production scenes from the past.

[@MaxWyeth]

As always fantastic video!!!

[@pedrogbs4764]

i love your videos so much.. a big part of it is the subject matter of course, but the way you tell these stories is so interesting and entertaining and effective. i just love it

[@CopyAndConversations]

Your observations are so top-tier. BKR, you care about films, you *KNOW* films and it is endearing to see this kind of content, something which the oscar historians(lol) & 'who will/should win' channels could never pull off.

[@tyler5550]

the amount of time and effort you put into these videos is incredible! i’m so glad to have found such a channel ❤

[@coltonjordon5655]

I have to say, I’ve skipped this video quite often because I thought I saw just about every documentary on “Oz”. But today I caved and watched. Thank you for teaching me a few new things! This video is so well done!

[@jeffyoung8726]

This film was an absolute treat when I was a child. My family and I would watch it every year! Years later, I bought it on VHS and then on DVD. I watch this film often, I never tire of it & never will. Thanks for this amazing video. I am a new subscriber, and look forward to watching more of your videos!

[@QueenOfTheNorth65]

I am of the age (almost 60) where the airing of TWOZ was indeed an event. We used to schedule slumber parties around it! It was a real treasure to look forward to. ❤️

[@charlesslovenski7103]

Thank you. This was a total eye-opener. I’ve watched and read everything about the filming of Wizard of Oz but never have seen this insight into the fact that this film had FOUR directors and so much pre-production chaos. It is a testament to the performers - and especially Judy Garland - that the focus of the film so tight and clear. We know that she paid a price, but your explanation describes how it happened, out of her control of course, and this is news. What a tenacious performer she was. I am of the generation that watched this film as a child from 1960 onwards through CBS, where it became iconic. Your reporting is excellent.

[@MaskedMan66]

Careful saying things like Judy "paid a price." There is a lot of nonsense talked about the time she had making the movie, and to hear some of it, you'd think that the people who tell it wanted her to have suffered.

[@deborahklinlger8565]

​@MaskedMan66 Of course not. The studio executives were responsible for getting a young Judy addicted to pills ( diet pills) and other drugs which set her up to addictions for the rest of her life which led to an early death b'4 age 50. To keep her weight down for one. Judy was so talented & it's so sad what they did to this lady for money. Granted it is an iconic film much loved by the public. I was born in '57 & remember watching it once a year on TV & then owning it on DVD. The story is about power & courage & love & bravery & music & great storytelling & gratitude & great actors & other good character traits to aim for. IT'S so sad that such abuses happened during it's creation.

[@Junior6288]

Great essay! I would listen/watch to deep dives on Wizard of Oz, for hours!

[@Tulpen23]

I love your videos but hesitated to click on this one, as I expected it to focus on the same aspects nearly any other video out there recalling the making of this movie does. I'm glad I gave in though - you actually chose a different frame from which to analyze it than I've yet seen, sharing nuance of detail that was actually new to me! Thanks for providing new insight into one of my favorite movies!

[@winslowmason8400]

I've always been amazed at how the magic of the Wizard of Oz survived all the turnmoil behind it. Thanks for taking on that question and providing more insight that what had already been discussed or written about. Your channel is great!

[@MaskedMan66]

Because there was very little "turmoil" all told.

[@leylalj1207]

I've missed you! Great vid as always!

[@bilboswaggins7596]

it'd be amazing if you did a little series on the wizard of oz, i'd die for a video from you on shirley temple's experiences, her film career ending movie the blue bird made as fox's compromise for her contractually not being allowed to be MGM's dorothy, and how they eventually cast judy garland. this video came out at a great time because i was having a rough day and i love your channel AND i love deep dives into the wizard of oz's production so this is like medicine ❤ great video

[@MaskedMan66]

Shirley was never seriously in the running for the role of Dorothy; it really was Judy's from the start.

[@Lei-AICPhD]

The gorgeous way you tell these stories! Im in love with it! Thank you so very very much!!!

[@rahulsaran836]

I was just watching What's My Line? Feat. Judy Garland, and you dropped this. Made my day 😍😍

[@bretchisenhall]

I've said for years they should do a Feud-like series that's Wizard of Oz production vs Gone with the Wind production.

[@shuegottschalk]

Hi, just wanted to pop in to say I appreciate how much depth and context your reviews always provide 😊. I can't imagine how much time and clarity that must take, and so glad I discovered your channel...❤ it!

[@guilhermeemanuel3361]

Love the vídeo. Keep going .

[@hiyahandsome]

Thank you for your terrific analysis of the making of The Wizard of Oz. What an interesting comparison of the directors on the picture, and done in your engrossing and well-researched style. Such a beautiful film deserves to be seen in a movie theater but as you mentioned, most of us saw it for the first time on TV in our living rooms. You really illuminated why this film has such resonance long after childhood. Cheers~

[@devilica99]

you're videos are amazing! i really appreciate what you do.

[@berjaboy]

Always thought the Kansas scenes in The Wizard of Oz were so well done for their time. The use of matte paintings of expansive prairie and farmlands, the realistic yet unearthly farmhouse/barn compound, and despite the reddish-brown sepia color, this part of the film had an almost psychedelic feel to it.

[@MaskedMan66]

Not "for their time." For al time.

[@philippeh3904]

My favourite film of all time. So excited that you’re covering it.

[@robertgoyette5863]

YESSSSS great job as always bkr!

[@robertgoyette5863]

also in your research did you turn up why mgm didnt have fritz lang direct oz? i feel like he was the ideal director of a massive mythic fairytale like this-hed already done it multiple times in germany on movies that were massive hits.

[@BigCityPalooka]

Beautifully done. Thank you.

[@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy]

Welcome back! ❤️

[@maxr7616]

a surprise bkr upload is the best way to turn a day around!

[@ricksgrandauditorium8790]

Super well done. Very well written. Very good job on this video. Thank you for this.

[@NeilMP]

I love your content very professionally done

[@wolfieamadeus]

I recently listened to the podcast What Went Wrong's episode about the making of this film. It was a fantastic episode, but that show just makes me love your channel even more! And, it definitely had me thinking "I need to see BKE's coverage of this!" Yay!

[@whammy8139]

Great vidéo thank you !!

[@denisefreitas6727]

Superb video! Loved it!

[@hannahrobbins1017]

I have a friend who’s totally colorblind and he recently said he remembers watching this as a kid with friends and everyone else gasping at the transition or Oz while he couldn’t see what the big deal was 😂

[@fab0392]

Thank u for making my sunday even better

[@pauliboyx]

going to be the best hour of my sunday thank you so much for this!

[@john1973m]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 this was so much more than a “making of” video. So well done .

[@jessicamckay0514]

Excellent as always!

[@nya5945]

I love it when I get a notification!! Your videos are amazing ❤️❤️

[@joelinpa185]

Very interesting! I have watched other documentaries about Oz, but yours is the first that focuses mostly on the different directors and what they brought to the film.

[@graphosxp]

I first saw this movie on TV and only in black & white. Years and years later imagine my surprise to see it in actual color after so many B&W viewings!

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Great interview

[@catherineputnam2046]

This is my favorite movie of all time! I don’t remember when I first watched it because I was so little and because I watched it every single day for a year. I’ve seen it well over 1,000 times at this point. It’s one of those movies that never gets old, the magic is always there. I love it with all of my heart. Thank you for the wonderful video, though all of your videos are wonderful. ❤️

[@beckettkenny9690]

Would you do a video on Babylon with historic context, or about Clara Bow? I’d love to hear your take!

[@fardoolie]

You are an amazing KZbinr. Excellent as always.

[@Xepscern]

BABE WAKE UP NEW BKR JUST DROPPED

[@gj8683]

Learned so much about this landmark film, which I watched year-to-year on TV as a kid. Excellent coverage, production, and editing. Well, how could I forget that I'd already subscribed?

[@Leah-xu2fd]

Thank you for making this video! I love how you have taken a mess of Hollywood myths and ironed out the wrinkles and got us to the real story behind the film. 39 was a crazy year for films, and honestly, learning about the making of both Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind is even more fascinating now than the stories they convey. Thank you for making these videos. You love the same things I do, and it is so nice to have someone out there who appreciates how history is created. Oz is classic literature! Those books are a fantastic read that are entertaining. They didn't go too far into the crazy life of Oz. This movie is one of my childhood cornerstone films, I know I watched it as early as 2, so I have been watching it for 30 years now on the regular. As a former nanny, then mom, I really do watch it at least once a year and always happily. But when I read the books, I was so bummed they didn't really go so hard into the source material. It would have been a totally different movie! It's hardly anything like the book, and now the film has eclipsed the series, and if a true book adaptation does come along, this movie will be the gold standard that every Wizard of Oz is held against It is a little sad for fans of the book, but at least we have them to expand the world of Oz.

[@user-zn8vy7pe8w]

This is a very well researched and unique presentation. Just, wow.

[@reneea9119]

I greatly enjoyed your informative and entertaining deep dive of all the complicated details the public rarely knows about. 👏👏

[@depalma13]

The cutting out of the weathervane character was probably the biggest reason the movie didn’t the award for best picture. His wanting of a new apartment was so admirable and inspirational and yet they left all of it on the cutting room floor.

[@buzzawuzza3743]

The Wizard Of Oz is fun and freaky and I haven't seen it in decades. The scenes are so memorable you don't forget them.

[@Nikki-tx6kh]

I was just watching a doc about Wicked and you're coming up with a video about The Wizard of Oz. That's good timing.

[@MaskedMan66]

Not really, considering that they aren't connected.

[@moramaylocklin4544]

Thank You For Your Great Documentary.

[@whenthepicturesgotbigger]

Congratulations on the full-time KZbin commitment! I really respect the focus on the directors of Oz and not the typical rundown of who was mean to Judy and when. Almost all of this was new information to me!

[@TVandManga]

Brilliant video!

[@Thecoochincanoocheecreek]

One of my favorite movies, and I’m so happy that my three year old is now just as obsessed as I was.

[@mparis130]

This was fascinating!

[@creatinotionchannel2680]

Great video as always. Very insightful. Yes I remember throughout the 70s and 80s when this still was shown once a year. I saw it as a child first on tv in the 70s and watched it ever year. In my alltime top 10 favorite movies. You cannot beat that great chemistry of the Judy, Jack, Ray, and Bert. They each were perfectly cast and had awesome chemistry.

[@Farzee49]

I watched Wizard of Oz on CBSvin the 1980s when it aired during the Easter airing yearly in the spring. Lots of excitement and tons of nostalgia around this movie! Grateful for this inside take here on your channel.

[@zombie_snax]

Incredible piece, this literally could have been a thesis. BRAVO 👏

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Wonderful, as always. Will be longing for your Stanwycktrospective til the day it drops tho. Patiently. You bring her up enough that I trust she's already in your pre-production mode/phase.