Off to Munchkin Land

Ever since I saw the movie “The Wizard of Oz” I was ready to head off to Munchkin land. Why? You probably want to know. Well if you remember it was such a colorful and sunny land. All those darling munchkins and they all sang and danced. I would probably open up a diner for them and live happily ever after away from this crazy and weird world. After all, if I get a bit bored I can always head off to the Emerald City for some entertainment. They do have that interesting horse of a different color there. The words and music for this wonderful and delightful movie were by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and Harold Arlen.

The movie had its world premiere in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on August 12, 1939.

The only friends Dorothy had on the farm were the farm hands – Hunk/Scarecrow played by Ray Bolger, Hickory/Tin Man by Jack Haley, and Zeke/Cowardly Lion by Bert Lahr and isn't it interesting that they all accompanied Dorothy in her dream as the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.

Dorothy's Auntie Em played by Clara Blandick could not help her save Toto from the clutches of their neighbor Miss Gulch who later appeared as the Wicked Witch of the West portrayed by the actress Margaret Hamilton.

All of the lovable characters and happenings in “The Wizard of Oz” came from the children’s book by Frank Baum “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. I admire a writer who can take you from an ordinary world and place you in the middle of Munchkin Land and from there on to the Emerald City. So many adventures in between and I remember when I first saw this movie on TV I had nightmares about that Wicked Witch of the West especially since I knew quite a few ladies that fit that bill and I wasn’t sure which one might get me. Anyone who has experienced a tornado and survived has realized that you don’t get transported out of Kansas and if you were caught up in a tornado you could only pray for your life. However, it is much more delightful to think that you could ride on top of a tornado and land in a sunny and completely different world far away from your present troubles.

It all begins with a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy and her dog Toto. Of her three companions on the way to the Emerald City the brainless Scarecrow, the Tin Man that had no heart, and the cowardly Lion. My first favorite was the scarecrow. I guess I associated more with him because I was still going to school and sometimes I felt pretty brainless myself. That Wicked Witch of the West made me want to smack her right in the face with a frying pan every time she made that annoying and horrid cackle of hers. I was doing cartwheels by the time Dorothy melted her. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” was first published in 1900 and finally made into a movie and set to music in 1939.

When things went from bad to worse for Dorothy and she had to surrender Toto to the nasty neighbor Mrs. Gulch she decides to run away and encounter Professor Marvel played by Frank Morgan who convinces her to return home. Later we meet up with him again as The Wizard of OZ but was he really a wizard?

Images I'll never forget:

The castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Remember that first look at the Emerald City and all that green just dazzling the eyes?

Remember those flying monkeys? Do remind me, do monkeys really fly?

The Wicked Witch of the West writes Surrender Dorothy over Emerald City.

Among my favorite scenes the witch shrieking – I'm melting, I'm melting” Who knew it would be so easy to get rid of her?

What really made “The Wizard of Oz” a wonderful success of course was the magical singing voice of Judy Garland as Dorothy. Everyone fell in love with the marvelous song “Over the Rainbow” and it won the 1940 Oscar for Best Song. It later became known as the number-one song on the Songs of the Century list which was made up in 2001 by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Lots of other delightful and memorable songs also came from the movie like “If I Only Had a Brain”, The Munchkin song “The Lollipop Guild” and of course, the memorable “We’re Off to See the Wizard”.

“If I Only Had a Brain” The Scarecrow

“If I Only Had a Heart” The Tin Man

“If I Only Had the Nerve” The Cowardly Lion

“We're Off the See the Wizard”

Those unforgettable quotes:

Dorothy walks outside into Munchkin Land and says to her every patient dog, Toto “I don't think we're in Kansas anymore”. Wherever you live aren't there days when things turn topsy-turvy and you feel as if you have gone to another world?

Dorothy's first real friend in Munchkinland was Glinda the Good Witch of the North played by Billie Burke who placed the ruby slippers on her feet.

That nasty Wicked Witch of the West “I'll get you and your little dog too”. I've had neighbors who have reminded me of her and were just as nasty.

And those friends Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion with Toto close behind - “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” Actually, the Lion joined them after the first time they were saying this.

Finally, shall we all sing it together?

“Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is Dead”

This movie is like an old friend. You might not see it for a while but then you want to return to watch it again.