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Many have noticed the following trend in recent years, and it strikes everyone as incredibly odd. Whenever a major Hollywood studio pours millions into a high-profile movie musical, they insist on eschewing the fact that they have done so in the film's advertising. One might note that the early previews for Jon M. Chu's "Wicked" didn't feature any of the film's songs, despite being based on one of the most popular Broadway musicals of all time. Likewise, trailers for "Mufasa: The Lion King" didn't boast any of the film's songs, despite them having been written by Disney superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. Earlier this year, previews from the musical rendition of "Mean Girls," also adapted from a Broadway show, didn't have any singing in them, and the ads for the 2023 hit "Wonka" were also song-free. 

This has led many pundits and critics to ask why Hollywood is manufacturing a stigma against musicals.

Buddy Ebsen was forced to sign an exclusive contract with MGM for two years after Louis B. Mayer threatened to ruin his career. During this contract period, he was cast in the role of Scarecrow in the musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel, The Wizard of Oz. He was all set to play the character until actor Ray Bolger swooped in and took the role for himself.

Buddy Ebsen in a still from Barnaby Jones | Credits: CBS

The film’s producer Arthur Freed, who cast Ebsen as Scarecrow, told him that he would be Tin Woodman instead of his originally intended character. That decision almost ended his Hollywood career and his life. Ebsen began experiencing body aches and shortness of breath once the filming began and the doctors determined that his makeup caused his health issues.

Buddy Ebsen’s Exit From The Wizard of Oz Role...

From performing in The Gumm Sisters to gaining international stardom for her role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was one of the most iconic actresses of her time. But the very movie that established her fame also exploited her in many ways. From the Munchkins making her life miserable on set to now the revelation that one element of the movie also put her life in mortal danger.

Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz | Credits: MGM

The snow that was in the movie to make it more cinematically pleasing was actually very harmful and could have had a very harmful effect on the actress.

How The Wizard of Oz Put Judy Garland’s Life in Danger?

The Wizard of Oz was truly a classic that launched actress Judy Garland to international stardom. While her memorable performance gained everyone’s attention, it also had several questionable elements attached to it.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus began her career in comedy, as so many comedians do, with the Second City, the stalwart and long-lived comedy troupe based in Chicago. She was only 21, but Louis-Dreyfus gave such an impressive performance at a Second City event that she was immediately asked to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live." It seems that NBC talent scouts lurk at Second City performances all the time. She starred on "SNL" from 1982 until 1985, becoming friends with writer Larry David during her tenure. A few years later, David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld created the sitcom "Seinfeld," wherein Louis-Dreyfus starred as Jerry's friend Elaine.

"Seinfeld," once might recall, was something of a hit, lasting 180 episodes over nine seasons. Louis-Dreyfus was nominated for seven Emmys, winning one. She would go on to win another Emmy for her performance in "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and an additional nine Emmys for "Veep," eight of them for acting.

Four new singers showed up on The Masked Singer this week. One of the new singers went home at the night’s end when fans voted out Savannah Chrisley’s Afghan Hound after the Smackdown round. That final round saw Gumball beat out Afghan Hound to move on in the competition.

Here is what we know about Gumball on The Masked Singer and who we think is under that costume.

Gumball On The Masked Singer

Gumball performed twice on Wizard of Oz night on The Masked Singer. The first song he performed was a medley of two songs. The first was “If I Only Had A Heart” by Jack Haley and “Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson. Of course, that first song was straight out of The Wizard of Oz movie. The Smackdown saw Gumball and Afghan Hound sing “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.”

The clues package also started with a...

One of our favorite fellows competing on “The Masked Singer” season 11 is disguised as the Gumball. He wowed the crowd in his first appearance on March 13 with a medley of “If I Only Had a Heart” by Jack Haley and “Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson. It became clear quite quickly that this contender is someone who has made his living by raising his voice in song.

Forget those guesses by the judges Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Rita Ora and Robin Thicke that Gumball is Chace Crawford, Jamie Dornan or Kevin Jonas. We’ve rewatched that first performance and taken another look at his clues package. We are sure we’ve cracked the code as to Gumball’s true identity. Keep reading as we have all your “The Masked Singer” spoilers, including the answer to the question, “Who is Gumball?”

We are absolutely certain that the Gumball is Scott Porter, star...

It's well known to fans of "The Wizard of Oz" that actor Ray Bolger was originally cast to play the Tin Man and famed comedian Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow. They swapped roles at Bolger's insistence, as Bolger had a personal attachment to the role; he was inspired to become an actor after seeing Vaudevillian Fred Stone play the part on stage when Bolger was a child. Ebsen was fine with changing roles, although he had to drop out of production due to makeup problems. The silvery Tin Man makeup contained powered aluminum and Ebsen breathed in big clouds of it, making him sick. At the time, many merely assumed Ebsen had an allergy. Ebsen was replaced with Jack Haley, and the makeup was altered to be a paste instead of a powder.

With the possible exception of "Star Wars," no film's production has been more meticulously recorded...

Once upon a time, on a planet without widely accessible internet, people could spread outlandish urban legends without being instantly debunked. Actually, they can still do that, provided the recipient of said ludicrous information has been conditioned by bad-faith actors to doubt what educated people refer to as facts ... but you're here to learn why Bryan Cranston panicked over a stunt on "Malcolm in the Middle," so let's cut to the chase.

Cranston was born in 1956. This means he was eight years old when "Goldfinger" became a global phenomenon. For kids of his era, Bond movies represented the apex of cinema. It was just about all they wanted to talk about. And people found some amusingly inventive ways to talk about them.

I was born in 1973, and by the time I was old enough to get in on the Bond discourse, one of the wildest stories still making the rounds was that actor Shirley Eaton,...

This post was originally published on September 22, 2022. It has been updated to include news of Norman Lear's death on December 6, 2023.

There was a remarkable stretch of time in the 1970s when Norman Lear, who died December 6, 2023 at age 101, was America’s cultural talisman. He just knew how to gather a crowd around their TV sets.

In the early years — his first television credit was in 1951, writing jokes for Jack Haley (aka the Tin Man) on Ford Star Revue — Lear was content merely to be funny. But as the 1960s unfolded, he became one of those people in Hollywood trying to figure out how to turn American unrest into entertainment; that is, to be both funny and relevant.

Click here to read the full article.

Kenya Barris is set to do a fresh take on The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Barris will reimagine the Oscar-winning fantasy musical, which starred Judy Garland, Billie Burke, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley. Warner Bros. Pictures owns the rights to the 1939 Hollywood classic.

Barris will also produce Wizard of Oz through his production banner, Khalabo Ink Society.

Warner Bros. was developing an animated Wizard of Oz retelling, working with veteran scribe Mark Burton. The film, from Toto’s perspective, was to be based on a children’s book by War Horse writer Michael Morpurgo, which tells the story of Dorothy’s trip through Oz through the eyes of her faithful dog.

Elsewhere, Snoop Dogg and Barris are teaming for The Underdoggs comedy for MGM, with Charles Stone to direct, and MGM and Barris are...

The Oscars has racked up the most Emmy wins over the decades since it first started airing on the small screen in 1953. To date this annual celebration of the best in movies has racked up 54 wins from 280 nominations for TV’s highest honor. And there is no end to the Emmys winning streak in sight. Indeed, even though the more recent editions of the annual Academy Awards ceremonies have disappointed TV critics, they still fare well in many of the technical categories.

For the first 25 years that the Oscars were telecast, the ceremonies earned little in the way of Emmys simply because the TV kudos didn’t have categories to accommodate them. The first two Oscar telecasts, in 1953 and 1954, were huge ratings hits, but the first Emmy nomination came only with the third telecast, in 1955. The show competed in the category of best special event or news program. The NBC...

Margaret Hamilton with Ray Bolger and Jack Haley in an MGM promotional photo for "The Wizard of Oz".

Movie lovers associate actress Margaret Hamilton almost exclusively with her immortal portrayal of the Wicked Witch in the 1939 MGM classic "The Wizard of Oz". However, as writer Veronika Bondarenko points out in a column for Pocket Worthy, there was much more to the woman and her talents. Hamilton was proud of her performance in "Oz" but ultimately resented the fact that her other career achievements were largely ignored by the public and critics. She appeared in such diverse productions as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "13 Ghosts", "My Little Chickadee", "The Red Pony", "Brewster McCloud" and "The Anderson Tapes". She was also a veteran of stage productions and appeared in countless hit TV shows.

To read about her remarkable life and career, click here.

Professor Marvel’s crystal ball probably didn’t predict that the Avengers could go on to star in The Wizard of Oz, but a deepfake called The Avengers of Oz, posted back in March by NextFace, manages to get the job done.

The clip, which re-imagines the classic 1939 musical fantasy film using deepfake tech, casts Tom Holland as Dorothy, Robert Downey Jr as Scarecrow, Chris Pratt as Tin-Man and Chris Hemsworth as the Cowardly Lion, roles that were originally played by Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr respectively.

You can watch The Avengers of Oz below, but it cannot be unseen.

A deepfake earlier this year that imagined Holland and Downey Jr as Marty and Doc Brown in Back to the Future instead of Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd initially provoked a negative response from the young actor, though he later found the fun in it.

Burbank, CA, August 22, 2019 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 1939’s acclaimed and beloved classic The Wizard of Oz will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on October 29th. Directed by Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind) and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gayle, The Wizard of Oz is widely considered to be one of the most influential films in cinematic history.

Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz officially premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman.

Chicago – The Windy City is off to see the Wizard again, as the Grant Park Music Festival celebrates the 80th Anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. The festivities include a costume party, hosted by Linda Kollmeyer (“The Lottery Lady”), followed by the presentation with a live orchestra accompaniment – on the Park’s giant Led screen – of the classic 1939 film.

The event is free and open to the public in both the “seating bowl” area and lawn, and begins at 6:30pm with the costume party, with the screening at 8pm. For more information, click here.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Millennium Park

Photo credit: Warner Home Video

At the time of the late 1930s filming of “The Wizard of Oz,” the idea of an event children’s film was brand new. The film stars Judy Garland in...

On this day in history at it relates to showbiz...

The Director and I

1787 Mozart competes his chamber piece "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" which has shown up in dozens of films over the years, many of which are classics. Here is but a small sampling of films that have used it in the past 40 years or so: Picnic at Hanging Rock, Alien, Sophie's Choice, The Bride, Hope & Glory, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, GI Jane, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Milk, and April and the Extraordinary World.

1896 Oscar nominated director Walter Lang (The King and I, 1956) is born

1897 Jack Haley is born. Enters screen immortality when he gets the part of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz when Buddy Ebsen has a terrible allergic reaction to the makeup...

Did you ever see an actor/actress in a famous role and then hear later that they were not the first, or even the second choice to play the iconic part? Many of the legendary movie characters began as a vehicle for a different star than the one who we know-and-love in the part. Here are a few of the greatest examples of famous "Almosts'.

Christopher Walken As Han Solo: George Lucas had a very hard time finding his Han Solo in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). This character was the last of the lead figures to be cast. Lucas’ leading contender at one point was none other than Christopher Walken. Just think about the possibilities in that performance! However, a chance meeting with Harrison Ford (Who was working as a carpenter at the time) inspired Lucas to cast Ford in the part instead, which launched him into super stardom in the 80s.

Two 1980's science fiction efforts from the 'eighties: Millennium is an expensive book adaptation with Kris Kristofferson and Cheryl Ladd navigating a time travel story about body snatchers from the future. R.O.T.O.R is direct to video and strictly from hunger. Oh, the agony… However, both films surely have lessons to teach the budding filmmaker who thinks moviemaking is easy. Millennium and R.O.T.O.R. Blu-ray Color Scream Factory Street Date February 23, 2016 / 26.99

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Scream Factory plumbs the depths of the MGM library, which includes not only the holdings of United Artists, Orion and the old American-International Pictures, but also an alphabet soup of smaller outfits that were bought up in the 1990s. The independent productions seen on this Scream Factory Blu-ray double bill give us two kinds of science fiction properties. One is an expensive Canadian production with a big star, and the other is a...

Anne Marie back with the next installment in our new Judy Garland series. Before she was a legend, Frances Gumm was a contract player. This meant that MGM could loan her out to other studios. It was common practice for both large stars and minor players. But what makes you Frances unique is how rare it was for her. Today's musical marks the only time MGM loaned out Judy Garland; the rest of her contract with the studio would be spent snugly - if not comfortably - within the white walls of Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Judy's next short would kick off the Garland legend, and jumpstart the young teen's career.   The Movie: Pigskin Parade (20th Century Fox, 1936) The Songwriters: Lew Pollack (Music), Sidney D. Mitchell (Lyrics) The Players: Stuart Erwin, Patsy Kelly, Betty Grable, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, directed by David Butler The Story: Already under contract to MGM...

As in a great Halloween costume, makeup is an important aspect of film. Join us as we examine 10 films where makeup effects played a very large role.

Using Makeup to Create A Style

Example: Edward Scissorhands (1990)

While Edward Scissorhands may be one of Burton’s most beloved characters because of Johnny Depp’s performance, the character is also memorable for his looks. For starters, there is his birds-nest hair. The wispy cob-webb look not only reassured audiences of Edward’s sad, lonely and parentless existence, but it also became an easy identifier for Burton’s gothic style. Indeed, Edward’s wild, untamed yet solid hairstyle was similar to that of Beetlejuice, whose film came out two years prior, and would be similar to many other characters we would see in later Burton films.

Edward’s pasty white make-up helped audiences to understand that he was not just a normal man.

Los Angeles' Bendix Building. Photo by Jordan Cronk.The bats have left the bell towerThe victims have been bled Red velvet lines the black boxBela Lugosi's dead —BauhausBela-Bonkers Brit Bloke Brazenly Boosts Bendix-Building Black Bandana!In the annals of Los Angeles crime, it was hardly an episode to titillate James Ellroy. Was it even really a crime? I was on the short stairwell that connects the 11th—the top—floor of the Bendix Building, a Garment District block on the corner of Maple St and 12th St, when I spotted the square of white-patterned black cotton. Into my pocket it rapidly went, compensation for the fact that my quest for rooftop access had been stymied. An orange plastic sign across the door up ahead, warning (bluffing?) of alarms that would ring out if opened, dissuaded further progress. I wasn't too disheartened—my unplanned visit to the Bendix Building had yielded sufficient delights.

All week long our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century.  Click here for a complete list of our essays. I was one of the first to select years for this particular exercise, which probably allowed me to select the correct year. The answer is, of course, 1974 and all other answers are wrong. No matter what your criteria happens to be, 1974 is going to come out on top. Again, this is not ambiguous or open to debate. We have to start, of course, with the best of the best. "Chinatown" is one of the greatest movies ever made. You can't structure a thriller better than Robert Towne and Roman Polanski do, nor shoot a Los Angeles movie better than John Alonzo has done. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway give the best performances of their careers, which is no small achievement. If you ask...

B&B Wildwood Theatre is having their March Retro Night on Thursday, April 2. They are showing the classic film, The Wizard Of Oz. Shows are at 4pm & 7pm.

This magical cinematic event finds Kansas farm girl Judy Garland (“A Star is Born,” “Meet Me in St. Louis”) caught in a tornado and magically transported to the Land of Oz. Needing help to return home, she is told to follow the Yellow Brick Road and find the powerful Wizard (Frank Morgan). On her perilous journey, she is befriended by the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) who help her battle the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) and her flying monkeys. Based on the classic book by Frank L. Baum, “The Wizard of Oz” is a dazzling motion picture achievement, featuring unforgettable songs (including Oscar-winner “Over the Rainbow”), scenery, and costumes.

Tickets...

This summer marked the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, and it was a big enough occasion that Warner Bros. not only retrofitted the classic fantasy film for a one-week IMAX 3D re-release but also spent $25m on marketing its brief return to theaters. Meanwhile, there’s absolutely no fanfare at all for the movie’s sequel, which also has a special birthday this year. No, I’m not referring to Return to Oz (which likely also won’t get much notice for its 30th anniversary next summer). There is another “Oz” movie that was more directly intended to be an official follow-up to the 1939 version, an animated feature titled Journey Back to Oz, which hit theaters on this day back in 1974. Aside from taking place soon after The Wizard of Oz and being mostly yet loosely adapted from L. Frank Baum’s second Oz book, “The Marvelous Land of Oz,” the...

10. Deliverance (1972)

Scene: Squeal Like a Piggy

Video: http://youtu.be/WqNMjZpSbnU

Word to the wise: just because someone plays a mighty fine banjo, it doesn’t mean he or any of his kin should be invited to your family picnic. Based on the James Dickey novel of the same name, Deliverance follows four businessmen as they decide to spend a weekend canoeing down a fictional river before it needs to be flooded. Lewis (Burt Reynolds) leads the crew as the most experienced, followed closely by Ed (Jon Voight). The two novices Bobby and Drew (Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) also join them. So, in remote Georgia, the four men set out to take in the beauty of nature. Before setting off, they come across a group of mountain men, all of which appear to be inbred. Drew engages in a banjo duet with one of the teenagers, but he doesn’t...

It's difficult to think of a film that has inspired more urban legends than Victor Fleming's 1939 children's classic The Wizard of Oz. Depending on who you believe, Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon syncs perfectly with the action (not true), the production was cursed with a series of horrendous accidents (true), and the Munchkins were all shag-happy party animals (also untrue, but a favourite talk show gag of star Judy Garland). Perhaps the tall tales have something to do with the hellish shoot, which involved five directors and at least 15 writers, or maybe it's because The Wizard of Oz is watched by a lot of stoned people.

What many don't seem to realise is that The Wizard Of Oz is itself a remake. L Frank Baum's original 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz (the first in a series of more than a dozen books) was filmed...

Photo courtesy Debbie Reynolds Studios

Debbie Reynolds – actor, singer, dancer, author, champion for the preservation of the artifacts of film history and for the understanding and treatment of mental illness – has been named the 51st recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.

Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the union’s highest accolade will be presented to the Oscar, Emmy and Tony-nominated Reynolds at the 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 at 8 p.m. (Et), 7 p.m. (Ct), 6 p.m. (Mt) and 5 p.m. (Pt).

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard praised Reynolds’ artistry over her very accomplished career, saying, “I’m thrilled that SAG-AFTRA is presenting our Life Achievement Award to Debbie Reynolds. She is a tremendously talented...

Orion Pictures

Film projects are hubs of not only bags of creativity and innovation but also inordinate amounts of stress and pressure so it should come as no surprise that they give birth to all these amazing stories and factoids which fascinate both cinephiles and casual fans alike.

Lesser known facts and trivia about films – much like movies themselves – have the power to inspire a surprisingly broad range of emotional reactions. Some of the points included in this list are just fascinating in their own right while others will have you splitting your sides with laughter and others could creep you out.

A recent post on Reddit discussing some of the coolest facts and trivia cinema has given us over the years had us desperate to do our own compilation of incredible facts which will hopefully be new to most of you.

Cinema is such a sprawling entity that has...

The end is here – if someone asked you what the most important movie musical of all time was, it would come from this portion of the list. Obviously, it’s all subjective, but it’s difficult to make a case against the influence of these films on our culture and the industry as a whole. So, cue the orchestra and practice your dance moves, because the closing number is here.

courtesy of rowthree.com

10. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Directed by John Badham

Signature Song: “Stayin’ Alive” (http://youtu.be/Fa9n7GirhsI)

After making a name for himself with TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” John Travolta became a star with 1977′s cultural landmark Saturday Night Fever, a dance musical where Travolta plays Tony Manero, a young man who works a dead-end job, but spends his weekends as the king of the dance floor at a Brooklyn disco. The soundtrack, which was...

It’s still one of the most beloved movies of all time, and “The Wizard of Oz” will get a huge tribute at the 86th Academy Awards in honor of its 75th anniversary.

The 1939 flick, starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton was nominated for six Oscars back in the day, including Best Picture.

And Academy Awards producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are looking forward to giving props to a film which has stood the test of time.

They told press, "We are delighted to celebrate the birthday of one of the most beloved movies of all time at this year’s Oscars.”...

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has unveiled the first three movies in the lineup for the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival, including the recently restored Gone with the Wind (1939) and a presentation of The Wizard of Oz (1939) in its stunning new IMAX 3D format. Set to take place in Hollywood April 10-13, the fifth-annual edition of the festival will also include a screening of the Harold Lloyd comedy classic Why Worry? (1923), with legendary silent-film composer Carl Davis conducting the live world premiere performance of his new original score. Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz are each celebrating their 75th anniversaries in 2014.

Passes for the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival are set to go on sale to the public Thursday, Nov. 14, at noon (Et). Passes can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: http://www.tcm.com/festival. Descriptions for the first three films on the festival slate are included below.

So it’s a bit early, but if any motion picture deserves a year-long celebration it’s this one. This weekend, film goers are getting a true treat. The 1939 (August to be exact) classic The Wizard Of Oz is back on Imax screens and in 3D for the very first time. Sure most of you have seen it on cable TV or on home video, but an opportunity to see this gem on the big screen should not be passed up. I mean this is a film that has become a huge part of our culture . The movie itself is legendary as are the stories about its making. There’s even a feature film comedy (Under The Rainbow) that’s set backstage (but I wouldn’t consider that Chevy Chase flick a classic).

Since I’m sure you’re familiar with the plot, lets’ talk about some of the backstage stories.

Don't forget that the classic film The Wizard of Oz is coming back to theaters, but this time it will be presented for the first time in IMAX 3D, just before the 75th Anniversary Blu-Ray hits shelves shortly thereafter. Now a cool featurette has surfaced showcasing all the hard work that went into restoring the film and converting it to 3D for the best possible presentation on the giant screen. From a brief display of how the crew outlines the imagery for 3D conversion to the use of the IMAX screen, this is a fantastic look into the restoration of a classic, and shows that this experience will truly be something to behold. Watch below! Here's the cool featurette for The Wizard of Oz IMAX 3D re-release from IMAX: The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man,...

With IMAX’s re-rerelease of the Warner Brothers classic The Wizard Of Oz, check out this special Behind the Frame featurette. This particular episode goes behind-the-scenes with both IMAX and Warner Brothers to shed light on the iconic classic brought back to life.

Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow,The Wizard of Oz™ opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Dorothy™ was portrayed by a 4’11″ sixteen-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”—the incomparable Judy Garland. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow™; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion™, Jack Haley as the Tin Man™. Frank Morgan...

In case you've forgotten, the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is coming back to theaters later this month, but will be presented for the first time in IMAX 3D for just one week before the 75th Anniversary Blu-Ray hits shelves later. Now the collectible arthouse Mondo is getting in on the action with an awesome new print from Graham Erwin featuring the yellow brick road traveling quartet. The 24″x36″ screen print in an edition of 275, and unfortunately, the print has already sold out, but we thought it was still pretty cool. Plus, everyone should be remindedto see The Wizard of Oz in theaters all over again or for the first time! Here's Graham Erwin's The Wizard of Oz print for Mondo via SlashFilm: The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Billie Burke...

Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz™ opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone With the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Dorothy™ was portrayed by a 4’11″ sixteen-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”—the incomparable Judy Garland. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow™; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion™, Jack Haley as the Tin Man™. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the wonderful “Wizard of Oz™” himself.

The film was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and repeated its ability to captivate audiences when M-g-m reissued the film in 1949 and...

As The Wizard of Oz opened in 1939, it.s not so shocking that much of its cast has passed away since then, and many of them.including Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), and Bert Lehr (Cowardly Lion)--decades ago. But some of the film.s smaller stars have lasted longest, helping to maintain the legacy of the adaptation of L. Frank Baum.s beloved book The Wonderful World of Oz. Of course, I.m referring to the Munchkins, but with CNN announcing the death of Margaret Pellegrini, there are only two left. Survived by 93-year-old Jerry Maren, who played a Lollipop Kid, and ninety-five-year-old Ruth Duccini, Pellegrini passed away on Monday at the age of 89 from complications following a stroke she suffered in 2012. Pellegrini, who was only three foot five inches tall, made her screen debut in The Wizard of Oz, playing a villager...

As The Wizard of Oz opened in 1939, it.s not so shocking that much of its cast has passed away since then, and many of them.including Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), and Bert Lehr (Cowardly Lion)--decades ago. But some of the film.s smaller stars have lasted longest, helping to maintain the legacy of the adaptation of L. Frank Baum.s beloved book The Wonderful World of Oz. Of course, I.m referring to the Munchkins, but with CNN announcing the death of Margaret Pellegrini, there are only two left. Survived by 93-year-old Jerry Maren, who played a Lollipop Kid, and ninety-five-year-old Ruth Duccini, Pellegrini passed away on Monday at the age of 89 from complications following a stroke she suffered in 2012. Pellegrini, who was only three foot five inches tall, made her screen debut in The Wizard of Oz, playing a villager...

Mary Boland movies: Scene-stealing actress has her ‘Summer Under the Stars’ day on TCM Turner Classic Movies will dedicate the next 24 hours, Sunday, August 4, 2013, not to Lana Turner, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Esther Williams, or Bette Davis — TCM’s frequent Warner Bros., MGM, and/or Rko stars — but to the marvelous scene-stealer Mary Boland. A stage actress who was featured in a handful of movies in the 1910s, Boland came into her own as a stellar film supporting player in the early ’30s, initially at Paramount and later at most other Hollywood studios. First, the bad news: TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" Mary Boland Day will feature only two movies from Boland’s Paramount period: the 1935 Best Picture Academy Award nominee Ruggles of Red Gap, which TCM has shown before, and one TCM premiere. So, no rarities like Secrets of a Secretary, Mama Loves Papa, Melody in Spring,...

Victor Fleming's 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz will soon be celebrating its 75th anniversary with an IMAX 3D release. Today, Warner Bros. has revealed, via Yahoo! Movies , a new trailer for the September event. Check it out in the player below! Based on the fantasy book series by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton and, after three quarters of a century, remains one of the most well-known works of cinema across the world. Following its one-week run beginning September 20, The Wizard of Oz will then arrive as a five-disc box set (which includes a disc playable on 3D televisions) on October 1.

75 years is so hard to imagine because The Wizard of Oz was introduced to all of us at one point or another as something new, but in honor of their major milestone, The Wizard of Oz will be releasing a special collectors edition. Here are a few featurettes on the Munchkins finally getting their Hollywood star and how hard remastering is when your job is to stay true to the original.

Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz with The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (3D Blu-ray™, Blu-ray™ +DVD + UltraViolet™). Bring home the 5-disc collection and revisit all your favorite Wizard of Oz moments and experience the film for the first time in 3D Blu-ray™. This collection is limited and numbered with many exclusive items and is available 10/1/2013 at www.thewizardofoz.com

Featurette: Wizard of Oz – Special Morning

Featurette: Wizard of Oz – Special Day

Featurette:...

Marking the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Warner Bros. has produced a 3D remastered version of the film which will launch a comprehensive, cross-divisional campaign encompassing theatrical, home entertainment, consumer products and a number of promotional partnerships.

Kicking off the celebration, The Wizard of Oz 3D will be presented in the immersive IMAX® 3D format and return to the big screen for an exclusive one-week engagement in IMAX® theatres across North America beginning September 20, 2013.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with IMAX® as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of this iconic film,” said Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures. “The Wizard of Oz IMAX® 3D Experience is an integral part of our studio-wide anniversary initiative and we are excited to give fans the rare opportunity to see this stunning version on the big screen.”

“The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved films...

Prepare to get a little peeved. Victor Fleming’s classic film The Wizard Of Oz is returning to theaters this September 20th. That’s the awesome news. For a one week run, Wizard Of Oz will be celebrating it’s imminent 75th anniversary…with an IMAX 3-D re-release.

Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton star in the 1939 pinnacle of cinema, but then again, you knew that. Purists might be angered at the re-release, but it’s par for the course at this point.

After the one week run, a five disc Blu-Ray 3D box set will be released on October 1st, featuring a disc playable on 3D televisions.

Victor Fleming's 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz will soon be celebrating its 75th anniversary and, while plans had already been announced for a 3D Blu-ray release on home video, Warner Bros. today announced (via USA Today ) that the film will receive a 3D re-release in IMAX theaters in September. Based on the fantasy book series by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bulger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton and, after three quarters of a century, remains one of the most well-known works of cinema across the world. Set for a one-week run beginning September 20, The Wizard of Oz will then arrive as a five-disc box set (which includes a disc playable on 3D televisions) on October 1. The film will mark the second...

We knew it would happen one day. They finally converted The Wizard of Oz to glorious, gimmicky 3D. But - why?! The official announcements comes from USA Today (via SlashFilm), where they reveal plans for a limited one-week IMAX 3D special engagement of the 1939 Oscar-winning technicolor musical classic. The film is getting a restoration for another Blu-Ray release and is the first high profile classic 3D upgrade, now being compared to color in Oz. "The sound was exceptional, the sharpness was exceptional, but it's the color that stands out. What they could do is truly amazing, maybe what people felt when they first saw it." The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch, will get its IMAX 3D re-release starting September 20th later this year.

James Franco seems to be everywhere on the IMDb (and on the world's screens) in 2013 Unlike the very unlucky Warner Bros., which has had no less than five box-office bombs so far this year (click on the link for more information), James Franco has been having a fantastic year so far, as he has been involved in some capacity or other in a number of widely debated films, among them two box-office successes, targeted to families of various shapes, fetishes, and entertainment orientations. (Pictured above: Franco with co-star Mila Kunis in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful.) Directed by the Spider-Man movies' Sam Raimi, the fantasy Oz, in which Franco plays the man who becomes The Wizard of Oz, took the no. 1 spot at the worldwide box office last weekend and managed to do it again at the domestic box office this weekend, March 15-17. Also this weekend, Harmony Korine...

With the release of Sam Raimi’s CGI-heavy fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful coming this weekend, it seems appropriate to look back in time more than 70 years to the release of one of the most influential films of all time: The Wizard of Oz. Based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” the story had been made into a film previously (once as a silent film in 1925 and again as a short film in 1933). However, it was Victor Fleming’s musical rendition of the story that left the brightest mark on the cinema landscape. This commentary was included on the 2005 DVD release, which is also included on the 70th anniversary 2009 DVD and Blu-ray discs. The late Sidney Pollack serves as emcee for the commentary, introducing archival interviews with cast, as well as family members of deceased cast and crew. The Wizard of Oz (1939) Commentators: John Fricke (historian), with archival...

Photo: MGM

Movie: The Wizard of Oz Release Year: 1939 Studio: MGM Director: Victor Fleming, George Cukor (uncredited), Mervyn LeRoy (uncredited), Norman Taurog (uncredited) and King Vidor (uncredited director of the Kansas scenes) Starring: Judy Garland as Dorothy, Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, The Wizard of Oz, The Gatekeeper, The Carriage Driver and The Guard, Ray Bolger as 'Hunk' and The Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as 'Zeke' and The Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as 'Hickory' and The Tin Man, Billie Burke as Glinda, Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West, Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry, Pat Walshe as Nikko, Clara Blandick as Auntie Em, Terry as Toto and The Singer Midgets as The Munchkins Cinematographer: Harold Rosson (Singin' in the Rain, The Asphalt Jungle) Note: Today's entry is running as a contribution to Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series at TheFilmExperience where several others have...

Review by Sam Moffitt

I can pinpoint the exact moment I became a film fan, a cinema buff, a Movie Geek if you will. It was while watching a television broadcast of Pigskin Parade, a college musical based around football, released by 20th Century Fox in 1936.

But a little background on myself first. Born in southeast Missouri in 1955 I can remember when television was a rare and exotic device. We knew a few neighbors near us in the little town I started growing up in, Hiram, Missouri who had televisions. Getting to watch it was a rare treat ,we knew a little old lady near us who had a television and she let us come over to watch shows like McKenzie’s Raiders and the Grey Ghost.

In 1959 my mother bought a television, a 19″ Motorola cabinet model. I can be sure of the year because I vividly remember the premiere episode of The Twilight Zone,...

5) The Wizard of Oz

It shocks people to know that The Wizard of Oz is actually a remake of hundreds of other “wizards of oz.” It was adapted from a theater production, starring Fred Stone. Ray Bolger was set to play the Tin man, but decided he wanted to play the Scarecrow after his idol Stone, so he switched the role with Buddy Ebsen. The Tin man costume was made out of aluminum, which Ebsen was allergic to and ended up almost suffocating him, so he was rushed to the hospital while his role now became Jack Haley’s. Haley wasn’t told why Ebsen had to leave but the costume was changed to aluminum paste. And after all this humility (since Ebsen had said it was the most humiliating moment of his life), Ebsen’s vocal are still in the movie- he sings most of the songs, while Haley...