The Wizard of Oz

Do I even need to tell you about this movie? I suppose it is my duty as the creator of this collection to describe it to the only two people on earth that have never heard of this movie and who, by some miracle, are reading this entry right now. The Wizard of Oz follows the young Dorothy Gale and her adventure through the wondrous land of Oz to find a way back home to Kansas. It might seem odd that such a simple kids film would become such a beloved piece of pop culture. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert put it perfectly, “The Wizard of Oz has a wonderful surface of comedy and music, special effects and excitement, but we still watch it six decades later because its underlying story penetrates straight to the deepest insecurities of childhood, stirs them and then reassures them.”

Directed by Victor Fleming, King Vidor (uncredited)

Produced by Mervyn LeRoy

Screenplay by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf

Based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin

Music by Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by Harold Rosson

Edited by Blanche Sewell

Production company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by Loew's, Incorporated

Release date: August 25, 1939

Running time: 101 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $2.8 million

Box office: $26.1 million