The Wizard Of Oz Review
The lavish MGM production of L._Frank_Baum's children's book may have lost a million dollars on its initial release, but its songcraft, technical artistry, star-making performance from Judy_Garland, and unexpected TV success turned it into a perennial classic. With future ace MGM musical producer Arthur_Freed lending producer Mervyn LeRoy an uncredited hand in pre-production, Cedric_Gibbons' art direction, Adrian's costumes, and Hal_Rosson's sparkling cinematography maximized the creative potential of Technicolor film, as Dorothy goes "over the rainbow" from a sepia-toned black-and-white Kansas to a fantastically rendered Oz of ruby slippers, emerald cities, and yellow brick roads. Lent ample support by vaudeville vets Ray_Bolger, Jack_Haley, and Bert_Lahr, neophyte Garland delivered a touching performance as Dorothy, proving that she had the acting talent to match her superb singing. As with Gone With the Wind, the film went through several directors and Victor_Fleming got the credit; King_Vidor directed the Kansas sequences, including Garland's solo "Over the Rainbow." Almost cut for the sake of pacing, "Over the Rainbow" became an Oscar winner for Best Song and a Garland standard. Although the 2.7-million-dollar film wilted at the box office, The Wizard of Oz was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture (which it lost to Gone With the Wind), winning for Herbert_Stothart's score and Harold_Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's song. It was the first feature sold for prime-time TV telecast, and its 1956 TV debut was a ratings hit, finally turning it into the crowd-pleasing blockbuster that MGM had always meant it to be. Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
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