**The Wizard of Oz - Oct. 25, 2005**

Timon/Pumbaa fan · Post by **Timon/Pumbaa fan** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:39 pm

YAY!

Like most people I really like this classic film! And since my sister has our only VHS, I'll be getting this DVD!

Poppins#1 · Post by **Poppins#1** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:44 pm

There is one good reason to double-dip for the upcoming release of "The Wizard of Oz" and that is the Ultra-resolution process. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a process that can only be used from films that were shot in the old three-strip technicolor process. Each black & white strip of film (representing the 3 primary colors) is scanned into the computer and they are digitally combined to result in a picture that is even more vibrant and sharp than the optically-combined prints that were originally shown in theaters. So far Warner home video has only done a handful of movies in this process and they are breathtakingly gorgeous to look at. They are:
Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Singin' in the Rain (2-disc version)
Meet Me in St. Louis
Gone With the Wind (4 disc version)
Easter Parade
The Band Wagon

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:51 pm

Does anyone have the VHS of Wizard of Oz. I heard in my class in a scene of the The Wizard of Oz you can see someone hanging in the background... yes the person did die.

It's not on the DVD verision they edited it out.

Also the actor that played the Tin man wore grey paint that burned his skin. So they hired a new tin man.

Also the Wicked witch green paint burn her skin and stayed on her for a while.

Disneykid · Post by **Disneykid** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:59 pm

The hanging person story is an urban legend. The thing that people keep claiming is a person hanging himself is actually a crane (as in a bird) in the background. They didn't edit anything out of the DVD version; you can see the bird quite clearly. It's definitely not a hanging person because:

1. The trees on the set were fake. If someone tried to hang himself, the branch would just break or bend to the ground.

2. You see Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man pass by the "hanging man." You don't think one of them would've noticed a guy killing himself and would've screamed for help? Also, with all of the crew spread out throughout the set, no one could hang themself (on camera, no less) without getting noticed.

This page explains it more: http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/ozsuicid.htm

The other stories you mentioned are true, though Buddy Ebsen (the original Tin Man) didn't get burned; the powder used for his makeup coated his lungs, causing him not to breathe. When Jack Haley replaced him, the makeup was changed from powder to paste.

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:02 pm

Then my professor is a complete wacko....

Thanks Disneykid............ how about the paint?

Disneykid · Post by **Disneykid** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:20 pm

Both the Tin Man and Wicked Witch stories you mentioned really did happen, along with other accidents:

* Terri (the dog that played Toto) got stepped on by one of the Winkie guards
* Billie Burke (Glinda) sprained her ankle
* the pipe on the Witch's broom that let out the "Surrender, Dorothy!" smoke exploded and injured the stunt double.

I hope the commentary track addresses these and the other bizarre things that happened on the set. Oz has one of the most facinating production histories of any film.

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:26 pm

So, Disneykid your a big fan of The Wizard of Oz.

I just want the DVD not really a fan.

Wonderlicious · Post by **Wonderlicious** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:59 am

It may be of interest to you, but on the new DVD, they could touch up on the Oz that might have been (yet fortunately wasn't):

10.8. How did the screenplay change as different scripts were written?

The writers often created new incidents to liven up the story. The original idea was to turn the story into a slapstick musical comedy, so there were a few deviations from what was written in the book. Some of the earlier scripts included a son for the Wicked Witch of the West whom she wanted to put on the throne of Oz, a stuck-up niece for Miss Gulch, a rescue from the Wizard's balloon by the Munchkin fire department, a singing princess and her cowardly suitor who gets transformed into a lion, a rainbow bridge that the witch constructs as a trap for Dorothy, and a romance between Dorothy and one of the farmhands. When the script got too bogged down, however, Langley, Ryerson and Woolf would turn to Baum's book for inspiration, and the results were generally an improvement.

http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/faq10.html#8

Also, does anyone think that they should include a partially restored version of the film with the remaining photos, storyboards etc going over the audio? And perhaps, as others said, a Dark Side of the Moon audio track.

Prince Adam · Post by **Prince Adam** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:56 am

What'd be nice is either a "History of..." or "Legacy of..." the Wizard of Oz which gives an overview of the different adaptations the story's gone through, and what each has brought to the tale.

Lucylover1986 · Post by **Lucylover1986** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 11:03 pm

Cool, I only have the vhs so I'm going to pick up this DVD for sure! I've seen the current DVD in stores for awhile but kept saying to myself they'll probably release a better version in the future since this one is pretty barebones and I was right!

magicalwands · Post by **magicalwands** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 11:47 am

yay! schedule more dates for dvds to be released!

the good ones at least

Poppins#1 · Post by **Poppins#1** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:38 pm

Lucylover1986 wrote:Cool, I only have the vhs so I'm going to pick up this DVD for sure! I've seen the current DVD in stores for awhile but kept saying to myself they'll probably release a better version in the future since this one is pretty barebones and I was right!

You call these features on the current disc barebones?

Behind-the-scenes documentary: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic," hosted by Angela Lansbury

Outtakes, including the rarely seen "Jitterbug" dance, plus Interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger & Jack Haley

Excerpts from previous versions of "Oz," including the 1914 and 1925 silent films and the 1933 cartoon version, and 5 rarely seen trailers and newsreel excerpts

Portrait gallery, special effects stills, and stills from the Hollywood premiere, Original sketches and storyboards, costume designs and make-up tests

Audio Supplements: Hours of original recording session material, and 2 audio bonuses--1939 radio broadcast with the first-ever public performance of "Over the Rainbow," and the promotional radio trailer "Leo is on the Air"

Lazario · Post by **Lazario** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:47 am

Disneykid wrote:I hope the commentary track addresses these and the other bizarre things that happened on the set. Oz has one of the most facinating production histories of any film.

I just want to thank you for all this information. You really seem to know a lot about this. This is all really interesting.

cydney · Post by **cydney** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:18 am

I just read this from Reuters:

Fans of "The Wizard of Oz" should be over the rainbow when the classic 1939 film is reissued on DVD on Oct. 25.
"Oz" will be available both as two- and three-disc sets, the latter boasting a new documentary about "Oz" author L. Frank Baum, Warner Home Video said Wednesday. They will be priced at $26.99 and $39.92, respectively. The film was originally released on DVD in October 1999 as a single disc.

Both versions of the upcoming "Oz" DVDs will include a new digital transfer of the original movie using Warner's proprietary "Ultra-Resolution" technology. The soundtrack has been remastered as well. Special features include a new commentary from historian John Fricke; four documentaries, including one on the restoration process; outtakes and deleted scenes; home movies made on the "Oz" set by composer Harold Arlen; and an "Oz Jukebox" of recording session materials, radio shows and promo spots.

The three-disc edition also includes four hours devoted to Baum; five pre-1939 "Oz" movies, the earliest of which dates to 1910; and reproductions of the invitation and program for the film's premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Disneykid · Post by **Disneykid** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:23 pm

Wow, they're coming out with a 3-Disc version as well?? I thought they were only going to release a 2-discer. The 3-Disc will be miiiiiine.

So the new features on this release will be three new documentaries (once of the documentaries was on the original DVD), four hours of stuff on L. Frank Baum, and five vintage Oz films. Way to go, WB!

lord-of-sith · Post by **lord-of-sith** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:17 pm

I'll probably get the 2-disc version because
1. It's Cheaper
2. The 3-disc set only has stuff that I wouldn't really watch.

MickeyMousePal · Post by **MickeyMousePal** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:26 pm

Wow!!!! Wizard of Oz three disc DVD I'm totally getting it....

Little Red Henski · Post by **Little Red Henski** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:50 pm

A 3rd disc of silent films?

It was going to take a lot for WB to make me double dip.

Big Worms · Post by **Big Worms** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:27 am

3 disc! Sign me up.

MICKEYMOUSE · Post by **MICKEYMOUSE** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:41 pm

COMING TO A HOME NEAR YOU.....OCT. 25 2005

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The Wizard of Oz - Oct. 25, 2005