Musical

Back in the early days of television, it was a tradition every year around April to show The Wizard Of Oz. Over the years, with cable and the battles over movie rights, this tradition has stopped. But The Wizard Of Oz still remains a timeless classic.

The movie was made in 1939. Had it not been up against such power houses as "Gone With The Wind" it just might have won the Oscar for best picture. Those were the days when they really made great movies, especially great musicals.

Oz was directed by Victor Fleming and the music written by Harold Arlen. The movie almost didn't get made. There were many production problems. The most famous of these was the problem that the original Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, had with his costume. He was allergic to it and had to be recast. Ironically, his replacement Jack Haley, was just perfect for the part.

Oz is a movie with a very important moral, and while the movie itself was pure fantasy, the moral itself was quite important and dead on. The grass really is greener on the other side of the street until you take a walk over there. Then you realize that it isn't any better than where you were.

Dorothy is that girl who thinks the grass is greener on the other side. She doesn't feel appreciated at home and decides to run away. But fate steps in and in her efforts to save her family from a coming tornado, she gets swept up in the storm and taken to Munchkin Land. From there begins her quest to find her way back home.

Along the way she meets the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, each in need of something that they are missing; the scarecrow a brain, the tin man a heart and the lion, courage. So begins their search to reach the great Wizard Of Oz in hopes that he can give them the things they are looking for.

If you've seen the movie then you know how it ends. If not, rent the DVD. It's a must see for everyone between the ages of 1 and 100.

Musically, the movie isn't exactly a great collection of toe tappers. "Over The Rainbow" is one of the greatest songs every written and nobody sings it any better than Judy Garland. The remaining tunes are catchy and cute. But the real charm of this movie is not so much the music but how the story unfolds and shows a girl who at one time wanted nothing to do with home and finally ends up wanting nothing more than to just be home again.

The casting for this masterpiece was flawless. Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr will always be identified with Dorothy's three friends. Margaret Hamilton will always be the Wicked Witch Of The West. And Henry Morgan will always be the Wizard Of Oz.

If there is such a thing as perfection, this movie would be a certain nominee for that honor.