Judy Garland playing Dorothy (the black furry thing under her arm is English Terrier Toto))

We passed through Salem, while on our way to the Maine, and we went to a witch museum explaining the witch history of Salem. However, it also talked about the evolution of the witches though history. At first, they were simply wise women who helped sick and pregnant people. Then people were very afraid of their powers and witches were then associated with evil and the devil. Then along came the Wizard of  Oz, and Hollywood made the witch what it is today. I was astounded that my parents did not know what the Wizard of Oz was about, I myself have never seen the movie nor read any of the books originally written by L. Frank Baum, but I still vaguely know the outlines of this classic story. This museum was not the first time we had seen allusions to the Wizard of Oz, that only I could understand. Here’s for you, and maybe we could buy the movie (*hint* *hint* ).

Movie Poster

The Wizard of Oz, named the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book wise, tells the story of 12 year old orphan Dorothy Gale. She lives in Kansas with her Aunt Em, and her Uncle Henry. During a violent tornado, she finds herself trapped in the house with her dog Toto, while her family is safely in the storm shelter outside. She gets knocked unconscious, and when she wakes up, she finds that she and her intact house are no longer in Kansas (the scenes, which in a sepia toned black and white, are now in full technicolor because she has arrived in Oz). She is in a strange village, and a witch named Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, tells her that her house has just landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East. The Munchkins, who live in the east, are all happy, and they celebrate the witch’s death. The Wicked Witch of West arrives, and claims ownership of the powerful ruby slippers that the dead witch owned. Glinda, however, quickly transfers them onto Dorothy’s feet. The angry Wicked Witch of the West leaves, swearing revenge on Dorothy, and Glinda proposes that Dorothy go and see the Wizard of Oz, in the Emerald City, and he will know what to do. She is told to follow the yellow brick road, and this is what she does. On the way, she meets and befriends the Scarecrow, who has no brain, the Tin Man, who has no heart, and the Cowardly Lion.

The Emerald City

She convinces each one that the Wizard will help them obtain what they want (brain, heart, courage, respectively), and so they tag along with Dorothy and Toto. They overcome the various roadblocks that occur and eventually they reach the Emerald City. The Wizard, who appears as different images to each individual, tells them he will grant their wishes, Dorothy’s wish being to return home, if they kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Toto, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man all make their way to the witch’s castle, where she greets them with wolves, crows, bees, and when they still overcome her efforts to kill them, she sends her Winged Monkeys, which promptly take over the gang and fly them to the castle. The witch tries taking the shoes in various ways, but she cannot take them off herself. While threatening to kill Toto, she demands to have the shoes. Dorothy finds that she cannot take them off herself, and so the witch decides she must kill Dorothy to get the ruby slippers. Dorothy quickly picks up a bucket of water while the witch is thinking of how best to kill Dorothy, and she dumps the water over the witch. The Wicked Witch of the West then starts melting, and she dies. The triumphant gang returns to the Emerald City, where they meet with the Wizard again. Toto accidentally knocks down a screen in between the Wizard and the others, and it is realised that the Wizard is just and old man pretending. He is also from Kansas, and arrived her in a rogue hot air balloon. He proposes to go home with Dorothy and Toto in the same hot air balloon, which they accept. The Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man, who all discovered they didn’t need hearts or brains or courage because they already had them, were appointed to rule in the Wizard’s place. Once in the balloon, Toto jumps out to chase a cat, and Dorothy goes after him, making it too late for the Wizard to bring down the balloon, and he leaves alone. Dorothy already imagines living in Oz forever, but Glinda, the Good Witch of the North arrives, and reveals to Dorothy that she had the power to return home all along, with the ruby slippers. She follows Glinda’s instructions, and taps her heels three times, chanting “There’s no place like home”. She wakes up in Kansas, in her room, surrounded by her family.

The Wicked Witch of The West

The story version I told was the film version, because I believe that no matter what you say, most people only really know the film story. There are some minor and major differences between the book and movie, as always, but the only way to truly know the two is to simply watch and read them.
And here’s an interesting fact that you may not know: 16 year old Judy Garland, the actress and singer who played 12 year old Dorothy in the movie, would turn out to die of an accidental drug overdose (official death on death certificate, but she was known to have made many suicide attempts) at age 47. She is also the mother of Liza Minnelli, the singer and actress who played Sally in Cabaret. She is also the mother of Lorna Luft, also a singer actress, who played Paulette in Grease 2.
Here is the trailer for the Wizard of Oz:

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