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| re: The Wizard Of Oz | |
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rockfenris2005 06:12 am UTC 11/07/10 |
| In reply to: | re: The Wizard Of Oz - rockfenris2005 06:07 am UTC 11/07/10 |
> > > Ryan, (or anybody who knows), have you heard anything else > > about ALW's "Wizard Of Oz" musical? I haven't heard much > > since they announced that Michael Crawford was going to > > play the Wizard. > > I've heard nothing. > > > > I am guessing that ALW and Tim Rice are planning to write > > new songs for Crawford. Surely this will be a golden > > opportunity for ALW to score another hit single. > > I don't know what songs they could write. I wish they > would leave it alone. > > I suppose they could write another song in the second > half, which never had much music ("Jitterbug", "Over the > Rainbow (Reprise)" and "Ding Dong! Emerald City!" were all > removed during the original previews for the movie.) > I always loved how there was originally going to be a > reprise of "Over the rainbow" when Dorothy was locked up > in the Witch's Castle. But it was cut and I think that was > a terrible mistake. > Just listening to Judy Garland's live onset performance of > that reprise, accompanied by the stills, is heartbreaking. > They really should have kept it. > > "Someday I'll wake and rub my eyes > And in those far off Kansas skies > You'll find me... > > Somewhere...over the rainbow... > > I'm frightened. I'm frightened, Auntie Em, I'm > frightened..." > > > > Has he had one since Jim helped him to write "No Matter > > What"? I don't think there was a "Love Never Dies" hit > > (although feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). > > They tried. Katherine Jenkins even did a recording of > "Love Never Dies" but they lowered the range for her and > it's one of the all-time worst ALW-related recordings I > have ever heard, Period. Do not even BOTHER. > And, of course, they did the promo video for Ramin > Karimloo singing "Till I Hear You Sing" where they make > the Phantom look like a heart-throb. WTF!!!! > I know it's just a promo video, but both Steve Harley and > Michael Crawford were wearing masks in the videos from the > original. > > > > Ryan, I was very interested to read what you wrote at the > > bottom of the board about "Wizard Of Oz". I wonder if > > anyone else on the board is as much of a fan as you are. I > > have been a fan of Judy Garland and the MGM film since I > > was a kid but I have never thought much about the wider > > "Wizard Of Oz" world that you are talking about. > > > > I wrote: "Ha ha. I meant Oz as in "Wizard of Oz". I am > > talking about the far off land of McDonaldland (where > > burgers and fries grow out of the ground, without killing > > any cows), not ordinary McDonald's restaurants. Even a > > veggie like me can eat the burgers in McDonaldland." > > > > You replied: "I thought that you'd meant that (It's > > interesting, in musical theatre, when the Peter Allen show > > "The Boy from Oz" was moving to Broadway, there were > > audience members who mistook it to be a sequel to "The > > Wizard of Oz".) > > > > Speaking of sequels to "The Wizard of Oz", are you aware > > that the original book L. Frank Baum wrote and published > > in 1900 spawned 39 official sequels? 13 were written by > > Baum, before his death, and Ruth Plumly Thompson and then > > Baum's illustrator John R. Neill and some other writers > > took over the series from then on. I can't remember what > > the last sequel was, "The Merry-Go-Round of Oz" perhaps. > > > > Now, doesn't it make you wonder why Warner Bros. haven't > > realized that this could be another enormous franchise > > like Harry Potter? Well, the audience has always taken to > > the MGM original and half of that audience have complained > > that they want a new film that's more faithful to the > > book. > > > > You see, Oz was never a dream. Dorothy really went there. > > And in "The Emerald City of Oz", Dorothy, Toto, Uncle > > Henry, and Auntie Em, all move there, permanently. > > > > "There's no place like home..." indeed." > > > > I remember the Peter Allen show when I was living in New > > York. Didn't he die? I think he was married to Liza > > Minnelli. If he was big in New York, he must have been > > absolutely massive in Australia. How odd that people > > thought his stage show was a sequel to the "Wizard Of > > Oz". > > > > I had no idea that there were 39 sequels, although I do > > seem to remember something called "Return To Oz". I see > > what you mean by the studios failing to realise that it > > could be an enormous film franchise like "Harry Potter". > > I had no idea either. I'd even read the original novel and > I had no idea. I was in this bookshop about 10 years ago > when I found a book on the 100 years of Oz. That was how I > discovered that there was actually an entire series, but > they're not all that easy to find in print. I read a lot > of them on Project Gutenberg. > And, yes, I love "Return to Oz". And Fairuza Balk was > magnificent in "The Craft" many years later. She's one of > my favourite actresses. > > > > Do Warner Bros own the rights? I know it was MGM who made > > the classic. Apparently MGM made it at the same time as > > "Gone With The Wind" and the profits from "Gone With The > > Wind" covered the finacial failure at the box office of > > "Wizard Of Oz". "Wizard Of Oz" has now made a fortune from > > television (it is the most broadcast film in history) but > > I was amazed to find out that it lost money when first > > released. > > I believe that Warner Bros own at least some of the rights > rights, yes, though I don't remember how they acquired > them. They also acquired "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate > Factory" from Paramount, which really paid off, and then > they did the remake. > > > > You wrote: "Well, the audience has always taken to the MGM > > original and half of that audience have complained that > > they want a new film that's more faithful to the book." > > > > I love the MGM original and not just because of Judy > > Garland's wonderful performance. How different is the > > book? I read it when I was a kid but I can't remember. I > > wonder if the ALW stage show will be more faithful to the > > book. I would have thought that Tim Rice might have tried > > to make it more legitimate by insisting on that. > > The main difference in the book is that it's not a dream. > It really happened. > The Good Witch of the North and the Good Witch of the > South were combined into a single character for the film. > There were more obstacles on the Yellow Brick Road. The > monstrous Kalidahs spring to mind. > The Tin Woodsman's origins are explained. He was once a > man, a man in love, but the Wicked Witch of the East > enchanted his axe so he would chop off all his body parts > one by one. Eventually when he was all tin, he realized > that the tinsman had forgotten to give him a heart. And he > was single ever since. > When they're all asleep in the Poppy Fields, it's the > Queen of the Field Mice who saves them, but that couldn't > be shown on film so they used one of the changes from the > 1902 stage production (completely different to the film.) > In the stage production, it's Locasta the Good Witch who > saves them after her snowstorm breaks the spell of the > poppies. > The Witch did NOT enchant the Poppies in the book. They > were already like that. > The Witch's role in the book is much smaller than it is in > the film. They enlarged her role because they thought the > book was too episodic. > The Witch controlled the Winged Monkeys through a golden > cap which she used so they would grant her three wishes. > After they captured Dorothy & Co, the three wishes were up > and the Winged Monkeys later returned Dorothy & Co to the > Emerald City. > After the Wizard leaves in his balloon, and the Scarecrow > becomes the Ruler of Oz, he, the Tin Woodman and the > Cowardly Lion accompany Dorothy through the Quadling > Country in the South so they can meet with Glinda, the > Good Witch of the South so she can send her home. > > I love the book and the film equally, though I wish that > the film hadn't been a dream. > > > > You wrote: "You see, Oz was never a dream. Dorothy really > > went there. And in "The Emerald City of Oz", Dorothy, > > Toto, Uncle Henry, and Auntie Em, all move there, > > permanently." > > > > Cool. Now that would make a great film. Is the Wizard > > there when they move? He takes off in a hot air balloon at > > the end of the MGM version. > > The Wizard returns to Oz in the fourth book. Dorothy and a > couple of her friends have fallen deep into the bowels of > the earth during an earthquake, and they land in a country > ruled by people who are plants that live in glass houses. > All of a sudden, the Wizard appears in the sky in his hot > balloon* Hot air balloon! | |
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