Friday, June 13, 2014

THE ORIGINAL TWISTER...



HAPPY FRIDAY, Everyone!

As you can tell from this wonderfully colorful marquis, it is time for another FUN BLOGHOP! The brainchild of Armchair Squid, this hop is all about a favored movie from the past. She is joined by hosts, Nicki Elson, Suze and Nan Mock. Is the film you watched over and over again still your favorite? Has it changed to you or does it hold a different significance? We'd all like to know. Everyone has a film near and dear to their heart!

There are so many special films that mean a great deal to me, but the my most treasured childhood film is THE WIZARD OF OZ. This film has a special meaning to me. First, it was a film I always watched as young boy. The first viewings I had were on our black and white TV. Yes, black and white. LOL. So for the first four or five times I never saw the film in all it colorful splendor. Can you imagine not viewing Munchinland and especially Emerald City in Technicolor?

And my MOST treasured memory is Judy Garland's singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I love that song so much my mother sang it to me every night from the time I was five to seven. Mom was very special and PATIENT.

In 1969 my grandmother bought her first RCA color set. My bothers and I were amazed, gawking at it every time we visited her which was nearly every night. I'll never forget the night TWOZ played. At first the subtle difference between black and white wasn't as noticeable in the sepia toned beginning. BUT, when Dorothy opened that door.... TWoOZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The colors almost knocked me off the sofa. I couldn't BELIEVE my eyes. It was MAGICAL. I STARED without blinking for God knows how long. Then when they scampered through the poppies...and I caught my first glimpse of Emerald City.... To this day when the song breaks out and Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow skip across the poppies on their way toward Emerald City, my heart skips along with them. It's still my favorite scene and always brings a smile to my face. The Emerald City decked out in all its Art Deco splendor is my favorite architectural style. I would LOVE to see a real city just like that!

image courtesy of Warner Brothers/photobucket

The next revelation came when I saw TWoOZ on the BIG SCREEN. When I was about fifteen, the local movie house in our town still had a single screen... AMAZING, too because this was the age when ALL the theaters were splitting the single movie houses and creating multiple screens. It was like watching it for the first time... I was in owe. The INCREDIBLE details of Munchinland...the costumes...even the special effects at this time (1939) were pretty remarkable. After it was over, I never wanted to see it any other way again.

But I did! When it came out in video, I bought it and watched it often. Then the special edition DVD came out and I snapped that up too. Now with our home TV's larger than ever one can have that MOVIE experience right in their living room. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Thanks everyone for letting me share my happy childhood memories with you. Do forget to drop by the other hoppers and see what their favorites are!

Have a GREAT weekend.....








39 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I imagine that really did wow you if you'd never seen it in color! Cool when a movie from our youth still holds up.

Stephanie Faris said...

I've never seen it on the big screen--that actually sounds like it would be a great experience!

Michelle Wallace said...

Every year, I teach Somewhere Over The Rainbow to my choir kids. Love that song!

Nicki Elson said...

This movie always played on Thanksgiving...or was it Christmas? at Grandma's house. All generations loved it. But I, um...well, I'm afraid of the Lollipop Kids. There I said it. And living in the Midwest I've also grown up w/ a fear of tornadoes, so you might say watchng the film is a rather traumatic experience for me. Let's not eve talk about the monkeys.

The Armchair Squid said...

Giggle, giggle, snort... The Squid is a he, my friend...

Oz will never grow old for me - easily one of my top 10 favorites ever. Cinema magic abounds. The door opening to Oz is amazing but "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" will always be my favorite scene. Judy Garland had such a disastrous life but for two minutes in 1939, she was perfect.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I first saw it in B&W too. I clearly remember the first time I saw it in color. Your post really made me smile.

Maurice Mitchell said...

Watching this movie in the theaters would be incredible Michael! It's a true classic. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Chrys Fey said...

I'm so happy you chose The Wizard of Oz. This is my all-time favorite movie. It was magical when I was a child and it still is magical to me. And I love Judy Garland in it. I think every generation of kids will appreciate this movie.

Stephsco said...

I loved this movie as a kid. I think there's still something magical about the switch from B&W to color, though kids now are more confused why it's in black and white to begin with. like there's something wrong with it, haha.

I always hated the monkeys though. I think my creep-out factor about monkeys comes from this movie.

D.G. Hudson said...

I used to watch the Wizard of Oz every autumn as a kid, I don't remember if the first one was B&W or not, but what stuck in my mind was The Emerald City. I was quite annoyed at the wimpy wizard, though. After all that build-up.

The witches made a big impression on me. And striped socks. . .I lived at that time in the southeastern part of the States and we had tornado warnings all the time. Great choice Michael!

cleemckenzie said...

After reading several of these posts about movies from the past, I was scratching my head over which one I could write about. Guess which one? Yep. The Wizard. Glad you chose it, too.

Suze said...

Aw, Michael, I loved reading about your true-to-life Technicolor experience. Lived the way the filmmakers intended!

angryparsnip said...

I saw this movie as a child too and although I liked it I was worried about how she would get home. I really identified with Dorthy.
Adult Daughter is a huge fan of this movie and I enjoy it so much more listening to and watching her.
Great choice.

The Square Ones send woofs
cheers, parsnip

S.P. Bowers said...

Thanks for sharing! That movie never really clicked with me but I remember watching it with my mom when I was a small child. It's probably the first movie I remember watching.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Thanks for sharing such a beautiful story. I'm with S.P, though, it didn't click for me either.

debi o'neille said...

I think my whole family would choose The Wizard of OZ, so I can relate to your memories.
Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

Loni Townsend said...

Growing up with something in black and white, and then watching it come alive in color, would be a wondrous experience! Great story!

Janie Junebug said...

I didn't see it in color till I was about 14. It was great. I still love that movie, and I love impersonating Glinda. Oh, I was so scared of the wicked witch when I was little.

Love,
Janie

Jennifer Lane said...

What a fabulous film! Great choice. TWoOZ has much history in my family. Before I was born, my sister begged my parents to stay home and watch the movie, but they insisted they go out to dinner as a family. My sister burst into tears and they ended up having a horrible time that night. My parents still feel badly for my sister, 40+ years later, but I think my sister is over it ha ha. She does the best Wicked Witch imitation of "And your DOG" that cracks us up every time.

It is such a magical film. I love the music and the little skipping dance they do down the yellow brick road.

Arlee Bird said...

Wizard of Oz was the first film that came to my mind when I was thinking about films for this blogfest. Like you I'd seen it many times in black and white before I finally got to see it in color. I've seen this film more than any other and it's one of my favorites.

My oldest daughter and my niece used to watch Wizard at least once a day when they were tiny kids. I had to wait for that once a year showing on TV when I was a kid.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

The Wizard of Oz was one of the first movies I saw in colour as well. That transition was truly amazing.

Cygnus said...

Fun reminiscences, Michael. I think this may have been one of the first movies I saw on my family's brand-new color TV (in the early 1970s), too.

More recently, we got a nice DVD version... some of the deleted scenes, like the longer version of the Scarecrow's song & dance, are fascinating!

dolorah said...

hmm, I missed this one. Good choice Michael. I think I would have chosen LAST OF THE MOHICANS. Several lines in the movie just stick with me, and I have the soundtrack to I see the movie every time I listen to the music.

Gorilla Bananas said...

'Over the Rainbow' is such a wistful song, so full of longing. People have asked me not to play it on my recorder because it would make them cry.

Unknown said...

Great movie choice! I don't think any other movie holds up as well or remains as beautiful and enchanting now as it must have seemed back when it first premiered. I agree that the sepia-to-color transition when Dorothy opens the door is magical, still gives me goosebumps! When I was a kid it used to air on tv once a year, right around Easter I think. We looked forward to that as much as we did to the Rankin/Bass specials at Christmastime!
Thanks for sharing this in our Bloghop!

Deniz Bevan said...

Ooh, this'd be a great movie to see on the big screen. Too bad I can't remember what my first reaction was like - I was so young when I first saw it and have seen it so often since then. Love the movie better than the book (which is rare for me)!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Michael. The Wizard of Oz would be my choice. My husband even bought me my own copy so I can watch it whenever I want. : )

Tara Tyler said...

awwwww!
that was a wonderful trip down the yellow brick memory lane! what a sweet song to sing her little boy to sleep. i love this classic - they don't make em like that anymore.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Back in the day before On Demand, streaming, or even rental movies, we were at the mercy of the whimsical schedulers at FIVE television channels. We got the TV Guide or the newspaper and anxiously scanned the listings.

Movies we'd clear the schedule to watch included: yes, The Wizard of Oz, but also It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Laura, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Producers, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, oh my gosh, I can think of so many more!

Edward Hall said...

Despite watching Empire's 5-star films, I've never seen The Wizard of Oz. Not that I've never wanted to, I've just never gotten around to it. Still, I got given the DVD for Christmas and your blog has put it firmly back towards the top of the To Watch pile. Thanks!

Ed- Empire's 5-star 500

Jo said...

I don't remember when I first saw The Wizard of Oz. A looong time ago.

Melissa said...

I always watched The Wizard of Oz in color (on our old Curtis Mathis LOL). Seems like it would always come on in the spring. Dad would keep an eye on the TV guide and make sure we watched it every year. I loved it!

(He would also call us all the way from our rooms to change the channel for him. No remotes back then. hahaha)

Misha Gerrick said...

Believe it or not, I never managed to watch The Wizzard of Oz from start to finish. Wonder why?

Lorena said...

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never seen this film in its entirety. But I have a good excuse: when I saw it as a little girl, it was in English and I didn't understand the language well, so I lost interest. (I don't have an excuse not to watch it now, though, ha!)

Jack said...

Oh you have some great memories related with this movie. I am always a bit envious when I hear people talk about how they saw it soon after it came out. I watched it about five or six years ago with some girls I was babysitting but it didn't seem to have the same impact on me it did on everyone else. It would have been fun, to see it in the magical way it was meant to be seen. (Even so, it is a great movie and I do like it.)

Unknown said...

What fun memories! I used to watch it everytime it came on TV. All my friends were terrified of the flying monkeys but I thought they were cool. The part that scared me? The Twister. Seriously. Always made me jump out of bed at the sound of an airplane flying over. Silly now but oh how scared I was!

Thanks for sharing your memories with us!
Jen

Empty Nest Insider said...

I also loved The Wizard of Oz, and remember being mesmerized by Emerald City! Green is my favorite color. I enjoyed reading your lovely recollection. I also remember being excited when my parents bought their first color TV, and it was probably around the same time. One of the first songs that my older son ever sang was, "If I Only Had A Heart." Thanks for this fun walk down memory lane.

Julie

Morgan said...

Oh gosh… I LOVE your memory. Such magic, Michael!!! If I had a super power, I'd probably want to be able to time travel--so I could re-experience those moments in life that stand out. I feel like I've lived so many lives already, and it'd be so neat to go back and revisit.

I LOVE this movie. I always wish I had been born in Judy Garland's time--I always wanted to be an old time Hollywood dancer, LOL… Watch out Cyd Charisse!!!!

Cherdo said...

We are on the same page with this one. The Wizard of Oz was one of those childhood films you just had to see when it came on television! I remember falling in love with all the characters and worrying about them.

Such a great childhood memory, and I love how you added the experience of the "big screen" viewing later on.

Someone needs to bottle that feeling we all had when we sat hypnotized by the magic of it all.

Well done!
Cherdo
www.cherdoontheflipside.com