THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUE STORY of The wizard of Oz

IT'S BEEN 85 YEARS SINCE AUDIENCES WERE FIRST URGED TO "FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD"

- Louise A. Barile

In a scene cut from the final version of The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale sings an a cappella reprise of “Over the Rainbow” while held prisoner in the witch’s castle. “She breaks down and cries because she wants to go home,” reveals film expert William Stillman, who explains that Judy’s haunting performance deeply affected the crew capturing her singing. “Some of them had to walk off the set so their sobs wouldn’t be picked up on the recording,” he says. “It was just so heartfelt.”

Judy’s career spanned five decades and some 40 films, but she would always be most closely identified with 1939’s The Wizard of Oz and its theme song, “Over the Rainbow.” “It has always been my song,” said Judy, who never grew bored singing the tune. “It’s like getting tired of breathing. The whole premise of the song is a question. It represents everyone’s wondering why things can’t be a little better.”

Judy was signed by MGM Studios at age 13, but it was her role in The Wizard of Oz three years later that propelled her from contract player to star. “It was MGM’s most expensive production to date,” explains Stillman, co-author of The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece. “She was surrounded by a veteran cast of seasoned comedians and dancers, but she was the center of attention." The producers even presented Judy with her own custom dressing room on the set.