Catalog of the Oz Movies - 1939 to 1979

This page provides a description of the principal Oz productions for cinema and television. Each film is listed in chronological order, from 1939 through 1979. To navigate this page by the relationship between the books and films, use the Movie Index.

THE WIZARD OF OZ
  Release date:       1939, June 6
  Description:        The classic adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 
                      "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
  Production company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  Producer:           Mervyn LeRoy
  Director:           Victor Fleming
  Screenwriters:      Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, 
                      Edgar Allan Woolf, and John Lee Mahin 
  Cinematographer:    Harold Rosson
  Editor:             Blanche Sewell
  Music:              Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart
  Lyrics:             E. Y.("Yip") Harburg
  Art Director:       Cedric Gibbons
  Distributor:        Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  Technicolor
  Length:             102 minutes
  Cast: Judy Garland (Dorothy), Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel/Wizard
        /Guardian of the Gate/Soldier),
        Ray Bolger (Hunk Andrews/Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (Zeke/Cowardly Lion),
        Jack Haley (Hickory Twicker/Tin Woodman), Billie Burke (Glinda),
        Margaret Hamilton (Miss Elmira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West),
        Charley Grapewin (Uncle Henry), Clara Blandick (Auntie Em),
        Pat Walshe (Nikko, leader of Winged Monkeys), Toto (Toto).
  Available on VHS video
  For interesting trivia on this movie, go to the Internet Movie Database, 
  and click on the trivia button when you get there.
  Read Roger Ebert's review of the movie here.
  Click here to download an audio clip from the movie.

THE LAND OF OZ
  Release date:       1960, September 18
  Description:        This was the first episode of 
                      The Shirley Temple Show on NBC TV.  Based
                      on L. Frank Baum's "The Marvelous Land
                      of Oz".
  Production company: NBC Productions
  Executive Producer: William H. Brown
  Producer:           William Asher
  Director:           William Corrigan
  Writer:             Frank Gabrielson
  Musical Director:   Vic Schoen
  Color (video tape)
  Length:             60 minutes (with breaks)
  Cast: Shirley Temple (Tip/Ozma), Jonathan Winters (Nikidik),
        Ben Blue (Scarecrow), Sterling Holloway (Jack Pumpkinhead),
        Gil Lamb (Tin Woodman), Agnes Moorehead (Mombi),
        Frances Bergen (Glinda), Arthur Treacher (Nikidik's
        butler, Graves), Charles Boaz (Colonel), William Keene 
        (Royal Army), Mari Lynn (Jellia Jamb), Norman Leavitt 
        (Repairman), Lou Merrill (Court Doctor), and Mel Blanc.

TALES OF THE WIZARD OF OZ
  Release date:        1960 through 1962
  Description:         This is a series of 130 animated cartoons for
                       television based on the Wizard of Oz stories
                       by L. Frank Baum.
  Production Company:  Rankin-Bass Productions
  Producer:            Arthur Rankin, Jr.
  Screenwriter:        Arthur Rankin, Jr.
  Length:              The cartoons were each 4.5 to 5 minutes in length.
  Available on VHS video

NUMBER 13
  Release date:       1960 (unreleased)
  Description:        This is an experimental film based on "The
                      Wonderful Wizard of Oz".  Was never completed. 
                      Less than 30 mins of the original are reported
                      to exist.
  Production company: Film Maker's Cooperative Production
  Producer:           Harry Smith  
  Director:           Harry Smith
  Screenwriter:       Harry Smith
  Length:             108 minutes

RETURN TO OZ
  Release date:       1963, February 9
  Description:        This is an color animated film based on the
                      Rankin-Bass 1960-62 animated cartoon series 
                      and the original Baum book.
  Production company: Rankin-Bass Productions
  Producer:           Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
  Directors:          F.R. Crawley, Thomas Glynn, Larry Roemer
  Screenwriter:       Romeo Muller
  Music and lyrics:   Gene Forrell, Edward Thomas, James Polack
  Animators:          Barrie Nelson, Rod Willis, William Mason,
                      Blake James, Don Stearn, Vic Atkinson,
                      Milton Stein, George Rufle, George Germanetti,
                      Angelo Terricone
  Backgrounds:        Dennis Pike and others
  Length:             60 minutes (with breaks)
  Voices:             Susan Conway (Dorothy), Larry Hann (Rusty the 
                      Tinman), Alfie Scopp (Socrates the Stawman),
                      Carl Banis (Dandy Lion/Wizard), Susan Morse
                      (Munchkins), Pegi Loder (Glinda/Wicked Witch)
  Available on VHS video

FANTASIA 3
  Release date:        1966
  Description:         This is a Spanish film with three separate 
                       fairy tales, the second of which is based on
                       L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
  Director:            Eloy German de la Inglesia
  Screenwriters:       Eloy German de la Inglesia and Fernando Martin Iniesta
  Music:               Fernando Garcia Morcillo
  Length:              82 minutes
  Cast:  Dianik Zvrakowska, Jose Palacio, Juan Diego, Tomas Blanco

OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
  Release date:        1967
  Description:         Weekly series on ABC Television with
                       introductory Oz animations. Ran from 
                       8 Sept 1967 to 20 Sept 1968.
  Production company:  MGM/ABC TV
  Producer:            Chuck Jones
  Cast:  June Foray (Dorothy), Dawes Butler (Scarecrow), Don Messick.

THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ
  Release date:       1968
  Description:        Color film based on L. Frank Baum's "The 
                      Marvelous Land of Oz".
  Production Company: Cinetron (formerly Fanny Hill Enterprises)
  Producer:           Barry Mahon  
  Director:           Barry Mahon  
  Screenwriter:       Barry Mahon  
  Music:              George Linsenmann, Ralph Falco
  Lyrics:             Loonis McGlohon, Alec Wilder
  Distributor:        Childhood Productions
  Length:             72 minutes
  Cast: Channy Mahon (Tip/Ozma), Joy Webb

AYSECIK VE SIHIRLI CUCELER RUYALER ULKESINDE
  Release date:        1971
  Description:         Produced in Turkey.  Title translates in
                       English to, "Aysecik and the Bewitched Dwarfs
                       in Dreamland."  This is a live action film that
                       combines "The Wizard of Oz" and "Snow White
                       and the Seven Dwarfs."
  Production company:  Hisar Film
  Executive Producer:  Dunyanih and Guzel Masalini Iftinarla Sunar
  Producer:            Ozdemir Birsef
  Director:            Tunc Basaran
  Screenwriter         Hamdi Degirmencioglu
  Cinematographer:     Mustafa Yilmaz and Rafet Siriner
  Music:               Torgut Oren
  Sets:                Guher Peyman
  Length:              100 minutes
  Cast:  Zeynep Degirmencioglu Korkut (Aysecik), Suleyman Turan (Iron Man),
         Ali Sen (Lion Man), Metin Serezli (Scarecrow), Cemal Konca (Oz),
         Suna Selen (Magician), Mine Sun (Angel), Cemal Konca (Oz), and
         Seyhan Gumus

THE WIZARD OF THE CITY OF EMERALDS
  Release date:       1973
  Description:        Ten stop-motion puppet animation shorts made in
                      Russia as a TV miniseries. They are based on
                      Aleksandr Melentyevich Volkov's Slavic fairy
                      tales, which began with a Russian version of "The
                      Wonderful Wizard of Oz".  The title of this first
                      book, Volshebnik Izumrudnogo Goroda," is the title
                      of this miniseries.  The other books used in the
                      miniseries were, "Urfin Dzhus i Yevo Dyerevyannie"
                      (Urfin Jus and His Wooden Soldiers),  and "Syem
                      Pozyemnik Koroli" (Seven Underground Kings).
  Production company: Creative Association "Ekran"
  Producer:           K. Malyantovich, et. al.
  Director:           V. Popov andL. Smironov
  Screenwriter:       A. Kimma
  Art Director:       G. Beda, et. al.
  Cinematographer:    I. Golomb, et. al.
  Music:              I. Yefromov, et. al.
  Lyrics:             I. Tokmakova, et. al.
  Animators:          K. Malyantovich, et. al.

JOURNEY BACK TO OZ
  Release date:       1974
  Description:        Animation, based on pieces of the plots of
                      several of the Baum books. 1971 is the copyright
                      date, but it was released November 1974.  First
                      showing on TV was 5 Dec 1976 on ABC-TV.
  Production Company: Filmation Associates/Warner Bros.
  Producer:           Norman Prescott, Lou Scheimer
  Director:           Hal Sutherland
  Art Director:       John Christenson
  Screenwriter:       Fred Ladd, Norman Prescott, Bernard Evslin
  Chief Animator:     Amby Paliwoda
  Songs:              Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen
  Distributor:        Filmation Associates/Warner Bros.
  Length:             88 minutes
  Voices: Milton Berle (Cowardly Lion), Herschel Bernardi (Woodenhead 
          the Horse), Paul Ford (Uncle Henry), Margaret Hamilton 
          (Aunt Em), Jack E. Leonard (Signpost), Paul Lynde (Pumpkinhead),
          Ethel Merman (Mombi), Liza Minnelli (Dorothy), Mickey Rooney 
          (Scarecrow), Rise Stevens (Glinda), Danny Thomas (Tin Woodman),
          Mel Blanc (Wizard of Oz and Crow), Dallas McKennon (Omby
          Amby), Larry Storch (Amos)
  Available on VHS video

OZ
  Release date:       1976
  Description:        Australian film based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
                      Was released in America as "20TH Century OZ".  The 
                      action is set in the streets of Melbourne with a 
                      rock music score.
  Production company: Count Features Inc.  Produced in association with
                      the Australian Film Commission and BEF Film Distributors
  Producer:           Chris Lofven, Lyne Helms
  Director:           Chris Lofven
  Art Director:       Robby Perkins
  Screenwriter:       Chris Lofven
  Cinematographer:    Dan Burstall
  Editor:             Les Luxford
  Music:              Ross Wilson
  Songs:              Ross Wilson, Baden Hutchins, Gary Young, Wayne Burt
  Distributor:        Inter Planetary Pictures, Inc. (USA, 1977)
  Eastman Color
  Length:             103 minutes (USA: 85 minutes)
  Cast: Joy Dunstan (Dorothy) Graham Matters (Wally/Wizard/record
        salesman/tram conductor/doorman/face at party), Bruce Spence
        (bass player/surfie [equivalent to] Scarecrow), Michael Carman
        (drummer/Greaseball the mechanic [equivalent to] Tin Woodman), 
        Gary Waddell (guitarist/Killer the bikie [equivalent to] Cowardly 
        Lion), Robin Ramsey (Good Fairy), Ned Kelly (truckie/bouncer),
        Lorraine West (waitress), Boris Underhill (hotel receptionist),
        Russell Thompson (lst gay), Gino Lattore (2nd gay),
        Paula Maxwell (Jane), Jim Slade (promoter), Roland Bonnet (manager),
        Stephen Millichamp, James Williamson and Phil Motherwell (truckies)

THE WIZ
  Release date:       1978, October 24
  Description:        Based on the stage production with
                      book by William F. Brown and music and
                      lyrics by Charlie Smalls.  Based on 
                      The Wizard of Oz, it presents a black
                      parody of life in the Big Apple today.
  Production company: Motown
  Executive Producer: Ken Harper
  Producer:           Rob Cohen
  Director:           Sidney Lumet
  Art Director:       Philip Rosenberg
  Screenwriter:       Joel Schumacher
  Cinematographer:    Oswald Morris
  Editor:             Dede Allen
  Music:              Charlie Smalls
  Lyrics:             Charlie Smalls
  Music Adaptation:   Quincy Jones
  Distributor:        Universal
  Technicolor
  Length:             134 minutes
  Cast: Diana Ross (Dorothy), Michael Jackson (Scarecrow),
        Nipsey Russell (Tin Man), Ted Ross (Fleetwood Coupe de Ville 
        [equivalent to Cowardly Lion]), Mabel King (Evillene [equivalent
        to Wicked Witch of the West]), Theresa Merritt (Aunt Em),
        Thelma Carpenter (Miss One [equivalent to the Good Witch of
        the North]), Lena Horne (Glinda the Good Witch), Richard Pryor
        (Herman Smith [equivalent to The Wizard of Oz]), Stanley Greene
        (Uncle Henry), Clyde J. Barrett (Subway peddler)
  Available on VHS video.

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