Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Wizard of Oz: The Screenplay [Book Review]

"The Wizard of Oz: The Screenplay" is a book that came out in 1989. It is the word-for-word screenplay for the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." The screenplay itself was credited to Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf. The book also included a very informative introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn. He also edited the book.

Just as an aside, this blog is a review of the book, not the movie. That is to say that I am not reviewing the movie or even really the script for that matter. I am doing this to help you decide if this book is worth the purchase. After all, if you've seen the movie, the script is really just the same content.

Firstly, the introduction by Michael Hearn was excellent. It was a comprehensive look at how the movie became what it was. It showed that it was a total mess from inception and right up to the beginning of filming. If you could only see what it looked like when the first script was written, you would not have even recognized it. It probably wouldn't have been a classic either.

Interestingly enough, Hearn is actually a well-known L. Frank Baum historian. He was the perfect person to task with this introduction. It was very easy to read, and I came out of it knowing far more about the movie's production than I had heard previously through rumor. It is a very interesting journey and well-worth the effort to read it before you get to the script.

The script itself is just like the movie, and it was intended to be that way. In fact, I am certain that it was prepared for this very sort of exhibition. The original script was probably a lot more bloated with cut content. What is nice about this book is that the editor flags you when you get to an alternate scene. It is either laid out at the bottom or placed in the appendix. This is where the book shines.

I actually began looking forward to these alternate or cut scenes. There were even entire cut musical numbers such as "The Jitterbug" which didn't make it into the film. You will finally get a chance to see how they would have played out with this book.

One cut scene that I found rather surprising was the "Rainbow Bridge" scene, where the witch attempts to trick Dorothy into crossing a rainbow bridge at her castle. She actually gets a Winky soldier to do it first, and he slips through it and falls to his death. But when Dorothy tries it, her ruby slippers begin to glow and saves her. Not a bad scene, but it was considered much too expensive to shoot.

A lot of the cut scenes were okay to let go, but there was one that I did feel bad about losing. It happens when the Wicked Witch leaves Dorothy in the tower with the hour glass. Dorothy does a very tearful and pitiful reprise of "Over the Rainbow." It's a very touching scene, and I have actually heard the recording of this. It's too bad that one got cut. It would have added to the movie quite a bit, without taking up too much time.

It wasn't really necessary, but I did like one cut scene where they exposed the Wizard behind the curtain. He started producing a bunch of silly parlor tricks as he attempted to explain himself. It was kinda goofy, but I liked it. I guess it did sort of make him too much like Professor Marvel at the beginning, but I think it would have gotten a pass.

All in all, I do recommend "The Wizard of Oz: The Screenplay." Just make sure you get the 1989 version published by Delta. That's the one I reviewed. I can't speak for any other version. It's well worth it for anyone who enjoyed the original film.

This blog was written on July 2, 2024.

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