"The Wizard of Oz" works on another level as an adult. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the wonderful, wizardly, and weird things about “The Wizard of Oz” that might have grabbed their broomsticks and flown over our heads when we were kids.
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00:00 "Give them back to me or I'll..."
00:02 "It's too late.
00:03 There they are and there they'll stay."
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the wonderful,
00:10 wizardly and weird things about The Wizard of Oz that might have grabbed their broomsticks
00:14 and flown over our heads when we were kids.
00:17 "Now fly!
00:19 Fly!"
00:20 [Crowd cheering]
00:22 [Music]
00:24 Number 10.
00:25 The special effects are super impressive.
00:28 Kids watching today, or even 30 years ago, wouldn't even flinch as Dorothy leaves her
00:32 sepia home and enters the technicolor Munchkin land.
00:36 "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
00:40 They might have even thought the initial lack of color was just a glitch, but imagine seeing
00:44 it for the first time in 1939.
00:47 That moment Dorothy steps out of her front door would have blown your mind.
00:51 "It's beautiful, isn't it?
00:53 Just like I knew it would be.
00:56 You must be a wonderful wizard to live in a city like that."
00:59 The movie was one of the frontrunners in special effects innovation, using cutting-edge technology
01:04 to bring L. Frank Baum's fantastic world to life.
01:07 Apparently it was a long process that posed plenty of challenges.
01:10 However, it played a crucial role in making The Wizard of Oz an iconic piece of cinema
01:15 history.
01:16 "She brings you good news, or haven't you heard?
01:19 When she fell out of Kansas, a miracle occurred."
01:24 "A miracle occurred."
01:28 Number 9.
01:29 Where are Dorothy's parents?
01:31 When we first meet Dorothy Gale, she's pretty happy living on a farm with her Uncle Henry
01:35 and Aunt Em.
01:36 "Come on, we'll go tell Uncle Henry and Aunt Em."
01:38 Still, we can't help but wonder where her parents are.
01:42 They're never mentioned in the film, so for all we know, they could be anywhere from chasing
01:46 their own rainbows to no longer around.
01:48 If you've read the books, you might remember that at one point, it's briefly mentioned
01:52 that Dorothy's mother passed away.
01:54 Still, neither the book nor the movie truly delves into how Dorothy came to live with
01:58 her aunt and uncle.
01:59 "Someone she's been very kind to.
02:02 Someone she's taken care of in sickness."
02:03 "I had the measles once, and she stayed right by me every minute."
02:08 Also, are they biologically related, or does she just call them auntie and uncle as a term
02:13 of affection?
02:14 "Because I love you all.
02:15 And oh, Aunt Em, there's no place like home."
02:22 Number 8.
02:23 The Wicked Witch of the West's hygiene habits.
02:25 If it takes a mere bucket of water to melt this witch, how does she keep up with her
02:29 personal cleanliness?
02:30 "No, not water!"
02:31 "You cursed rat!
02:32 Look what you've done!"
02:37 If she's not bathing or washing her hands, what is she doing?
02:41 Has she conjured up some liquidless alternatives like the hand sanitizer gels we've all become
02:46 dependent on these days?
02:47 Or did she ask the wizard to think up some solution?
02:50 Perhaps the real reason the munchkins fear her is because they can always smell her before
02:54 they see her.
02:55 Also, is she cranky because she's always dehydrated?
02:58 We admit we've fallen down the rabbit hole with this one, but once you think about it,
03:02 it's kind of hard to stop.
03:04 "I'm melting!
03:05 Melting!
03:06 Oh, what a world!
03:08 What a world!
03:09 Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?"
03:14 Number 7.
03:15 Is Glinda really all that good?
03:18 In Wicked, we learn that the wizard bestowed the title of "good" on Glinda.
03:21 "When you bowed before his throne, he decreed you'd hence be known as Glinda the Good,
03:29 officially!"
03:30 However, who gave her 1939 MGM counterpart that name?
03:35 We'd like to have a word.
03:36 Firstly, she seems to enjoy the munchkins' celebratory march more than anyone else.
03:40 Also, let's not forget who put the target on Dorothy's back.
03:44 Or more correctly, those shoes on her feet.
03:46 "Keep tight inside of them.
03:48 Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly."
03:51 "You stay out of this, Glinda, or I'll fix you as well!"
03:54 "Oh, rubbish!
03:55 You have no power here!
03:56 Be gone before somebody drops a house on you too!"
03:59 She probably made Dorothy's trip to the Emerald City that much harder.
04:03 Also, if she could help Dorothy get home, was that whole "she had to learn it for herself"
04:07 thing really necessary?
04:09 "You've always had the power to go back to Kansas."
04:12 "I have!"
04:13 "Then why didn't you tell her before?"
04:15 "Because she wouldn't have believed me.
04:17 She had to learn it for herself."
04:19 If anything, Dorothy's reaction in Mad TV's alternate ending makes far more sense.
04:24 Perhaps Glinda, Mistress of Chaos, is more appropriate.
04:27 "Flick your heels and say, 'There's no place like home.
04:32 There's no place like home.'
04:34 And you would have been home in two seconds."
04:38 "I could have been home two seconds after I got here?!"
04:42 Number 6.
04:43 Frank Morgan was kept very busy on set.
04:45 We first see Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, whom Dorothy meets when she runs away from
04:50 home.
04:51 "They don't understand you at home.
04:52 They don't appreciate you.
04:53 You want to see other lands, big cities, big mountains, big oceans."
04:57 "Why, it's just like you could read what was inside of me."
05:00 Now, pop quiz.
05:02 Who is his Oz counterpart?
05:03 A. The Wizard, B. Two different Emerald City guards, or C. The coachman of the horse of
05:09 a different color?
05:10 If you said, surprise D, all of the above, gold star for you.
05:14 Some folks think there's more to it than just the studio trying to save money or show off
05:18 Morgan's acting skills.
05:20 "I'll get you into the Wizard somehow.
05:23 Come on.
05:24 I haven't had him myself once."
05:30 In Baum's books, the Emerald City residents seemingly wore green lens glasses that created
05:35 the illusion of the spectacular city.
05:37 Likewise, Morgan's Wizard may have embodied the various characters to keep up his charade.
05:42 "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
05:47 The Gwailin Hoss has spoken."
05:50 Number five.
05:51 Fly, fly my pretties.
05:53 Remember that scene where the Wicked Witch sends her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy?
05:57 "Take your army to the haunted forest and bring me that girl and her dog.
06:00 Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed.
06:01 They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that."
06:06 Of course you do.
06:07 Those flying monkeys have fueled kids' nightmares for generations.
06:11 Now do you remember what she says as they fly by her window?
06:14 Did you say, "Fly, my pretties"?
06:16 Sorry to break it to you, but you've been had by the Mandela effect.
06:19 Don't believe us?
06:20 Listen again.
06:21 "Now fly!
06:22 Fly!"
06:23 Why have so many of us misremembered it?
06:31 Well, the Witch tends to call Dorothy "my pretty," so it seems we collectively just
06:35 melded the two quotes together.
06:37 It's not the only misremembered line either.
06:40 Next time you watch, see if you can hear any others.
06:43 Here, we'll get you started.
06:44 "But it wasn't a dream.
06:45 It was a place.
06:46 And you and you and you and you were there."
06:47 "Oh, that's right."
06:48 "But you couldn't have been, could you?"
06:55 Number four.
06:56 Does Miss Gulch ever come back for Toto?
06:59 The movie opens with Dorothy and Toto catching the ire of the local shrew, Miss Gulch.
07:03 "She isn't coming yet, Toto.
07:05 Did she hurt you?
07:07 She tried to, didn't she?
07:08 Come on, we'll go tell Uncle Henry and Auntie Em.
07:12 Come on!"
07:13 However, Toto manages to escape.
07:15 Then there's the twister and so on.
07:17 Fast forward to the end, Dorothy wakes up, thinking she's been away for days.
07:21 Only it seems not even one day has passed.
07:24 That's one powerful subconscious.
07:25 "But I did leave you, Uncle Henry.
07:26 That's just the trouble.
07:27 And I tried to get back for days and days."
07:28 "There, there, lie quiet now.
07:29 You just had a bad dream."
07:30 Anyway, given how things were left with Miss Gulch,
07:37 wouldn't she come back for Toto when she realized he'd escaped?
07:41 Dorothy's guardians had obeyed the sheriff's order the first time.
07:44 "We can't go against the law, Dorothy.
07:46 I'm afraid poor Toto will have to go."
07:47 "Now you're seeing reason.
07:48 Here's why I'm taking him in.
07:49 So he can't attack me again."
07:50 "Oh no, no, I won't let you take him!
07:51 You go away or I'll bite you myself!"
07:58 Imagine if Dorothy woke up from her dream to find her beloved pet gone.
08:02 Perhaps Miss Gulch did return, but this time,
08:05 Aunt Em really let her have it.
08:06 "Just because you own half the county doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of
08:10 us.
08:11 For 23 years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you.
08:14 And now, well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!"
08:19 Number 3.
08:20 Dorothy's shoes are meant to be silver.
08:22 Balmes fans might spot nods to the books throughout the movie.
08:25 For example, see the umbrella on Miss Gulch's bicycle?
08:28 In the books, the witch, Gulch's Ozzie and alter ego,
08:31 uses an umbrella, not a broomstick, which makes sense given her water aversion.
08:36 The wooden sawhorse is also a nod to a book character,
08:39 and readers will recognize the golden gap as the tool the witch uses to control her
08:42 flying monkeys.
08:43 "Somebody always helps that girl.
08:44 But shoes are no shoes.
08:45 I'm still brave enough to conquer her, and woe to those who try to stop her!"
08:54 However, one significant change stands out.
08:57 Dorothy's shoes.
08:59 In the books, they're silver, but this famous pair clearly aren't.
09:03 Well, if you'd invested in the latest Technicolor movie tech,
09:06 wouldn't you want to make those shoes shine?
09:08 "When I gain those ruby slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz!"
09:13 There is no denying that ruby really pops.
09:17 Number 2.
09:18 Who's Glinda's Kansas alter ego?
09:20 As we've seen, almost everyone Dorothy meets in Oz has a Kansas counterpart.
09:24 "Now look it, Dorothy, you ain't using your head about, Miss Gulch.
09:27 Think you didn't have any brains at all?"
09:29 "I have so got brains!"
09:30 "Well, why don't you use them?"
09:32 Indeed, this is teased in one of the earliest scenes where two of the farmhands advise Dorothy
09:36 about her brains and courage.
09:38 There was reportedly also meant to be a line about "a machine with real heart," but it
09:42 got cut.
09:43 Still, one mystery remains.
09:45 Who's Dorothy's real-world Glinda?
09:47 "I am a witch.
09:48 I'm Glinda, the witch of the North."
09:51 "You are?
09:52 I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of a beautiful witch before."
09:58 We certainly don't meet anyone who fits the bill, except maybe Anne M.,
10:01 but then wouldn't she be played by the same actress like all the others?
10:05 Perhaps she represents Dorothy's mother.
10:07 Glinda was apparently inspired by Baum's mother-in-law, author and advocate Matilda Joslyn Gage,
10:13 so there's definitely some motherly connection there.
10:15 "Will you help me?
10:16 Can you help me?
10:17 You don't need to be helped any longer.
10:19 You've always had the power to go back to Kansas."
10:22 "I have!"
10:23 "Then why didn't you tell her before?"
10:25 "Because she wouldn't have believed me."
10:28 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:32 Dorothy's daughter hearts the Tin Man's son.
10:34 Jack Haley's Tin Man found his heart, so his son, Jack Haley Jr., could give it, for
10:39 a brief time at least, to Liza Minnelli.
10:42 Dorothy's hair length changes.
10:44 Is this part of the magic of Oz?
10:46 Self-styling hair would save us a few trips to the salon.
10:49 "My!
10:50 People come and go so quickly."
10:53 A Disney connection.
10:55 In "If I Only Had a Heart," we briefly hear Snow White voice actress Adriana Casalotti.
10:59 She's uncredited due to her contract with Disney.
11:02 "Picture me a balcony, above a voice sings low."
11:11 "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"
11:15 Dorothy's dress has pockets.
11:17 If we met the wizard, we might have asked for dresses with pockets to be more common.
11:21 "That's awfully nice of you.
11:24 My life has been simply unbearable."
11:27 "Well, it's all right now.
11:30 The wizard will fix everything."
11:32 Scarecrow recites Pythagorean theorem.
11:35 Or does he?
11:36 Hey, it's only his first day with a brain.
11:39 We spent years in school.
11:40 We're not even sure we would get it right.
11:42 "The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to
11:46 the square root of the remaining side."
11:47 "Oh joy, a rat-tail!
11:48 I've got a brain!"
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12:09 1.
12:10 Wouldn't you be mad if you were in the Wicked Witch's shoes?
12:13 Or weren't in them to be more accurate?
12:16 Think about it.
12:17 She's just found out that her sister had been flattened by a falling house.
12:20 She thinks about those ruby shoes and how she'll fondly remember her late sister every
12:24 time she clicks her heels together.
12:26 "No, it was an accident.
12:27 I didn't mean to kill anybody."
12:28 "Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too."
12:29 "Aren't you forgetting the ruby slippers?"
12:30 "Slippers?
12:31 Yes, the slippers."
12:32 Only what happens?
12:40 Some meddling witch who audaciously calls herself good decides to take them.
12:45 And who does she give them to?
12:46 That's right, the very girl who's responsible for your sister's demise.
12:49 "They're gone!
12:50 The ruby slippers!
12:51 What have you done with them?
12:52 Give them back to me or I'll…"
12:53 "It's too late.
12:54 There they are and there they'll stay."
13:00 Her spirit wasn't deliberate, but that's neither here nor there right now.
13:03 We're not denying that this witch truly is wicked, but come on.
13:07 Don't tell us you wouldn't be mad too.
13:09 "Take special care of those ruby slippers.
13:11 I want those most of all."
13:13 Are there any tidbits from The Wizard of Oz that you only spotted only after you got older?
13:17 There's no place like the comment section to share them with us.
13:20 "There's no place like home.
13:23 There's no place like home.
13:27 There's no place like home."
13:31 Do you agree with our picks?
13:33 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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13:40 [Music]
13:47 (upbeat music)
13:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]