The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)

An early version of the classic, based more on the 1902 stage musical than on the original novel.

Director:

Otis Turner

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novel), Otis Turner (scenario)

Stars:

Bebe Daniels, Hobart Bosworth, Eugenie Besserer

Cast

Cast overview:
Bebe Daniels	...	Dorothy Gale
Hobart Bosworth	...	Wizard of Oz and King
Eugenie Besserer	...	Aunt Em
Robert Z. Leonard	...	Scarecrow
Winifred Greenwood	...	Momba
Lillian Leighton	...	Union Enforcer
Olive Cox	...	Glinda the Good
Alvin Wyckoff
Marcia Moore

Storyline

Chased off by the antics of Hank the Mule, Dorothy ends up in her cornfield, where she realizes her family's Scarecrow is alive. She helps him down and he takes a tumble on the turnstyle. A cyclone soon arrives and leaves Dorothy, Scarecrow, Toto and Hank spinning around on a haystack, with Imogene the Cow flying soon after. Soon after their arrival, the Wizard of Oz issues a public decree that he is a humbug, to make sure no one ever finds out. Glinda pops up out of the background and transforms Toto into a man in a bulldog suit to serve as a better protector for Dorothy. Then they encounter the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and Eureka. Nevertheless, she is captured by Momba, the Wicked Witch of the West (suggesting Baum thought the other witches were Mombe, Mombo, and Mombu, in keeping with the council in _Queen Zixi of Ix_) and her flying lizards and soldiers. Dorothy defeats Momba, and they arrive at the Emerald City just in time for the Wizard's going away party.

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Plot Keywords:

wizard | scarecrow | lion | haystack | cow | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1910 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wizard of Oz

Company Credits

Production Co:

Selig Polyscope Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

13 min 13 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the films in the 3-disk boxed DVD set called "More Treasures from American Film Archives (2004)", compiled by the National Film Preservation Foundation from 5 American film archives. This film is preserved by George Eastman House, has a running time of 13 minutes and an added piano score.

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Goofs

When Glinda appears, you can clearly see the actress jerking into position when the harness has stopped pulling her up.

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Connections

Version of The Wizard of Oz (1991)

User Reviews

Interesting Early Version of a Classic Story.

TCM showed this silent short one night while showcasing their Treasures of the American Film Archive, and at 13 minutes, this version of THE WIZARD OF OZ is quite engaging. I can only wonder, though, at the reactions of an audience, circa 1910, going to theatres and watching this version of a story that 20 years later would become one of the most enduring classics not only for children but adults alike, because seeing the events portrayed here just only shows how little we had back then, how much we have now... and why these little shorts are worth preserving. On that basis alone I'd recommend viewing this version devoid of preconceived notions of modern cinema, but as an intellectual ride.