The Wizard of Oz (1925)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Larry Semon

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novel)
Frank Joslyn Baum (adaptation) ...

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Adventure

Tagline:

Larry Semon, Oliver Hardy: Alone Either One Is Hilarious; Together They Are a Riot

Plot:

A Toymaker tells a bizarre story about how the Land of Oz was ruled by Prince Kynd, but he was overthrown by Prime Minister Kruel...

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Prince | Disguise | Wizard | Birthday

Cast

Dorothy Dwan	...	Dorothy
Mary Carr	...	Aunt Em
Virginia Pearson	...	Lady Vishuss
Bryant Washburn	...	Prince Kynd
Josef Swickard	...	Prime Minister Kruel
Charles Murray	...	Wizard of Oz
Oliver Hardy	...	Farmhand (as Oliver N. Hardy)
William Hauber	...	Undetermined Role
William Dinus	...	Undetermined Role
Frank Alexander	...	Uncle Henry
Otto Lederer	...	Ambassador Wikked
Frederick Ko Vert	...	Phantom of the Basket
Larry Semon	...	Toymaker / Farmhand

Runtime:

81 min (20.7 fps) | USA:72 min (2005 alternate version)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Chadwick Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Many theatres that booked the film never received it because its production caused Chadwick Pictures to go bankrupt and distribution ceased long before it was intended to.

Goofs:

Continuity: The plane that brings Kruel's emissaries from Oz to Kansas is a triplane in the long shots of it in mid-air, but a biplane when it lands.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: Rest in Peace (#2.19)" (1999)

I rarely say this about silent films, but this one stinks,...

This movie was reportedly the one that sunk Larry Semon's career. Instead of the usual short films he was known for, Semon decided to do something "important" and made this (for the time) long film adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ,....or at least that's what the title indicates it should be. The story, it seems, bears little similarity to either the 1939 movie or the books. In fact, apart from a few names here and there, it is pretty much unrecognizable as the story about Dorothy and Oz. Instead, it was just an excuse to string along a lot of familiar and not especially funny gags--like I have seen in several other Larry Semon films, the big stunt is his swinging from tower to tower. A neat stunt the first time you see it, but not when it's old material and has nothing to do with the plot.

Overall, I consider this movie a wasted effort. I know that Semon COULD be funny--like he was in his short films. But here, it's just a confusing and dreary mess. Likewise, having Oliver Hardy in the film SHOULD have been an asset, but he was pretty much wasted as well. While not exactly a classic, the 1910 short silent version was much better and stuck closer to the original story and the 1939 version is a classic. This one is better off staying forgotten or seen by the morbidly curious as the project that may have ultimately destroyed Semon's career.

PS--In addition to being a terrible movie, there is a Black man named "Snowflake" that likes to eat watermelon! Ugghh!!!