The Wizard of Oz (1925)Dorothy, heir to the Oz throne, must take it back from the wicked Prime Minister Kruel with the help of three farmhands. Director:Larry Semon |
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The Wizard of Oz (1925)Dorothy, heir to the Oz throne, must take it back from the wicked Prime Minister Kruel with the help of three farmhands. Director:Larry Semon |
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Dorothy Dwan | ... |
Dorothy /
Princess Dorothea
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Mary Carr | ... | |
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Virginia Pearson | ... |
Lady Vishuss
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Bryant Washburn | ... |
Prince Kynd
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Josef Swickard | ... |
Prime Minister Kruel
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Charles Murray | ... | |
| Oliver Hardy | ... |
Woodsman /
Knight of the Garter /
Farmhand
(as Oliver N. Hardy)
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William Hauber | ... |
Undetermined Role
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William Dinus | ... |
Undetermined Role
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Frank Alexander | ... |
Uncle Henry /
Prince of Whales
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Otto Lederer | ... |
Ambassador Wikked
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Frederick Ko Vert | ... |
Phantom of the Basket
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Larry Semon | ... |
Scarecrow /
Toymaker /
Farmhand
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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. Dorothy learns from Aunt Em that fat, cruel Uncle Henry is not her uncle, and gives her a note due on her eighteenth birthday, which reveals she is actually Princess Dorothea of Oz, and is supposed to marry Prince Kynd. She, Uncle Henry , and two farmhands are swept to Oz by a tornado. Snowball, a black farmhand soon joins them after a lightning bolt chases him into the sky. They land in Oz, where the farmhands try to avoid capture. Semon becomes a scarecrow, Hardy briefly disguises himself as a Tin Woodman, and Snowball is given a Lion suit by the Wizard, which he uses to scare the Pumperdink guards. Written by Scott Hutchins <scottandrewh@home.com>
Despite some good cast members -- very much excluding Larry Semon -- the script was so silly, so completely NOT related to the original story -- in fact, even further from the original than the famous 1939 filmed version -- that this movie serves only as historical oddity.
To be honest, I always despised movies of Larry Semon, primarily because of Larry Semon. When the great John and Dorothy Hampton were running The Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles, a Larry Semon picture was the occasional fare, so I speak from actual knowledge and experience, and unfailingly it was dismal.
Tarmcgator noted correctly the stunt work was outstanding in this otherwise very bad movie.
And I repeat that, otherwise, it is worth watching solely as an intriguing stage along the evolution of the motion picture.