If you watch the TV version, you are truly missing out on one of the most important connections to be made. We all know why the farm hands played the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, but do you know why DOrothy sees MIss Gulch as the Wicked Witch of the West? In the version broadcast in the 50's the movie opened with Dorothy walking home from school as the current version hints at. What viewers don't see today is that Toto wondered off into Miss Gulch's garden and was chased out by MIss Gulch with a broom. She threatens to take the dog or at least report Dorothy and Toto to the Sheriff, which she eventually does. DOrothy runs from Miss Gulch toward the farm and when she reaches the entrance road to the farm, the new broadcast version picks up the story. I understand or was led to believe that this portion of the film was edited for TV broadcast and lost in a fire forever. I consider it to be one of the most important parts of the movie.
Review of The Wizard of Oz
