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

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (adapted from his story), Frank Joslyn Baum (adapted by) (as L. Frank Baum Jr.)

Stars:

Dorothy Dwan, Charles Murray, Oliver Hardy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dorothy Dwan	...	Dorothy / Princess Dorothea
Mary Carr	...	Aunt Em
Virginia Pearson	...	Lady Vishuss
Bryant Washburn	...	Prince Kynd
Josef Swickard	...	Prime Minister Kruel
Charles Murray	...	Wizard of Oz
Oliver Hardy	...	Woodsman / Knight of the Garter / Farmhand (as Oliver N. Hardy)
William Hauber	...	Undetermined Role
William Dinus	...	Undetermined Role
Frank Alexander	...	Uncle Henry / Prince of Whales
Otto Lederer	...	Ambassador Wikked
Frederick Ko Vert	...	Phantom of the Basket (as Frederic Ko Vent)
Larry Semon	...	Scarecrow / Toymaker / Farmhand
Spencer Bell	...	Cowardly Lion / Rastus / Snowball (as G. Howe Black)

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

character name as title | wizard of oz | oz | dorothy gale character | scarecrow of oz character | 

---

Taglines:

One of the most entertaining children's pictures of all time that grown-ups will equally enjoy.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Adventure

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

First broadcast on television in a three-part serial on 8, 9, and 10 June 1931, by W2XCD, an early broadcaster owned by the DeForest Radio Company and based in Passaic, New Jersey.

---

Goofs

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.

---

Quotes

Title Card: In the spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of - lollypops.

---

Alternate Versions

In 2005, Turner Entertainment Company copyrighted a 72-minute version with an original musical score composed, arranged and conducted by Robert Israel. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Television and broadcast on Turner Classic Movies in 2006. The score incorporates bits of classical music. E.g., a military parade is set to the soldiers' call from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and the Kansas tornado is accompanied by the storm sequence from Gioachino Rossini's William Tell.

---

Connections

Featured in The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond (2009)

User Reviews

That 'Dark Side of the Moon' thing is bogus.

While disappointing (to say the least), there are at least two interesting things about this version. One is to see someone who is not Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin (but is in fact Larry Semon, one of their contemporaries) trying to imitate them in what was clearly designed to be a star vehicle for him. It makes the work of the other two men seem that much more remarkable when you watch some of their competition.

The most interesting thing about this production, though, is perhaps the fact that the MGM version was made only 14 short years later. The world moves very fast sometimes.

Details

Official Sites:

review of movie review of the film.

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Release Date:

27 January 1925 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Wizard of Oz

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chadwick Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 72 min (2005 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1