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
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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:

This is the famous book that millions have read: now a screen masterpiece that millions will see.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Adventure

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

review of movie review of the film.

Country:

USA

Release Date:

2 June 1927 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Ihmemaa 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

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in King of the Nerds: To LARP or Not to LARP (2014)

User Reviews

Strange, but interesting. DVD needs help.

This is a strange, sometimes misogynistic, and sometimes racially stereotypical film, reflective of the time in which it was made. It fascinates on a historical level, and on a foundational comedic level. You can see the trademark Oliver Hardy gestures in development, and his interaction with Larry Semon foretells his film relationship with Stan Laurel. Some cute little animation effects (a bee enters one of Semon's ears only to exit from the other), reflective of Disney's contemporaneous mix of live action and animation.

The "digital" score and the use of a "narrator" (who horribly reads the subtitles...where did she learn to read???) is annoying.

All in all, cute, and worthy of 90 minutes.