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The author L. Frank Baum was born on this day one hundred and fifty-six years ago. He left behind a little something called Oz, and it's accoutrements, which has kinda sorta carved out a space all its own in oh let's just say every single human brain ever since. Not too shabby. I considered doing a "Do Dump or Marry" post in his honor only to realize that hey, I did that before.
And what with thirty Oz related projects coming out soon (Sam Raimi's movie with James Franco and Mila Kunis being the biggest) I figured we should turn our eyes to the corners of Oz arcana less obvious than the 1939 movie anyway - namely 1978's The Wiz and 1985's Return to Oz. I've never actually seen The Wiz (Sidney Lumet directed it? What?), but Return to Oz was pretty formative in my childhood. "The Wheelers" were the stuff of nightmares for me that "The Flying Monkeys" must have been to my parents and grandparents. (Okay The Flying Monkeys were the stuff of nightmares for me as well. I had both.)
Looking back on the Wheelers now is kind of embarrassing since they are such silly looking things, but man they scared me as a kid. And that horrible queen with the removable heads! Ugh. Alright I'm rambling. My point is...
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Scarecrow was always far and away my favorite of Dorothy's friends, and I was always so pissed off at how he's treated in Return To Oz. I'm guessing that it's true to the books that he totally effs everything up as the ruler of Oz, right? (I think I read some of them when I was little, but not since.) Well I didn't need to see that.
And speaking of things I didn't ever need to see, there's Michael Jackson in a monster garbage costume. Shudder.
And speaking of things I didn't ever need to see, there's Michael Jackson in a monster garbage costume. Shudder.
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2 comments:
No you know who terrified me as a kid, that pumpkin headed thing and the moose headed bed sled. They were both allies of Dorothy but Jesus, I can just imagine the sinister mind who designs "heroes" who look like that.
The Wheelers, The moose headed bed sled! Jesus H. Christ the eight-year-old version of me is demanding I rewatch this movie right the heck now.
Also, in the original, it is all about the Cowardly lion for me. I mean Come On. He had the best song in the entire movie that I tirelessly try to emulate (much to my hubbie's chagrin). If I were Kiiiiiiiiinnnnnng of the fooooooorrrressssssst!" Awesomeness in song form that
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