The Wizard of Oz 85th Anniversary is in theatres for a three-day run on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, January 28, 29 and 31, 2024.
The film will be shown in hundreds of theatres by Fathom Events, with an introduction by movie historian Leonard Maltin.
Released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was an immense critical and popular success. The film was shown on television starting in 1956 and was re-shown countless times, making it the most-seen film of all time, according to the U.S. Library of Congress. The film also appears on most “Best of All Time” film lists. It stars a 16-year-old Judy Garland as Kansas farm girl Dorothy, who is carried by tornado over the rainbow to the magical Land of Oz.
The film will be in theatres on three days, January 28, 29 and 31. Below is a preview. For tickets and more information, visit:
Wizard of Oz 85th Anniversary – January 28, 29 and 31, 2024
About The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is rated number 220 on the IMDB 250 Best Films of All Time. The American Film Institute rates it No. 10 in its list of 100 Best Movies.
The Wizard of Oz premiered in theatres on August 10, 1939, and was well received by the public and critics. The New York Times called it a “a delightful piece of wonder-working which had the youngsters’ eyes shining and brought a quietly amused gleam to the wiser ones of the oldsters. Not since Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has anything quite so fantastic succeeded half so well.”
It was first shown on television on November 3, 1956 as the last installment of the Ford Star Jubilee. It was a huge ratings success and The Wizard of Oz broadcast became an annual tradition on CBS TV.
Many special editions have been released on DVD. The latest is a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray released on October 29, 2019, featuring both a Dolby Vision and an HDR10+ grading from an 8K transfer. You can stream the film or buy the DVD at:
Warner Bros – Wizard of Oz Website
Judy Garland 1922-1969
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. She attained international stardom as an actress in both musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Renowned for her versatility, she received an Academy Juvenile Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Special Tony Award. Garland was the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, which she won for her 1961 live recording titled Judy at Carnegie Hall.
In 1938 when she was sixteen, Garland was cast as the young Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film based on the 1900 children’s book by L. Frank Baum. In the film, she sang the song with which she would be constantly identified afterward, “Over the Rainbow”.
On June 22, 1969, Garland was found dead in the bathroom of her rented house in Belgravia, London. At the inquest, the coroner Gavin stated that the cause of death was “an incautious self-overdosage” of barbiturates.Her death certificate stated that her death was “accidental”.
The Wizard of Oz Trailer
Below is a trailer for The Wizard of Oz 85th Anniversary.
You can read what fans say about the theatrical event on the Fathom Facebook Page.
