Book Review: “The Wizard of OZ FAQ: All That’s Left To Know About Life According To Oz”

Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about The Wizard of Oz, here’s a book to inform you how little you actually do know about the classic film.

Released during 1939, that magical year that produced so many classic films—think Gone With The Wind, Stagecoach, Ninotchka—The Wizard of Oz endeared itself to a bunch of boomer children who watched it annually on TV for decades. With the advent of video (both VHS and DVD), the film lives on with each new generation.

The filming of this classic was a complicated process. Film techniques were invented, music was composed, and extravagant sets and unique costumes had to be produced to bring the magic of L. Frank Baum’s original Oz novels to life. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw the success of Walt Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and concluded that they could produce a live-action fantasy hit.

Casting the pivotal role of Dorothy was difficult for the studio. They were looking for a proven box office star. For a fleeting moment, Shirley Temple was considered, but her vocal range was limited and the producers didn’t think she was right for the part. Deanna Durbin, once an M-G-M contract player was now a top star at Universal. She had proven box office appeal and had a classically trained voice that could handle any song the composers could come up with. But bringing in a star outside of the studio would cost them more money and the production costs for The Wizard of Oz were quickly racking up.

Judy Garland was under contract at M-G-M. She was primarily used for specialty numbers in some A productions, as well as being loaned out to other studios to appear in B movies. Even though she was hired for her “swing-style” of singing, M-G-M didn’t seem to know what to do with her. The studio finally agreed to give Garland the coveted role of Dorothy and the rest is movie history.

Going away party for director Victor Fleming who was going to work on
Gone With The Wind

The Wizard of Oz is credited (on screen) to director Victor Fleming. He was responsible for directing the bulk of the film, as well as its editing, but he was also working on Gone With The Wind for David O. Selznick. And because of Fleming’s grueling schedule the studio enlisted the talents of at least five other directors. George Cukor was responsible for Dorothy’s look. Originally Garland was costumed in a blonde wig and garish makeup. Cukor thought that this look was all-wrong for a girl from Kansas. He instructed the makeup department to tone it down and ditch the blond wig and go with Garland’s natural hair color. King Vidor directed most of the scenes in Kansas, including the scene where Garland sings “Over the Rainbow.” Vidor had a great musical sense and his filming of Garland singing while moving around the farm is truly inspired.

Lighting test for Judy Garland as Dorothy in a blonde wig, which director
George Cukor ditched

Author David J. Hogan writes in a smooth and readable style that really hooks you. The number of facts about the film that he brings into focus are really amazing. One thing that fascinated me was the fact that all the principle actors made more money that Garland who earned a weekly salary at M-G-M. Jack Hailey, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Margaret Hamilton were all freelance actors so they negotiated contracts that paid them generous weekly salaries. Even Toto (real name Terry) had a contract that paid him $125 a week, which was big money in 1939.

Director King Vidor filmed the famous "Over the Rainbow" scene.

If you grew up loving The Wizard of Oz or if you enjoy classic film and the studio era, this book is a must.



The Wizard of Oz FAQ
Trade Paper: 450 pages
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books (204)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-4803-5062-59
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Price: $19.81

“Roma”: The most overhyped movie of 2018?

Roma written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) has received almost universal acclaim and is considered a front-runner for the Best Picture Academy Award this year. Set in 1970 and 1971 and filmed in black and white, it’s a semi-autobiographical telling of Cuaron’s life growing up in Mexico City. The film centers on the life of Cleo, a live-in housekeeper to a middle-class family.

Cleo works in the household of Sofia, her husband Antonio, a doctor, their four children, and Sofia’s mother Teresa. Cleo is beloved by the children in the household where the marriage between Sofia and Antonio is deteriorating.

During her time off, Cleo and her boyfriend Fermin rent a room instead of seeing a movie with fellow live-in maid Adela and her boyfriend. In their rented room, Fermin shows off his martial arts skills using a curtain rod (naked, which is totally gratuitous). It’s an odd scene, but a clue that all is not right with Fermin and this relationship.

What happens next is a series of (inevitable) events that make the film seem more like a documentary than a drama. There is no attempt at character development. Cleo, as a character is likeable enough, but we never really get to know her outside of her tasks as a maid and nanny.

Technically the film has also been heralded, especially the black and white cinematography. Why this is the case I’m not sure. Roma’s cinematography seems rather pedestrian and ordinary to me. Perhaps the folks praising the cinematography have never seen a decent black and white film before. Or maybe I’ve been corrupted by the dynamic black and white cinematography of the likes of James Wong Howe, Greg Toland, Joseph LaShelle, and Nicholas Musuraca—they’re all worth Googling if you’ve never heard of them.

But the film’s biggest crime, in my opinion, is that it’s boring. I forced myself to sit through the entire 135 minutes. I kept hoping that something would happen to reward my endurance, but I was disappointed.

Roma is the type of film that critics love, but that few people would pay money to see. The film distributed by Netflix had a brief release so it could qualify for the Oscars. It’s been available on Netflix for several months.


Screenplay by Alfonso Cuaron; Directed by Alfonso Cuaron; Produced by Alfonso Cuaron, Gabriela Rodriguez, Nicolas Celis for Participant Media and Esperanto Filmoj; Distributed by Netflix.

Yalitza Aparicio as Cleodegaria “Cleo” Gutiérrez, one of the family’s maids
Marina de Tavira as Sofia, the mother of the family
Fernando Grediaga as Antonio, Sofia’s absent husband
Jorge Antonio Guerrero as Fermín, Cleo’s lover
Marco Graf as Pepe
Daniela Demesa as Sofi
Diego Cortina Autrey as Toño
Carlos Peralta as Paco
Nancy García as Adela, Cleo’s friend and one of the family’s maids
Verónica García as Teresa, Sofia’s mother
José Manuel Guerrero Mendoza as Ramón, Adela’s lover
Latin Lover as Professor Zovek