The MGM musical The Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood in 1939.

L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900, led to the creation of one of the most popular films of all time, and has become one of the most-read children’s books and fodder for many related books, plays, sequels, toys, games and other Oz-related products. Touted as one of the first totally “American” fantasies, Baum’s tale was a friendly one in which children could be frightened but not terrified as he had been in his youth by fairy tales.

Baum’s book, reproduced in film by MGM in the late 1930s, has been described by some as an allegory of the late 19^th century political arguments over the economy—casting William Jennings Bryan as the Cowardly Lion, everyday farmers as the Scarecrow and the Tin Man as an industrial worker who has lost his “heart” (i.e., his soul). In the original version, Dorothy’s slippers were made of silver, and proponents of this theory hold that by juxtaposing them against the yellow-brick road, Baum was drawing attention to the conflict over the gold standard that was hotly debated between city and farm at the time. While it is not clear whether this was Baum’s intent, it is interesting to consider.

EconEdLink
Both The Wizard of Oz Visits Japan (9–12) and The Road to Emerald City Is Paved with Good Intentions (9–12) help students examine the relationship between inflation and deflationary policies such as money supply practices of the government.

ReadWriteThink
The Wizard of Oz has engaged children’s imaginations for over a century. The lesson Deeper Reading Response: A Template for Teachers (K–2) offers teachers strategies for helping students to engage more deeply in read-aloud literature.

In Writing a Movie: Summarizing and Rereading a Film Script (3–5), students view a segment of a film, such as The Wizard of Oz, that has a great deal of action and little or no dialogue. After viewing the segment, students write a descriptive summary of the scene. They then have an opportunity to improve their reading fluency as they reread their script expressively. As a final project, students give a performance in which they read their written summary while showing the film in the background.