The Wizard of Oz
Movie, 1939, Dorothy, Set in Kansas and Oz
The Wizard of Oz is #1 of 3 in release order and #3 of 3 in chronological order in the Wicked.
The story
Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.
The Wizard of Oz recap
Dorothy Gale, a farm girl in Kansas, runs away with her dog Toto after a neighbour, Miss Gulch, takes him to be destroyed. A tornado carries her house to the Land of Oz, where it lands on the Wicked Witch of the East and kills her. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, gives Dorothy the dead witch's ruby slippers and tells her to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where the Wizard can send her home. The Wicked Witch of the West, the dead witch's sister, wants the slippers and threatens her. On the road, Dorothy is joined by a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The Wizard, appearing as a giant floating head, tells them to bring him the Wicked Witch's broomstick first. The Witch's flying monkeys capture Dorothy, and her friends sneak into the castle to rescue her.
The Wizard of Oz ending explained
Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West with a bucket of water, and wakes up at home in Kansas, surrounded by her family. Thrown on the Scarecrow to put out a fire, the water dissolves the Witch. The Wizard is exposed as an ordinary man from Kansas and gives her friends tokens of what they already had. His balloon leaves without Dorothy, and Glinda tells her she could always go home. She clicks her heels, saying "There's no place like home".
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 98%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Wicked.
- Chronological order: after Wicked: For Good, the last.
What to watch before The Wizard of Oz
Nothing. The Wizard of Oz (1939) doesn't continue an earlier version, so it stands on its own.
Cast
- Judy Garland as Dorothy
- Ray Bolger as Scarecrow / Hunk
- Jack Haley as Tin Man / Hickory
- Bert Lahr as Cowardly Lion / Zeke
- Frank Morgan as Oz / Professor Marvel
- Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West / Miss Gulch
- Billie Burke as Glinda
- Clara Blandick as Auntie Em
- Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry
- Pat Walshe as Nikko
- Terry as Toto
- Adriana Caselotti as Juliet (voice) (uncredited)
Directed by Victor Fleming.