The incomparable Judy Garland would be celebrating her 100th birthday this June and to honor this special occasion, Fathom Events and Warner Bros. are bringing her unforgettable performance in The Wizard of Oz back to cinemas for a two-day engagement. The film will play in more than 800 theatres nationwide on Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network on June 5 and 6.
In addition to the full feature film, fans will be able to enjoy a rarely seen extended musical number. In the scene, Ray Bolger (Scarecrow) performs a dance routine that was cut from the original movie.
Adapted from L. Frank Baum’s timeless children’s tale about a Kansas girl’s journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed Gone with the Wind), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg.
Dorothy was portrayed by a 4'11" sixteen-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as “the world’s greatest entertainer”— Judy Garland. Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the wonderful Wizard of Oz himself.
The Wizard of Oz received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (Outstanding Production), and captured two Oscars—Best Song (Over the Rainbow) and Best Original Score – plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland. The film was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and proved its ability to continually captivate audiences when M-G-M reissued the film in 1949 and 1955.
Fathom Events www.FathomEvents.com
Warner Bros. Discovery www.wbd.com