THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

Teenager Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) lives with her aunt and uncle on their farm in rural Kansas.  It seems to be a pretty peaceful existence (riding her bicycle, singing in the yard, talking to the farmhands, etc.), but all of that comes to an end one afternoon when the wicked Miss Gulch gets an order from the sheriff to have Dorothy's dog, Toto, put to sleep.  In order to save Toto, Dorothy says "Deuces!" and jets out of there, but before she even gets down the road, she meets a kind man who talks her into going home.  Just then a tornado strikes!

Dorothy hides in her bedroom, while the rest of the family hunkers down in the tornado shelter.  Dorothy hits her head and has a wild as fuck vision about flying in her house to a fantasy land named Oz that is populated by witches, shit-talking apple trees with bad tempers, singing munchkins, evil flying monkeys, a horse with a colour malfunction and three delightful characters who she befriends: a scarecrow (who wants a brain), a tin man (who wants a heart) and a lion (who wants to be courageous).  Together, the four of them (and Toto!) set off down the "yellow brick road" to the Emerald City where the powerful Wizard of Oz can grant their wishes and return Dorothy back to Kansas.  Unfortunately, when Dorothy's house landed in Oz, it accidentally landed on the Wicked Witch of the West's sister and now WWW wants to beat Dorothy's ass.

It's difficult to give a critical analysis of TWOO since the film honestly feels like a part of my life.  I don't even remember the first time I saw it!  Anyway, I love THE WIZARD OF OZ.  Yeah, the story, when you really think about it, is kinda dumb, cause Miss Gulch is still going to have Toto put to death and the entire Oz story was most assuredly a result of Dorothy's head injury, but...it's still a great movie!  So, just like in YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU...who gives a fuck what happens after the end credits roll?!!!  Fuck it!

Excellent pace, groundbreaking use of colour photography, amazing art direction and costumes, great performances (especially Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, who scared the living fuck out of me as a kid!) and quite possibly the best song in movie history: "Over the Rainbow".

THE WIZARD OF OZ is beyond required viewing and one of the most influential films of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Game idea: sometimes, when I watch TWOO, I only watch Toto. She (yes, Terry was a she) is so much fun to watch!

Above and below: no ruby slippers.

SHOW PEOPLE (1928)

What a fun movie.

Marion Davies plays a naive young woman who travels to Hollywood to be a actress in serious movies, but instead ends up getting splashed in the face with seltzer water and chased around in slapstick comedies.  While making these films she makes a loyal group of friends, including William Haines who is secretly in love with her.  Soon though, she gets a chance at becoming a serious actress.  She does so and becomes a big star, which for some reason causes her to purse her lips up like a rabbit and turn her back on her friends.  You can probably guess what happens next.

King Vidor's SHOW PEOPLE is a treasure.  The story might sound serious, but it's actually very funny.  Marion Davies' performance is totally charming, the pace is quick, the story has a modern feel to it, the cameos are impressive and the behind-the-scenes feel to the whole thing is fascinating.  I enjoyed it so much that I actually watched it twice!  Although I do wish that the script had been beefed up a bit.  A longer time spent showing her working in the low-budget comedies would have helped.

But it is what it is and I was smiling from beginning to end.  And that scene where Marion Davies' character sees the real life Marion Davies is absolutely adorable.  Highly recommended for fans of silent movies.

Great scene where Marion Davies' character sees the real life Marion Davies and doesn't approve...