By Michaela Gordoni
THE WIZARD OF OZ will finally be broadcast on air for the first time in three decades.
MeTV will air the MGM musical this fall. The last time it aired was May 9, 1998, The Hollywood Reporter said. The 1939 movie aired annually from 1956 to 1998.
The classic movie is having a moment thanks to the WICKED franchise. It’s also an attraction at Las Vegas’ famous big-screen, The Sphere.
“THE WIZARD OF OZ is more than a movie, it is a shared American experience that was defined by the annual tradition of gathering around the television set,” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, which owns MeTV.
“We are thrilled to bring the film back to broadcast television this October on MeTV. It will be presented without any edits and will be surrounded by surprises we will announce later, making the film the centerpiece of our expanded annual MeTV Halloween BOO-Nanza programming event, which has become hugely popular with our audience. We know they are going to love this incredible addition to the schedule,” he said.
It will air throughout October as part of the Halloween BOO-Nanza program.
Nerdist noted that when the movie first came out, it was somewhat of a flop in theaters. It took time for it to become a fan favorite, and Judy Garland eventually won an Oscar for her performance as Dorothy. It also won three Academy Awards out of six nominations.
Since the book was written in 1899, there have been countless musicals and cinema adaptations. The first musical to come from the book premiered in Chicago in 1902.
A movie inspired by The Wizard of Oz, called GALE: THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, comes out tonight. But it has a twist — it’s a horror adaptation.
“GALE: THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD was inspired by the darker themes already embedded in L. Frank Baum’s original Oz novels, which have only ever been lightly explored,” executive producer Dane Petrali told EW. “And by a desire to respectfully expand that material into a deeper and more unsettling vision of Oz than audiences have seen before.”
It’s in theaters for one night only on Feb. 11.
A documentary about the making of the original movie is currently under development, Broadway World reported. Leonardo DiCaprio is a producer on the project.
It will feature never-before-seen footage from the movie and dive into how and why it’s a cultural phenomenon. It’s expected to come out sometime this year.
Read Next: We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: THE WIZARD OF OZ Coming to World’s Biggest Screen
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +3Share:
– Content: +3