Some movies are so timeless that they cease to exist as movies. They become living, breathing things. It’s hard to think of The Wizard of Oz as just another movie because it’s left such a huge impression on me, as it has done I’m sure for many generations of movie lovers. I can honestly say that my earliest memory of loving a film and acknowledging the power of a movie was in watching The Wizard of Oz back when I was a kid. The switch from black and white to color was drastic and noticeable to even the youngest of eyes, and I remember at a very young age trying to decipher what had just happened on that screen. I don’t know what it would have been like for audiences in 1939, who were used to seeing everything in black-and-white, but even in the late 80’s, when everything I was seeing was in color, it worked wonders on my senses. What a classic this is. Almost seventy years later, it is still charming entertainment that works as well for kids as it does for adults.

The beauty of The Wizard of Oz is how it blends so many elements into one seamless motion picture. The eclectic cast of characters. The nutty and memorable performances. The absolutely wonderful songs. The heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking score. The sweeping and sterling cinematography. The attention to detail in all the production design. I could go on and on. It all works so well that it can be easy to take it for granted, just how rare a perfect merging of all these elements in one film can be. I can’t imagine in the hands of other filmmakers what this film could’ve turned out like. It could’ve been so wrong in so many ways that it’s hard to even think about it. Take a look at the Turkish version of this movie if you want to know what I mean. You have no idea how lucky we got.

I love all the characters in The Wizard of Oz, but it was the Wicked Witch of the West that I always loved (and loved to hate) as a child. I remember being at a Halloween party and spotting an older girl with the costume on, make-up and everything, and I ran to my mom’s car and sat in the back seat for the remainder of the party. The character is terrifying to a child. “How bout a little fire, scarecrow? Ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha!” Oh my God! This is a kid’s film?? I think not. Maybe that is why this and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are my favorite films geared toward kids, because, in reality, they’re actually pretty scary to kids. I feel like we’ve kind of lost that sense of horror in children’s entertainment nowadays. Everything has been so watered down, to where if there’s a single incident in a G or PG movie that could maybe scare a child, the mother looks it up on the Internet, avoids the film at all costs, and leaves threatening messages on talkback forums. I watched these movies as a kid and, while scared at times, I feel like I’ve turned out OK (don’t answer that). Margaret Hamilton is sensational as the Witch, bringing her intensity and menage, and offering the perfect foil to the goodie-two-shoes Dorothy.

I never exactly loved the Dorothy character, as bland as she is, but Judy Garland makes the character sympathetic and special. Her singing voice is haunting and amazing. I know she took the song “Over the Rainbow” with her to her grave, as she sang the song time and time again throughout the remainder of her entertaining years. What’s amazing is just how simple that memorable scene is at the beginning of the movie. Black and white, no fancy cinematography. She just sits and sings the song. And we’re mesmerized. The rest of the cast all leave great impressions. The Cowardly Lion is more annoying now than he appears to be while viewing the film as a child, but Bert Lahr just has so much fun with the role that you have to go with his enthusiasm. I always particularly loved Billie Burke as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Whenever I’d be scared of the Wicked Witch of the West, she’d show up in time to make me feel better again. Her voice is soothing, and her appearance is angelic. I don’t know if casting directors were given much credit back in the 30’s, but this film is perfectly cast from Dorothy to the Scarecrow to Auntie Em.

Just as fascinating about the movie are all the behind-the-scenes stories, and particularly, the urban legends associated with the film. Perhaps the most infamous movie urban legend of all time, the Wizard of Oz legend that a man can be seen hanging in a shot of the film is false, although many continue to believe that it’s true. The scene in question occurs about 45 minutes into the movie, at the end of the Tin Woodsman sequence, when Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodsman walk off in the distance as they sing “We’re Off to See the Wizard.” As they walk toward the top-center of the frame, look over toward the left side of the screen. Directly right of the little shack appears the figure in question. It really does appear to be a human form hanging from a tree. But look closer—the body seems to move its head slightly after a couple seconds. The figure in question is a bird, a white bird in the background that’s obscured by a tree, which makes it to look slightly like a human form. Besides, there’s just no way that a person could’ve done such a thing without anyone noticing! How could one possibly hang himself on a stage set around dozens of members of the cast & crew without anyone noticing? This urban legend has gained so much notoriety you might want to check out the scene yourself. It definitely does look like a man hanging, although you need a bigger television set to really see for yourself.

There are some other urban legends, including the one where Beverly Hillbillies actor Buddy Ebsen had to quit the movie after being cast as the Tin Man because he discovered he was allergic to the toxic material that they sprayed on his body. Totally true. But my favorite urban legend may be the one that concerns the syncing of the film with the Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” While I have never performed the entirety of this experiment myself (I wish I had seen the official Turner Classic Movies broadcast of this version), I have seen enough to know that there are some eerie similarities. For example, the song Great Gig in the Sky begins as the tornado appears and lasts exactly the length of the storm. The lyrics “…home, home again…” are sung as Professor Marvel tells Dorothy that she must go back home. And the album ends with a slowly beating heartbeat, which comes when Dorothy is banging on the Tin Woodsman to see if he has a heart. It’s creepy to see and hear all the similarities. Coincidence? Probably. But still pretty damn fascinating.

There’s not much more to say about it. Everybody’s seen it, so it’d be a little moronic to point out that anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it should rent it or buy it this instant. But you know what? You never know. At the very least, I hope the film continues to live on for the children and those children’s children who’ve never come to experience it, because they will all be in for one splendid treat. I feel that The Wizard of Oz, more than any movie made before the 1940’s, will be experienced by many, in all cities and countries, and of all age groups, for multiple generations to come.