We're Off

[filkertom]

L. Frank Baum was born on this date in 1856. Say what you want about his later books and his politics... The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is still one of the best kids' books ever written, and the movie version starring Judy Garland is still one of the best family (and fantasy) films ever made.

What's your favorite part of the book, and/or your favorite line in the movie? Keep it to one each, please, so everyone can play.

In my own perusal of the book (for the first time in many years, and man it's all flooding back and I love the whole fricking thing), I am very hard-pressed to name just one section above any other, but I think I'll go with Chapters 8 and 9, "The Deadly Poppy Field" and "Queen of the Field Mice" (the latter of which obviously never made it into the movie). Everything about those chapters just sings.

With the movie, on the other hand, it's much easier. One line stands head and shoulders above the rest (actually this entire scene, but I promised to keep it to one line):

PROF. MARVEL: Frightened? You're talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe! I was petrified.

Comments

[hughcasey.livejournal.com]

Movie:

Scarecrow: Well, they took my leg and they threw it over there! Then they took the other leg and threw it over there!

Tin Man: Oh, that's you all over!

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I *love* that line.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Agreed! "They sure knocked the stuffing outa you, didn't they?"

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

As coroner I must aver
I've thoroughly examined her
And she's not only merely dead
She's really most sincerely dead

I should really write more songs about that movie, it's the bestest film EVAH

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Some years ago, NPR had an interview with that Munchkin. I should dig through their archives and see if I can find it. It was great.

[janet-coburn.livejournal.com]

He also wrote a book about his very interesting life--probably why they interviewed him. (That's my favorite bit also.)

[janet-coburn.livejournal.com]

His name is Meinhardt Raabe, and the book is Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road. Available on Amazon and probably your local library.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

My name is Meinhardt Raabe. You kill the Wicked Witch. Prepare to die.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Near, far, wherever you are,
I believe that Meinhardt will go on....

[chaosdancer.livejournal.com]

You know the point at the funeral when everyone settles down and they get ready to talk about the deceased person? I want them to play that part at exactly that point at my funeral. :)

[youngcurmudgeon.livejournal.com]

Only one line? Oh, how you challenge me!

Wicked Witch (or Elphaba, your mileage may vary): Helping the little lady along, are you, my fine gentlemen? Well, stay away from her. Or I'll stuff a mattress with you. And you! I'll turn you into a beehive.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

The challenge is the fun. Heck, it's one of the best scripts ever. The Casablanca of kids' movies. The only one that comes close, in my own humble opinion, is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

[youngcurmudgeon.livejournal.com]

"And in this corner, the Casablanca of kids' movies, the winner of the War of the Winkies, the movies' movie, Wizaaaaaaaaaard of Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooz!"

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

Steel cage match! Two movies enter, one movie leaves!

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll go in there for Dorothy! Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch!
Guards or no guards! I'll tear them apart! I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do....talk me out of it!

[tnatj.livejournal.com]

Oree-oh, oohh-oohh
Oree-oh, oohh-ooh

[kightp.livejournal.com]

*laugh* My only niece was a WoO freak almost from birth (every single Halloween she wanted to be Dorothy), and at about four or five years old came with her own interpretation of that chant:

Oh we love
the old one
Oh we love
the old one...

Even though I know it's just nonsense syllables, I hear that now whenever I watch the movie.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Oreoes, Yum-Yum!
Oreos, We want some!

[jss]

And here I thought they were bemoaning having to work to pay their bills:

Oh, we owe.
We owe some.

[farnex.livejournal.com]

I always loved the lion throwing himself out of the window when The great and powerfull Oz scares him too much.

When I was a kid

[capplor.livejournal.com]

we had a standing invitation to visit the neighbor with a COLOR TV whenever the Wizard of Oz was on. The two parts we waited for with baited breath were the initial color frames, and the "Horse of a different color" line.

Now, I'm partial to the line where Prof. M. is stumbling over the term "Philanthropist" and ends up saying "Good deed doer"

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Favorite part of a book I read so often I could practically quote it by heart?

I can't really pick a part. Anything with the Scarecrow.

Movie? It's a cliche, I know, but when it all goes technicolor.

And this would explain something unexpectedly lovely. We happened to watch "Rugrats" this morning, and they did their own version of Oz.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

SCARECROW: Now that's getting PERSONAL, lion!

TIN-MAN: Yes, get up and teach him a lesson.

SCARECROW: Well, why don't you?

TIN-MAN: Why, I hardly KNOW him!

[shadowcat48li.livejournal.com]

ran accross this site ages ago, and its kinda neat...

there was a real dorothy... and shes buried here locally, the headstone was placed by one of the last surviving munchkins actually

http://www.beyondtherainbow2oz.com/dorothygage.html

shes in the same cemetary with Adlai Stevenson and baseball hall of famer Hoss Radbourne

I loved the books

[nezmaster.livejournal.com]

I've wanted to reread them. it's been too long for me to remember lines. I remember characters...

The glass cat with the pink brains you can see working
The patchwork girl
The Gump (I wanted a gump)

And the best character of all, the Humbug...

Most wtf moment..: Tip is a WHAT????!!!! I think this opened up my eyes to gender bias in a way that was never intended, and believe it or not, colored much of my feminism and sexuality. I'll bet no matter how many version of oz they do in movies, you NEVER see THAT story as it was written. (For those who are unclear, the boy hero of the book is a girl in magical disguise)

My Favorite Line From THAT Book

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

"I hope none of you will care less for me than you did before. I'm just the
same Tip, you know; only -- only -- "

"Only you're different!" said the Pumpkinhead; and everyone thought it was
the wisest speech he had ever made.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

The Cowardly Lion singing "If I Only Had Da Noive", especially "be a lion not a mow-us" ;)

[netpositive.livejournal.com]

In the books: I dug the fact that everyone has to wear glasses so that the Emerald City looks green. Also I was always fascinated why Oz was divided into 4 quarters in the first place, and anything to do with Tik-Tok.

In the movie: Almost anything the Cowardly Lion says, of course. And Glinda was my idol. But the scene where Dorothy has to say goodbye to everyone has one of the most beautiful lines ever:

Tin Man: Now I know I have a heart -- 'cause it's breaking.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

Gah, I haven't read the book in a looooong time. I need to remedy that.

Favorite line from the movie? Damn, you ask hard questions.

As much as I adore watching the WWotW chew scenery, I'm gonna have to go with:

"Elmyra Gulch! Just because you own half the town doesn't mean that you have the power to run the rest of us. For twenty-three years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now... well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!"

(Though "That was her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. THIS is the Wicked Witch of the West. She's worse than the other one!" is a close second -- if only because of the implied "and you saw how we partied when you killed her sister!")

[deadpool247.livejournal.com]

Wow...no one's mentioned the Pink Floyd stuff yet.

[wwetuesday.livejournal.com]

Dorothy: Do you think there could be wild animals in here?

Tinman: Perhaps.

Scarecrow: Even ones that, that eat... straw?

Tinman: Some, but mostly lions and tigers and bears.

Dorothy: Lions?

Scarecrow: And tigers?

Tinman: And bears.

Dorothy: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Dorothy/Scarecrow/Tinman: Lions and tigers and bears.

Dorothy: Oh my!

Dorothy/Scarecrow/Tinman: Lions and tigers and bears.

Dorothy: Oh my!

Dorothy/Scarecrow/Tinman: Lions and tigers and bears.

Dorothy: Oh my!

Dorothy/Scarecrow/Tinman: Lions and tigers and bears.

Dorothy: Oh my!

Lion: *ROAR*

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to say that I don't remember any lines from the book, specificly.

As for the movie -- easy. The Witch saying, in a businesslike way, "These things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell."

[markedone.livejournal.com]

Favorite line from the movie:

Wizzard: " Never mind that man behind the curtain"


I have not read the book yet