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The Wizard of Oz (1925)

Background Information

  • Released April 13, 1925
  • Adapted from the book written by L. Frank Baum
  • Plotline varies significantly, but characters remain consistent to book
  • Directed by Larry Semon and produced by Chadwick Pictures Corporation
  • Features Dorothy Dwan as Dorothy, Charles Murray as the Wizard Oliver Hardy as the woodsman, and others
  • Semon made an appearance in his film as the scarecrow

  • American silent film director/comedian
  • Son of traveling magician
  • Prior experience writing comics before making movies
  • Instant success in film industry
  • Appeared as main or supporting characters in many of his films; not uncommon for directors during this time
  • Credited with 71 pieces
  • Married to Dorothy Dwan
  • Died mysteriously at age 39

Larry Semon as a director

Relationship between Semon and Dwan

  • Semon and Dwan were married after completing the film
  • Sources allude that Semon chose Dwan for the role because he found her attractive
  • Semon tried to propose several times times before he finally gained the courage to ask Dwan to marry him
  • Mystery surrounding his death; Dwan not allowed any contact

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

Timeline of The Wizard of Oz as a film franchise

  • Released in 1910, the first film adaptation of the book
  • Released in 1939
  • The most well known version; considered to be a classic
  • The first adaption to include speaking
  • Stars Judy Garland

Timeline of the Film Franchise

  • Released in 1925
  • Still in the silent film era, but demonstrated significant improvements in technology
  • Foreshadowed The Land of Oz, which came out in 1932

To my surprise, the 1925 film was not the earliest film adaptation of the book; an earlier version was released 15 years prior. The most familiar movie came out in 1939, and several others have been created since. Most are available to view on Amazon Prime.

The Wizard of Oz

Criticism

  • Received a fair amount of criticism- Picture Play Magazine accused it of being "imagination gone wrong"
  • Never highly regarded for its quality or storyline
  • Considered a childrens comedy film
  • One article in the Picture Play Magazine mentioned going to the theatre and "hear the youngsters laugh at The Wizard of Oz"
  • Another piece says "Semon turns the wistful, loveable Scarecrow of The Wizard of Oz into a hilarious slapstick comedy figure"
  • Release ads from the time claim it to be "not very much like Frank Baum's whimsical story, but funny at times"
  • Makeup and other film effects were appreciated by viewers

Citations

Resources

“Larry Semon.” The Movie Database, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/128200-larry-semon?language=en-US.

Photoplay, Jan- Jun 1925, p. 344., https://mediahistoryproject.org/reader.php?id=pho28chic, Photoplay Magazine Publishing Company.

Picture Play Magazine, Mar- Aug 1925, p. 356, 535, 557-558, 742., https://mediahistoryproject.org/reader.php?id=pictureplaymagaz22unse.

“The Wizard of Oz.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016544/.

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