The Man Who Put the Rainbow in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, by Amy Goodman

[Ian David]

The Man Who Put the Rainbow in ‘The Wizard of Oz’
by Amy Goodman

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and families will be gathering to share a meal and, perhaps, enjoy another annual telecast of "The Wizard of Oz." The 70-year-old film classic bears close watching this year, perhaps more than in any other, for the message woven into the lyrics, written during the Great Depression by Oscar-winning lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. There's more to the Scarecrow and the Tin Man than meets the eye, and Harburg's message has renewed resonance today in the midst of the greatest financial collapse since the Depression.

Harburg grew up in New York's Lower East Side. In high school, he was seated alphabetically next to Ira Gershwin, and the two began a friendship that lasted a lifetime and helped shape 20th-century American song and culture. Ernie Harburg, Yip's son and co-author of the biography "Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz?," told me, "Yip knew poverty deeply ... it was the basis of Yip's understanding of life as struggle."

<snip>

The film, says Ernie Harburg, is about common people confronting and defeating seemingly insurmountable and violent oppression: The Scarecrow represented farmers, the Tin Man stood for the factory workers, and the Munchkins of the "Lollipop Guild" were the union members. Ernie recalled: "There was at least 30 percent unemployment at those times. And among blacks and minorities, it was 50, 60 percent. And there were bread lines, and the rich kept living their lifestyle."

"The Wizard of Oz" was to be "MGM's answer to ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' " Ernie recounts. It was initially a critical success, but a commercial flop. Yip Harburg went on to write "Finian's Rainbow" for Broadway. It addresses racial bigotry, hatred of immigrants, easy credit and mortgage foreclosures. In 1947, "Finian's Rainbow" was the first Broadway musical with an integrated cast. It was a hit, running for a year and a half. When Harburg's unabashed political expression made him a target during the McCarthy era, he was blacklisted, and was banned from TV and film work from 1951 to 1962. Ironically, in the middle of his blacklist period, CBS broadcast "The Wizard of Oz" on television. It broke all viewership records, and has been airing since, gaining global renown and adulation.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/11-3

[UTUSN]

1. K&R #4 n/t

[existentialist]

2. Ironically, and without contradicting any of the above:

Ironically, and without contradicting any of the above:

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (from Wikipedia)

the author of the Wizard of Oz was an out and racist of the worst kind. He advocated the complete extermination of all American Indians.

[Ian David]

3. Which makes the movie, as well as "Wicked" even more ironic.

Not to mention the progressive bisexual treatment Robert A. Heinlein gave it.

[HillbillyBob]

8. I forget which book heinlein started in on OZ

Was that 'The Mark of the Beast'?

[Ian David]

12. That sounds right. Been a long time since I've read it. n/t

[hunter]

13. Almost everyone white was a "racist of the worst kind" in those days.

This nation still reeks of racism, even here on DU.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. Trivia: Baum came up with the mystical realm of Oz fby looking at his

file cabinet drawer, which was designated "O-Z", Oz.

[cyberswede]

5. Thanks for posting this!

We watched the W of O every year throughout my childhood.

Back before VCRs and DVDs, you had to wait a whole year between showings.

My sister would rent a color TV every year for the family to watch (we didn't own a color TV till 1983).

[Brickbat]

7. I remember those days, when it was on only once a year...

For some reason, in our neck of the woods, it was always on during Lent, and we got to eat our "poor" Friday meal in front of the TV that night.

[KittyWampus]

6. they forgot to mention the Lion was the symbol of the politicians. My 9th grade S.S. teacher

brought this up in class.

[Soylent Brice]

9. so what then, does Dorothy represent?

[lonestarnot]

10. Me.

[DBoon]

11. Molly Ivins of course! (nt)

[Ian David]

14. See also

What is The Wizard of Oz Really About?
http://www.turnmeondeadman.com/index.php?option=com_con...

Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_interpretations_...

Political Symbolism in the The Wizard of Oz Book & Movie
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/388326/politic...

Explain the symbols in The Wizard of Oz and why each symbol was chosen?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Explain_the_symbols_in_The_Wi...

SAMPLE LEARNING GUIDE TO:
THE WIZARD OF OZ
http://www.teachwithmovies.org/samples/wizard-of-oz.htm...

Symbolism of the Ruby Slippers
http://www.turnmeondeadman.com/index.php?option=com_con...