As a kid, I looked forward to the annual playing of The Wizard of Oz on TV as much as Christmas and Halloween combined. The music, the friendship, the scary witch. Until high school, I’d never seen it in color, so I hadn’t even witnessed the magical transformation from Kansas to Oz, or what was so funny about the line “A horse of a different color” being a horse that actually changed colors.
In high school, I was invited to my friend Laurie’s house to watch it in color. And it was magical. To see something so very familiar that looked so very different, well, it was, as I already said, magical.
Interestingly, Laurie’s mother actually knew the actress, Margaret Hamilton, who terrified me for years as the Wicked Witch of the West. I learned about the fact that Ms. Hamilton’s costume had actually caught on fire in one scene, putting a stop to several other would-be fiery scenes. But mostly I learned that she was just a nice lady who played a memorable part. It all took place while I was dreaming of becoming an actress myself.
I saw this clip on dailykos.com. Showing the transformation of Margaret Hamilton into the Wicked Witch of the West, and her explaining that she was just playing dress-up. Anybody who has kids might want to share this video with their very scared kids!
Happy Halloween!
FiftyFourandAHalf 