While researching the 1898 Omaha World's Fair for his ghost story and researching the Wizard of Oz for the newspaper story (in L. Frank Baum's original novel, published in 1900, the Wizard hailed from Omaha, where he had worked first as a ventriloquist's apprentice and then a balloonist), Schaffert had an idea.
Once all of his many forms have been dropped, the wizard turns out to be Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs (“OZ” is the first initial from his first two names), a former salesman from Omaha, who developed all of his facades while he was a circus magician.
What does the hot air balloon represent in Wizard of Oz?
Hot-Air Balloon
The expression that someone is full of hot air means their speech is more impressive than their actions could possibly be. By the time Oz takes off in his balloon, it has become manifestly obvious that he's full of hot air himself. He's not a Wizard.
Toto took off chasing a kitten. Dorothy couldn't leave without him. Once she had found Toto and was racing toward the balloon, the ropes holding the balloon cracked, and the balloon took off without Dorothy in it.
c0 58 seconds in Oz where the Tin Man loosens the Wizard's balloon
What is the moral of the story of The Wizard of Oz?
When choosing between love and hate, good and evil, love and good will always triumph. This is an obvious theme in The Wizard of Oz, and it's the best way to live. The very first person that Dorothy encounters in the land of Oz is Glenda the good witch.
It's never explained, in the main books or any other well-known source, who Dorothy's parents are, how they died, or how she came to live with her aunt and uncle — only that Dorothy is an orphan.
What does the yellow brick road symbolize in The Wizard of Oz?
The Yellow Brick Road represents strategy—how you will get there; the path you identify as the best, smartest way to accomplish your goal. And each of the shiny yellow bricks in the road represents an action step—the smaller tactics that go into executing your strategy.
What does the tin man represent in The Wizard of Oz?
Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," the Tin Man represents the theme of humanity and the importance of having a heart. He is a kind and gentle character who lacks the ability to feel emotions, but learns to love and care for others after finding a heart.
What does the green glasses represent in The Wizard of Oz?
In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
This is explained as an effort to protect their eyes from the "brightness and glory" of the city, but in effect makes everything appear green when it is, in fact, "no more green than any other city". This is yet another "humbug" created by the Wizard.
She introduces herself as Glinda and explains that the true Wicked Witch is her half-sister, Evanora. Years ago, she poisoned their father, the King, so she could rule Oz uncontested. Before he died, the King predicted that a powerful Wizard would come and take his place.
Even Dorothy had hope that "The Great and Terrible Humbug," as she called him, would find a way to send her back to Kansas, and if he did she was willing to forgive him everything.
Despite Toto being a male dog, he was portrayed in the 1939 film by a female dog named Terry (1933 - 1945). She was born on November 17, 1933, and died on September 1, 1945 at age 11, two months and sixteen days before her twelfth birthday.
Despite its humble setting, “The Wizard of Oz” was a highly complicated film to make in 1939. It cost MGM Studios $3.2 million to develop, and only raked in about that much when it was first released. At the time, Americans were struggling through the Great Depression, and World War II was just around the corner.
Where in Kansas does the Wizard of Oz take place? While a specific Kansas community isn't specified in the Wizard of Oz, the town of Liberal, Kansas has claimed the title of Dorothy's hometown for its own. Wamego, Kansas also leans into Kansas' Wizard of Oz connection with an Oz Museum.
Dorothy, a little girl from Kansas, lives in a bleak, drab environment. A Kansas cyclone catapults Dorothy over the rainbow into the colorful Land of Oz. The Kansas Baum describes was based on his experiences living in South Dakota in the 1880s. Many Kansans found this description of Kansas unjust and untrue.
What does the silver slippers represent in The Wizard of Oz?
In the book and the play the shoes are silver, not ruby as they were famously depicted in the 1939 film. In his reading of The Wizard of Oz, Littlefield believed that Dorothy was a stand-in for the average American, and that the magic silver shoes represented the late 1890s free silver movement.
What do the ruby slippers represent in The Wizard of Oz?
All kidding aside, the slippers make for a pretty straightforward representation of Dorothy's own potential power. She has it, she just doesn't know how to use it yet, which is really why Glinda sends her off to see the Wizard.
Who does the Cowardly Lion represent in The Wizard of Oz?
the Cowardly Lion represented northern reformers; the Emerald City represented Wall Street, greenback colored; and. the Wizard represented the Money Power, whose influence rests on manipulation and illusion.
Toto lived a long and happy life in Kansas after the events in The Wizard of Oz. The real dog that played Toto named Terry was in 23 movies. Terry died in 1945 at age 11 and was buried on Hollywood trainer Carl Spitz's ranch in Studio City. Her gravesite was bulldozed over to construct the Ventura Freeway.
What does the red brick road mean in The Wizard of Oz?
Frank Baum the red brick road goes to the Quadling Country in Oz. Red is the Quadlings' state color. In his books, the Land of Oz was divided into four quadrants and each was designated a particular color: Winkie Country = Yellow, Gillikin Country = Purple, Munchkin Country = Blue, and Quadling Country = Red.
What does the red brick road lead to in Wizard of Oz?
The Red Brick Road is supposed to lead travelers from Quadling Country to the great Emerald City. However, in the movie, the road is shown ending up at…Munchkin City Hall.
She kisses Dorothy on the forehead, a magical act that serves to protect Dorothy on the journey, because "no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North".
“You've always had the power,” Glinda, the good witch tells Dorothy at the end of her journey. When Dorothy asks why Glinda didn't tell her that before, Glinda replies that Dorothy wouldn't have believed her — she had to find out for herself. And like Dorothy, women today are on a heroine's journey.
