Down the Yellow Brick Road: The Making of "the Wizard of Oz" [Hardcover]

McClelland divides his book into six topical chapters: (1) "The Picture" provides a synopsis of the movie, with accompanying publicity shots from the production, including a nice one of the Scarecrow trying to rescue Dorothy from the clutches of one of the talking apple trees. The chapter ends with a commentary on the immortality was that bestowed on all of the players by the success of the film and underscores the breezily contemporary, slangy, sometimes low comedy approach that still maintains a nostalgic charm a half-century later. (2) "The Book" reminds everybody that while the 1939 movie inventively distilled the essence of L. Frank Baum's 1900 book there were still some substantial differences between the two. However, Baum's life and his prodigious output of Oz book is reduced to two pages of text, which does not take up as much room as the double-page photo of Oliver Hardy, Dorothy Dwan, and Larry Semon from the 1925 silent version of "The Wizard of Oz." More room is devoted to (3) "The Casting," which tells how Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Woodman, W.C. Fields and Ed Wynn were early choices for the multi-faceted Wizard role(s), and the other actresses considered for the Wicked Witch of the West before Margaret Hamilton landed the role. You will not find a photo of Ebsen in makeup, but there is a shot of Judy Garland in her blonde wig from the first two weeks of filming.

(4) "The Production" details the actual making of the film, including the problems with coming up with a script and the legendary mishaps on stage involving Hamilton, the Munchkins, and the heavy costumes and stage makeup of the principles (Lahr's lion suit was made from 50 pounds of real lion skins and there is a great close-up of the transparent burlap which made up the face of Bolger's Scarecrow makeup). An entire chapter is devoted to (5) "The Music," which was written in only two months by Harold Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Attention is paid, of course, to "Over the Rainbow," which was written at the eleventh hour and almost cut from the film. Since the song ended up as #1 on the American Film Institute's list of top movie songs of all-time, that would have been a really big mistake. McClelland talks about some of the songs that were cut and where some of them ended up.

The final chapter is devoted to (6) "The Legend" of "The Wizard of Oz," beginning with the film's triumphant opening in 1939 and taking the story up to the publication date, when several of the principles were still alive. Also covered are some of the other versions of the story that have been told in that period, and what happened to the cast after they had made their most famous movie. As you would expect from the title of the book, the biggest chapter in "Down the Yellow Brick Road" is devoted to the production of the film and the over 100 photographs collected are the chief attraction, even over the various anecdotes and insights provided by the text. McClelland's efforts pale when compared to "The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History" by John Fricke, Jay Scarfone, and William Stillman with its 400 illustration, half of which are in color, but that is to be expected. Still, McClelland's approach is that of a true fan of the beloved film and as such is a treat for those of us who remember watching the movie each year and having the commercial breaks burned into our minds for all eternity.