THE WIZARD OF OZ

This is a perennial favorite of mine. The Wizard of Oz is mostly remembered for the stand-out performance of Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale) as she taken into a dream of the Land of Oz. There she meets several quirky characters and the wicked witch. She also meets Glinda, the good witch, who helps her find her goal of returning home to Kansas.

I'm going to step back for a moment and remind my readers that this is not the story of a girl who actually went to Oz. Think how the beginning of the movie went. There was a tornado and she was away from her house. Her family went into the storm cellar but she went into the house. When the twister hit, she was knocked unconscious and in that unconscious state, dreamed of the land of Oz.

To me, this movie is not so much the story of Dorothy's adventures in the land of Oz as it is the story of a young farm girl who is dissatisfied with her present life, but winds up learning she's really in a safe place with people who love her dearly.

By the way, McDonald's recently had the Madame Alexander dolls for their happy meals, and they were Wizard of Oz characters. I got all but one and they are so cute!