See “The WIzard of Oz” in Waite Park Theatre Later this Month

Some movies are the kind that you will watch every single year, regardless of how many other times you have seen the flick.  The Wizard of Oz seems to be one of those movies.  At least it is for many people.  I actually do know of a couple of people who have never seen the movie.

This year, 2024, marks the 85th Anniversary of the iconic film.  The Wizard of Oz originally came out in 1939.  The movie stars Judy Garland, who was just 17 at the time, as Dorothy, Burt Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Ray Bolger as the Scarcrow and Jack Haley played the Tin Man.

Get our free mobile app

There have been so many "things" that have come out regarding the filming of this movie.  Things that never would fly in today's world, but that was a different time.  One of the things that people didn't know about - or didn't know that it was bad, was the "snow" during the poppy field scene was actually asbestos.  We now know how bad that substance is.  But ignorance was bliss at the time.

There is also the urban legend that someone commited suicide and you can see that in one of the scenes in the woods in the background.  That has been debunked as a piece of equipment that swung down from the ceiling.  But I guess we will never actually know if that is the truth or not.

After all of that... if you would like to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of this film, it will be shown for a limited time at Marcus Theatres in St. Cloud January 28th, 29th and 31st.  Why are they skipping the 30th, which is a Tuesday?  Parkwood's website does not specifiy why, but best guess would be because they have discounted movies on Tuesdays, and this particular film would not be included in that promotion.

You can purchase tickets ahead of time later this month by going to their website.  

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!