Wizard of Oz Special Celebration is Hitting Iowa Movie Theaters
The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest classic movies of all time. It's possible kids these days haven't seen this movie, yet... but at some point in their life, they will. In honor of what would be Judy Garlands 100th birthday on June 10, there will be a special showing of this movie in theaters around Iowa.
The Wizard of Oz is the first movie I can remember being absolutely terrified of. There was just something about the Witch of the West and those darn flying monkeys. I once had a daycare provider dress up as the evil witch for halloween, she surprised us kids in the basement, and I sprinted home terrified.
To this day I can still remember being affraid of that character. At 4 years, who wouldn't be? There was something about her extended nose, green makeup, and voice that scared me to death. If I saw Margaret Hamilton (actress who played the character) walking down the street tomorrow, I'd get sweaty palms.
I'm not exactly sure what it was about the flying monkeys that scared me. It was probably just becuase they were an extension of the witch or possibly the howling sound they made when they flew? I'm not sure. When I was 4 I would always close my eyes when I heard them howling.
Once I got a bit older and understood what movies were, it became one of my favorites. We'd watch it at daycare all of the time. I feel as if everyone can find something in each of the main 4 characters to relate to. If you're relating to the Witch, we can be friends from a distance.
Dorthy - was a strong willed, small town Kansas girl, in search of something more.
The Scarecrow - The funny/dopey character of the group. He was clever in his own way even though he lacked having a brain.
The Tin Man - a kind hearted man even though he didn't have a real heart.
The Cowardly Lion - He was meant to be the king of the jungle and he wanted to be brave. That just wasn't who he really was.
The songs in this movie are incredibly catchy. Do you ever catch yourself singing "Somewhere over the rainbow" whenever you see a real rainbow? That can't be just me. "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We're off to See the Wizard" were instant classics. Probably because theres about 25 words total in both of those songs...still fun to sing along with.
If you've seen this movie a million times you might still want to consider buying a ticket. There will be a rarely seen, extended musical number, during these showings. The movie will be played on Sunday, June 5th and Monday, June 6th at these three theaters
Crossroads Theater in Waterloo, Sycamore 12 Theater in Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids Galaxy Cinema. All three theaters have showings for 3pm and 7pm. You can purchase your tickets at Fathom Events.