The Wizard of Oz

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A Sex Tape, Threats, and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

Second man busted for theft of iconic 'Wizard of Oz' prop, with some eyebrow-raising details

(Newser) - A second man has been charged in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz, according to an indictment made public Sunday.
  • The theft: The slippers, adorned with sequins and glass beads, were stolen from the Judy Garland
...

Defendant Admits Stealing Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

'Wizard of Oz' slippers were stolen in 2005, recovered in 2018

(Newser) - A 76-year-old Minnesotan has changed his plea after being indicted in May on charges he stole the ruby red slippers worn by Dorothy Gale/Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Terry Martin pleaded guilty Friday in Duluth, per CBS News . The plea deal calls for letting Marin...

Drama Swirls Around Who Owns This Dorothy Dress

Catholic University was about to sell it, until a judge stepped in

(Newser) - The story of one of Dorothy's dresses from the Wizard of Oz has nearly as many twists and turns as the film itself. The blue-and-white checked gingham dress—said to be one of only two that still have the underlying blouse with it—was found last year in a...

300-Year-Old Wizard of Oz Violin Likely to Set Record

'Da Vinci' Stradivarius formerly owned by Toscha Seidel expected to fetch up to $20M at auction

(Newser) - An old violin, thought to be heard on the Oscar-winning score of The Wizard of Oz, might just become the most expensive Stradivarius ever sold at auction. The rare violin formerly owned by Toscha Seidel, "widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century," will hit...

New Line Cinema Plans 'Fresh Take' on Wizard of Oz

'Watchmen' director Nicole Kassell is on board

(Newser) - Are we off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz—again? New Line Cinema is making a new adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum children’s novel, with Nicole Kassell, the visual architect of Watchmen, set to direct. Baum's 1900 novel, now in...

Ruby Slippers Stolen in the Night 13 Years Ago Are Found

But a big mystery remains

(Newser) - It required more than three clicks of the heel to get these ruby slippers home—it took 13 years. Law enforcement officials announced Tuesday that the shoes stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn., in late August 2005 have been found—but no thief...

'Tin Man' Busted for Being Rusty on Driving Laws

Specifically, the Oz-Stravaganza actor allegedly had a BAC of 0.19%

(Newser) - A man hired to portray the Tin Man in Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's upstate New York hometown was still in his character's makeup when his mugshot was taken after a drunk driving arrest, the AP reports. State police say troopers responded Sunday to a report...

Ex-Husband: Judy Garland Was Groped by Munchkins on Oz Set

'They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small'

(Newser) - Judy Garland's third husband has a posthumous memoir out, and parts of it will be very uncomfortable reading for Wizard of Oz fans. In Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland, Sid Luft claims that the 16-year-old Garland was groped by Munchkins on set, People reports. "They...

Saving the Ruby Slippers Will Cost America $300K

And the Smithsonian is turning to Kickstarter for the funds

(Newser) - The Smithsonian needs your help preserving a piece of American film history. Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz are in need of some serious TLC, Entertainment Weekly reports, and the museum explains its federal funding doesn't extend to "non-core" projects like this one. To that...

Huge Reward Offered for Dorothy's Red Slippers

Anonymous fan of Wizard of Oz makes amazing offer

(Newser) - There's no place like home—especially for a pair of authentic slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. In fact, an anonymous donor is offering $1 million for information that leads to the return of the red shoes stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand...

Jackman's Prisoners Takes No. 1



 Jackman's 
 Prisoners 
 Takes No. 1 
BOX OFFICE
Sep 22, 2013 1:04 PM CDT

Jackman's Prisoners Takes No. 1

But Chris Brown's 'Battle of the Year' wasn't

(Newser) - Despite complaints about the ending , Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal had a winning weekend with their thriller, Prisoners, taking in $21.4 million to lead the box office, reports the LA Times . Last week's winner, Insidious: Chapter 2, slipped into the No. 2 spot with $14.5 million, adds...

Anti-Thatcher 'Witch Is Dead' Song a Big Hit

Pro-Thatcher punk song enters charts at No. 35

(Newser) - So not everyone is weeping over Margaret Thatcher's death: The song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz has climbed to No. 2 on Britain's charts and sold over 52,000 copies, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, a pro-Thatcher tune—the punk song "...

Oz the OK and Sorta Effective
 Oz the OK and Sorta Effective 
Movie Review
Mar 8, 2013 10:11 AM CST

Oz the OK and Sorta Effective

Critics not over the raindow for Sam Raimi and James Franco's prequel

(Newser) - Sam Raimi's prequel to the Wizard of Oz hits theaters this weekend, but critics weren't exactly swept up and blown away by it. While few really hated Oz the Great and Powerful, few loved it either, and most concluding James Franco was a poor choice for the lead....

Dorothy's Wizard of Oz Dress Fetches $480K

Iconic dress snapped up in Hollywood auction

(Newser) - The blue gingham dress Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz was the star of a two-day auction of Hollywood memorabilia. An unidentified buyer paid $480,000 for the dress made by famous MGM costume designer Adrian Greenberg, and another buyer shelled out $33,750 for a...

Wizard of Oz Coming in 3D
 Wizard of Oz Coming in 3D 
Oct 5, 2012 12:47 PM CDT

Wizard of Oz Coming in 3D

It will be out next year on DVD and Blu-Ray

(Newser) - Well, stoners, now you've got a reason to buy a 3D TV. If the Wizard of Oz isn't trippy enough for you in its normal, Technicolor glory, next year you'll be able to buy a 3D conversion of it on DVD or Blu-Ray, says Warner Bros. It...

Wizard of Oz Munchkin Karl Slover Dead at 93
 Oz Munchkin Dead at 93 
OBITUARY
Nov 17, 2011 12:11 AM CST

Oz Munchkin Dead at 93

With Karl Slover's death, only 3 Munchkins remain

(Newser) - When Karl Slover was a boy in what is now the Czech Republic, his 6-foot-6 father tried many ways to make him grow before giving up and selling his 9-year-old son to a traveling carnival. Slover, who has died at the age of 93, never grew taller than 4-foot-5, but...

Historian Fights to Save Baum's Yellow Brick Road

John Curran is convinced New York road inspired Baum

(Newser) - The famous yellow brick road of Oz legend is now being used as a parking lot, if one historian is to be believed. John Curran has been fighting for nearly a decade to preserve the golden bricks in Peekskill, New York, that he believes inspired L. Frank Baum. Baum was...

7 High-Profile Missing Movie Props

Ruby slippers, Maltese Falcon, Spider-Man costume have all disappeared

(Newser) - Important things vanish in movies all the time—ghosts, ninjas, starlets' clothing. But what happens to important props that may have aftermarket value? Quite often, they go missing. Mental Floss lists seven iconic movie props that mysteriously disappeared:
  • The Easy Rider motorcycle: Two copies of each bike in the counterculture
...

Next Wizard of Oz: Robert Downey Jr?

Actor is in talks for prequel film

(Newser) - Maybe you don’t picture Robert Downey Jr. as the “desperate and doddering” Wizard of Oz featured in the beloved musical—but what about the “dark and complex charlatan” he’s painted as in L. Frank Baum’s books? Yes, RDJ would be perfect for that role, writes...

Meinhardt Raabe, 'Oz' Munchkin, Dies at 94
 Meinhardt Raabe, 
 'Oz' Munchkin, Dies at 94 
OBITUARY
Apr 10, 2010 11:03 AM CDT

Meinhardt Raabe, 'Oz' Munchkin, Dies at 94

He pronounced Wicked Witch of East 'sincerely dead'

(Newser) - Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz and proclaimed that the Wicked Witch of the East was "really most sincerely dead," has died at 94. His caregiver said Raabe died yesterday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla. He was one of...

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