Return to Oz (TV program)
Encyclopedia
Return to Oz is an animated television special produced by Crawley Films for Rankin/Bass
(Videocraft). It first aired 9 February 1964 in the United States
on NBC's
General Electric Color Fantasy Hour. It was directed by F.R. Crawley, Thomas Glynn
, and Larry Roemer from a teleplay
by Romeo Muller
, who later wrote Dorothy in the Land of Oz.
Crawley Films also produced the earlier 1961 animated series, Tales of the Wizard of Oz
and brought similar artistic character renditions to the special.
There is also a 1985 live-action Disney film of the same name
.
at RCA Victor
studios.
. All of Dorothy's friends become trapped in the situations they were in when she first met them, cueing yet another trip to see the Wizard. Dorothy
receives a letter from the Scarecrow
, called Socrates in the film, telling her that everyone is happy with the gifts the Wizard
gave them, and that they miss her very much. Dorothy goes to find her silver slippers and is instantly taken to Oz
again by another Kansas Twister, this time not by house, but an apple tree. Once she arrives back in Oz she is greeted by the Munchkin
s in Munchkinville. Glinda
arrives to tell Dorothy that the Wicked Witch of the West
is not dead and that she has taken Socrates' diploma and burned it up. She has also taken the heart of the Tin Woodman
, called Rusty, by turning herself into a Tin Woman, and has dropped him into water where his chocolate heart melted and he rusted. She has also stolen the medal that belonged to Cowardly Lion
, called Dandy, and turned it into a daisy, and is planning to get Dorothy's silver slippers again.
Dorothy sets off to find her friends, without knowing the Wicked Witch is watching them in her Crystal Ball. Dorothy finds Rusty who has rusted after the witch had tricked him. They find Socrates in a corn field on a pole scaring crows again. After the four friends are reunited, they arrive at the Emerald City
, only to be tricked by the Witch, who has captured the Wizard and taken over as Oz. The "Wizard" tells them to destroy the Witch again and he will give them what they want. The Witch arrives back at her castle just before Dorothy and her friends, but before they arrive she sends flying alligators to kill them. Socrates' quick thinking saves them when they hide under his hay. Rusty saves them from a lighting bolt - which kills him, despite his being made of tin. Dorothy asks Glinda if she will help and a glowing ball brings Rusty back to life. The friends arrive and are trapped by the Witch. The Witch grabs Dorothy and tries to take her Silver Slippers. The gang (including the Wizard himself) try to get Dorothy back from the Witch. The Witch gives Dorothy and Dandy the Slippers. Dorothy, who is being held upside-down from the window, tells Dandy that he will turn to stone if he takes the Slippers. The Witch takes the slippers only to be turned into stone and crumble and fall apart. The gang return to the Emerald City, only to find out that the Wizard is a humbug once again. Glinda appears to tell Dorothy the reason that her friends didn't turn to stone was because they had brains, heart, and courage. She also explains that the witch was cruel and heartless, brainless enough to think evil could conquer good and cowardly in that she used slaves and suppressed others. Dorothy wishes to go back, and instantly a Kansas twister whisks her and Toto back home to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry again.
and Classic Media in March 2006. It had previously been available for syndication, and a few local stations picked it up.
Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. , also known as Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, was an American production company, known for its seasonal television specials, particularly its work in stop-motion animation. The pre-1974 library is currently owned by Classic Media,while the post-1974 library is...
(Videocraft). It first aired 9 February 1964 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on NBC's
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
General Electric Color Fantasy Hour. It was directed by F.R. Crawley, Thomas Glynn
Thomas Glynn
Thomas Glynn was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1640. He suppported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War....
, and Larry Roemer from a teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
by Romeo Muller
Romeo Muller
Romeo Muller, Jr. was an American screenwriter and actor most remembered for his screenplays such as for the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.-Early years:...
, who later wrote Dorothy in the Land of Oz.
Crawley Films also produced the earlier 1961 animated series, Tales of the Wizard of Oz
Tales of the Wizard of Oz
Tales of the Wizard of Oz is a 1961 animated television series, produced by Crawley Films for Videocrafts . This is the second animated series produced by the studio, and the first by Rankin/Bass to feature traditional animation.The series features stories derived from characters created in L...
and brought similar artistic character renditions to the special.
There is also a 1985 live-action Disney film of the same name
Return to Oz
Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
.
Production
Return to Oz was produced as a 90-minute successor to the Tales of the Wizard of Oz series, although edited to fit an hour-long time slot for NBC's broadcast. The screenplay originated from New York while the voice track was recorded in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
at RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
studios.
Plot
The plot is virtually a rehash of the storyline of The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
. All of Dorothy's friends become trapped in the situations they were in when she first met them, cueing yet another trip to see the Wizard. Dorothy
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
receives a letter from the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Oz)
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
, called Socrates in the film, telling her that everyone is happy with the gifts the Wizard
Wizard (Oz)
The Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as The Great and Powerful Oz, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
gave them, and that they miss her very much. Dorothy goes to find her silver slippers and is instantly taken to Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
again by another Kansas Twister, this time not by house, but an apple tree. Once she arrives back in Oz she is greeted by the Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s in Munchkinville. Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
arrives to tell Dorothy that the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
is not dead and that she has taken Socrates' diploma and burned it up. She has also taken the heart of the Tin Woodman
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
, called Rusty, by turning herself into a Tin Woman, and has dropped him into water where his chocolate heart melted and he rusted. She has also stolen the medal that belonged to Cowardly Lion
Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is the main character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is a Lion, but he talks and interacts with humans....
, called Dandy, and turned it into a daisy, and is planning to get Dorothy's silver slippers again.
Dorothy sets off to find her friends, without knowing the Wicked Witch is watching them in her Crystal Ball. Dorothy finds Rusty who has rusted after the witch had tricked him. They find Socrates in a corn field on a pole scaring crows again. After the four friends are reunited, they arrive at the Emerald City
Emerald City
The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, only to be tricked by the Witch, who has captured the Wizard and taken over as Oz. The "Wizard" tells them to destroy the Witch again and he will give them what they want. The Witch arrives back at her castle just before Dorothy and her friends, but before they arrive she sends flying alligators to kill them. Socrates' quick thinking saves them when they hide under his hay. Rusty saves them from a lighting bolt - which kills him, despite his being made of tin. Dorothy asks Glinda if she will help and a glowing ball brings Rusty back to life. The friends arrive and are trapped by the Witch. The Witch grabs Dorothy and tries to take her Silver Slippers. The gang (including the Wizard himself) try to get Dorothy back from the Witch. The Witch gives Dorothy and Dandy the Slippers. Dorothy, who is being held upside-down from the window, tells Dandy that he will turn to stone if he takes the Slippers. The Witch takes the slippers only to be turned into stone and crumble and fall apart. The gang return to the Emerald City, only to find out that the Wizard is a humbug once again. Glinda appears to tell Dorothy the reason that her friends didn't turn to stone was because they had brains, heart, and courage. She also explains that the witch was cruel and heartless, brainless enough to think evil could conquer good and cowardly in that she used slaves and suppressed others. Dorothy wishes to go back, and instantly a Kansas twister whisks her and Toto back home to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry again.
Characters
The following characters appear in the special, with associated voice actors:- Dandy Lion (Cowardly Lion) - Carl BanasCarl BanasCarl Banas is a Toronto born radio personality and actor. As a TV actor he appeared in the series Wojeck as police detective Byron James, and provided voices for numerous TV series and features. He was also known as a radio personality on Toronto radio station CKFM-FM, later and more famouly known...
- Dorothy Gale - Susan ConwaySusan ConwaySusan Conway Mitchell is a Canadian actress.- Television series :* 1963-1966: The Forest Rangers as Junior Ranger Kathy * 1966: The King Kong Show as Susan Bond...
- Dorothy Gale (singing) - Susan Morse
- Glinda, the Good Witch of the North - Peggi Loder
- Rusty the Tinman (Tin Woodman) - Larry D. MannLarry D. MannLarry D. Mann is a Canadian actor. Prior to his acting career, he was a disk jockey on CHUM 1050 radio in Toronto in 1949. His best-known Canadian television exposure was in a Bell Canada series of commercials called "The Boss" in which he played the title role for ten years beginning in 1981...
- Socrates the Strawman (Scarecrow) - Alfie Scopp
- TotoToto (dog)Toto is the name of a fictional dog in L. Frank Baum's Oz series of children's books, and works derived from them. The name is pronounced with a long "O", a homonym of "toe toe". The dog was originally a cairn terrier drawn by W.W. Denslow for the first edition of the Wizard of Oz...
- Wicked Witch of the West - Larry D. MannLarry D. MannLarry D. Mann is a Canadian actor. Prior to his acting career, he was a disk jockey on CHUM 1050 radio in Toronto in 1949. His best-known Canadian television exposure was in a Bell Canada series of commercials called "The Boss" in which he played the title role for ten years beginning in 1981...
- Wizard of Oz - Carl BanasCarl BanasCarl Banas is a Toronto born radio personality and actor. As a TV actor he appeared in the series Wojeck as police detective Byron James, and provided voices for numerous TV series and features. He was also known as a radio personality on Toronto radio station CKFM-FM, later and more famouly known...
Video/DVD
Return to Oz was released on VHS in the late 1980s by Prism Entertainment. It was released on DVD by Sony WonderSony Wonder
Sony Wonder is a children and family's music and home video arm of Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1991. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media...
and Classic Media in March 2006. It had previously been available for syndication, and a few local stations picked it up.
See also
- The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
— other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz