Surrender Dorothy
Encyclopedia
"SURRENDER DOROTHY" is a famous special effect
used in the movie The Wizard of Oz
, which later attained local fame as a graffito in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area.
version of The Wizard of Oz (it is not in the novel or any previous adaptations). In the scene, Dorothy Gale
(Judy Garland
) has reached the Emerald City
with her companions, The Scarecrow
(Ray Bolger
), The Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley
), and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr
), and are treated to the hospitality and technological comforts of the fantastic city. As they leave the "Wash & Brush Up Co.", The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton
) appears in the sky riding her broomstick, skywriting
the words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" (an edit of the originally intended phrase, "SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE, WWW.") The terrified townspeople of the Emerald City - and the four intrepid adventurers - respond by rushing to the chamber where the Wizard of Oz himself (Frank Morgan
) resides, only to be turned away by a Majordomo (also played by Frank Morgan) based loosely on the Soldier with the Green Whiskers
.
The special effect was achieved by using a hypodermic needle, spreading black ink across the bottom of a glass tank filled with tinted water.
The phrase was also later featured in Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours
. In the film, Marcy (Rosanna Arquette
) relates that her former husband would scream the phrase during intercourse.
The famous graffito in the D.C. metropolitan area first appeared on the outer loop of I-495
, the "Capital Beltway", on a railroad bridge near the Washington, D.C temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Maryland
, beginning in late 1973. The graffito was put up by an anonymous artist and was removed by the Maryland State Police; however, it has been periodically repainted in various forms by equally unknown persons since the initial police removal. The imposing architectural
design of the Temple apparently reminded the perpetrators of the Emerald City
.
The rail line which contains the bridge is the old B&O
Metropolitan Branch, now owned by CSX Transportation
, which operates the MARC Brunswick Line and various freight trains on that branch. The location of the phrase is visible on approach driving on I-495 from the east, but only after one passes under the first of three bridges. It is the second of three bridges over the Beltway approaching from the east, with Seminary Road before it, and Linden Lane after it. It's doubly effective because as you approach the bridges, first in the distance you see only the Temple, then you pass under the first bridge, the Temple comes back into view just as the words "Surrender Dorothy" appear.
In summer 2007, a new piece of graffiti appeared on the rail bridge. The word "SURRENDER" was reduced in size to fit into a single section of the rail bridge, and the word "DOROTHY" was omitted from the graffiti. The original-size message is no longer visible, but its presence can still be felt at the top of the bridge, as the paint used to cover it does not exactly match the original paint on the bridge. The smaller "SURRENDER" graphic is located near the bottom of the bridge, over the far-left lane of traffic on the Outer Loop
.
Special effect
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
used in the movie The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, which later attained local fame as a graffito in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area.
Appearance in the movie
The first appearance of the phrase is in the famous 19391939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
version of The Wizard of Oz (it is not in the novel or any previous adaptations). In the scene, Dorothy Gale
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...
(Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
) has reached 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...
with her companions, 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...
(Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger
Raymond Wallace "Ray" Bolger was an American entertainer of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow and Kansas farmworker Hank in The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
), The Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley
Jack Haley
John Joseph "Jack" Haley was an American stage, radio, and film actor best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and Kansas farmworker Hickory in The Wizard of Oz.-Career:...
), and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr
Bert Lahr was an American actor and comedian. Lahr is remembered today for his roles as the Cowardly Lion and Kansas farmworker Zeke in The Wizard of Oz, but was also well-known for work in burlesque, vaudeville, and on Broadway.-Early life:Lahr was born in New York City, of German-Jewish heritage...
), and are treated to the hospitality and technological comforts of the fantastic city. As they leave the "Wash & Brush Up Co.", The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton was an American film actress known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz...
) appears in the sky riding her broomstick, skywriting
Skywriting
Skywriting is the process of using a small aircraft, able to expel special smoke during flight, to fly in certain patterns to create writing readable by someone on the ground...
the words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" (an edit of the originally intended phrase, "SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE, WWW.") The terrified townspeople of the Emerald City - and the four intrepid adventurers - respond by rushing to the chamber where the Wizard of Oz himself (Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
) resides, only to be turned away by a Majordomo (also played by Frank Morgan) based loosely on the Soldier with the Green Whiskers
Soldier with the Green Whiskers
The Soldier with the Green Whiskers is a major character in the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and his successors. His name is Omby Amby, but this was so obliquely stated that he also became known briefly as Wantowin Battles.-Early appearances:...
.
The special effect was achieved by using a hypodermic needle, spreading black ink across the bottom of a glass tank filled with tinted water.
The phrase was also later featured in Martin Scorsese's 1985 film After Hours
After Hours (film)
After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:...
. In the film, Marcy (Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and producer.-Early life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda Olivia "Mardi" , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Her paternal...
) relates that her former husband would scream the phrase during intercourse.
Washington area graffiti
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
, the "Capital Beltway", on a railroad bridge near the Washington, D.C temple
Washington D.C. Temple
The Washington D.C. Temple is the 18th constructed and 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Kensington, Maryland, USA, near the Capital Beltway just north of Washington, D.C...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kensington, Maryland
Kensington, Maryland
Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2000 census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 zip code and its population is an order of magnitude larger than that of the town at its center....
, beginning in late 1973. The graffito was put up by an anonymous artist and was removed by the Maryland State Police; however, it has been periodically repainted in various forms by equally unknown persons since the initial police removal. The imposing architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
design of the Temple apparently reminded the perpetrators of 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...
.
The rail line which contains the bridge is the old B&O
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
Metropolitan Branch, now owned by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, which operates the MARC Brunswick Line and various freight trains on that branch. The location of the phrase is visible on approach driving on I-495 from the east, but only after one passes under the first of three bridges. It is the second of three bridges over the Beltway approaching from the east, with Seminary Road before it, and Linden Lane after it. It's doubly effective because as you approach the bridges, first in the distance you see only the Temple, then you pass under the first bridge, the Temple comes back into view just as the words "Surrender Dorothy" appear.
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
.