Later this week, our students will attempt the daunting task of performing the all-time classic The Wizard of Oz in our annual spring musical...break a leg!
Listen to "Over the Rainbow"
Early in the story as Dorothy (Minnesota's own Judy Garland) longs to escape her dusty and dreary life in Kansas she sings "Over the Rainbow". The music was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics by Yip Harpburg (especially famous for their previous hit "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime" and many other collaborated hits).
Did you know?
- Shirley Temple was pursued to replace Garland for the part of Dorothy...but, was unable to be released from her contract with another movie studio or hit the range of notes in the song.
- The lyrics had many interpretive meanings especially political and religious...a prophetic hope that FDR's "New Deal" program would deliver the country out of The Great Depression and Dorothy longing for an escape from Kansas and her tough circumstances to go to heaven.
- In order to reduce the 2+ hour movie down to 90 minutes, MGM executives attempted to cut the "long, slow moving and too sad song" out of the movie during the second editing of the film. This led to a firestorm of criticism...the producers of the film argued passionately to keep "Over the Rainbow" in the film and threatened to quit the film if MGM executives cut it. Louis B. Mayer (Executive Head of MGM) finally stopped the argument when he announced to the whole room...
"Let the boys have their damn song!"
- Ironically in 2001, the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts named "the song that nearly got cut" the #1 "Song of the Century".
No comments:
Post a Comment