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The Wizard of Oz Screenplay
New to the children's the full, uncut screenplay of The Wizard of Oz, one of the most influential and popular family films of all time. When The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939 by MGM, few could have foreseen that it would have retained such enduring appeal. Yet over 60 years on, a third generation is being raised on Dorothy's adventures with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Munchkins. This full version of the original screenplay is for families, schools and children's drama groups to enjoy.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
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About the author
Noel Langley
46 books7 followersNoel Langley (December 25, 1911 – November 4, 1980) was a successful novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director. While under contract to MGM he was one of the screenwriters for The Wizard of Oz. He was chosen for the job on the basis of his children's story, The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger — a children's classic which has seldom been out of print since it was first published in 1937. However, his finished script for The Wizard of Oz was somewhat revised by Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, revisions that Langley himself strongly objected to, but which appear in the finished film. Langley is on record as saying that he hated the completed product, an opinion not borne out by the general critical and public consensus. The Wizard of Oz has become one of the best-loved films ever made. He attempted to write a sequel based on The Marvelous Land of Oz using many of the concepts he had added to its predecessor, but this was never realized.
Born in Durban, South Africa, he was first an author and a successful Broadway playwright. Langley began writing for films in the 1930s. After World War II, Langley worked on many British films including the film noir They Made Me a Fugitive (1947), the remake of Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951), the Alastair Sim Scrooge (1951), The Pickwick Papers (1952), Ivanhoe (1952) and the Technicolor The Prisoner of Zenda (1952). (His contribution to Zenda, however, was minimal, since the 1952 film followed the script of the 1937 film version, on which Langley did not work, nearly word-for-word.)
In 1964, Langley made a series of tapes for New York radio station WBAI, reading "The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger" in its entirety. He subsequently edited it down to fit on an LP, which was issued by the listener-sponsored station and offered as a fund-raising premium. Langley continued to write novels and plays throughout his life. He also wrote short stories for the Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.
Langley died in 1980 in Desert Hot Springs, California, United States.
Born in Durban, South Africa, he was first an author and a successful Broadway playwright. Langley began writing for films in the 1930s. After World War II, Langley worked on many British films including the film noir They Made Me a Fugitive (1947), the remake of Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951), the Alastair Sim Scrooge (1951), The Pickwick Papers (1952), Ivanhoe (1952) and the Technicolor The Prisoner of Zenda (1952). (His contribution to Zenda, however, was minimal, since the 1952 film followed the script of the 1937 film version, on which Langley did not work, nearly word-for-word.)
In 1964, Langley made a series of tapes for New York radio station WBAI, reading "The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger" in its entirety. He subsequently edited it down to fit on an LP, which was issued by the listener-sponsored station and offered as a fund-raising premium. Langley continued to write novels and plays throughout his life. He also wrote short stories for the Saturday Evening Post and other magazines.
Langley died in 1980 in Desert Hot Springs, California, United States.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 5, 2017
The Wizard of Oz is a very enticing book to read. Every day Dorothy finds something new in the land of Oz. As Dorothy and her dog, Toto, approach the Emerald City, they meet the Scarecrow, Tinman, and the cowardly Lion. When they meet the Wizard he tells them to go to the Wicked Witch of the West. When they defeat her, Dorothy receives the Golden Cap which controls the Flying Monkeys. When the Wizard takes them back home, something goes wrong and the Wizard flies away without them. So they go to Glinda the good witch of the South who will help her go back home.
October 9, 2024
THE WIZARD OF OZ (2 hours 5 minutes)
The August 12, 1939 premiered Wizard of Oz film that most people cherish and love went through a rather laborious process to come to fruition from the initial publication of Frank L. Baum’s Oz book series. It was also devised as a direct competitor to Disney’s Snow White.
Michael Patrick Hearn’s introduction in the first “published” version of the famous film’s “script” exposes a wide spectrum of harsh realities and information common folk probably have no idea about. It was a collaborative effort (with several uncredited contributors) over a long period of time.
The 1903 Broadway play based on The Wizard of Oz toured for eight years. In 1914, Frank L. Baum founded the Oz Film Manufacturing Company to produce silent films of his books. In 1925, a slapstick comedy film titled, “The Wizard of Oz” was released.
“On January 36, 1934, Goldwyn bought the film rights to The Wizard of Oz from Baum for $40,000.” (4)
“On June 3, 1938, Goldwyn officially sold The Wizard of Oz to Loew’s, Incorporated, MGM’s parent company, for $75,000, which (as LeRoy later stated) ‘must go down alongside the Louisiana Purchase as one of the biggest bargains of all times.’” (5)
“Cannon wisely advised that the picture not be a period piece but reflect a contemporary view of fairyland. He also expressed a niggling Hollywood aversion to fantasy.” (6)
Herman J. Mankiewicz is responsible for the Kansas prologue, Munchkins being played by midgets, the Wicked Witch of the West as Dororthy’s threat upon arrival in Oz, as well as many of the musical numbers adapted. “But the most important section of Mankiewicz’s script to remain in the produced movie was the transition from Kansas to fairyland by contrasting the grayness of the farm with the colorful atmosphere of Oz, just as Baum had described it in his book.” (9) The Wizard of Oz is not the only MGM film to combine black-and-white and color footage, however.
Some of the episodes from the original text were shifted around and suggested spots for composed songs were put into place.
“They found Langley’s script suffering ‘a total lack of any real emotion’ during Dorothy’s adventures in Oz.” (19)
Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf wanted to make the film accessible and pleasurable for children.
“Changes in the dialogue were frequent and sometimes made on the day of the shooting of a particular scene.” (23-24)
“No matter how many writers finally had a hand in its writing, the credits on the screen state simply ‘Screen Play by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf. Adaptation by Noel Langley.” (25)
Director, Victor Fleming did not complete the film because he had to take over Gone With The Wind, though he did help during the editing phase. King Vidor provided the direction for the rest.
Other interesting factoids include:
-The last third of the film has no music.
-The Harvard Lampoon named it one of the worst pictures of the year.
-“No final screenplay of The Wizard of Oz survives- if indeed there was one.” (28)
-“The text of this book is principally the official shooting script, checked against the final continuity script and the motion picture itself.” (28)
Why bother analyzing the “screenplay” now?
The August 12, 1939 premiered Wizard of Oz film that most people cherish and love went through a rather laborious process to come to fruition from the initial publication of Frank L. Baum’s Oz book series. It was also devised as a direct competitor to Disney’s Snow White.
Michael Patrick Hearn’s introduction in the first “published” version of the famous film’s “script” exposes a wide spectrum of harsh realities and information common folk probably have no idea about. It was a collaborative effort (with several uncredited contributors) over a long period of time.
The 1903 Broadway play based on The Wizard of Oz toured for eight years. In 1914, Frank L. Baum founded the Oz Film Manufacturing Company to produce silent films of his books. In 1925, a slapstick comedy film titled, “The Wizard of Oz” was released.
“On January 36, 1934, Goldwyn bought the film rights to The Wizard of Oz from Baum for $40,000.” (4)
“On June 3, 1938, Goldwyn officially sold The Wizard of Oz to Loew’s, Incorporated, MGM’s parent company, for $75,000, which (as LeRoy later stated) ‘must go down alongside the Louisiana Purchase as one of the biggest bargains of all times.’” (5)
“Cannon wisely advised that the picture not be a period piece but reflect a contemporary view of fairyland. He also expressed a niggling Hollywood aversion to fantasy.” (6)
Herman J. Mankiewicz is responsible for the Kansas prologue, Munchkins being played by midgets, the Wicked Witch of the West as Dororthy’s threat upon arrival in Oz, as well as many of the musical numbers adapted. “But the most important section of Mankiewicz’s script to remain in the produced movie was the transition from Kansas to fairyland by contrasting the grayness of the farm with the colorful atmosphere of Oz, just as Baum had described it in his book.” (9) The Wizard of Oz is not the only MGM film to combine black-and-white and color footage, however.
Some of the episodes from the original text were shifted around and suggested spots for composed songs were put into place.
“They found Langley’s script suffering ‘a total lack of any real emotion’ during Dorothy’s adventures in Oz.” (19)
Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf wanted to make the film accessible and pleasurable for children.
“Changes in the dialogue were frequent and sometimes made on the day of the shooting of a particular scene.” (23-24)
“No matter how many writers finally had a hand in its writing, the credits on the screen state simply ‘Screen Play by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allen Woolf. Adaptation by Noel Langley.” (25)
Director, Victor Fleming did not complete the film because he had to take over Gone With The Wind, though he did help during the editing phase. King Vidor provided the direction for the rest.
Other interesting factoids include:
-The last third of the film has no music.
-The Harvard Lampoon named it one of the worst pictures of the year.
-“No final screenplay of The Wizard of Oz survives- if indeed there was one.” (28)
-“The text of this book is principally the official shooting script, checked against the final continuity script and the motion picture itself.” (28)
Why bother analyzing the “screenplay” now?
February 22, 2025
4.5/5
Would be a full 5 but the way they wrote screenplays during this time is so AWFUL. Screenplays would never be written like this now. Everything else is immaculate but describing EVERY INDIVIDUAL SHOT is wild and I feel bad for the people who had to write these out and describe in such detail. Songs still slap.
Would be a full 5 but the way they wrote screenplays during this time is so AWFUL. Screenplays would never be written like this now. Everything else is immaculate but describing EVERY INDIVIDUAL SHOT is wild and I feel bad for the people who had to write these out and describe in such detail. Songs still slap.
May 26, 2018
Fantasy/Classic
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2012
Extensive Listening & Reading 2
Mathew's class
Mathew's class
-about an hour and 30 minutes(12/8)
-7 word summary:
cyclone-house-wizard-friends-wish-home-dream
-Discussion Questions:
1.In this book, the girl Dorothy seemed like hero.
She got the friends and stood against the wizard.
Can you become like a hero or a leader?
Answer:
I'm afraid of magic or something strange.
So I think her brave.
2.Do you remember your dream?
And what was your the most fantastic dream?
Answer:
Occasionally.I often dreamed my friends I related yesterday or recently.
I surprised my flying in the sky all the time.
-Note-
This book was very fantastic.
wizard,witch,scarecrow,animals,Tin Man like a robot
Dorothy and her dog Toto were blown with their home
east and west wizards and Oz ...later south wizard appeared
In the last, the matter was due to dream.
Mathew's class
Mathew's class
-about an hour and 30 minutes(12/8)
-7 word summary:
cyclone-house-wizard-friends-wish-home-dream
-Discussion Questions:
1.In this book, the girl Dorothy seemed like hero.
She got the friends and stood against the wizard.
Can you become like a hero or a leader?
Answer:
I'm afraid of magic or something strange.
So I think her brave.
2.Do you remember your dream?
And what was your the most fantastic dream?
Answer:
Occasionally.I often dreamed my friends I related yesterday or recently.
I surprised my flying in the sky all the time.
-Note-
This book was very fantastic.
wizard,witch,scarecrow,animals,Tin Man like a robot
Dorothy and her dog Toto were blown with their home
east and west wizards and Oz ...later south wizard appeared
In the last, the matter was due to dream.
June 4, 2015
what i mostly thought of this book was that it was better than the movie because it was more detailed,like for example it had said how the wwotw(wicked witch of the west)had transformed herself into the green girl.Also, the Wicked Witch's magic silver shoes are now Dorothy's, even though the exact nature of their magic is a mystery. All Dorothy wants, though, is to get herself and Toto back to Kansas before Aunt Em gets too worried, and no one has any idea how to make that happen. The Good Witch says the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City might be able to help, and thus begins a trip in which Dorothy befriends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and quite a few others, and has many adventures.
October 6, 2012
good book
June 21, 2023
A fun and insightful read that depicts the telling and making of one of the finest films ever made.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews