Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Select U.S. Cinemas for the Wizard of Oz Two Nights Only This January
Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Bring Family Favorite The Wizard of Oz Back to the Big Screen Jan. 11 and 14
Join DorothyTM, TotoTM and the rest of the crew as they head to Emerald CityTM for a special two-night event brought to you by Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. "TCM Presents: The Wizard of Oz" will be shown in select U.S. cinemas on Sunday, January 11, and Wednesday, January 14, 2015, for two show times each day at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time. In addition to the feature, classic film fans will get to enjoy a special introduction from TCM host Robert Osborne.
Tickets for "TCM Presents: The Wizard of Oz" are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in select movie theaters around the country through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
Adapted from L. Frank Baum's timeless children's tale about a Kansas girl's journey over the rainbow, The Wizard of Oz opened at Grauman's Chinese Theater on August 15, 1939. The film was directed by Victor Fleming (who that same year directed 'Gone With the Wind'), produced by Mervyn LeRoy, and scored by Herbert Stothart, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Dorothy™ was portrayed by a 4'11" sixteen-year-old girl who quickly earned her reputation as "the world's greatest entertainer"-the incomparable Judy Garland. Ray Bolger appeared as the Scarecrow™; Bert Lahr as the Cowardly lion™, Jack Haley as the Tin Man™. Frank Morgan was seen in six different roles, including that of the wonderful "Wizard of OzTM" himself.
The Wizard of Oz received five Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture (Outstanding Production), and captured two Oscars®-Best Song ("Over the Rainbow") and Best Original Score -- plus a special award for Outstanding Juvenile Performance by Judy Garland. The film was an overwhelmingly popular and critical success upon its initial release and proved its ability to continually captivate audiences when M-G-M reissued the film in 1949 and 1955. The film made a new kind of history with its network television premiere in 1956 on CBS. Nearly 45 million people tuned in for this initial telecast, marking the beginning of an annual tradition. Ever since, 'The Wizard of Oz' has been shown virtually annually on network (and then cable) television; its magical story and heartfelt performances have enabled it to grow from a perennial classic to its current status as a treasured icon of popular culture.
"Fathom Events is excited to continue our partnership with TCM and Warner Bros. by bringing The Wizard of Oz back to its original home on the big screen," said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey. "There is no better way to appreciate this classic film than with an audience in a theater as it was meant to be seen."