PUBLIC PROGRAMS
BOOKS & BEYOND LECTURE
Tuesday, May 30, 2000 (6:00 p.m.)
Jay Scarfone and William Stillman will discuss their book, The Wizardry
of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic (Gramercy
Books, 1999) at the Library of Congress at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30 in
the Mumford Room in the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence
Ave., S. E. Part of the Center for the Book's "Books & Beyond" author
series, the presentation is free and open to the public. No tickets are
required.
FILM SERIES
| RESERVATIONS may be made by phone, beginning
one week before any given show. Call (202) 707-5677 during business
hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm). Reserved seats must be
claimed at least 10 minutes before showtime, after which standbys
will be admitted to unclaimed seats. All programs are free, but
seating is limited to 64 seats. The Mary Pickford Theater is located
on the third floor of the Library of Congress Madison building.
If you would like to subscribe to our program guide you can
submit your name and mailing address either by calling the Pickford
Theater reservation line at (202) 707-5677 (24 hours a day) or
by sending e-mail to pickford@loc.gov.
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Friday, May 5, 2000 (7:00 pm)
The Wizard of Oz (MGM, 1939). Dir.: Victor Fleming.
Cast: Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr. (101 min.,
sd., b/w and col., 35mm; LC Coll., courtesy Warner Bros.)
Our tribute to L. Frank Baum's timeless classic begins
with the obvious choice: MGM's spectacular 1939 musical version beloved
by generations. Yes, through the magic of video you can see it every
day, but trust us, it's better on the big screen.
Thursday, May 18, 2000 (6:30 pm)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Oz Film Co., 1914). Dir.:
J. Farrell MacDonald. Cast: Haras Dranet, Frank Moore. (65 min., si.,
b/w, 35mm; LC Coll.)
His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (Oz Film Co., 1914).
Dir.: Violet MacMillan, Frank Moore. (48 min. [incomplete], si., b/w,
16mm; LC Coll.)
The Magic Cloak of Oz (Oz Film Co., 1914). Dir.:
L. Frank Baum. Cast: Mildred Harris, Frank Woodward. (38 min. [incomplete],
si., b/w, 35mm; LC Coll.)
In 1914, L. Frank Baum founded the Oz Film Manufacturing
Company to capitalize on the growing success of his Oz empire. It
failed the following year, but did leave behind three rarely seen
films we screen tonight. The Patchwork Girl of Oz is
a reasonably faithful adaptation of the original story, while The
Magic Cloak of Oz is essentially the film version of Baum's
1905 book Queen Zixi of Ix. His Majesty, the Scarecrow
of Oz departs so radically from The Wizard of Oz
that Baum used it as the starting point for his 1915 novel The
Scarecrow of Oz.
Tuesday, May 30, 2000 (7:00pm)
The Wiz (Universal, 1978). Dir.: Sidney Lumet. Cast:
Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor. (133 min., sd., col.,
35mm; LC Coll., courtesy Universal).
Film adaptation of the stage hit, set in New York
City. Easy to criticize for the unfortunate casting of Diana Ross
as Dorothy, but the songs, at least, are quite catchy.
Thursday, June 1, 2000 (6:30 pm)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Selig, 1910). Dir.:
Otis Turner. Cast: Hobart Bosworth, Bebe Daniels. (16 min., si., b/w,
35mm; print courtesy George Eastman House).
The Wizard of Oz (Paramount, 1925). Dir.: Larry
Semon. Cast: Dorothy Dwan, Oliver Hardy. (82 min., si., b/w, 35mm;
print courtesy UCLA Film and Television Archive).
The Wizard of Oz (NBC, 1950). Dir.: Burr Tillstrom.
(30 min., sd., b/w, 16mm; LC Coll., courtesy NBC).
We open tonight with the first film version of the
Oz story, a 1910 version starring Bebe Daniels as Dorothy. Oliver
Hardy plays the Tin Woodman in Larry Semon's 1925 slapstick adaptation,
and we conclude with a delightful puppet rendition from Burr Tillstrom
of Kuka, Fran, and Ollie fame that aired on NBC on May
22, 1950.
Friday, June 2, 2000 (7:00 pm)
Wild at Heart (Goldwyn, 1990). Dir.: David Lynch.
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern. (124 min., sd., col., 35mm; LC Coll.,
courtesy Goldwyn).
David Lynch's Southern Gothic reworking of the Oz
story (based on Barry Gifford's novel) is lurid, sinister, erotic
in other words, standard issue Lynch. Hotter than Georgia asphalt,
indeed.
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