Original scenic matte painting from the 1939 film production of The Wizard of Oz, showing the yellow brick road and the Emerald City in the background
Book cover from one of the 28 books from L. Frank Baum's Oz series
Seventy years after the release of the MGM classic, The Wizard of Oz, Monday's issue of the Chronicle showcased original matte paintings from the film, rare editions of L. Frank Baum's Oz series of novels, and other memorabilia from the USC Libraries' special collections.
Here's Dan Knapp's article:
FROM THE USC LIBRARIES: The Wizard of Oz
Tuesday, August 25, marked the 70th anniversary of the North American release of the MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. The tale of Dorothy Gale, her precocious canine Toto, and the myriad characters she encounters along her journey to the “merry ol’ land of Oz” has become a much-studied touchstone of cinema history and popular culture.
In addition to the dozens of books documenting the movie’s production and the many analyses and interpretations of the film, the USC Libraries’ collections include several unique items related to the film and the series of books from which it was adapted.
The Cinematic Arts Library houses a half-dozen original, scenic mattes used in the film, including the iconic image of the yellow brick road with the Emerald City in the distance. Other matte paintings in the USC Libraries’ MGM Collection include images of the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle and the gates of Oz.
The Cinematic Arts Library’s Arthur Freed Collection—named for the associate producer of the film—contains a variety of production correspondence and memos, while the Roger Edens Collection features several original musical scores and suggested notes for lyrics. Edens served as musical supervisor for the film.
The Cinematic Arts Library’s collections have been in high demand by researchers recently due to the film’s milestone anniversary, including producers at Warner Home Video who utilized the library’s holdings while making their upcoming four-disc 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition Blu-ray box set.
USC Libraries Special Collections hold a group of 28 rare books from the Oz series, authored by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumy Thompson, and illustrated by John R. Neill. USC alumnus Dr. Muirl Johnstone (‘56) donated the books in memory of his late father, George Rufus Johnstone, a botany professor at USC from 1924 to 1953.
Among the Music Library’s collections are a number of scores, books, and CDs pertaining to The Wizard of Oz, including digitized recordings from the 1903 Baum-authored Broadway stage production. And, of course, for those who have not yet seen the perennial classic—or those who would like to see it again—a copy of the Wizard of Oz is available in Leavey Library’s circulating DVD collection.
The Oz scenic matte is on display in the Cinematic Arts Library during normal business hours. The collection of rare editions is available for research by contacting Special Collections at specol@usc.edu.