The Wizard of Oz was a motion picture released in 1939, based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. It was considered one of the greatest fantasy films of the 20th century, and remained popular into the 24th century.
When responding to a distress call from the SS Kobayashi Maru, Captain Jonathan Archer sarcastically compared himself to Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the central character of The Wizard of Oz. (ENT novel: Kobayashi Maru)
James T. Kirk admitted that he'd seen the film, though he'd never read the original book. (TOS novel: Sanctuary)
The Wizard of Oz was a favorite film of a member of USS Enterprise's psychiatric team, who conjured an image of the Scarecrow character as a companion during a visit to the Amusement Park planet. (TOS short story: "The Girl Who Controlled Gene Kelly's Feet")
The film was the original source of the song "If I Only Had a Brain," which Dr. Ira Graves taught to Data shortly before his death. (TNG episode: "The Schizoid Man")
A number of lines from the film remained part of the human lexicon over the centuries, often quoted in the course of casual conversation:
The Wizard of Oz refers to a series of books written by American author L. Frank Baum, the first of which, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published in 1900. Baum wrote thirteen sequels to the original novel, and a total of forty books written by a variety of authors belong in the series' canon. None of the sequels, however, have reached the heights of popularity achieved by the first book, which has been adapted for the stage and screen on multiple occasions.
It is well-known that the popular 1939 MGM musical The Wizard of Oz was Jim Henson's favorite film,[1] and the Muppets have made numerous references to it over the years. While most of these references have been based on the film, the Muppets' 2005 adaptation, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, was based on the novel, as indicated by such inclusions as the Kalidahs and the silver slippers, as opposed to the ruby ones that Judy Garland so famously wore in the film.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz tells the story of a Kansas farmgirl named Dorothy Gale who is being raised by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry when a tornado sweeps through their home and airlifts it, with Dorothy and her dog Toto inside, to the Land of Oz. When the house lands in Munchkinland, it crushes the Wicked Witch of the East and liberates the Munchkins she had enslaved. With guidance from the Tattypoo, the Good Witch of the North, Dorothy travels down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City where she hopes the Wizard will be able to send her back home. Along the way, she befriends the Scarecrow, the Tin Thing, and the Cowardly Lion, destroys the Wicked Witch of the East's surviving sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, exposes the Wizard as a fraud, and meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, who shows her how to return home.
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a children's book written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. After its publication, the original book was reprinted countless times, often under the name "The Wizard of Oz". It is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. It was adapted into many movies, musicals and stage productions. One of the most famous adaptations is the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy. Like Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, the story chronicles the adventures of a girl transported to a strange and magical world.
In the 1939 movie version of the story (the details from the original book are quite different) Dorothy Gale lives with her Uncle Henry Gale and Aunt Emily Gale on a farm in Kansas, which is one day hit by a tornado. Dorothy is knocked unconscious and dreams that their home is caught in the cyclone's winds, with Dorothy still inside. It eventually lands in Munchkin Land ("Munchkin Country" in the books) which is part of the Land of Oz, dropping on the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch of the North gives Dorothy the Wicked Witch of the East's ruby slippers and advises her to go to the Emerald City where she can consult the Wizard of Oz in order to return to Kansas. Dorothy follows the Yellow Brick Road's path to the Emerald City where she encounters trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West and meets some fascinating friends along the way.
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See also: the Wizard of Oz (theory)
Though the book has never actually been featured in Lost (although it was mentioned by Locke in the episode "The Man Behind the Curtain", which takes its name from the film), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been compared to the TV series multiple times by fans. Its parallels to Lost have caused much speculation concerning the show's theories.
"Henry Gale" (the name Ben initially gives when captured) is the name of Dorothy's uncle in the 1939 film (in the book his surname is never mentioned). Also in the story, the Wizard travels to the land of Oz in a hot air balloon. In Lost, a man named Henry Gale, attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon, instead crashes on the Island through as of yet unknown circumstances. He somehow died and was buried next to his balloon. Benjamin Linus, a member of the Others, assumed this man's name when he was captured by Danielle Rousseau and given over to the survivors. He claimed to the Losties that he was Henry Gale, a wealthy miner from Minnesota who crashed on the Island with his wife, Jennifer, in a hot air balloon. "Henry" further claimed his wife died of a mysterious sickness, a story he maintained even during a brutal interrogation by Sayid. It was cited by Damon Lindelof at Comic Con '06 as being a confirmed reference. This analogy could be taken one step further by assuming that "Henry", like the Wizard, was the "man behind the curtain", i.e. the real leader of the Others, while previously we were led to believe that Mr. Friendly (Tom), or to a greater degree Alvar Hanso, was in charge.
In the episode Lockdown, Locke is on the floor with the blast door crushing his leg. When the blast door opens and "Henry Gale" runs to him. Locke says "You came back." Ben/Henry says "Well of course I did. What did you think, I was going to leave you here?" In the Wizard of Oz movie there is a scene with Dorothy locked in a room at the witch's tower. The Tin Man busts through the door. Dorothy says "You came back." And the Tin Man says "Well of course we would Dorothy, what did you think, we were going to leave you here?"
Another name reference is Tom (Mr. Friendly), an Other who was called Zeke by Sawyer. ("The Hunting Party") Zeke was one of Henry Gale's farmhands in the movie. Benjamin Linus, formerly known as "Henry Gale", seems to be at a higher level in the Others' chain of command than Tom, which could indicate that Tom "works" for him. A third name reference is James Goodwin, which is the Wizard's name in the Russian translation of The Wizard of Oz by Alexander Volkov [1]. Goodwin is also the name of one of the Others in Lost.
To go further, both stories have an unseen, near-omnipotent character behind the scenes, calling the shots. In the show, it is Jacob. In the movie, it is the wizard or "the man behind the curtain."
In "Flashes Before Your Eyes", during Desmond's flashback, a man in red shoes is crushed by falling scaffolding and his legs are sticking out from the wreck, similar to a shot in the film of the Wicked Witch of the East's legs with the ruby slippers sticking out from under Dorothy's house.
The title for the episode "The Man Behind the Curtain" is a reference to the ruler of Emerald City (the titular Wizard) hiding behind a curtain (in the movie version), projecting a much greater image of himself unseen. Locke suspects Ben of orchestrating all of the Others' plans by means of deception, saying to him: "You're the man behind the curtain...the Wizard of Oz!"
The episode title for the season four finale, "There's No Place Like Home," is a phrase repeated over and over by Dorothy toward the end of the 1939 film.
In the fourth Wizard of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum, The Emerald City of Oz, Glinda the good makes the land of Oz invisible to outsiders, just as the Island is not visible to the outside world in Lost.
The scene in the 1939 film where Dorothy wakes up with a washcloth on her forehead and Auntie Em is telling her it was all a dream is similar to the scene where Charlotte is lying on the ground with Faraday wiping her forehead. Charlotte is recalling her experiences on the island and recalling that her mother told her it was her imagination.
Dorothy must use the power of shoes and belief to return home and Jack must use his father’s shoes and belief to return to the island.
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