Yellow Brick Road

It is well known in economics academia that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum in 1900 is loaded with powerful symbols of monetary reform which were the core of the Populist movement and the 1896 and 1900 president bid of Democrat William Jennings Bryan. The yellow brick road (gold standard), the emerald city of Oz (greenback money), even Dorothy’s silver slippers (changed to ruby slippers for the movie version) were the symbol of Baum’s and Bryan’s belief that adding silver coinage to gold would provide much needed money to a depression-strapped, 1890s America. We believe Baum’s symbols represent the only solution to relieve the growing economic hardship here in America – and the rest of the world. Practically speaking, 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the 1939 MGM release of the The Wizard of Oz movie, so interest will be very high. Even Oz websites put up by kids get millions of hits.

The Wizard of U.S. is a social satire - an animated documentary about emotions, based on themes from the popular American novel "The Wizard of OZ", in order to illustrate how Los Angeles makes the American Dream come true. The film describes the observations, dilemmas and adventures shared by all of those, who just like Dorothy - the main character-want to be "the voice of their generation" and try their luck in Hollywood. This is the hyper-realistic America, with all its attractions, such as living "at full capacity", the enthusiasm and embarrassingly white smiles of "the local people" seen through the eyes of a "stranger" from Europe. Using the factual interviews with the inhabitants of Los Angeles, observing their everyday life, habits and behavior, after three years of having survived in L.A. the director reveals the thrills and absurdities that govern the world of the big stakes and unleashed dreams the way it is all perceived by an immigrant from Europe.

A classic Hollywood whodunnit mystery. “Who Stole the Ruby Slippers?” is an investigative look into the 2005 theft of an original pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz”.

Angela Lansbury hosts a celebration and anniversary tribute to the Wizard of Oz which includes the premiere of the restored, uncut print of the classic.

Go behind the curtain in The Land of Oz with NBC's "The Making of The Wiz Live!" The hour-long special will give an exclusive backstage look at this highly anticipated television event.

BBC 2 produced this documentary on the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and the films and fantasies that they inspired, particularly the first book `The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. Includes clips from the several silent film versions of the stories produced by Baum that have survived as well as the 1939 film with Judy Garland, and interviews with such enthusiasts as Salman Rushdie, Gore Vidal, Ray Bradbury, Geoffrey Ryman and Nora Ephron.

Kansas City Ballet prepares for the world premiere of The WIzard Of Oz with unfettered access to show the process of creating a brand new ballet from the timeless classic.

The last eight surviving Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz share their memories in this 1993 documentary hosted by Oz historian John Fricke.

A tribute to the characters and makeup artists from the Wizard of Oz, as performed and created by some of the top makeup people in Hollywood. On September 12, 1998, a group of top makeup artists gathered in Studio City, CA, to pay tribute to Jack Dawn and his team from the seminal 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz.

Douglas Davis presents his interpretations of The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Napoleon in the triptych style of the finale of the Abel Gance version of the latter.

A featurette on L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and other children's books.

A documentary short about the restoration of the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.