Wizard of Oz | 1925 | Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy

Title: Wizard of Oz | 1925 | Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy Director: Larry Semon Studio: Chadwick Pictures Corporation Starring: Larry Semon, Dorothy Dwan, Oliver Hardy, Charles Murray, Bryant Washburn, Josef Swickard Based on: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Release Date: April 13, 1925 Runtime: 93 Format: Silent with English intertitles; black-and-white; 7 reels Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Prologue in Oz 00:12:00 Life on the Kansas farm 00:28:00 The cyclone 00:45:00 Arrival in Oz and disguises 01:05:00 Trial and escape 01:25:00 Duel and resolution --- Summary: A toymaker begins reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to his granddaughter, setting the stage for a tale in which the Land of Oz is ruled by Prime Minister Kruel and his agents while the rightful princess is missing. In Kansas, Dorothy lives with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry; on her eighteenth birthday, a long-hidden letter hints at her true identity. A sudden cyclone carries Dorothy, her uncle, and two farmhands to Oz, where Dorothy learns she is Princess Dorothea. To evade Kruel’s forces, the farmhands assume the guises of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, while a companion dons a lion costume. After capture, trial, and escape, Dorothy resists a forced marriage, Prince Kynd challenges Kruel, and the Scarecrow intervenes in a final confrontation. The story resolves with Dorothy restored to her place in Oz, echoing themes of mistaken identity, loyalty, and the tension between spectacle and sincerity. --- Background: Larry Semon directed and starred in this silent feature for Chadwick Pictures, with Dorothy Dwan—whom he married in 1925—playing Dorothy and Oliver Hardy appearing as the Tin Woodman. The film departs substantially from the novel, making the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion disguises adopted by Kansas characters after the cyclone. Premiering in Los Angeles on February 7, 1925, and opening in New York on April 12, it stands as the only completed 1920s feature adaptation of Baum’s 1900 book. --- Trivia: Oliver Hardy appears as the Tin Woodman several years before forming the celebrated screen duo Laurel and Hardy. The actor credited as “G. Howe Black” portrays Snowball, reflecting period screen credit practices and racial stereotyping common to the era. The film premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1925, followed by a New York premiere on April 12, 1925. The production credits list “L. Frank Baum, Jr.” among the writers, though scholars have debated the extent of his contribution. An early television broadcast occurred in June 1931 on experimental station W2XCD in Passaic, New Jersey. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: April 13, 1925 Original Studio / Distributor: Chadwick Pictures Corporation Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: WizardOfOz PublicDomain SilentFilm 1925 LarrySemon OliverHardy DorothyDwan Fantasy ChadwickPictures Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wizard_of_Oz_(1925).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Wizard_of_Oz_%281925%29.webm