''Off to See the Wizard'' is an American television anthology series, partially animated but mostly live action, produced by

MGM Animation/Visual Arts MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and animator Ken Harris as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of ''Tom ...

and telecast on ABC-TV between 1967 and 1968 that was narrated by

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...

History

The series derived its name from the well-known song "

We're Off to See the Wizard "We're Off to See the Wizard" is one of the classic and most memorable songs from the Academy Award-winning 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Composer Harold Arlen described it, along with "The Merry Old Land of Oz" and "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is D ...

", featured in MGM's classic 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Such was the popularity of the film among TV audiences by then that ABC decided to build an anthology series around it, a series which primarily showcased the first network telecasts of some of MGM's most popular recent live-action family films, much as

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

had often showcased the first telecasts of his films on the

Disney anthology television series The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

. Animated versions of

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of its ...

, Toto, the

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

, the

Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book ''The ...

, the

Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak. Since lions are supposed to be "The Kings of Beasts," the Cowardly ...

, and the Wizard of Oz book-ended each episode of the series, often providing humorous introductions to the films.

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

, who provided the animation, served as executive producer. Two never-aired episodes consisted of a feature entitled ''

High Jungle ''High Jungle'' was a two-part episode of an anthology series ''Off to See the Wizard''. It was abandoned due to the death of star Eric Fleming. Cast *Eric Fleming *Anne Heywood *Nico Minardos Production Fleming arrived in Lima on 17 August. Six ...

'', which was scrapped after actor

Eric Fleming Eric Fleming (born Edward Heddy Jr.; July 4, 1925 – September 28, 1966) was an American actor known primarily for his role as Gil Favor in the CBS television series '' Rawhide''. Early life Fleming was born as Edward Heddy Jr. in Santa Paul ...

lost his life during filming. The series also used music from the famous MGM film. The opening credits featured an unseen chorus singing a stanza of "Over the Rainbow" and segued into Dorothy and her three friends singing "We're Off to See the Wizard."

Featured films

The series ran only an hour, so full-length films had to be split into two parts, much as Disney used to do on its television anthology series. Film shown on the series in order of appearance include: * ''

Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion ''Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'' is a 1965 light comedy-adventure film, produced by Ivan Tors, Leonard B. Kaufman, and Harry Redmond Jr., directed by Andrew Marton, and starring Marshall Thompson and Betsy Drake. The film was shot at Soledad Ca ...

'' (1965) * '' Flipper'' (1963) * ''

Alexander The Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

'' filmed in 1963 with

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...

and Adam West but never previously shown. Directed by Phil Karlson * ''Hell Cats'' (a 1964

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

starring George Hamilton) * ''

Island of the Lost ''Island of the Lost'' is a 1967 American adventure film directed by John Florea and starring Richard Greene, Luke Halpin and Irene Tsu.Halliwell p.525 It was shot on location in The Bahamas and Palm Beach Gardens in Florida. Plot An anthropolog ...

'' * ''

Lili ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...

'' (1953) * ''

Mike and the Mermaid Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

'' (pilot) * ''

Rhino! ''Rhino!'' is a 1964 American action film directed by Ivan Tors and written by Art Arthur and Arthur Weiss. The film stars Harry Guardino, Shirley Eaton, Robert Culp, Harry Makela and George Korelin. The film was released on May 20, 1964, by Metr ...

'' * ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United St ...

'' (1960) * ''

Gypsy Colt ''Gypsy Colt'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Donna Corcoran, Ward Bond and Frances Dee. Shot in Ansco Color, it was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film's basic plot w ...

'' (1953) * ''

Untamed World ''Untamed World'' was a 1968–1976 TV wildlife series narrated by Phil Carey and Alan Small. It is probably remembered by many for its distinctive and interesting theme music. It is sometimes confused with another wildlife show from the era, ' ...

'' * ''Who's Afraid of Mother Goose?'' * '' Wild World'' * ''

Zebra in the Kitchen ''Zebra in the Kitchen'' is a 1965 American children's film produced and directed by Ivan Tors and starring Jay North in his first leading feature-film role. It also stars Martin Milner and Andy Devine, with costars Joyce Meadows and Jim Davis (a ...

'' (1965) * '' The Glass Slipper'' (1955) * ''

Captain Sindbad ''Captain Sindbad'' is a 1963 independently made fantasy and adventure film, produced by Frank King and Herman King, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars Guy Williams and Heidi Brühl. The film was shot at the Bavaria Film studios in Germany an ...

'' (1963)

Cast

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

- Cowardly Lion *

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company where he originated the voices of many familiar characters, including Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Ho ...

- Scarecrow, Wizard of Oz *

Don Messick Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...

- Toto, Tin Man *

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

- Dorothy Gale, Wicked Witch of the West

References

External links

* {{Chuck Jones 1960s American animated television series 1960s American anthology television series 1967 American television series debuts 1968 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming American children's animated anthology television series American children's animated fantasy television series American television series with live action and animation Animated television series based on The Wizard of Oz Television series by MGM Television Wizards in television MGM Animation/Visual Arts

History

Featured films

Cast

See also

References

External links