The Wicked Witch Still Has It

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

So playing at our local movie theater was “The Wizard of Oz” courtesy of TCM. We went to the 2 PM showing.

Featuring an intro and outro by Robert Osborn, it’s always fun to spend a couple of hours with Dorothy and company. But here’s the thing I found most interesting.

Kids were freaking terrified of the witch.

It was remarkably evident that for quite a few viewers, this was the first time they were seeing the movie, and I heard genuine sobbing and whimpers of absolute terror as the witch threatened and menaced Dorothy. When she flipped over the hour glass several kids came close to screaming, managing to choke it off at the last second.

I found that absolutely amazing. With the level of scary things kids are confronted with these days, ranging from TV shows to video games to films to, hëll, the news: Margaret Hamilton in green makeup was still able to reduce kids to tears seventy five years later. Ten years of “Wicked” hasn’t made a dent in the sheer terror that that woman could summon.

I think she’d be thrilled.

That and I STILL think Glinda is a psycho. Why not tell Dorothy the shoes would take her home? “She wouldn’t have believe me. She had to find out for herself.” YES SHE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED YOU, YOU ÃSSHØLÊ.

Jesus.

PAD

11 comments on “The Wicked Witch Still Has It”

  2. Once I wrote a short story (if you can call it that, it was only a couple of pages long) about a witch who wanted to do away with her sisters so she could take over the world, but couldn’t because of magical restrictions. She finally saw her chance when she discovered an innocent she could dupe into doing the work for her. The story ended with her appearing before the dupe and asking her, “Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?”

  3. Eh, I like your deconstruction of the Wizard of Oz in your column, but I still think that dream logic explains a lot.

    1. Of course, in the book, before MGM peed in the story, it’s not a dream.

      Interesting to note that, of what i consider the three films most-overrated in popular opinion (the other two are Gone with the Wind and It’s a Great Life), two were made by MGM in 1939.

  4. My family and I just went to see WICKED over the winter holidays, so this is beautifully timed from my POV. I haven’t seen the film in far too long. Like many, I’ve never quite looked it the same way after your BID piece, but it’s still a lot of fun to watch.

    And this story’s a good demonstration, I think, of just how powerful Margaret Hamilton’s performance was. I always love reminding people that before she was an actress, she was a kindergarten teacher. (Ponder how many years of therapy THOSE kids needed after Oz came out. 🙂

  5. I also caught a local screening of the film this weekend, and have to agree on Hamilton’s performance. I’ve found that other versions of the Wicked Witch work best (IMO) if they take a completely different tack, as in Wicked. They tried to imitate her in Oz: The Great and Powerful and it just didn’t work.

  6. I don’t remember where I read this, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but supposedly, Margaret Hamilton appeared as the Witch on Sesame Street around 1970 or so. Supposedly, she terrified so many kids that they never broadcast it again.

    1. She also appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to show kids that she’s just a lady in a costume and they don’t need to be scared. I just watched the segment again, and it’s still terrific:

      http://youtu.be/u6kpcPD8bks

      I like Mr. Rogers’ comment that both girls and boys like to dress up as witches.

  7. Margaret Hamilton reprised her role as the Wicked Witch on one of the Sid and Marty Kroft Saturday morning shows, alongside Billy Hayes as Witchipoo. It can be found on youtube, and is not at all terrifying.

    She was a frequent guest speaker at a children’s lit. class when I was at UCONN decades ago. By all accounts, a nice, nice lady.

  8. Ever hear Dennis Miller’s take on Glinda’s rationale for keeping Dorothy in the dark? Similar to your take, Peter, and so hilarious. Track it down if you can.

  9. “She wouldn’t have believe me. She had to find out for herself.” YES SHE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED YOU, YOU ÃSSHØLÊ.

    Of course she would have. She’d just ridden a tornado to land in a world of technicolor where witches appeared out of a column of smoke and a floating bubble. If someone told her she could get home by making a wish and slapping her heels together, she wouldn’t have hesitated to give it a try.

    Peter: I’m curious. Along the same lines of “kids have seen it all these days” was there any noticeable reaction to the sudden change to technicolor when she arrived in Oz?

Comments are closed.