Dorothy singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
I was eighteen years old before I realized that the classic 1939 Wizard of Oz movie was not filmed entirely in black and white. I had watched it every year of my childhood on our sturdy black and white television, enchanted every time by the magic of the Land of Oz and Dorothy’s adventures there. When I returned home for Easter vacation from my first year at college, I settled in front of our new luxury item, a color television, to watch my favorite movie. Of course, the movie starts in sepia tone, close enough to black and white for me not to notice the difference, and I dreamed along with Dorothy as she sang of a land “somewhere over the rainbow.” Imagine my shock and surprise that matched her own when she opens the door of her wind blown house and stands breathless before the colorful landscape of a new world.
Dorothy looking into Oz
Like Dorothy, I feel as if I am standing on the threshold of a new landscape, though I must pass through the long storms of winter before I can step into it. The Christmas decorations are put away and the house has lost its festive air. The romance and beauty of fresh snow fall has degenerated into rough trampled paths through the woods punctuated by dark bare trees and a leaden gray sky. It is the black and white and sepia tone world of every day life. But the seeds to this year’s garden have arrived and I feel very much like Dorothy, standing in her monotone world while peering into the vibrantly colored Land of Oz.
It may be a long passage of winter months before I can cross that threshold into the rainbow land of my garden, but the seeds I hold in my hand become a magic carpet in my imagination that will eventually carry me there.
Video clip of Dorothy opening the door to Oz
Video clip of Dorothy singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Related posts:
Planting a Seed
The Space Between
composerinthegarden 
I enjoyed the slideshow of seeds and what they will become. It’s wonderful to see so much color on this gray and rainy day. My husband, like you, was in college before he saw The Wizard of Oz in color. He thought it was all in black & white, too. I’ve tried to imagine what the experience must be like, thinking it must be a lot like Dorothy’s was stepping into that world of color.
I have always wondered if the people in the theater of the first showing of the movie had the same reaction – I’m sure that must have been so, since color films were still unusual at that time. Clever, really, to play with the notion of a B&W world and a world in full technicolor! So, I don’t regret my experience, and perhaps I wouldn’t have noticed the difference as much as a young child. As a teenager – wow! Nice to know that I’m not the only one to have that experience – thanks, Robin.
It seems you’ve been busy.
I find it exciteing that your
music can now be bought.
I just sent the final edit of
a picture book to a place
in texas that will print it up.
I will then have the huge
task of trying sell a
thousand
books.
Have you sold any albums
yet? Have you considered
Renissance Fairs? I often
hear music such as yours
being performed and see
albums being sold –
If you can find one that
will let you set up shop
for a reasonable price,
this might be a good
way to promote –
Though your videos
are amazing. 😀
Hi Rastelly, good to hear from you! Good luck on the book; are you going to sell it online or as an e-book? I would love to buy a copy, so make sure you post when and where it is available. I’m trying to finish recording the last two pieces from “The Four Elements” this month and release it as a set as well as individual downloads. I’m probably not going the CD route yet; if I did, I would do it through CD Baby. Still trying to find my larger audience – I like the idea of a Renaissance Fair audience 🙂
My picture book will be in physical form –
but I currently have a short novel available
on kindle. It’s for sale on a sight called
mind wings audio – Mind wings is an E
– publisher that recently excepted one of
my works.
The name of the book is “Enthralled” Pawn of the
Necromancers. (Having swaped his mortality for
slavery, sam the undead butler is forced to searve
one human master after another, but his past comes back to haunt him when it’s discovered his memories hold the key to a priceless treasure.)
Though it is only in kindle e – reader format now, the
book will be marketed mainly as an audio book – it
will be read by william dufris and is only about an hour
long – 12,000 words. Look for the audio version in fedurary.
As for my children’s book – I will try to make it availible
to order online.
You can also market music to independent film and video game makers they are always looking for sound tracks – your work always takes me to a magical world.
I was taking down the Christmas decorations on the inside of the house (can’t bear to let go of the lights on the deck yet ), and I was feeling rather sad. So I stopped to catch up on my blog reading and here I am–inspired. Viewing the magnificent slide show (several times) got me excited about the beauty to come (do you plant all of your garden from seeds?). The first safe planting day in this area is May 1st (of tropical flowers), and I’ll be counting the days while trying to discover the beauty hidden in winter. As always, thanks for lifting my spirit.
Eleanor, glad your spirits were lifted; I always feel sad when I take down the Christmas decorations so I empathize. I do grow most of my annuals from seed, especially ones that are seldom grown for retail, and usually a few perennials and biennials that I plant in quantities, such as heucheras, agastaches, and foxgloves. The rest I buy in small quantities each year. With the weather warming, I’ve been in and out of the garden several times a day, planning this year’s projects. I’ve got spring fever in January 🙂
That’s such a nice surprise to have in one of your favorite movies to find out that there’s color just like Dorothy did.
Nicole, thanks so much for visiting and commenting; it is always nice to have a fellow musician visit 🙂
Ah, I’m ready for bed and now I’ll dream in flowers…I often do, but tonight it’s guaranteed because of your beautiful thoughts and amazing slide show. Thank you, Lynn: perfect ending to my weekend!
Glad I could provide sweet flower dreams, Kitty 🙂
The Wizard of Oz-B&W TV story struck a cord. I was nearly in junior high school before my family got a color TV, long after they had become ubiquitous in the general population. We had this ancient Admiral b/w (circa 1960–it didn’t even have a UHF dial) until some time in the mid-1970s. But there was a local place that showed the “Wizard of Oz” several times each year and so I had already scene the monochrome-to-color transition in the film.
In any event, to your larger point–the movie is an apt analogy for the seasonal winter/spring transition that is still a few months off.
Thanks, Kerry; glad to know that I wasn’t the only child “deprived” of color television in the formative years. Perhaps it explains my decades long love of B&W photography 🙂
Beautiful association! Looking at the snow quietly falling this morning, I am also preparing the seeds that need to be planted first (the recalcitrant ones which will be ‘thrown’ outside in the snow 🙂
Thank you, diversifolius! I intend to toss the poppy seeds into the snow-covered garden beds to break their dormancy – it is always a fun way to plant, a dramatic re-enactment of “Mother Nature” tossing seeds into the ground -no work at all 🙂 The columbine seeds go into outdoor pots covered with netting to protect them from chipmunks, then mounds of snow piled high on top to break their dormancy – little work, big returns. It is my contribution to gardening in January.
And to think the joys of all those colors starts in something much smaller and quite bland. Then again, it’s because of that transformation that seeds are commonly used in quotes.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/seeds.html (a small sample)
Thanks, Frank. I was thinking the same thing today as I was taking the seed photos. Thanks for the link!
Oh, Lynn! You need to live where you can garden all year long! But Spring will come–even in Pittsburgh.
Oh, Nancy, would that I could! Still, there is something to be said for the contrast in seasons – though three weeks of winter would be perfect 🙂
What a post – wonderful how you segued into the seeds and then did that great slide show – love the nickis and foxglove, poppies, daylilly and salvia coccinea and agastache… It’s been along time since I’ve been able to plant seeds and have a garden. We can all dream though, and you’ve made the dreaming easier.
Thank you, bluebrightly, I am so glad you enjoyed it. Garden dreams are essential, I think – certainly, they keep me going through the winter months. May you have wonderful garden dreams in full technicolor 🙂