Wizard of Oz (1925 film)
| The Wizard of Oz | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Larry Semon |
| Produced by | Larry Semon |
| Written by | Larry Semon L. Frank Baum, Jr. |
| Based on |
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum |
| Starring |
Larry Semon Bryant Washburn Dorothy Dwan Virginia Pearson Oliver Hardy Charles Murray |
| Cinematography |
Frank B. Good H.F. Koenekamp Leonard Smith |
| Edited by | Sam S. Zimbalist |
| Distributed by | Chadwick Pictures Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes 85 min (cut edition) |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
The Wizard of Oz is a 1925 American silent film directed by Larry Semon, who also appears in a lead role—that of a farmhand disguised as a Scarecrow. The only completed 1920s adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this film features Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodman. Dorothy is portrayed by Dorothy Dwan.
"L. Frank Baum, Jr." is top-billed with the writing of the script. This is Frank Joslyn Baum, Baum's eldest son, and although his actual contribution to the screenplay is doubted by Baum scholar Michael Patrick Hearn, he was certainly involved in the business angle of the production.
A toymaker (Semon) reads L. Frank Baum's book to his granddaughter.
The Land of Oz is ruled by Prime Minister Kruel (Josef Swickard), aided by Ambassador Wikked (Otto Lederer), Lady Vishuss (Virginia Pearson), and the Wizard (Charles Murray), a "medicine-show hokum hustler". When the discontented people, led by Prince Kynd (Bryant Washburn), demand the return of the princess, who disappeared while a baby many years before, so she can be crowned their rightful ruler, Kruel has the Wizard distract them with a parlor trick: making a female impersonator (Frederick Ko Vert) appear out of a seemingly empty basket. Kruel sends Wikked on a mission.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, Dorothy (Dorothy Dwan) lives on a farm with her relatives. While Aunt Em (Mary Carr) is a kind and caring woman, Uncle Henry (Frank Alexander) is an obese man with a short temper who shows little love for his niece. He also abuses his farmhands: Snowball (credited to G. Howe Black, a stage name for Spencer Bell, who frequently appeared in Semon's films) and Hardy's and Semon's unnamed characters. The latter two are both in love with Dorothy, who favors Hardy's character. Aunt Em reveals to Dorothy that she was placed on their doorstep as a baby, along with an envelope and instructions that it be opened only when she turned 18.
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