‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939): Why It’s the Most Watched Movie Ever

Lobby card from the original 1939 release of "The Wizard of Oz" featuring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley and Bert Lahr. (Public Domain)

Commentary

It’s hard to think of many old movies which are familiar to most younger people these days. However, one film from the Golden Era of Hollywood that almost anyone will recognize by name is “The Wizard of Oz.” Not every young person is well acquainted with it, and I daresay many people don’t know it was released as long ago as 1939. Nevertheless, it’s estimated to be the most-watched film of all time.

I saw this classic at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in April. Like most of the audience, I imagine, I had seen the movie many times before, but I wanted to experience it on the big screen. While very familiar with the movie, I’d never been inside the Chinese Theatre before, so that was an exciting experience and a reason to add this much-watched picture to my schedule.

This is such a well-known film that I don’t have to waste paragraphs describing it to you. I’m sure you already know the story of a Kansas girl who gets caught in a tornado and dreams (or does she?) that she is transported to the magical land of Oz. It made Judy Garland famous, her big solo, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” winning an Academy Award. Over eighty years later, this remains a heartwarming musical masterpiece. Nevertheless, it isn’t the only wonderful movie made during Hollywood’s Golden Era. Just in 1939, Hollywood’s “golden year,” 365 films were released in the United States. Why has “The Wizard of Oz” endured more than any of the others, except perhaps “Gone with the Wind?”

Publicity photo of Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale and American canine performer, Terry as Toto promoting the April 18, 1971 NBC television broadcast of the 1939 MGM feature film "The Wizard of Oz." (Public Domain)

Calculating Its Popularity

How can anyone really know what’s the most watched movie of all time? While many films are casually called “the greatest” or “most popular,” scientific research supports “The Wizard of Oz’s” claim. A Library of Congress webpage refers to its having “been seen by more viewers than any other movie.” The same page cites a poll in “People Magazine” which chose it “as the favorite movie of the twentieth century.” In addition, a 2018 study by Livio Bioglio and Ruggero G. Pensa at the University of Turin in Italy scientifically analyzed data from the International Movie Database, the American Film Institute, the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry to determine what is the most influential film ever. “The Wizard of Oz” placed first on the list.

According to the Library of Congress webpage previously cited, the reason this movie has been seen by so many people is its frequent television airings between 1956 and 1974, which were often hosted by celebrities with their children. Beginning with its popular 1956 television broadcast premier on CBS, these airings introduced this family classic to a generation or two who were too young to see the film upon its original release in 1939 or its theatrical re-release in 1949. These new fans introduced their children and grandchildren to the MGM musical, which could be seen at several theatrical releases, anniversary television screenings, and later on VHS or DVD. Today, the film can be streamed by HBO Max subscribers in the TCM hub, or it can be rented or purchased on basically every other streaming platform, from Prime Video to YouTube. You can also catch it at an occasional theatrical showing, such as those presented by TCM and Fathom Events.

Lobby card for the 1955 re-release of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). (Public Domain)

When “The Wizard of Oz” was first released in 1939, it was a critical success. Although it earned over $3 million worldwide, its huge budget, plus marketing and distribution costs, resulted in an overall loss of more than $1 million. It wasn’t until the film was re-released ten years later that it showed a profit for MGM, earning an additional $1.5 million at the box office. It’s inaccurate to call this movie financially unsuccessful upon its original release, however. No production which earned over $3 million in 1939 was a box office flop! Only the gargantuan budget kept the film from making a big profit. 1939 audiences obviously appreciated the wonderful qualities which people still love in this film, while having an added appreciation for the players, whom they knew as great talents. Why has this film grown more popular with the years?

Why Is It Popular?

This whimsical movie was based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which had already inspired a profitable play and multiple silent films, some produced by Baum himself. However, this was the first film to match the book’s success, perhaps through its use of innovative special effects and the dramatic jump from sepia tone, which was often colorized as black-and-white on television, to vibrant Technicolor. In fact, many things about this film are like classic Disney movies, including the central protagonist of a young girl who wants to escape her surroundings, plus her lack of parents, her beloved pet, her journey to a magical realm, the good fairy (or witch) who helps her, fanciful characters, devoted friends she meets during her journey, and a magical female nemesis.

Billie Burke and Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) promotional photo. (Public Domain)

It’s no wonder that people in later decades have been increasingly drawn to this fantasy picture. Americans grow more and more fascinated with science fiction, magic, and other supernatural content in their entertainment. In contrast, most 1930s movies were very realistic; they were about real people doing normal things, not superheroes, zombies, and wizards. Only one full-length Disney film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” (1937), had come out before “The Wizard of Oz.” The only supernatural genre which was popular in the 1930s was horror/monster films, yet even they often featured no more than one or two non-human characters to frighten the normal ones. Even ten years later, by the time of the re-release, fantasy was becoming more prevalent in movies. More Disney films had been made, and supernatural characters, such as angels, devils, mermaids, and goddesses, were becoming more common in live-action pictures.

“The Wizard of Oz” stands out from other movies because it truly is like nothing else. It features wholesome Americana characters to whom anyone can relate. A misunderstood young girl escapes her humdrum life on a farm, something very relatable to Americans surviving the Great Depression, World War II, or any other catastrophe. Sixteen-year-old Judy Garland shows her unique talent from the very start, both as a singer and an actress. Then, the tornado which threatens the farm sweeps across the screen with terrifying realism.

Once in Oz, the film reaches a new level. Although Hollywood had been experimenting with various forms of color since the silent era, three-strip Technicolor was a new process which was just becoming feasible. Throughout Oz, the unbelievably lavish sets and background characters’ costumes fully utilize the palette. The Singer Midgets, a European troupe of performing midgets which was supplemented by additional dwarf actors, play the Munchkins in a diverse collection of costumes which are nothing short of astounding in their details! Whether in Kansas or Oz, Dorothy is always surrounded by prominent MGM supporting actors. The amazing special effects regarding colors, flying, and people as animals or inanimate objects make it clear why this film was MGM’s most expensive production up to that point.

"The Wizard of Oz" 1939 movie poster. (Public Domain)

A Family Movie

I think one of the biggest reasons for this movie’s enduring popularity is its appropriateness for whole families. While some movies are specifically children’s films and others are geared to adults, “The Wizard of Oz” is fun and entertaining for all ages. It has enough fairytale qualities to delight any youngster, yet it isn’t 102 minutes of nonsense. Mature viewers can appreciate the excellent acting, breathtaking cinematography, and serious story themes. Even in its most intense scenes, though, it never loses its quality of make believe, delighting anyone who is a child at heart.

It’s no coincidence that Hollywood seems unable to make quality family entertainment like this anymore. This movie is a product of a time when all films aspired to the standard of being “reasonably acceptable to reasonable people.” This was because Hollywood diligently followed the decency guidelines of the Motion Picture Production Code, aka the Hays Code, which was enforced very effectively by the Production Code Administration from 1934 to 1954.

Because of the Code, a movie didn’t have to be a “kiddie picture” to be clean enough for children to see it. “The Wizard of Oz” is a great example of the wonderful movies the Code influenced. Although it attracted young audiences, it was imbued with artistry, intelligence, and substance which people of all ages can still enjoy eighty-three years later. Today more than ever, we need movies like this to take us out of our drab, sepia existences to a place “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”