WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) Superb close-up of Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow

The Wizard of Oz is the most recognized film of all time. Its status is legendary and any original ephemera of 1939 is a collectors’ and archivists’ gold. From L. Frank Baum’s popular children’s classic, the film referring to the book opens with the title “For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion.” For 80 plus years since, the movie has become beloved by new generations who still find this message true. The brilliant cast members each became film legends for the characters they portrayed. Celebrating a new year, we present a fine array of original 1939 production stills for your consideration.

WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939) [Hollywood]: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939. Vintage original 8 x 10″ (20 x 25 cm.) black-and-white double weight glossy silver nitrate photo print, FINE. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, dir: Victor Fleming; MGM.

Superb close-up of Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow. Studio portrait is ink date stamped “8/4/39” just in time for the film’s New York and Hollywood premieres. There are also the printed text and photo number ink stamp of “1060-149” on the verso.