Tomorrow!: Vaudeville, Sideshow and “The Wizard of Oz”

We are coming up on the 80th anniversary of my favorite movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). To celebrate, on August 24, I will visit the birthplace of American amusement, Coney Island, to speak about the film’s roots in American popular entertainment, including dime museums, medicine shows, old school melodramas, vaudeville and more. We’ll touch on the books and author L. Frank Baum, the 1903 Broadway musical, the earlier silent film versions, and the vaudevillian backgrounds of the cast and creative team from the 1939 film. Dress in costume as your favorite Wizard of Oz character and be eligible for a prize!

It’s all happening at the Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Ave, August 24, 5pm. More details here.