The Wonderful Wizard — in color
The Wonderful Wizard — In Color
By Mary W.
Sicklerville, NJ
Our uncle Frank and Aunt Mary who lived around the corner from us were the only ones in the family to have a color TV. And every year – it was only once a year – when the Wizard of Oz came on TV –we would go to their house and watch and just be amazed when Dorothy steps out of the house and the movie transforms from black and white into color.
Our cousins got to see the color TV all year – but the Wizard of Oz was the time we all crammed into the South Philly rowhome to watch that Zenith TV. (It was more than a TV — it was a piece of furniture that had a record player and bar in it). We would look up in the TV Guide to see when it was coming on and we would walk to their house eager to see the best movie ever.
Now, with the on-demand the ability to watch whatever you want and whenever you want takes away that time. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the Wizard of Oz and am happy to have the chance to watch it whenever I want. What I really miss is that the TV was the way we shared things- it was a common thread to bond us. It captured all the events and we saw it together.
I’ll always treasure my set of Wizard of Oz ornaments and hang them on my tree every year.