The Wizard of Oz and too much skipping

Yesterday I was walking across the tennis car park with the Young Masters. This is the conversation that followed:

Master Jacob: Mum, why is the Wizard of Oz so gay?

Mrs T: (Slightly perplexed at the unexpected topic): Because it's an old film. It was made long before the film studios decided every other film should be about shooting the crap out of each other in 'Nam.

Master Jacob: Oh.

Mrs T: That was when movies had lost of dancing and skipping in. In the Wizard of Oz it went like this..

*Mrs T dances like Judy Garland on the yellow brick road*

Master Jacob: (Eyes wide open, mouth aghast) Did they really do that?

Mrs T: Yes. The Tin Man, The Lion, The Scarecrow and Dorothy all looped arms and danced down the yellow brick road. Come on then, let's do it together!

*Master Ben (laughing) and Mrs T skip off across the car park*

Master Jacob: Mum, stop it! Stop!

*Master Ben and Mrs T carry on skipping and dancing while Mrs T sings*

Mrs T: We're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, You'll find he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was....

Master Jacob: MUM!  STOP!

Mrs T and Master Ben stop dancing:

Master Jacob: Never do that again, Mum. And never talk about the Wizard of Oz again. Ever.

Humph. Teenagers. No sense of fun. And I have no idea about Master Jacob's sudden interest in the Wizard of Oz - and I'm not going to ask.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

There's been so many recordings of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, the song first made famous by the great Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. Up until recently my favourite recording of this timeless song was probably the one by the late Eva Cassidy. However, in the last few weeks I've been hearing the version by Hawaiian Israel Kamakawiwo'ole recorded in 1993 and I have to admit it has a certain addictive quality. It's really quite bizarre how all three of these talented performers should have died so comparatively young; Judy was 47, Israel only 38 and Eva just 33. All three singers are so very different but I think all do equal justice to a truly wonderful song. We're lucky they left behind such wonderful legacies.

Enjoy.

Judy Garland




Eva Cassidy




Israel Kamakawiw'ole