Follow the yellow brick road to The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Celebration at Movie Addict HQ on September 17th! Listen to Lorna Luft, Judy Garland’s daughter, talk about this great film classic. Also joining in the fun are: Barry Monush, editor/author of the Screen World anthology series; film historian James Colt Harrison; and Diana Saenger from Classic Movie Guide. On September 20th, select movie theaters will be showing the cinematic gem for one week. Almost everyone already knows the story by heart, but the spectacle of Dorothy’s fantastic adventure never ceases to dazzle viewers no matter how many times they see it. And this time, “dazzle” is the key word, because the movie has been re-mastered for IMAX 3-D presentations.  

Lorna Luft has won acclaim on stage, film and television. She’s also a best-selling author, recording artist and Emmy-nominated producer. Her book, Me and My Shadows: Living with the Legacy of Judy Garland, was turned into a miniseries that won 5 Emmy Awards. Lorna’s live theater experience includes a stint as the Wicked Witch of the West in the UK production of The Wizard of Oz. Another of Lorna’s accomplishments is Songs My Mother Taught Me, a spectacular concert combining one of the world’s most familiar songbooks with her personal memories of her famous mother. A CD based on this event was released on First Night Records.

Barry Monush, author/editor of Screen World 2011, does research for the Paley Center for the Media. He also wrote the following books: Music on Film: West Side Story; Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the Silent Era to 1965; Everybody’s Talkin’: The Top Films of 1965-1969. He’s the co-author of Lucille Ball FAQ and recently updated Stanley Green’s Hollywood Musicals: Year by Year.

Diana Saenger serves as entertainment editor for the San Diego East County Gazette and is the founder/editor of Classic Movie Guide. She also operates her own syndicate and online site called Review Express. She’s the author of the award-winning novella Deadline: Romance and Everyone Wants My Job: The ABCs of Entertainment Writing.

James Colt Harrison, who calls himself “the world’s oldest teenage movie fan,” has written a history of MGM, the studio where Judy Garland made most of her movies. He also served as the premier film critic for The La Jolla Village News and contributes reviews to such outlets as Classic Movie Guide and Review Express.

MGM re-released The Wizard of Oz in 1949 and again in 1955. In 1956, the movie received its initial television broadcast and, since 1959, has become a yearly television event. This makes it one of the most-viewed motion pictures of all time. It’s almost impossible to believe this wonderful movie was created over 70 years ago and continues to warm our hearts today. The Wizard of Oz is truly an enduring masterpiece.

Movie Addict HQ’s Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Celebration airs on BlogTalkRadio at 4 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, September 17, 2013. During the live show listeners are invited to call in and to participate in a chat. An archived segment will also be available.

CALL-IN NUMBER: 646-478-5668

HOST: Betty Jo Tucker

PRODUCER: Nikki Starr

LINK TO LISTEN: Click here.