If you think about it, there isn't that much music the movie. Well, you are right about that. The producers did end up butchering the Arlen/Harburg score for the film, very much. If you notice, the last song in the movie is "If I Were King of the Forest". By deleting songs and reprises that were written by Arlen and Harburg the last third of the film is completely numberless. They actually deleted quite a bit...
they removed a verse of "Over the Rainbow" and they cut...
the into's intos "If I Only Had A Brain", and "If I Only Had A Heart" that were intended to be sung by the crows and the apple trees which was written, but never filmed.
they cut The Scarecrow's dance sequence
"The Jitterbug"
"Courage" (the second part of 'King of the Forest')
the "Over the Rainbow" reprise
as well as the "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" reprise after the Witch melts.
and a song that is not in the RSC version "Ding Dong Emerald City" which was also cut from the film.
So when all these songs are restored on stage the score is very much complete. Especially when you get the huge dance sequence in "The Merry Old Land of Oz" and the showstopper that
is The Jitterbug!
Updated On: 8/13/04 at 08:03 PM