The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Widely considered to be one of the greatest films in cinema history , [5] it is the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation of Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . [6] It stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale , Alongside Ray Bolger , Jack Haley , Bert Lahr , Frank Morgan , Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton, with Charley Grapewin , Pat Walshe and Clara Blandick , Terry (billed as Toto), and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins . [7]
Notable for its use of Technicolor , fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, it has become an icon of American popular culture. It was nominated for six Academy Awards , including Best Picture , but lost to Gone with the Wind . It Did win in two other categories, Including Best Original Song for ” Over the Rainbow ” and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart . While the movie was considered a success on August 1939, it failed to generate profit for MGM, earning only $ 3,017,000, it has $ 2,777,000 budget, which has made it the most expensive production to date. [3] [8][9]