Off to See the Wizard facts for kids
Off to See the Wizard was an American television show that mixed cartoons and live-action stories. It was made by MGM Animation/Visual Arts and shown on ABC-TV from 1967 to 1968. The show was narrated by Hal Holbrook.
About the Show
The name of the show, "Off to See the Wizard," came from a famous song in MGM's classic 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz. This movie was very popular on TV. So, ABC decided to create a show around it. The main idea was to show many of MGM's popular family films on TV for the first time. This was a bit like how Walt Disney often showed his movies on the Disney TV show.
Each episode of Off to See the Wizard started and ended with animated characters from The Wizard of Oz. You would see Dorothy Gale, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wizard of Oz. They often gave funny introductions to the films. Chuck Jones, a famous animator, was in charge of making these cartoons.
The show also used music from the famous Wizard of Oz movie. The opening of the show featured a choir singing a part of "Over the Rainbow." Then, Dorothy and her three friends would sing "We're Off to See the Wizard."
One episode, called High Jungle, was never shown. This was because of an accident that happened during filming, which meant the episode could not be finished.
Films Featured on the Show
Each episode of Off to See the Wizard was only an hour long. This meant that longer movies had to be split into two parts to be shown completely. Disney's TV show also did this.
Here are some of the films that were shown on the series:
- Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (from 1965)
- Flipper (from 1963)
- Hell Cats (a TV pilot from 1964 starring George Hamilton)
- Island of the Lost
- Lili (from 1953)
- Mike and the Mermaid (a pilot episode)
- Rhino!
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (from 1960)
- Gypsy Colt (from 1953)
- Untamed World
- Who's Afraid of Mother Goose?
- Wild World
- Zebra in the Kitchen (from 1965)
- The Glass Slipper (from 1955)
- Captain Sindbad (from 1963)
Voice Cast
Many talented voice actors brought the animated characters to life.
- Mel Blanc voiced the Cowardly Lion.
- Daws Butler voiced the Scarecrow and the Wizard of Oz.
- Don Messick voiced Toto and the Tin Man.
- June Foray voiced Dorothy Gale and the Wicked Witch of the West.
