Today Gay History: 'The Wizard of Oz' Was Released

Contents:

• OVER THE RABOW: THE GAY MALE OBSSN WH THE WIZARD OF OZ
• CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; WHY OZ IS A STATE OF MD IN GAY LIFE AND DRAG SHOWS
• THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE
• WIZARD OF OZ, THE: TIMELS FABLE (NEW MEANG, LGBTQ, GAY)
• ON THIS GAY DAY: ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ WAS RELEASED
• ‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN
• 'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ

OVER THE RABOW: THE GAY MALE OBSSN WH THE WIZARD OF OZ

Early on, durg my first ial days wh the gay culture of San Francis, I was bemed by the near reverential treatment paid to the film “The Wizard of Oz.

The atmosphere around the theater was one of a relig procsn; all seemed like harmls fun; but, as wh all public spectacl gay culture – beyond the revelry was always a pervasively tragic overtone.

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; WHY OZ IS A STATE OF MD IN GAY LIFE AND DRAG SHOWS

At the time, for myself, was the send wave of gay aths om AIDS: wh the mic om the movie servg as some horrific funeral dirge.

THE ENDURG (GAY?) APPEAL OF 'THE WIZARD OF OZ': MISTER OF CULTURE

Most remarkably, is the homosexual male intifitn wh Dorothy herself; perfectly embodied by the equally happy and sad Judy Garland – whose untimely ath 1969 advertently sparked the Stonewall Rts. Along wh other glamoro, but ultimately self-stctive screen legends, like Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Marilyn Monroe, gay men saw Garland the mirror for their own manic-prsive reali: feigng a perfect exuberance to the adorg mass while gog home alone and nursg the fterg wounds.

Remds me of the strobg lights, imprsive sounds, and pyrotechnics at the San Francis “gay” dance clubs, or on a larger sle, at a Madonna ncert.

WIZARD OF OZ, THE: TIMELS FABLE (NEW MEANG, LGBTQ, GAY)

Furthermore, the three characters of the Srecrow, the T-man, and the Cowardly Ln, are also metaphors for the gay male fantasy: of fdg their perfected selv; nstantly dogged by a feelg of aquacy and missgns, that is forever and unntrollably throwg before your ey a sensatn that you are lackg; though cintly, as the characters fally fd out – was not wantg at all, but was wh them.

ON THIS GAY DAY: ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ’ WAS RELEASED

Yet, the longgs are flawlsly realized and fulfilled the film; while gay men never really reach that sheltered existence of safety back at home. Bee, “The Wizard of Oz” is sentially the daydream of gay fulfillment: that someone, or somethg, out there will offer the cure for all that ails.

It's based on the novel by gay thor Gregory Maguire, who's wrten several other books about the Oz while many of will always go over the rabow wh Judy Garland, 's clear there will be plenty of other yellow brick roads leadg to Oz.

It is, of urse, mon knowledge that Judy Garland is a gay in — beloved and worshiped by gay men of a certa age and class — but what else explas the ubiquo referenc to “Oz” drag performanc and the nam of bars and bs terg to the muny?

‘FRIENDS OF DOROTHY’: HOW JUDY GARLAND BEME A GAY IN

It would be a mistake to nfe a discsn of The Wizard of Oz to a certa class of gay men, but seekg a pot of orig, there is a domant narrative of queer history which “Oz” and Garland were important parts of a mostly whe, middle-class, urban gay male subculture by the 1950s. The orig of the exprsn “Friend of Dorothy, ” which beme a phrase ed by gay men to intify themselv to each other, is lost to history — may have predated this era, and may not even refer to Garland’s role the movie, but the belief that do is wispread (another possibily is that refers to Dorothy Parker, who was also a iend to gays).

Acrdg to “Oz” scholar Dee Michel, who is wrg a book on “Oz” and gay men, there are certa beliefs about the film and the LGBT muny that persist spe of a lack of clear historil evince.

“The beliefs, ” he said, “overlap and rerce each other and have bee part of gay folklore, creasg our sense of history and rercg gay inty.

'HELLO YELLOW BRICK ROAD' — SF GAY MEN'S CHOS PAYS HOMAGE TO ELTON JOHN AND OZ

Other prt referenc to “Oz” as an unrground culture shared by gay men seem to show up the 1970s and ’80s, lookg back and attemptg to expla the appeal of the film.