Considered one of the greatest films of all time, The Wizard of Oz was released to critical acclaim on August 25, 1939. The most seen film in history cost a whopping 2.8 million dollars to produce and it starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, a young woman whisked away by a tornado to the wonderful land of Oz. Dorothy was aided on her journey on the yellow brick road to Emerald City by a cowardly lion, a scarecrow, and a tin woodman who are all seeking gifts from the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Aided by Gilda the Good Witch and harassed by the Wicked With of the West. The movie was one of the first to take full advantage of Technicolor technology and is richly detailed. The score and musical numbers from the film have been engrained in pop culture since their debut on the screen. The MGM group didn’t turn a profit on the expensive film until it was re-released in 1949. The film is engrained in popular culture and continues to captivate audiences and influence filmmakers to this day.

Presented here is from the August 15, 1939 preview premiere of “The Wizard of Oz” at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. The ticket is labeled “GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATER HOLLYWOOD” on the top of the ticket. The price for the one night only engagement was $2.20. The seating information labeled “ROW 13 SEC. LEFT SEAT 51” in purple on the left side of the ticket. “AUG.15 1939” appears in purple print on the left side of the ticket next to the seating information. The midsection of the ticket is labeled “METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER presents THE PREVIEW PREMIERE OF ‘THE WIZARD OF OZ IN TECHNICOLOR” and names the production by Victor Fleming and was produced by Mervin Lero. The established price and tax paid of $2.00 and 20 cents appears for a total of $2.20 cents and appears at the bottom of the midsection of the ticket. The ticket from the preview of “The Wizard of Oz” on August 15, 1939 at Grauman’s Chinese Theater comes encapsulated and authenticated by PSA (53938248) and is rated GOOD 2.

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