Today in history we celebrate a fictional girl from Kansas and a group of musicians from across the pond. In 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” made its New york premiere in theaters. Also this date in 1960, The Beatles started their first engagement outside of England as they arrived in Hamburg, West Germany. This was the first time they played under the name “The Beatles”. As a tribute I thought I’d lead you to this video I found on YouTube.
“The Wizard of Oz” and the Beatles are both legends in their respective fields. Not only has “Oz” been voted one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, it also had an interesting mix of black & white and color sequences. When reviewing the history of color in movies, The Wizard of Oz always makes the list right next to another movie that came out that year (and beat it for Best Picture) “Gone With the Wind”.
When it comes to music history there is no one like The Beatles. They are one of the most influential bands of all time, as most musicians today either directly or indirectly draw inspiration from this remarkable band. They have made the Billboard 200 Albums of the Year chart countless times between 1964-2007 as well as the Hot 100 Songs of the Year chart between 1964-1976. It is hard to summarize a band with that long a history with just a few words.
Suggested activity of the day:
In celebration of our two events in history, why not drive over to a friend’s house with your Beatles records and copy of Wizard of Oz and follow the yellow brick road down memory lane? Just be careful of those flying monkeys!