Walk On By - The Story Of Popular Song (BBC Documentary 21/23)

"Over the Rainbow" (often referred to as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow") is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie. Over time it would become Garland's signature song.

In the film, part of the song is played by the MGM orchestra over the opening credits. About five minutes later, Garland, in the role of Dorothy Gale, sings "Over the Rainbow" after unsuccessfully trying to get her aunt and uncle to listen to her regarding an unpleasant incident involving Dorothy's dog Toto and the nasty spinster Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton). Dorothy's Aunt Em tells her to "find a place where you won't get yourself into any trouble", prompting Dorothy to walk off by herself. She muses to Toto "Someplace where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat, or a train. It's far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain...", commencing with singing the song. The famous sequence itself, as well as the entirety of the Kansas scenes, was directed (though uncredited) by King Vidor.

The song is number one of the "Songs of the Century" list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. The American Film Institute also ranked "Over the Rainbow" the greatest movie song of all time on the list of "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs". It was adopted (along with Irving Berlin's "White Christmas") by American troops in Europe in World War II as a symbol of the United States.

(extract from Wikipedia 2011)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Television
• Radio & Films
• Rock N Roll
• 1950's
• 1960's
• 1970's
• 1980's
• 1990's
• australian archive
• australian documentary

[ginger1961]

How cool is this rare footage! Awesome!