Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of 'The Wizard of Oz'

By Leslie Combemale aka Cinema Siren

In addition to writing movie reviews each week for Patch, I am also the owner of ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery at Reston Town Center in Reston, Va. This weekend, we debut “There’s No Place Like Home: Art of The Wizard of Oz,” to mark the 75th anniversary of the release of the film, which played for the first time this week in 1939.

We have partnered with Warner Bros. and the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity to raise money for affordable housing, giving 10 percent of all sales from the show to the charity. There is also a raffle and silent auction with art and collectibles donated by ArtInsights and Warner Bros. relating to the film that are part of fundraising efforts.

An open house is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today (Friday, Aug. 15), the historic date the film played at Graumans Chinese Theater. The gallery opening is Sunday, Aug. 17, from 5 to 9 p.m. ArtInsights aligned that date with the one in 1939 when The Wizard of Oz debuted on the East Coast at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Unfortunately, unlike with the original release in New York, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney won’t be coming out after the credits to perform for the assembled fans. There will be door prizes and dozens of originals and limited editions on view, as well as the film playing in sync with the music of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Official Warner Bros. artist Andrea Alvin will be making a personal appearance during the opening on Sunday, and it is her art, “Startling Stories: The Wicked Witch” that is part of the raffle, and her limited editions and original art will be some of the official images on display and for sale.

Art by her late husband, famed movie poster artist John Alvin, which whom she partnered at Alvin and Associates, will also be available. The artist John Alvin has been much in the news for the upcoming release of the Andrea Alvin-authored book “The Art of John Alvin.”

In addition to creating interpretive images of The Wizard of Oz, John Alvin created the posters for E.T., Beauty and the Beast, Blade Runner and Star Wars, among hundreds of others. Andrea Alvin not only wrote the book about her husband’s career as a movie poster artist, but also stood shoulder to shoulder with him for many projects, including the Batman, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Little Mermaid campaigns.

We actually asked the Smithsonian if we could borrow a pair of ruby slippers for our Wizard of Oz show, and they demurred. However, since John Alvin was known to wear red shoes every day, we asked Andrea if she would bring some so we could display them for our own film art version of ruby slippers. We now have them proudly displayed with his art! It’s funny how things like that come together!

The art of Andrea Alvin and her husband John has been exhibited and sold in ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery for more than 10 years; in the last several years, Andrea’s work has expanded to include a variety of licensed imagery from Disney and Looney Tunes cartoons and classic Warner Bros. films, including The Wizard of Oz, which in 2008 was recognized by the American Film Institute as the best film in the history of the fantasy film genre.

Warner Bros. has celebrated the film’s 75th anniversary throughout the year, but the partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the “There’s No Place Like Home” campaign has been in force in many ways since the anniversary began, including events with licensees like Hallmark, Tonner Dolls and Cafe Press. They also have a dedicated website for donating to the charity.

For our part, ArtInsights is raffling off a hand-embellished piece of art by Andrea Alvin, and anyone who contributes $50 between now and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 on the Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia site will be automatically entered to win. The raffle tickets will also be available at the gallery opening on Aug. 17.

Go here to see the official Wizard of Oz art images available for purchase.

Go here to donate to Habitat for Humanity and be automatically entered to win art by Andrea Alvin.

PHOTO: “Startling Stories: The Wicked Witch,” by Andrea Alvin

Leslie Combemale, at www.cinemasiren.com, is a movie lover and aficionado who aspires to get more people back into the beautiful alternate worlds offered in the dark at movie houses across the country, and is owner of ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery. She interviews actors, directors, and production artists from all over the world, and often is invited to present at conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con, where she has been a panelist and host for The Art of the Hollywood Movie Poster, Classic Film History, Disney & Harry Potter Fandom discussions. Visit her art gallery for great art from film atwww.artinsights.com and see more of her reviews and interviews on www.artinsightsmagazine.com.