Historic theater celebrates the 80th anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with 3-D movie
The Augusta Historic Theatre is celebrating the 80th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” movie this weekend with three screenings of the 3D version of the musical film based on L. Frank Baum’s fantastical book about a Kansas farm girl.
“We are the only theater in Kansas showing ‘Wizard of Oz’ in 3D,” said Gwyn Birk, a board member on the Augusta Arts Council, which operates the theater.
Organizers hope that fact, along with the opportunity to see a classic movie in a classic venue, will attract fans of the film. The movie is being shown at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with an additional screening at noon on Saturday. All shows cost $8 per person. Proceeds from ticket sales are used for operational costs.
“We try to make going to the movie more fun and interactive here,” Birk said “Everyone is welcome to come in costume, in fact we encourage it.”
Attend the matinee for additional Oz-themed activities. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, volunteers will be in character – including Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda – and available outside the theater for photos at no cost. In the lobby, artist Melissa Vo of Wichita’s VōgōPaint will do caricature drawings and have Wizard of Oz themed art for sale, with half of proceeds benefitting the theater.
Visitors are encouraged to stop at the theater for a map of participating businesses, mostly within two to three blocks of the theater at 523 State St., offering open houses and specials with the timeframe. If you visit all of the businesses on the map, you’ll be able to turn it in before the matinee starts for a small prize and you’ll be entered in a drawing for larger prizes donated by the businesses.
“Our goal is to celebrate the movie and to bring people to the theater and downtown Augusta,” Birk said.
“Oz” is part of the theater’s year-long classic film series. Remaining screenings include the 1964 Pink Panther film “A Shot in the Dark” Sept. 13-14, a double feature of “Gremlins” and “Gremlins 2” Oct. 11-12, the 1956 western “The Searchers” Nov. 8-9 and a 30th anniversary showing of “Driving Miss Daisy” Dec. 13-14.
The theater is about 20 miles east of downtown Wichita. It was built as a movie palace in 1935 and operated by the Bisagno family for 50 years. It was donated to the local arts council in 1989 and has been completely restored to its 1948 appearance, which was the year a full concession stand was built in the theater’s lobby.
The exterior of the two-story art deco building features individual tiles of opaque structural glass and a decorative neon marquee that was damaged by hail in the past couple of years. The colors of interior murals, hand-painted ceiling panels and handmade ornamental plaster designs create an Egyptian appearance.
The theater raised money in 2011 to convert to digital projection and sound equipment, and Birk said they hope to next raise money to repair the neon sign. Recently the theater has also been used as the venue for a monthly Augusta Summer Concert Series with dates remaining for Aug. 24 and Sept. 28.
Volunteers operate the theater, which regularly shows first-run movies on Fridays and Saturdays with ticket prices $6 per person and reasonably priced concessions.
“We have a perfect date night package that comes with two tickets, two medium drinks and one large popcorn for $20,” Birk said.
This is the first year for the monthly Classic Movie Series, and Birk said they’ll likely continue it next year. Nearly all of this year’s films were celebrating anniversaries like “Oz.”
MGM released the film in August 1939 with 17-year-old Judy Garland as its star. It was nominated for six Academy Awards. It lost best picture to “Gone With the Wind” but won two Oscars: best original song for “Over the Rainbow” and best original score. It makes most lists of all-time greatest films and was one of the earliest films recognized for its use of Technicolor. Warner Bros. converted the film to 3D in 2013 as part of the film’s 75th anniversary celebration. Reviews of the 3D version describe the effects as subtle and respectfully applied.
80th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz”
What: 3D screening of the movie “The Wizard of Oz”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon Saturday. Additional Oz-themed activities from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Where: Augusta Historic Theatre, 523 State St., Augusta
Tickets: $8 per person
More information: www.augustahistorictheatre.com
This story was originally published August 9, 2019 at 10:14 AM.