VANCOUVER, Wash. – Re-Imagined Radio’s March episode is a little-known radio adaptation of the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). It originally aired on “Lux Radio Theatre” on Christmas Day 1950, with Judy Garland recreating her starring movie role as Dorothy Gale.
The episode premiers at 1 p.m. March 20 on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver; and KXRY-FM (91.1), Portland. Subsequent broadcasts and streams will be provided by local, regional and international broadcast partners.
The episode celebrates March as Women’s History Month, said John Barber, producer and host, adding, “Garland’s singing and acting celebrate the contributions of women everywhere.” Barber is a faculty member of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture program.
There have been several film and radio adaptations of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 fantasy novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” The success of the novel and the 1902 musical theatrical adaptation prompted Baum to write 13 additional Oz books as sequels and inspired the beloved 1939 movie starring Garland. The 1950 “Lux Radio Theatre” adaptation, written by Sandy Barnett, was the only time that Garland ever recreated her most famous film role.
Among several radio variety programs, “Lux Radio Theatre” was unique in featuring well-known stars of stage and screen acting in the leading roles. In addition to Garland, the cast included Herbert Vigran (Hickory/Tin Woodman), Hans Conried (Hunk/Scarecrow), Edwin Max (Zeke/Cowardly Lion) and several others.
Re-imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on KXRW-FM. In addition, every Sunday, an episode of Re-Imagined Radio is broadcast on KXRW, drawing from previously broadcast episodes. Episodes can be streamed on demand from the Re-Imagined Radio website,reimaginedradio.net.
Community Partners
Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, Marc Rose and Holly Slocum Design
About Re-Imagined Radio
Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. ”We select, produce and perform classic and contemporary stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said.
About WSU Vancouver
WSU Vancouver is in the homeland of Chinookan and Taidnapam peoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
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