The Wizard Returns

As I mentioned, the full production of that wonderful concert version of The Wizard of Oz originally aired on TBS in 1985 has never been re-aired in subsequent years or released on DVD.  Fortunately, I stumbled on it thanks to the miracle of channel surfing, and I did get to see most of it.  But nothing since then, try though I might.  However, I've been able to track down a few videos from the production, and here's another one.

This features Jackson Browne as The Scarecrow.  And the song he sings is...oh, you know.

It's fun reading some of the user comments on YouTube.  There's a brief discussion about how Browne gets a few of the lyrics wrong -- nothing significant, mind you, one is that he says "every" when it should be "any."  And others chime in that Ray Bolger is still the best Scarecrow.  This goes on for a while until someone's head is about to explode and he can't take it anymore.  And he leaves the message -- "People, are you nuts??  This is Jackson Fucking Browne!!"

And so it is.  Here he is, with,"If I Only Had a Brain."  Which I suspect is what that user was thinking about what the other commenters should say about themselves.  Hey, you even get to see Jackson Browne dance.  Okay, not much -- really -- but it's cute.

By the way, the great assemblage (I'll fill you in next time -- more videos to come...) wasn't just limited to the cast.  You'll note a saxophone solo and guitarist in the video below.  That's David Sanborn and Ry Cooder.

I'm telling you, this was a wonderful show.  And I can only repeat:  I don't know why in the world this hasn't been repeated on TBS in the intervening 20 years or released on DVD.  Especially since its unknown-at-the-time Dorothy eventually -- when Jewel's career soon after blossomed -- became almost as big a star as any of the others.

But that's for others to know and figure out.  For the rest of us, we just sit back and enjoy what there is --