The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) at auction with the rest of her collections by owner actress Debbie Reynolds for $510,000 (not including the buyer's premium) in June 2011. The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films in cinema history, it is the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming (who left production to take over direction on the troubled "Gone with the Wind" production). It stars
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz noted, lessened during the prior 100 years. In a 2002 review, Bill Delaney of "Salem Press" praised Baum for giving children the opportunity to discover magic in the mundane things in their everyday lives. He further commended Baum for teaching "millions of children to love reading during their crucial formative years". The Library of Congress has declared "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to be "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale", also naming it the first American fantasy for children and one of the most-read children's books. After George M. Hill's bankruptcy in 1902, copyright in the book passed to the