TV specials

Wicked; Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist; Original Broadway cast

Mom was a blur around our house. If she wasn’t cooking, she was baking. If she wasn’t washing clothes, she was sewing clothes. If she wasn’t gardening, she was helping Dad in the field. An endless stream of dishes to wash, the never ceasing parade of newspapers to read, the occasional sick kid to nurse, birds to feed, letters to write, concerts to attend, and on and on it goes. Then there was her work as the secretary at the church, and various other jobs in the community that she took on. When Mom sat down, her eyes were closed. “Wake me up in ten minutes.” Mom, it’s been ten minutes. “Okay.” A few more minutes of blissful rest would ensue.

About the only television that Mom watched was “The Carol Burnett Show” and anything musical on PBS. Otherwise, she didn’t have time. If she had time to watch TV, then she had time to do something else. TV didn’t occupy her world.

And, yet, she always knew when something special was on. “Kids, hurry up and finish your dinner. ‘Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang’ is on tonight.” “Erik, help your Dad with the chores now so that you’re done when Charlie Brown comes on.” “All of you, get your homework done. You don’t want to miss ‘Rudolph’ and ‘Frosty’.” How did she know this stuff? She didn’t watch TV. “Channel Eleven is playing ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at eight o’clock.”

Harold Arlen’s words and music was half the fun of “The Wizard of Oz”.

Ding, Dong, the witch is dead

Which old witch?

The wicked witch

Ding, Dong, the wicked witch is dead

And,

We’re off to see the wizard,

The wonderful wizard of Oz

We hear he is a whiz of a wiz

If ever a wiz there was

If ever, oh, ever a wiz there was

The Wizard of Oz is one because,

Because, because, because, because, becaaaaaaause –

Because of the wonderful things he does.

I’ve always liked these lyrics that didn't make it into the movie:

Gosh, it would be pleasin’

To reason out the reason

To things I can’t explain

And perhaps I’ll deserve you

And be even worthy erve you

If I only had a brain

“Wicked”, the Broadway musical based on a novel by Gregory Maguire, opened in 2003 and tells a sort of back-story of how the witches of Oz met. Stephen Schwartz wrote the words and music and lends Arlenesque creativity to the playfulness of the show. Galinda sings to the wicked witch:

With an assist from me,

To be who you’ll be,

Instead of dreary who you were .. or, are.

There’s nothing that can stop you,

From becoming populer .. lar ..

Even when really young, I always enjoyed the poetry of the wing-ed – two syllables – wing-ed monkeys. I have to say this quietly, though. Mom and I have a standing argument concerning the word “striped”. I pronounce it with one syllable. She pronounces it with two. And I have friends here in the south that pronounce it with three.

Credits: To the great Ian Fleming, for writing “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang”, “our fine four fendered friend.”