The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies growing up as a child. I must have watched that video at least 1000 times. I could recite every word. But the first time I ever saw the movie was when my mother took me to see it in the movie theater when I was young. I remember her telling me this was HER favorite movie as a little girl so I was all set to love it.

Instead, when the neighbor (?), in one of the early scenes - the black and white ones - goes flying by the window, and then there is a witch on a broom? I screamed so loud my mom had to take me out of the movie theater and I refused to go back in. She was mad because the movies had cost her $10 and she had dropped her candy.

It was only a few years later that I even realized the movie was in color!

I thought I was Dorothy. I thought I wore ruby red slippers in my dreams. I was deathly afraid of the Wicked Witch and wildly in love with Glenda, the good Witch. I was terrified of the flying monkies, and I never understood the man behind the curtain.

The tin man was my favorite, because he looked so sad, and yet I knew he couldn't be sad because after all the didn't have a heart. I thought the lion was annoying because he was whimpy and the scarecrow just silly. I loved Toto and the way that Dorothy said "oh Toto" I would hold my stuffed dog in the mirror, cock my head like Judy Garland and practice "Oh Toto!" and "Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

When I was a teenager we would watch the movie from time to time - mostly looking for the lost soul who supposedly killed himself by hanging during the making of the movie and back then they didn't have computer editing so the tragedy stayed in the movie. I never did see that though.

I coudln't bring myself to watch the newly re-colored version. If I ever have kids maybe some day but that just seems indecent to me.

I always wondered which one I was lacking in most - brain, heart, nerve. Probably nerve. Hmm!