MovieChat Forums > The Harvey Girls (1946) Discussion > Connection to the Wizard of Oz

Connection to the Wizard of Oz

posted 8 years ago by TobyTyler10
2 replies | jump to latest

I've watched both the Harvey Girls and the Wizard of Oz within a day of each other or I might not have noticed this but Sandy, the bartender in the Harvey Girls, is also the captain of the Winkie guards at the witch's castle in the Wizard of Oz who has the line, "you killed her." In the scene where Susan goes to the Alhambra to recover steaks stolen from the Harvey restaurant, the bartender tells her where they are and his voice struck me so I had to search it out. Sure enough, it is same actor, Mitchell Lewis.

Mr. Lewis had a long and interesting career dating back to the silent era which included such films as A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and Meet John Doe (1941). He was one of the many wonderful character actors who enriched the films we enjoy and I'm so glad that I finally made this connection!

It's not an old movie if you haven't seen it. Lauren Bacall

[–] gbennett5 8 years ago

The "Oz" similarities go deeper than that. In both "Oz" and "Harvey Girls",
Judy is whisked to a new land and conquers all, despite adversity. She
has to do deal with a wicked witch in both (here, it's Angela Lansbury),
and she also has Ray Bolger as a sidekick.

[–] McSwan (21) 2 years ago

I see more connection to "In the Good Old Summertime".

Judy Garland involved with an unknown pen-pal, whom she hates when she meets him, but eventually falls in love.