Nov. 5, 2019
Not the clearest photo I admit but it will do for the purposes of my post. It was taken with my trusty flip cellphone of an image I created by hitting the "Pause" button on the remote for my VCR. Yes, by today's standards I am a Luddite.
When I was child one of the big television events of the year was the apparently annual showing of The Wizard of Oz. In the days before home VHS videorecordings we couldn't just watch any movie when we felt like it. In those pre-cable days we were at the mercy of three national networks and a couple local independent stations. If you were a young movie freak like I was, you would plan your week around the schedule of films as listed in the TV Guide.
Since most families, including mine, owned grainy black and white televisions in the Ike-JFK-LBJ era, we kids were informed by our parents when The Wizard of Oz used the technique of switching from B&W to color as Dorothy first arrives in Munchkinland. I believe I was a teenager before I ever saw this cinematic classic in color.
Anyway, here's the deal with McCleary and The Wizard of Oz film. Right before the Mayor of Munchkinland shows up, his appearance is heralded by three trumpeteers. The third trumpeteer, as shown in this photo, was none other than McCleary's own Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, who had the circus name of "Major Mite." Pretty neat, huh?
As a bit of trivia, when I was in college I once split the rent on an apartment with the grandson of E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who wrote the lyrics to the songs in the movie.
