tin man = industrial worker (dehumanized) scarecrow = farmer (brainwashed to believe that he is an idiot) lion = William Jennings Bryan, the ineffectual opponent of the gold standard oz = the United States, the kingdom of the gold standard (measured in ounces) Emerald City = Washington, D.C. (the color of money) wizard = president of the United States Dorothy = prototype of the naive public Toto = prohibitionists cyclone = economic recession resulting from the gold standard witches of East & West = vested interests (Wall Street & land barons, respectively) witches of North & South = Republican voters in the North, Democratic voters in the South Although the farmers and workers are in principle mobilizable for political action by a reform-minded public, and the president meets them and listens to their demands, he says that he can do nothing for them unless they get out the vote to defeat the vested interests. They return home, happy that they could state their demands, but do they follow up with a new political agenda? Frank Baum hoped that his parable would awaken the public to bring about more democracy, but the Judy Garland version sets no such agenda. The film merely shows that one can articulate demands on the political system, but the need for a struggle to bring about political change is obscured in the fantasyland. The parallel with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is striking. Jimmy Stewart articulates righteous indignation, but admits that political mobilization to bring about a more democratic politics is hopeless in a Washington owned by the vested interests. In my opinion, Eddy Murphy's The Distinguished Gentleman is a more candid satire of the realities of Washington. Michael Haas ---- To sign off SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]