Wizard of Oz at the lofte

It was a chilly afternoon with some north winds whipping around the Lofte Theatre near Manley. Shortly before 3 p.m. on March 15, people began arriving. Upon first glance, there was clearly something different about them. Girls with red bows holding their pigtails were escorted by parents inside the theatre. A few scarecrows, tin men and cowardly lions also made their way across the parking lot. Before long, a few witches could be seen coveting some ruby slippers. As if following some mythical yellow brick road, one by one, they entered the theatre.

Once inside, a cloth yellow brick road led to the stage where flying monkeys could be seen helping the small size characters play some fun games based on parts of the classic movie. Some tried tossing rings around a post for the "tornado toss." Others would throw a small ball at a target to release the front of a house and have it fall on a wicked witch called "Squish a Witch." Visitors were invited to guess how man skittles were in a jar. Some guess ranged as high as one billion. Eric Sterling was a bit closer to the actual amount of 1,384.

 It was all part of a screening by the Lofte Theatre as part of a special Saturday afternoon.
The Lofte screened the 1939 film for children and adults in their new theatre. It was the first time they aired a film on their new video screen for the public.

The event was held as a reminder that the theatre is part of the Cass County Community. Free will donations were accepted but the intent was only to make enough to cover payment of the rights to show the classic film.

As the theatre auditorium darkened, the familiar musical themes could be heard from the theatre's state-of-the-art sound system. It has long been thought the opening and ending parts of the movie were in black and white. They were actually a sepia tone. Early video releases of the movie were processed in black and white until the mistake was discovered.

The audience was encouraged to take part in the movie. A special prop bag was available containing a small wand to be used whenever Glenda, the good witch was on screen. Lofte volunteer Scott Pope would prompt the crowd to boo and hiss whenever the wicked witch was having some screen time. Kazoos were also provided so everyone could hum along with the songs, in case they didn't know the words. Glow sticks were also provided so the haunted forest might be a little less frightening. A short break was also provided in case any little munchkins needed to use a rest room.

The film opens with a dedication to "children of all ages." On a windy March afternoon, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were able to return with their youngsters to a simpler time and remember what it was like to be enchanted by a classic movie.

-by Rick Setchell, Plattsmouth Journal