Down the Yellow Brick Pod

Send us Fan Mail Today Tara and EmKay are ELATED to kick off a brand new series: The Slipperhood! New episodes will be dropped on Fridays throughout the summer as a space for conversation and celebration to honor those who feel a kindred connection with Dorothy in their own unique way. Our first guest is the incredible Tiffany Sutton ( @followtheyellowbrickgirl ), an actress living in Los Angeles...

Send us Fan Mail Before our friends are finally admitted to see the Wizard, Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion has a few vibrato-filled proclamations to make about genuflecting chipmunks, which leads Tara and EmKay to realize they don't remember any lyrics from their time touring the musical "Sister Act." Whoops. Other deep dives include a moment of appreciation for the Art Deco inspire...

Send us Fan Mail Alice Phelps is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on the southern part of South Dakota. She is currently employed at Oglala Lakota College where she is the Indian Education Grant Coordinator working in the Education Department. She has a wonderful 501(c)3 nonprofit, “First Families Now” that was started out of necessity for f...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay's deep dive into the Emerald City continues with the macabre reality of how the horse of a different color came to life, celebrating the fabulous extras in this scene, unpacking the mechanics of creating  the skywriting sequence, and Betty Danko's terrifying and maddening fire explosion accident. Show Notes: The Making of the Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and...

Send us Fan Mail Our merry band has finally reached the end of their yellow brick road! After coming face to face with a familiar looking mustached doorman, they are all welcomed into the Emerald City with the song "Merry Old Land of Oz" and given some pampering by the fiercely dressed Emerald City citizens before an unfortunate skywriting incident sends everyone into concerned chaos! Ra...

Send us Fan Mail Our four friends (and Toto too!) skip down the yellow brick road towards an intoxicatingly beautiful field of vibrant red poppies, and Tara and EmKay are floored by the folklore that may still not have a sure answer: was Glinda's snow made out of asbestos or gypsum? The mystery continues! Rabbit holes include celebrating the life of Pat Walshe (Nikko), the fascinating afterli...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay venture into the forest and dive into the not so cowardly life and times of vaudeville comic Bert Lahr! The master of self-deprecating humor, a larger than life Broadway staple of New York City, and deeply introverted when not on the stage, Bert's portrayal of the Cowardly Lion continues to make us laugh 80+ years later. (New York accent for the win.) The infam...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay are thrilled to be joined by the incredibly talented and inspiring Kiki Ebsen! An accomplished keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and recording artist, Kiki has traveled the world as a performer and recently released a new album, "Fill Me Up." She also calls a very special person Dad - the legendary Buddy Ebsen, and created and performed the critically acclai...

Send us Fan Mail Jack Haley as been recast in the role of the Tin Man, and Tara and EmKay are here to admire his baby blues and vocal riffs. Other rabbit holes include a moment of appreciation for the voice of Snow White (another Disney Legend!), a possible explanation of why the Wicked Witch of the West is green, and a deleted bee scene that never came to be animated (probably for the best). AS W...

Send us Fan Mail Dorothy and new pal Scarecrow (and Toto too) are off to see the Wizard, but not before they encounter some feisty trees, grab some apples for a snack, and what's this? A man made out of tin?! Tara and EmKay dive deep into MGM's hidden backstory of initially casting Disney Legend Buddy Ebsen in the role, which was short-lived after his terrifying illness due to the alumin...

Send us Fan Mail Dorothy and Toto have reached the rolling cornfields of Oz and are immediately drawn into conversation with a talking Scarecrow, played by none other than the loose-limbed and charming Ray Bolger! Tara and EmKay talk all things Ray (EmKay's bf) and his career beyond Oz, Ray and Judy's close relationship outside of the film, the creation of the Scarecrow's intricate...

Send us Fan Mail We have arrived at our final installment of the glorious Munchkinland! Tara and EmKay dive into the scene's unforgettable music, celebrate starring featured moments from the Munchkins, indulge in some Lollipop Guild theories courtesy of Jerry Maren, and try not to flinch while detailing both Betty Danko and Margaret Hamilton's unfortunate accidents during the Wicked Witc...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay continue feasting their eyes upon Oz's Munchkinland by diving further into Dorothy and Glinda's relationship, Leo Singer's casting of over 120 little people to portray the Munchkins, vocal arranger Ken Darby's genius audio tactics, and begin to dip their toes in this scene's iconic songs! Part 3 dropping Friday. Show Notes: "The Wizard...

Send us Fan Mail Your gingham gals have arrived in one of Oz's most famous technicolor scenes full of iconic lines, a pink and a green witch, over 100 Munchkins, and the first mention of the great and mysterious Wizard! Tara and EmKay have a LOT to discuss with their love for Billie Burke and her background, the special effect of transitioning from sepia to technicolor, Gowns by Adrian, and t...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay talk Oz remotely for the first time ever! Film history's iconic twister scene is broken down with a very serious reenactment, some actual tips on storm preparedness for your farm, the behind the scenes creation of Oz's realistic twister, and how director King Vidor survived his own natural disaster before recreating the one that would transport Dorothy to...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for the OG Karen, Miss Gulch (played by the fantastic Margaret Hamilton), who is here with a few words for Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in her vendetta against poor Toto! Frank Morgan's Professor Marvel always delights as Tara and EmKay unpack hidden real life backstories of our actors,  imagine Miss Gulch's possible day to day to life, and appreciate the 1930'...

Send us Fan Mail Dorothy Gale has sung her heart out in a barnyard dreaming about what could lie over the rainbow, ending with a question, "Why, oh why, can't I?" Our heartstrings have officially been pulled and the time has now come to dive further into the endlessly fascinating backstory of the one and only Judy Garland.  From her roots performing with her two sisters and her rock...

Send us Fan Mail The opening credits have faded into a sepia-toned flat Kansas prairie, leaving Tara and EmKay thrilled to discuss their favorite details of the Gale farm, dive into the history behind the iconic song "Over the Rainbow," and applaud Terry (Toto) the dog's starring performance! Stay tuned for Part 2 dropping Wednesday. Show Notes: 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay continue their first foray into 1939's MGM classic, "The Wizard of Oz," finishing up the revolving door of directors and stepping into the folklore of casting! Stay tuned for some behind the scenes bloopers at the end ;) Show Notes: Opening Credits AFI Catalog "The Wizard of Oz": The Screenplay  by Noel Langley, Edgar Allan Woolf, Florence R...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay OFFICIALLY dive into 1939's MGM classic, "The Wizard of Oz," beginning where any true Oz fan would: the BUM BUM BUM's of the opening credits! Your gingham gals wrap up the many screenwriters and their script edits, dive a bit into Harold Arlen and E. Y. "Yip" Harburg's unforgettable integrated music and lyrics, and share their favo...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay put on their dramaturg hats and unpack the history of filmmaking beginning with the establishment of Hollywood! Join us for a behind the scenes look at 1930's MGM with Louis B. Mayer at the helm, the more shadowy sides of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the first screenwriters to begin bringing 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" to the silver screen. We...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay are THRILLED to be joined by Joseph Rubin, the Founder and Executive Director of American Musical Productions. In 2010, he devoted his efforts to research and restore 1902's original Broadway production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Canton Comic Opera in Canton, Ohio. Joseph unpacks his experience reviving this zany production, offers advice on keeping the...

Send us Fan Mail Tara and EmKay continue unpacking 1903's original Broadway production of "The Wizard of Oz" by reading some critical reviews, imagining the lives of the chorus girls, and even comparing the second touring company to their own personal touring experiences! Further iterations of Oz such as silent films, a failed Wogglebug musical, and beginnings of MGM's acquirin...

Send us Fan Mail The time has come, ya'll. Tara and EmKay are BACK and unpacking the wacky, zany, "girls girls girls" extravaganza that was the hit of Broadway: 1903's The Wizard of Oz musical! They  deep dive into how this musical came about after L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, discuss conflict amongst the creative team, do their best to explain the plot (buckle up), and eve...

Send us Fan Mail Your favorite gingham gals are rested after their technicolor hiatus and BACK for another trip down the yellow brick road! Join us as we continue to explore the history and backstories of the wonderful world of Oz as Season 2 promises a deep dive into musical interpretations following L. Frank Baum's original text, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Buckle up, ya'll. Thank you...