The Guy with the Stuffing is Packing

During an enjoyable neighborhood barbecue last night most of the kids plunked themselves down in front of The Wizard of Oz, the beloved classic celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Although they didn't make it all the way through the movie (late start + hot day = sleepy kids) Fiona and Bryan had lots of questions about the movie, mostly revolving around the business relationship between flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West.

However, they stumped us with this one: "Why does the Scarecrow have a gun?"

What?! Nah, he doesn't have a gun, we've seen that a million times and...

Holy cow, the Scarecrow has a gun!!! As the link suggests, this may not have been the best idea, since the Scarecrow "makes Barney Fife look like Patton." Nevertheless, there it is.

Listen to your kids. You can learn a lot from them. You can also learn a lot from people with a good pause button and infinite amounts of free time (h/t J).

Update: I forgot to include a link to this New Yorker piece on Victor Fleming, the near-simultaneous director of both Oz and Gone with the Wind. The latter film has lived at or near the top of my personal list of All-Time Overrated Films but I may need to check it out again.