New England Patriots

The Patriots re-signed Troy Brown, who they released earlier in the Offseason.
. On April 29, the Patriots surprised many by bringing Doug Flutie, the former Boston College and Patriots quarterback most recently with the San Diego Chargers, back to the team as a veteran backup to Brady. ISBN 0-7868-8352-9. During the 2005 NFL Draft, the Patriots used their first round pick on Logan Mankins, an offensive guard out of Fresno State. In 1977, Aljean Harmetz wrote The Making of The Wizard of Oz, a detailed description of the creation of the film based on interviews and research; it was updated in 1989. The offseason turned around however, with Tom Brady signing a new contract that would keep him in New England through the 2010 season, and the addition of Seattle linebacker Chad Brown. It is also consistently in the top 100 on the IMDB Top 250 Films List.

Still, wanting to be a part of the team, Bruschi remarked that he would reevalute his condition for playing football at the end of the 2005 season. The film is #6 on the American Film Institute's 100 years, 100 movies list, and two songs from the film are on the 100 years, 100 songs list ("Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead" was #82 and "Over the Rainbow" was #1). Troy Brown, the long-time Patriots receiver, was released for salary cap reasons, surprising many after he had contributed on defense, offense, and special teams to help fill in for injured players (but understandable given that he was entering a "dummy year" with an inflated cap number, Troy Brown was re-signed on May 23). Other players who left include Joe Andruzzi, Keith Traylor, and Roman Phifer.
The most devastating aspect of the offseason came just days after the Pro Bowl, with linebacker Tedy Bruschi suffering a stroke. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Patriots, coming off two consecutive Super Bowl wins, started an offseason in which their team looked to be falling apart. Ty Law a longtime Patriot, who tied the Patriots all-time career interception record in the 2004 season, was released by New England after he took a hardline stance on renegotiating his contract or signing an extension. For more detail about this, see Possible film and music synchronizations. The Patriots went on to defeat the Eagles 24-21 to become the first team in six years to repeat as World Champions, and only the second team ever to win three out of four consecutive Super Bowls (the first was the Dallas Cowboys, winning Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX.). There are also several coincidences between this movie and the Pink Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon.

In the Conference Championship on January 23, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 41-27, advancing to Super Bowl XXXIX to face the Philadelphia Eagles. There is also a similar theory that portrays the elements of the story together as a populist allegory. On January 16, 2005, the Patriots advanced to the AFC Conference Championship game by beating the Indianapolis Colts, 20-3. and, of course, on the side of the Allies. On December 12, the Patriots clinched the AFC East division championship for the third time in the past four years. And the seemingly "muddled" good witch, Glinda, appears to represent God: all-knowing, all-powerful.. The streak finally came to an end on October 31 when the Patriots were beaten by the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-20. He is, in fact, the spirit of democracy.

They also extended their overall winning streak to 21. He is both a supreme humanitarian and a misanthrope, in that he excels at detecting the weaknesses of others, because he knows his own so well. On October 24 they broke the record for the most consecutive regular season victories at 18 after beating the New York Jets 13-7. The Wizard who encourages and profits from the defeat of the Western Witch turns out to be another version of the same flimflam man she met at home, a cynical politician who realizes that none of Dorothy's allies truly require anything that they didn't already have. On October 10 they set the record for the number of consecutive wins (regular and post-season) in NFL history, at 19, after beating the 0-4 Miami Dolphins 24-10. To defeat Fascism, she receives the aid of Britain (Glinda), the naive peasantry (the Scarecrow), the dehumanized Proletariat (the heartless Tin Man), and the emasculated nobility (Cowardly Lion). These moves paid off, as the Patriots finished the regular season at 14-2. She defeats Stalinism when her house falls upon the Eastern Witch early on, which suggests the overwhelming power of commercial capitalism and its precedence in Western Europe.

Their biggest move was obtaining superstar running back Corey Dillon from the Cincinnati Bengals. She enters a more colourful Europe (Munchkinland), threatened by the Wicked Witches of the East (Stalinism) and West (Fascism). The Patriots made more big moves in the 2004 offseason to make sure a repeat of the disappointing 2002 season did not happen. Roosevelt's New Deal (the flimflam magician) for hope. The victory also made the 2003 Patriots the first team ever to win - or for that matter, even reach - the Super Bowl after having been shut out on opening day. Such obscure and esoteric interpretations usually posit Dorothy as representing a depressed, monochrome America, turning to Franklin D. The Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years, 32-29; and Brady was named MVP again. Several film scholars have written interesting interpretations of the film, including several attempts by structuralist semiologists suggesting that the film was intended to prepare America for entry into war, although this ignores the fact that the Second World War had not yet started.

A trick pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel in the end zone with just over 2:00 to play put the Patriots back in the lead, but Ricky Proehl tied it up with another touchdown to tie it 29-29. Brady then repeated his role from two years ago, moving the Patriots quickly downfield to force another Adam Vinatieri field goal with four seconds left. On May 24, 2000, a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film (with red sequins; seven pairs are believed to exist) sold at auction for $666,000. The third quarter was scoreless, but Antowain Smith scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 21-10. Carolina scored two more touchdowns (neither of which were converted) to make it 22-21. Wizard of Oz collectibles, such as autographs and props from the film, are among the most sought-after of all movie memorabilia. After a defensive battle for most of the first half, the teams traded touchdowns late in the second quarter, then more quick strikes by both teams made the score 14-10 Patriots at halftime. Director John Boorman utilized aspects of the film in his 1974 science fiction classic Zardoz. Super Bowl XXXVIII was one of the closest championship games ever played. The movie continues to generate a cult following, despite its age and original creative intent as a musical cinematic fable for children.

The Patriots were back in the Super Bowl, this time to face the Carolina Panthers. After completion of the film, the coat was presented to Baum's widow who confirmed it was indeed his. Despite only one offensive touchdown by the Patriots, they held on to win 24-14. The inside pocket had his name on it. The New England defense frustrated Colts quarterback Peyton Manning all day, forcing him to throw four interceptions (three to Ty Law) and sacking him three times. Frank Baum (the author of the Oz series of books). The Patriots then faced the Indianapolis Colts for the AFC Championship. According to another story, which appears to be true, the coat Frank Morgan wore as Professor Marvel, which was handpicked from a second-hand clothing rack, once belonged to L.

An incomplete Steve McNair pass on 4th down with 1:40 left won the game 17-14 for New England. On a late-night talk show in the 1960s, seemingly a little "medicated" herself, the host started to ask about the little people, and she blurted out, "They were drunks!" The audience roared, and that episode fed fuel to the story. Played in a temperature of 5 degrees F, (making it the second-coldest game in NFL history) the Patriots and Titans kept it close until Vinatieri kicked the go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes left. This rumor was enhanced significantly by Judy Garland herself. The first opponent was the Tennessee Titans. Additionally, the large group of "little people" cast to play the Munchkins were rumored to have held wild drunken orgies, but these stories are likely to have been exaggerated. The Patriots had the NFL's best record at 14-2 and had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The re-release of the movie to theaters for a time in the late 1990s settled this issue, as the picture was large enough to reveal the truth that the small TV screen had made to seem ambiguous.

The Patriots also shut out 3 opponents: the Dallas Cowboys (led by Bill Parcells), the Dolphins (in a snowy Gillette Stadium), and a revenge 31-0 win over Buffalo in the final game of the regular season. It is in fact an animal handler recapturing an escaped bird. Several big plays marked the team's season: an 82-yard touchdown from Brady to Troy Brown in overtime in Miami, a 4th-quarter comeback in Denver known for an intentional safety, and a goal-line stand in Indianapolis where Edgerrin James was stopped by Willie McGinest on 4th and goal by from the 2 yard line in the dying seconds. This is not true. The Patriots only lost one game the rest of the season, despite several injuries. The most common of these, which refuses to die, claims that one of the cast or crew hanged himself on the set, and can be seen in the Enchanted Forest scene. The following week the Patriots traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, who had also been shut out in their opener (17-0 at home by Tampa Bay), thus setting up the first NFL game matching two teams that had been shut out the week before since 1991, and the first game in the second week of a season between two teams that had been shut out in the first week since 1932 (the Patriots won this game 31-10). The Wizard of Oz has generated many rumors and stories, some of which have reached the level of urban legends.

But the surprise release of Lawyer Milloy days before the season opener (immediately dubbed "Lawyergate" by the press) shocked observers, and he ended up with the Buffalo Bills, who beat the Patriots 31-0 in Week 1. The movie is just vague enough on that point to leave the door open to such an explanation. In the 2003 offseason the Patriots picked up several big-name players in free agency such as linebacker Roosevelt Colvin (Colvin was placed on the injured reserve due to an injury early on in the season), safety Rodney Harrison and defensive lineman Ted Washington. A counterargument to that complaint is that this was not necessarily an ordinary dream -- her uncle comments that "for awhile there we thought you were going to leave us" -- and that her experience might have been "real", but in another dimension. The Patriots started the 2002 season on a high note too, winning their first 3 games. However, injuries and problems with the offensive and defensive lines cost the team down the stretch, and the team finished 9-7. They missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. The main point of contention with Baum's fans is the ending, which they feel strongly goes against the nature of the original. In Baum's novel, there is no hint that Oz is anything but a real place, to which Dorothy returns repeatedly (she eventually moved to Oz permanently and was joined by her aunt and uncle) in the numerous sequels. Bledsoe was traded to the Buffalo Bills in the 2002 off-season. The fans who have this opinion generally tend to agree that Return to Oz, the 1985 semisequel to The Wizard of Oz, is much closer to the feel of the original books and blame The Wizard of Oz for spreading misconceptions of the book, and the unpopularity of the image of Oz Return to Oz portrays.

Brady was selected Super Bowl MVP. The trees then shake in pain and terror. After 42 years, the Patriots were Super Bowl champions. He also uses his axe to chop off all the limbs of anthropomorphized trees, which are not capable of speaking as in the movie. Brady calmly led New England's offense downfield, missing only one pass, when Adam Vinatieri won it with a 48-yard field goal as time expired. Some fans believe that the book tends to be a lot darker and in some places even gruesome, greatly diverging from the movie. For instance, in the book there is a scene in which the Tin Woodsmen chops the head off a tiger. Louis scored two touchdowns to tie it at 17-17 with 1:30 to go. Also the Tin Woodsman's name is changed to simply the Tin Man.

After trailing 17-3 early in the fourth quarter, St. In the book, however, the Witch of the North's name is not given; and Dorothy must journey to visit Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, to learn how to use the silver shoes. Belichick's defense held the Rams high-powered offense in check until the fourth quarter, forcing three turnovers (one returned by Ty Law for a touchdown and the other two leading to scores as well). In the movie, Glinda is the name of the Good Witch of the North who returns to show Dorothy how to use the Ruby Slippers to go home. Louis Rams, who had beaten the Patriots in the regular season. This was changed to show off the film's sophisticated color technology. Brady was back to face the heavily-favored St. It is also worth noting that in the original book the enchanted slippers were silver, not ruby.

With two special teams touchdowns and two Kordell Stewart interceptions in the fourth quarter, the Patriots stunned Pittsburgh 24-17 to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI. Numerous other abridgments occur: for example, the mice have no involvement with the band's escape from the poppies in the movie; a blizzard is used instead. After Brady was injured in the second quarter, Bledsoe (in his last appearance as a Patriot) came off the sideline and immediately threw a touchdown. The book featured several sub-plots (including a confrontation with the belligerent Hammer-Heads and a visit to a town with inhabitants and structures constructed of china) that, though relevant, weren't integral to the main plot. The team then went to Pittsburgh to face the favored Steelers in the AFC Championship. Baum originally provided complex back stories for all the characters and locations, which are largely omitted in the film. Kicker Adam Vinatieri tied the game with a 45-yard field goal in the final 30 seconds, and then won it 16-13 in overtime. The film's basic plot is not very different from the original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but quite a bit less detailed.

In what Patriots fans saw as justice for Ben Dreith's controversial call in 1976, a Brady fumble was ruled an incomplete pass using the little-known "tuck rule". The movie ends with Dorothy hugging Toto and exclaiming to her Aunt Em that there really is no place like home. The Patriots opened the playoffs in a snowstorm against the Oakland Raiders in the last game ever played at Foxboro Stadium. She tells them about her journey, and they tell her it was all a bad dream. Even after Bledsoe was healthy again, Brady continued as the starting quarterback. Dorothy and Toto say goodbye to their friends, and Glinda instructs her to click her heels together and repeat the words, "There's no place like home." She awakens in her Kansas house surrounded by her family and friends. The Patriots continued to pick up momentum through the season, and won 6 games in a row to capture the AFC East with an 11-5 record. When asked what she has learned, a tearful Dorothy replies that, if she can't find what she's looking for in her own backyard, then she never really lost it to begin with.

But the big story was quarterback Tom Brady, who went his first four games (three of them wins) without throwing an interception. both herself and "Toto too!" She didn't tell her at first, though, because Dorothy had to learn a lesson. Receivers Troy Brown and David Patten had career seasons, first-round draft pick Richard Seymour revitalized the defensive line, and Antowain Smith (a free agent signed from Buffalo) ran for 1000 yards. She tells Dorothy that she can use the ruby slippers to return home.. Few could have predicted what happened during the rest of the season. Just as Dorothy is resigning herself to spending the rest of her life in Oz, Glinda appears. Chris Slade had left for the Carolina Panthers, and Coates was long gone as well. ("I can't come back! I don't know how it works!").

It looked like a similar result was in the cards for the 2001 season, with Bledsoe injured in Week 2 and Glenn with a drug suspension and contract holdout. Dorothy goes after him, and the Wizard accidentally takes off, unable to get back to the ground. After a tough season with lots of close losses, the Patriots finished 5-11. Just before takeoff, though, Toto jumps out of the balloon's basket to chase a cat. Luckily for the Patriots, Bill Belichick, hand-picked to be Parcells' successor with the Jets, quit after one day to join New England. He announces to his people that he will leave the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion in charge of the Emerald City. The team started 6-2 but finished 8-8, and Carroll was fired. He promises to take Dorothy home in the same balloon that got him there in the first place.

With no running game and tough competition in the division the 1999 season was tough for the Patriots. He explains to them that his presence in Oz was an accident, that he was lost in a hot air balloon, and that he is, in fact, from Kansas as well (which seems strange since the text on his balloon reads "Omaha", a town in Nebraska). It opened in 2002. He gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Tinman a heart-shaped clock (he calls it a "testimonial"), and the Lion a badge of courage. After the Hartford plan was scuttled by delays, he eventually built Gillette Stadium next to the old stadium in Foxboro. The four friends are horrified, but the Wizard solves their problems. After not getting a deal from the city of Boston to replace the aging and inadequate Foxboro Stadium, Kraft announced in 1999 he was moving the team to Hartford, Connecticut. Dorothy scolds the Wizard for lying, and they soon discover, thanks to Toto's exploring, that the Wizard is just a man behind a curtain (also played by Frank Morgan), and not really a wizard at all.

Backup quarterback Scott Zolak proved to be no match for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first playoff game. He tells them to come back later. Bledsoe and Glenn were later both knocked out for the season, and the Patriots backed into the last playoff seed with a 9-7 record. Once they are in the wizard's room they present the broom to a shocked Wizard. After stumbling through the first half of the season (5-6 after the first 11 games), Bledsoe, playing with a broken finger, engineered late 4th-quarter comebacks against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to save the season. Footage of this scene no longer exists, except for a few frames seen in a later re-issue trailer. The game was an officially-sponsored activity that took place during Pro Bowl weekend. Originally, the crew returned to the Emerald City to a "hero's welcome", with everyone singing "The Wicked Witch is Dead". This too was cut after early previews.

Robert Edwards, a rookie draft pick, was his replacement but his career was over after a breakout rookie season by an injury he suffered in Hawaii while playing a game of flag football on the beach. They give Dorothy the broomstick and allow them to leave. Parcells convinced several players, including Curtis Martin, to join the Jets in time for the 1998 season. To the travelers' surprise, her soldiers are delighted. A late fumble (recovered by future Patriot Mike Vrabel) won the game for Pittsburgh, 7-6. Dorothy grabs a nearby bucket of water and, in throwing the water on her friend, she also hits the Witch and causes her to melt. After having an easy time with the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro, the injury-plagued Patriots met the Steelers in Pittsburgh for a rematch in the divisional playoff. The Witch stops them, and once she and her soldiers have them cornered, sets the Scarecrow on fire.

In 1997 the Patriots still won the AFC East with a 10-6 record, but some key losses (including a loss to Parcells' Jets and a 4th-quarter collapse against the Pittsburgh Steelers) meant the team had to play in the wild card round. When they finally get inside the castle, they find Dorothy and try to escape (to the tune of Moussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain). The new regime was immediately derided for botching draft picks, and the Patriots slipped back further in the standings during each of Carroll's years. It too was cut after an early preview of the film.). Parcells did take the Jets job in the offseason, and Pete Carroll was named the new coach. (Originally, during these scenes there was a reprise of Dorothy, in terror, singing "Over the Rainbow" with slightly altered lyrics. The Packers won 35-21. Dorothy cries out to her aunt, but the image of Aunt Em soon turns into the Wicked Witch, cackling and mocking Dorothy, terrifying her; then turning and facing the camera, continuing her devilish laughter before fading out.

In the days leading up to the game, rumors that Parcells was going to take the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets were running rampant. The Patriots played the Packers close in the first half, but two long Brett Favre touchdowns and a kickoff return for a touchdown by Desmond Howard sealed New England's fate. As she waits and cries, she sees her Aunt Em in the crystal ball, wondering where her niece is. But relations between Kraft and Parcells were strained, and may have cost the team a championship. When the hourglass runs out, Dorothy will die. The Patriots blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-3 in the divisional playoff, and held off the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-6 in the AFC Championship. The team advanced to Super Bowl XXXI against the Green Bay Packers. Dorothy, meanwhile, is locked inside a chamber with an hourglass and a crystal ball. The Patriots finished 11-5, first in the AFC East, and gained a first-round bye. He finds their friends and leads them to the castle to save Dorothy.

Linebackers Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson arrived on the scene to help McGinest and Slade. The latter, however, escapes. On defense, rookie safety Lawyer Milloy made an impact, as did Willie Clay (signed from the Detroit Lions) and second-year cornerback Ty Law. In a fury, the Witch orders one of her monkey slaves to kill Toto. In 1996 the team added wide receiver Terry Glenn, who did the same work to the passing game that Martin did to the running game. Once Dorothy gets to the witch's castle, the Witch demands the ruby slippers, but it turns out that Dorothy cannot remove them. Bledsoe went down with injuries though, and the Patriots finished a lackluster 6-10. Some writers have pointed out that the bouncy song was inappropriate to the mood of the scene, and that cutting it was a wise decision.).

Curtis Martin joined the team for the 1995 season, giving the team a much-needed boost to the running game. Unfortunately, the original footage appears to have been lost. The team finished 10-6 and won a wild card playoff spot. The Patriots were quickly turned away in the first round by the Cleveland Browns - the last team to beat New England in the regular season, and coached by future Pats hero Bill Belichick. (The only archival evidence remaining of this scene is the sound recordings and a backstage home movie filmed during rehearsals. The Patriots won the game 26-20 in overtime, and did not lose a game for the rest of the regular season. It, too, was cut after an early preview. Bledsoe set single-game records for pass attempts and completions. I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them" she sends a fictitious bug, "the jitterbug", that bites or stings them, causing Dorothy and friends to dance helplessly until the flying monkeys arrive to take Dorothy and Toto away.

The Patriots looked flat in the 1994 season until Drew Bledsoe sparked a second-half comeback against the Minnesota Vikings by switching to the no-huddle offense. Here was another deleted scene that the witch hints at when she says "They'll give you no trouble; I promise you that. Louis after the season looked imminent, but Orthwein ended up selling the team to Boston businessman Robert Kraft instead. On their way to her castle, flying monkeys, sent by the Wicked Witch, capture Dorothy and Toto and take them to the castle. A move to St. He bellows that he will only help them if they can obtain the broomstick of the Witch of the West. Bledsoe came back later in the season and won four in a row to end the season at 5-11, including a dramatic overtime win in the final week to knock the Dolphins out of the playoffs. When the party meets the Wizard, they find him to be a terrifying floating head surrounded by fire.

After losing the first four games, Bledsoe was injured and replaced with former Dolphins backup Scott Secules, who won one of his two games. Given the full text of that message, arguably the executives also felt some ideas were too silly.). Other draft picks such as tight end Ben Coates and linebackers Willie McGinest and Chris Slade, helped the team immediately. A lot of the witch's scenes were cut, or script ideas never filmed, because MGM executives felt it made the witch too scary for kids. This was only part of a major season of change in New England. Bill Parcells was hired as head coach, and even the logo and uniforms changed. (Originally it was "SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE SIGNED WWW"; the last few words were cut after the first preview. With the first pick in the 1993 draft, the Patriots selected quarterback Drew Bledsoe. After some difficulty, they finally make it to the Wizard.

Louis were circulating and the team finished 2-14. They clean up, and just before they go to see the Wizard, the Wicked Witch flies above the Emerald City, writing the words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" in the sky with her broomstick. Optimism was high entering the 1992 season, but rumors of a move to St. Inside the Emerald City, everything is green except for the Horse of a Different Color, who changes colors several times while taking the group to a salon. Hugh Millen took over at quarterback partway through the season, and the Patriots improved to 6-10 with several upsets over playoff teams. They immediately arrive at the Emerald City, where they are only allowed in after Dorothy proves that Glinda sent her there. Louis businessman James Orthwein, who had thoughts of moving the team to his hometown. The Scarecrow and the Tinman (who are not conventional living creatures and are immune to the spell) cry for help, and Glinda produces a counterspell in the form of a snow shower to wake everybody up.

The new owner was St. She produces a giant field of poppies that put Dorothy, Toto and the Lion to sleep. First-year coach Rod Rust was fired and replaced by Dick MacPherson. Just before the group reaches the Art Deco-style Emerald City, the Wicked Witch casts a spell to stop them. The Colts win was the only one of the season, with the team finishing 1-15. Originally there was a scene with dozens of bees flying around the Tin Man. Kiam's handling of the situation was called into question, and he ended up selling the team. The second one was a scene where the witch follows up on her threat to turn the Tin Man into a beehive.

Newspaper reporter Lisa Olson was sexually harassed by players Zeke Mowatt, Michael Timpson and Robert Perryman following a win over the Indianapolis Colts. First was about 2 minutes of Ray Bolger's "If I only had a brain" song scenes. 1990 became the most tumultuous season in Patriots history. Two scenes filmed along the way were cut. Eason, Flutie and Grogan rotated the starting quarterback job as the Patriots finished 5-11. They too decide they will visit the Wizard to obtain what they desire, despite the Witch's threats to stop them. The season was over before it began - three of the team's biggest stars on defense (Andre Tippett, Garin Veris and Ronnie Lippett) were injured in one preseason game. All three of them sing songs detailing their difficult handicaps.

In 1989 founder Billy Sullivan sold the team to Remington shaver magnate Victor Kiam. On her journey, Dorothy befriends a brainless talking scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heartless (though very kind) tin woodsman (Jack Haley), and a cowardly lion (Bert Lahr). Neither quarterback could get New England to take the final step to the playoffs, and the Patriots finished 9-7. Before Glinda disappears in her bubble, she tells Dorothy never to take off the slippers, and to always follow the Yellow Brick Road (as opposed to the red brick road which starts at the same point). In 1988 Flutie played five games again before he was replaced by Eason. Glinda tells Dorothy that the only way to get back to Kansas is to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, where she can ask the mysterious Wizard of Oz for help. Late-season injuries put the Patriots out of playoff contention at 8-7. She returned to the set on February 11, 1939.

Many defensive stars for New England crossed the picket line. Her green makeup did catch fire, she was severely burned and she was out of the filming for six weeks. Doug Flutie, the future Canadian Football League and Buffalo Bills star, played one game for the Patriots during a players' strike in 1987. When the fire started she nearly got caught in it. The team did not return to the playoffs for eight years. On December 23, 1938, during a second filming of her departure from Munchkinland the lift Margaret Hamilton was standing on did not go down fast enough. A late fourth-quarter touchdown pass from John Elway to Vance Johnson won it for Denver, and the Patriots' fate was sealed. The Munchkin Land scenes were filmed from December 10 - 23, 1938.

Eason stepped up the passing game (with Stanley Morgan getting nearly 1500 yards receiving) as New England won the AFC East with an 11-5 record, and traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos in the first round playoff game. The Wicked Witch makes threats to Dorothy, but Glinda informs her that she has no power in Munchkinland: "Oh rubbish! You have no power here! Be gone! Before somebody drops a house on you!." The Wicked Witch vows revenge on Dorothy and Toto, and she disappears in the same way she arrived. Indeed, the team had the worst rushing offense in the league that season. To her horror, Glinda magically moves the slippers to Dorothy's feet, replacing a pair of homely, black lace-ups. When John Hannah, still widely considered to be the greatest offensive lineman of all-time, retired before the 1986 season, a lot of people thought the Patriots' offense would collapse. She wants to know who killed her sister, and she wants to claim her dead sister's powerful ruby slippers. The final score was 46-10 Chicago. Mid-song, there is a burst of fire and the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) arrives.

But the Bears scored the next 46, including one touchdown by William "Refrigerator" Perry. She introduces her to the Munchkins, a small community of little people who sing and dance in order to thank Dorothy for freeing them from the Witch's terror. The Bears had not allowed a point in the playoffs, but the Patriots took an early 3-0 lead after a Walter Payton fumble in the first quarter. She informs her of where she is, and that she killed the Wicked Witch of the East with her house. Unfortunately for New England, the Bears had one of the greatest defenses of all time according to most experts. She asks Dorothy whether she is a good witch or a bad witch, and despite Dorothy's repeated explanations, Glinda appears to never quite understand who Dorothy is nor where she comes from. The Patriots made an improbable run to Super Bowl XX, where they faced the Chicago Bears. Shortly thereafter, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North (played by Billie Burke), arrives in an iridescent bubble.

The Patriots had lost 20 straight games in Miami at the time, but won this one, dominating the Dolphins defensively again en route to a 30-14 win. (The dramatic footage of the house falling toward the camera was actually a reversed piece of film of a model house being dropped toward a sky-colored floor.) The movie changes from sepia-toned to Technicolor as Dorothy and Toto walk out of the house. In the divisional playoff against the Los Angeles Raiders the Patriots forced six turnovers and won 27-20, to set up an AFC Championship showdown against the rival Miami Dolphins. Minutes later, Dorothy and Toto land in Munchkinland, a county in the land of Oz. In the first round the Patriots beat the New York Jets to win their first playoff game since 1963. She cackles her famous Eeeeh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh! and flies away. New England won six straight games and finished 11-5, with a wild card playoff berth. In a dramatic, terrifying moment (underscored by the audio track's sudden and powerful mood change), Gulch transforms into a witch and her bicycle into a broomstick.

But Grogan broke his leg late in the season, and Eason got the starting job again. Gulch. After struggling to start the 1985 season, new coach Raymond Berry replaced Eason with Grogan. She sees some familiar faces out of the window, including the wicked Ms. In 1984 the Patriots lost three straight games in December, and again missed the playoffs at 9-7. Dorothy awakes to find that her house is inside the cyclone. The team again lost some key games, and finished out of the playoffs at 8-8. A three-CD collection of all the music from the film, issued in 1995, contains a fuller version of this track).

Rookie Tony Eason became the new quarterback for the 1983 season, but split duties for much of the mid-1980s with Grogan. (There is also a very noticeable edit in the audio track. In 1982, a snowplow-aided 3-0 late-season win over the Miami Dolphins put the Patriots in the playoffs, but the first-round rematch in Miami was easily won by the Dolphins. Although Dorothy is lying unconscious, the audience (and Toto) already begins to see various objects, stirred up by the cyclone, starting to appear in the window. Coach Erhardt was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer. Seeing the tornado approaching (a very convincing special effect, made from a large musline stocking spinning on a sliding track), Dorothy rushes inside the house and gets to her bedroom, but the "Gale" wind blows her window out of its frame, hitting her in the head, knocking her out. With these performances in mind, a local sportswriter intimated that the team suffered from the "Bozo Syndrome," meaning that they played "like clowns in the clutch." The Patriots completely collapsed in 1981, finishing 2-14, including two losses to the Baltimore Colts which were the only two games the Colts won that year. When she gets home, her whole family is already down in the storm cellar and cannot hear her stomping on its door.

In 1980, with star running back Sam Cunningham holding out all season, the Patriots started 6-1 but finished 10-6, again out of the playoffs. On her way out of the trailer, though, a cyclone begins to form ("a 'whopper', speaking in the vernacular of the peasantry"). In 1979 the team lost three games in December to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. Dorothy is convinced, and she and Toto hurry home. The Patriots became poster children for late-season failure through the late 1970s. He leads Dorothy into his trailer and pretends to see Aunt Em crying in his crystal ball. The stunned team lost its first round playoff game to the Houston Oilers. Dorothy and Toto begin their journey, and they soon encounter Professor Marvel (played by Frank Morgan, who also the plays the Wizard of Oz, the doorman, the cabbie, and the guard).

Owner Billy Sullivan suspended Fairbanks and hired Ron Erhardt on the spot to coach the final game. Gulch would be coming back for him. Coach Chuck Fairbanks announced he would be leaving the team to take a job at the University of Colorado. When the dog gets home, Dorothy decides that they should run away from home, because Ms. In a preseason game against the Raiders, wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed by Oakland's Jack Tatum, who has never apologized for the incident. The Patriots rebounded and finished 11-5, tops in the AFC East, but a bizarre incident hours before the last game of the season shocked the team. Gulch's basket, who doesn't notice. 1978 almost became an even bigger disappointment. He escapes, though, by jumping out of Ms.

The Patriots finished 9-5, one game out of first place, and out of the playoffs. Gulch, and Toto is taken away. 1977 was a disappointing season, aided by contract holdouts by offensive linemen John Hannah and Leon Gray. Dorothy's aunt and uncle argue unsuccessfully with Ms. The referee, Ben Dreith, was not allowed to officiate Patriots games again. Dorothy's dog, Toto, gets in trouble for biting her, and Gulch comes to Dorothy's house with an order from the sheriff allowing her to take the dog to be put to sleep. Many Patriots fans to this day think that touchdown should never have happened, blaming a roughing-the-passer penalty earlier in the drive that should not have been called. The last recommends a more aggressive approach (Cowardly Lion).

The game was close and was settled in the final seconds with a touchdown run by Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler. The next starts making a passionate speech, straight from the heart (Tin Woodman), but is stopped in mid-speech by Aunt Em. The opponent was the Oakland Raiders, whose only regular season loss had come at the hands of New England. One suggests that it's not smart to walk with Toto near Gulch's property (Scarecrow). The Patriots finished 11-3 and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1963. Each hand advises her in his characteristic way, foreshadowing their appearance in Dorothy's dream of Oz. Steve Grogan became New England's quarterback for the 1976 season. At the beginning of the film, Dorothy is telling the three farm hands about her conflict with a local rich woman, Almira Gulch (played by Margaret Hamilton, who also plays the Witch of the West).

The draft picks acquired in the Plunkett trade, used to select defensive backs Mike Haynes and Tim Fox set the stage for the team's first winning season in the NFL. Dorothy is an orphan from Kansas, raised by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Plunkett was traded to the San Francisco 49ers after the season, and eventually won a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders. They were filmed from late February - March 16, 1939. The Patriots finished 7-7 in 1974, but with injuries to Plunkett in 1975, slumped to 3-11 that season. These opening scenes were the last ones to be filmed. Through the mid-1970s, the team showed signs of life, if only briefly. (Also including deleted scenes and other filming information.).

In 1973 the team hired Chuck Fairbanks to lead it. Family Entertainment. During this time the Patriots consistently had losing records, and went through three coaches in four seasons. As of now, the rights to its distribution are held by Warner Bros. Also new in 1971 was a new quarterback, first-round pick Jim Plunkett, taken with the draft's first overall selection, which the Patriots received for having finished worst overall in 1970. For decades to follow, the movie was aired in the United States on or near Easter, although today with the Turner cable networks now holding the television rights, the film is generally shown during the summer and Christmas seasons. Since it was located several miles outside Boston, the team was renamed the New England Patriots. The viewing audience for this broadcast was estimated at 45 million people, and was the beginning of a tradition.

The following season, after bouncing around between four different stadiums in their first 11 years, Foxboro Stadium (originally called Schaefer Stadium) opened. It achieved its iconic status after decades of television showings, beginning on November 3, 1956. In 1970 the Patriots became a member of the NFL pursuant to the merger of the AFL and NFL that had been agreed to three years earlier, but their first experience therein was anything but pleasant as they finished 2-12 and in sole possession of the newly-merged league's worst record. In spite of the publicity, the movie was only moderately successful in its initial theatrical run. In the late 1960's, fullback Jim Nance became a powerful offensive weapon for the Patriots, gaining 1,458 yards in 1966 and 1,216 in 1967, when he was the American Football League's MVP. Judy Garland and her frequent film co-star Mickey Rooney performed after the screening at Loews Capitol Theater in New York City, and would continue to do this after each screening for a week. In 1963, eleven Patriots made the AFL All-star team, including Gino Cappelletti, Nick Buoniconti, and Babe Parilli. On August 17, 1939, the movie opened nationally.

Although the team made only two AFL playoff appearances, it had numerous stars. It premiered at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on August 12, 1939, and in Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater on August 15. The Boston Patriots played in the first-ever game in the American Football League, against the Denver Broncos on September 9, 1960. On August 7, 1939, The Wizard Of Oz, a movie that cost $2,777,000 to make, unheard of at the time, was officially and legally copyrighted. The New England Patriots are a National Football League team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Audience members thought the movie was too long; others found some of the witch's scenes too scary. Ted Washington. After this preview, as a response to several audience members, some scenes were deleted.

Mosi Tatupu. On June 5, 1939 it had its first sneak preview. Andre Tippett. The movie's filming was completed on March 16, 1939. Irving Fryar. The next day King Vidor would be assigned as director to finish the filming of the movie (mainly the sepia shots of the Kansas farm). Jim Plunkett. Ironically, on February 12, 1939, Victor Fleming again replaced George Cukor in directing Gone With The Wind.

Babe Parilli (born 1930). Cukor had a prior commitment to direct the movie Gone with the Wind, so he left on November 3, 1938, and Victor Fleming took over for him. Ross O'Hanley. He changed Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton's makeup and costumes, which meant that all of their scenes had to be discarded and re-filmed. Jim Nance. Thorpe was fired and George Cukor took over. Jon Morris (born 1942). Filming began on October 13, 1938, with Richard Thorpe directing.

Lawyer Milloy. Buddy Ebsen was a Midwesterner, like Judy Garland, and pronounced the r. Pete Carroll. Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr (and also Jack Haley, who had a solo but was not in the group vocal) were speakers of non-rhotic accents from the Northeast, and did not pronounce the r in wizard. Harry Jacobs. His voice is easy to detect. Jim Lee Hunt. So, while he had to be dropped from the cast, his singing voice remained, in the group vocals of "We're off to See the Wizard".

Steve Grogan. Several of the recordings were completed while Buddy Ebsen was still with the cast. Larry Eisenhauer. The songs were recorded in a studio prior to filming. Bob Dee. On August 12, 1938, Charlie Grapewin was cast as Uncle Henry. Jim Colclough (1936 - 2004). Frank Morgan was cast as the Wizard on September 22, 1938.

Gino Cappelletti (born 1934). On July 25, 1938, Bert Lahr was signed and cast as the Cowardly Lion. Ron Burton (1936-2003). She turned down the role, and was replaced on October 10, 1938 with Margaret Hamilton. Drew Bledsoe. She became unhappy with the role when the Witch's persona shifted from a sly glamorous witch into the familiar ugly hag. Houston Antwine (born 1939). Originally, Gale Sondergaard was cast as the Witch.

Julius Adams. Other MGM officials vetoed the idea of using Temple. 89 Bob Dee. After the casting of her role, a few executives at MGM contemplated replacing her with Shirley Temple, but were not able to get Fox to comply with the "loan" of the young actress. 79 Jim Lee Hunt. The role of Dorothy was given to Judy Garland on February 24, 1938. 78 Bruce Armstrong. Ironically, despite his near-death experience with the makeup, Ebsen well-outlived all the principal players.

73 John Hannah. The makeup used on Jack Haley was quietly changed to nonmetallic. 57 Steve Nelson. Jack Haley was given the part the next day. 56 Andre Tippett. Ebsen didn't object to the change at first, but just 9 days into filming, he suffered an allergic reaction to the metallic makeup and had to leave the movie. 40 Mike Haynes. Bolger was unhappy with the part, and convinced producer Mervyn LeRoy to recast him as the Scarecrow.

20 Gino Cappelletti. The Tin Man was originally slated for Ray Bolger, and Buddy Ebsen was to play the Scarecrow. Lonie Paxton. One of the primary changes was in the role of the Tin Woodsman. Adam Vinatieri. Casting the film was problematic, with actors shifting roles repeatedly at the beginning of filming. Richard Seymour. Harburg for "Over the Rainbow").

Rodney Harrison. It won Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Song (Harold Arlen and E.Y. David Givens. It was directed by Victor Fleming, Richard Thorpe (uncredited), George Cukor (uncredited), and King Vidor (uncredited). Corey Dillon. Mankiewicz, Jack Mintz, Ogden Nash, and Sid Silvers. Tedy Bruschi. Harburg, Samuel Hoffenstein, Bert Lahr, John Lee Mahin, Herman J.

Tim Dwight. Cannon, Herbert Fields, Arthur Freed, Jack Haley, E.Y. Deion Branch. Several people assisted with the adaptation without official credit: Irving Brecher, William H. Josh Miller. The movie's script was adapted by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf. Bethel Johnson. The film premiered on August 12, 1939, and went into general release on August 25.

Asante Samuel. Filming started on October 13, 1938 and was completed on March 16, 1939. Randall Gay. In January 1938, MGM bought the rights to the book. The script was completed on October 8, 1938. Eugene Wilson. Over the following years it sold millions of copies, and Baum wrote thirteen more Oz books before his death on May 15, 1919. Ted Johnson. Frank Baum (born Lyman Frank Baum on May 15, 1856) published his book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900.

Mike Vrabel. L. Willie McGinest. While not the first feature film produced in Technicolor, The Wizard of Oz makes conspicuous use of the technique; its Kansas bookend sequences are in sepia-toned black-and-white, while the Oz scenes are in full three-strip Technicolor. Vince Wilfork. It stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. Chad Brown. Frank Baum's turn-of-the-century children's story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which a resourceful American girl is snatched up by a Kansas tornado and deposited in a fantastic land of witches, talking scarecrows, cowardly lions, and more.

Ty Warren. It is based on L. Kevin Faulk. The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Daniel Graham. In 2004, it was nominated for 9 Tony Awards, winning 3 (including one for Idina Menzel). Christian Fauria. The show opened to rave reviews from both critics and public, and even better box office.

Matt Light. Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman turned it into a musical entitled Wicked in 2003 with Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba. Brandon Gorin. In 1995, Gregory Maguire released the critically acclaimed novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a the-other-side-of-the-story look at the witches of The Wizard of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). Stephen Neal. The considerably darker Return to Oz, was made by Walt Disney Studios in 1985 starring Fairuza Balk as Dorothy. Russ Hochstein. The 1974 musical and 1978 film The Wiz were adapted from the same story.

Dan Koppen. The Wizard of Oz has an official sequel, the animated production Journey Back To Oz (made by Filmation Studios in 1964 but not released until eight years later), featuring the voice of Liza Minnelli, Garland's daughter, as Dorothy. Patrick Pass. Meinhardt Raabe - The Munchkin Coroner. Doug Flutie. Pat Walshe - Nikko. Tom Brady. Clara Blandick - Aunt Emily Gale.

Mike Haynes. Grapewin - Uncle Henry Gale. John Hannah. Charles E. Nick Buoniconti. Margaret Hamilton - The Wicked Witch of the West, Miss Almira Gulch. Billie Burke - Glinda.

Jack Haley - Tin Man, Hickory. Bert Lahr - Cowardly Lion, Zeke. Ray Bolger - Scarecrow, Hunk. Frank Morgan - The Wizard of Oz, The Wizard's Guard, Professor Marvel, Emerald City Doorman.

Judy Garland - Dorothy Gale.