Like many of us, Ryan Jay was enchanted by The Wizard of Oz in childhood, back when the 1939 classic was an annual visitor on broadcast television. But for Jay, fascination inched close to obsession as he filled his room with toys, books, collectibles and bric-a-brac relating to the movie. The Milwaukee Journal’s Green Sheet took notice. When he was 12, Jay was featured in the daily paper’s popular supplement, complete with a front cover photo of the lad surrounded by Oz memorabilia.
Songs from the film such as “Over the Rainbow” held a special place in his imagination.
Now, as an adult, Jay is working on documentary film about the movie’s enduring music. The Sound of Oz is a collaboration between Jay and Aaron Harburg, a descendent of the film’s lyricist, the acclaimed songwriter Yip Harburg. With the idea of making a documentary, the lyricist’s great-grandson began collecting family lore and interviewing descendants of Harold Arlen, who composed the score’s haunting melodies. Jay and Harburg met at the Oztravaganza convention in upstate New York.
“We bonded over our shared passion and love for the movie,” Jay recalls. “We complement each other with our skills. We work well together as a team.”
Before returning to Milwaukee to become the movie critic for the Today’s TMJ 4 “Morning Blend” show, Jay had produced programs for Showtime, Bravo, MTV and Nickleodeon. He will direct The Sound of Oz; Harburg is executive producer. They are crowd-sourcing the fund raising money at indiegogo.com.
They also have shot a trailer:
“The Wizard of Oz is the ultimate fantasy musical—we don’t have many of those!” Jay says. “I was intoxicated by the color, the escapism and the songs of the movie. I identified with the journey ‘Over the Rainbow’ to some place different.”
Jay and Harburg hope to complete The Sound of Oz in 2016.
