As I’ve shared in previous Plinky prompts, my father and I have always *enjoyed* a nontraditional relationship.

The one exception to this relationship is that no matter where he was in the world/life/mental state, he always (honestly, without fail) showed up for the yearly broadcast of Wizard of Oz.

On these occasions, I would dig out my Glinda the Good Witch costume and don it with delight. He would pull on grey sweats and swear he was the Tin man. I, of course, knew all the words and for some reason he didn’t stop me from annoyingly reciting them.

Once, a friend stayed at my house during this time and after the show ended, my father video recorded us acting out the entire script...again. (Oh, how I wish I could find that tape)

My most treasured gift from my dad is a pair of red, glittery Jelly sandals (Is anyone here young enough to remember Jellys?). I proudly displayed my ‘Ruby Slippers’ until I wore the plastic down to my bare feet.

Even without my father’s influence, I’ve always been drawn to this movie. What a performance! The makers truly created something magnificent out of little to no Hollywood magic. I can only hope that the Wizard of Oz is sufficient for future generations and is never {{gasp}} remade.

Several years ago, I stood at the front of the line for Wicked’s opening in NYC and love that performance almost as much. I hope to one day drag my father to a double feature: An afternoon of Wizard of OZ, followed by an evening with Wicked!