While I still don't own "The Wizard of Oz", I thought it was worth mentioning the fact that the huge 70th anniversary DVD/Bluray set comes out tomorrow. While the big package will probably be a bit out of my price range, I will have to at least consider it. The movie was obviously one of those special movies and shows that would only air once a year as a kid--a true event that you would wait for. I probably should own at least some version of it--especially since my daughter is about to turn four and I'd like to introduce her to it soon.

Is anyone planning on splurging on the big set?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HMDNKS/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000Q66J1W&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=064PHP58KCBV3GJ9VN87

nope. i just watch a bit of it on tv when its on.

Already have a previous DVD release of the movie.
But here's a question I have for all you parents of young children like Col. Manning: Do you ever have the urge to "hold back" movies like The Wizard of Oz for special occasions or limited viewing? This way it would truly be "an event" for your child when they get to watch it. Or do you just figure let them watch it as many times as they want?
I know when we were kids we didn't have a choice, but that waiting made it special and something to savor.
I'm just wondering if you would like your kids to enjoy it on that level as well.

That's a GREAT question Beastball, and I'd be intersted to hear what others say.

Personally I'd love to make certain viewing experiences more special by limiting them to special occassions (or annual viewings, etc...). Unfortunately, I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it in this everything-all-the-time world we're living in today (and that our kids are growing up in). Last year I finally broke down and bought the Peanuts Halloween special after missing it one too many times. Many of those classic holiday specials (Peanuts, Rankin/Bass stuff) are some of the last things that are truly only shown once (or possibly a couple of times) a year. Of course that doesn't matter, as they're all available on DVD (or you could record them) so you don't necessarily HAVE to see them when they air. Until last year I still made a point to try to see the Peanuts special when it aired, but it always seems like something (work, other plans...) always made me miss it. I wanted my daughter to be able to see it, so I bought it and showed it to her. She liked it and, of course, wanted to watch it over and over for a few days until something else grabbed her attention. That's usually how she operates--I'll introduce her to something new, and it will become her "thing" for a few days until it's supplanted by something else.

I guess that means that my answer is that I probably won't limit certain shows to "special presentation"-type viewing limitations. That could change (and it might be nice to make the change), but to be honest, I don't really want to limit MYSELF (despite the fond memories of my youth) to viewing some dtuff that I now own only once a year! The good news is that my daughter hasn't asked to see the Peanuts Halloween special since early November (she pretty much forgot about it), so that means that it will indeed be a special occassion when I pull it out again in a couple of weeks. Kind of an unintentional limiting of the show in this case. She's already looking at Halloween costumes in catalogs and getting excited about the pumpkins and Halloween decorations sprouting up around the neighborhood. I think she'll REALLY get Halloween this year, and the Peanuts special should be a big part of the experience!

I guess I'll let my daughters watch the shows/movies as often as they want (within reason), but make a point of letting them know how it used to be when their dad was a kid (yeah, I know, the whole "When I was your age..." parental spiel!). Hopefully they'll at least get an idea of how things were in the "old days".

The Wizard of Oz isn't a DVD that I would purchase as I probably wouldn't take the time to watch it on my own. There was the excitement of knowing as a kid when was broadcast on network TV. I think CBS had it and the "special" logo would come on and I was hooked.

I remember that Ch 56 would show Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Thanksgiving which was also fun to watch.