Judy Garland -- at 16 years old when the movie was filmed, too old for the part -- plays Dorothy Gale, living in rural Kansas during the Great Depression. (This does reflect the novel, for which the depression of 1893-98 was recent). A tornado takes her out of that milieu, and deposits her in Oz, with the film going from black and white to color.
One thing leads to another, and she goes on an adventure with a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), in search of the titular Wizard (Frank Morgan). But in their way is the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton).
The film was a critical success, nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won Best Original Score and Best Original Song, for "Over the Rainbow," written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer boss Louis B. Mayer wanted the song dropped, because it slowed the film down. The producers threatened to quit, and Mayer backed down.
Over the 30 years remaining to Garland's life and career, it became her signature song. In 1999, a poll named it the Number 1 Song of the Century.
But the film didn't make a profit at first. It was re-released in 1949, and that's when it finally got into the black. In 1956, CBS broadcast it for the 1st time, and broadcast it once a year until the 1990s, by which point pretty much anybody who wanted to could buy it on video. It is the most-viewed movie in history.
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August 25, 1939 was a Friday. The NFL and the NHL were in the off-season, and the NBA hadn't been founded yet. And only 5 Major League Baseball games were played that day, 2 of them as a doubleheader:
* The New York Yankees swept the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. They won the opener 11-0, as Steve Sundra pitched a 4-hit shutout, Joe Gordon hit 2 home runs and had 5 RBIs. Gordon, Frank Crosetti and Red Rolfe each had 3 hits. They won the nightcap 8-2, supporting Left Gomez with 2 hits each by Crosetti, Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey and Charlie Keller.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 6-0 at League Park in Cleveland. Harry Eisenstat pitched a 6-hit shutout.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators, 5-2 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. It would be renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.
* And the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-2 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
So the entire American League played that day, but the entire National League didn't.