Surrender Dorothy

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"SURRENDER DOROTHY" is a famous special effect used in the movie The Wizard of Oz, which later attained local fame as a graffito in the Washington, D.C metropolitan area.

Contents 1 Appearance in the movie 2 Washington area graffiti 3 Sleeper 4 Independent Recording Artist: Surrender Dorothy 5 Film: Surrender Dorothy (1998)

[edit] Appearance in the movie

The first appearance of the phrase is in the famous 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. In the scene, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) has reached the Emerald City with her companions, The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), The Tin Woodsman (Jack Haley), and The Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and are treated to the hospitality and technological comforts of the fantastic city. As they leave the "Wash & Brush Up Co.", The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) appears in the sky riding her broomstick, skywriting the words "SURRENDER DOROTHY" (an edit of the originally intended phrase, "SURRENDER DOROTHY OR DIE, WWW.") The terrified townspeople of the Emerald City - and the four intrepid adventurers - respond by rushing to the chamber where the Wizard of Oz himself (Frank Morgan) resides, only to be turned away by a Major-domo (also played by Frank Morgan).

The special effect was achieved by using a hypodermic needle, spreading black ink across the bottom of a glass tank filled with tinted water. [1]

[edit] Washington area graffiti

The famous graffito in the D.C. metropolitan area first appeared on the outer loop of the I-495, the Capital Beltway, on a railroad bridge near the Washington, D.C temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, in Kensington, Maryland, beginning in late 1973. By odd coincidence, the sections of the bridge match exactly the number of letters in the graffiti message, "Surrender Dorothy". It was graffitied by an anonymous artist and was removed by the Maryland State Police after pressure from the Church;^{[citation needed]} however, it has been periodically repainted in various forms by equally unknown persons since the initial police removal. The imposing architectural design of the Temple apparently (but unsurprisingly) reminded the artists of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz [2].

The rail line which contains the bridge is the old B&O Metropolitan Branch, now owned by CSX Transportation, which operates the MARC Brunswick Line and various freight trains on that branch. The location of the phrase is visible on approach driving on I-495 from the east, but only after one passes under the first of three bridges. It is the second of three bridges over the Beltway approaching from the east, with Seminary Road before it, and Linden Lane after it. It's doubly effective because as you approach the bridges, first in the distance you see only the Mormon Temple, then you pass under the first bridge, the Temple comes back into view JUST AS the words "Surrender Dorothy" appear.

It is one of the best known examples of "giraffiti", and became so well known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding of their religion. [3], [4]^{[dubious — see talk page]}

[edit] Sleeper

Surrender Dorothy is also the original name of the British pop band Sleeper. The band took its name from the special effect in this film.

[edit] Independent Recording Artist: Surrender Dorothy

Surrender Dorothy is the assumed name of Maryland-born songwriter William Dumas, currently residing in Toms River NJ. The original Surrender Dorothy project began in the early 1990's as a direct result of the availability of home-studio technology, specifically digital multi-track recording on an Intel-based PC. Using MIDI Composition software and a Digital Audio Workstation to perform the music in a private Studio, Dumas is able to write and perform fully realized compositions; as have a growing number of Indie (music) artists throughout the world. With the advent of improved internet distribution via web sites like Rhapsody and iTunes, the music of Surrender Dorothy (as well as other independent artists) has become available to a global audience in the form of MP3 downloads, a technology that has revolutionized the music industry. Dumas adopted the name "Surrender Dorothy" as a result of seeing the aforementioned graffito on the Capital Beltway during his daily commute to work.

[edit] Film: Surrender Dorothy (1998)

Surrender Dorothy was the title of an independent film by director Kevin DiNovis which won first place at the 1998 Slamdance Film Festival. The film starred Peter Pryor, Kevin DiNovis, and was the first film role for Elizabeth Banks who appears in the credits as "Elizabeth Casey."