These references went over the rainbow, but not over our heads. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times “The Wizard of Oz’s” Yellow Brick Road veered off into other films and TV shows.
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00:00 "We're off to see the wizard."
00:01 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times
00:06 The Wizard of Oz's Yellow Brick Road veered off into other films and TV shows.
00:10 "You're not melting, like it worked in The Wizard of Oz."
00:14 Number 10. The Strangest Dream - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
00:18 In this mind-bending episode, the Scooby gang finds themselves thrust into their
00:22 worst nightmares come to life, all thanks to Billy, a kid in a coma.
00:26 "Our nightmares are coming true."
00:28 "So why is this happening?"
00:29 "Billy."
00:30 "Well, that explanation was shorter than usual."
00:32 "It's Billy! Who's Billy?"
00:36 His personal terrors materialize in the real world, setting off a chain of events where our
00:40 heroes must confront their deepest fears head-on. Still, it's Billy who holds the key to setting
00:46 things right.
00:46 "Come here, Billy. I don't…"
00:52 "You have to do the rest."
00:53 As he awakens, he delivers a version of Dorothy's classic line from when she wakes up from her
00:58 Ozian dream. Everyone's relieved to see Billy awake, and we're sure he was glad to get out
01:02 of the hospital because, well, there's no place like home.
01:05 "I had the strangest dream. That you were in it. And you… Who are you people?"
01:15 Number 9. Zelina Flies Into Town - Once Upon a Time
01:19 As with many beloved fictional characters, Once Upon a Time reimagines the Wicked Witch
01:23 of the West's backstory and the events that led to her wickedness.
01:26 "I think we know exactly who cursed us."
01:28 "The Wicked Witch of the West?"
01:30 "Seriously? She's real too?"
01:34 "Says the daughter of Snow White, Prince Charming."
01:36 This fresh take is a goldmine of nods to the original tale, from the famous magic slippers
01:41 to the nightmarish winged monkeys. We travel through her past, encountering familiar sights
01:46 like poppies, cyclones, and the winding yellow brick road. Only now, she's seeking a brain and
01:51 heart for her sinister time travel scheme.
01:53 "And once I've fixed the past, my mother will keep me,
01:58 Regina will never have been born, and I'll get everything she ever had.
02:02 With the right ingredients, I can do anything."
02:06 Perhaps the one thing missing from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz movie was an epic villain number.
02:12 Yet, we can think of one that fits the bill perfectly should the film ever be remade.
02:16 "This time, nobody's gonna stop me, no evil's gonna top me, the wicked always wins."
02:28 Number 8, Mrs. Deagle, Gremlins
02:30 Mrs. Deagle is a mean-spirited wealthy resident of Kingston Falls who owns
02:34 multiple properties and uses her stature to mistreat others.
02:38 "Your dog broke it this morning."
02:40 "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, just tell me how much I owe you, I'll be more than happy to-"
02:45 "I don't want money, I want your dog."
02:52 Sound familiar?
02:52 "Don't let him take it, don't let him take it, please, stop it!"
02:56 She's got a bone to pick with Billy's dog Barney,
02:59 blaming him for property damage and threatening to take him away.
03:02 "Give him to me, I'll take him to the kennel, they'll put him to sleep,
03:08 it'll be quick and painless compared to what I could do to him."
03:11 But Barney is not having it.
03:13 Mrs. Deagle's icy demeanor and vendetta against the pooch remind you of anyone?
03:17 Miss Elmira Gulch, perhaps?
03:19 "Just because you own half the county doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us.
03:23 For 23 years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you,
03:27 and now, well, being a Christian woman I can't say it."
03:30 While NEM might be hesitant to give Miss Gulch a piece of her mind,
03:34 the Gremlins have a different approach to Mrs. Deagle.
03:36 Let's just say they're not too concerned about her feelings,
03:39 or any other part of her, quite frankly.
03:41 [Screaming]
03:43 Number 7.
03:44 "I'm melting!"
03:45 Who framed Roger Rabbit?
03:47 The Wicked Witch melting is such an iconic scene that it's been parodied endlessly.
03:51 "Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world, what a world!"
03:58 Perhaps, like Donkey in Shrek 2,
04:00 you've also used this line when caught off guard during a sudden downpour.
04:03 "Mother of mercy, I'm melting! I'm melting!"
04:07 "It's just the rain, Donkey."
04:09 Or maybe you've pulled off a convincing impression of Jack Nicholson's Joker.
04:12 [Screaming]
04:19 However, one of our favorite uses of the famous line
04:22 comes from the late 80s comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
04:25 In the final showdown, Eddie, Roger, and Jessica discover that the villainous Judge Doom is a toon.
04:31 His demise is fittingly brought about by Toon Melting Dip.
04:34 As he fades into the spillage,
04:36 his last words pay homage to this unforgettable moment in cinematic history.
04:40 [Screaming]
04:44 "I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world!"
04:50 Number 6.
04:50 "Fly, my pretties! Fly! Fly!"
04:53 The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
04:55 What's the Wicked Witch's famous line when she sends her flying monkeys after Dorothy?
04:59 "Fly, my pretties," you say?
05:01 Listen again.
05:02 "Fly! Fly!"
05:08 Don't worry, you're not the only one to misremember it.
05:11 Just ask the Hunchback of Notre Dame screenwriters.
05:13 When Judge Frollo tries to seize the cathedral,
05:16 the gargoyles join the fight to free their home.
05:18 "Fall!"
05:24 "Are you sure that's how it works?"
05:26 "Fall!"
05:28 "Works for me!"
05:29 In one such moment, Laverne calls out to some winged companions, pigeons.
05:33 Flying monkeys had not suddenly swarmed Paris,
05:36 and instructs them to go after Frollo's army.
05:39 You can even hear similar music in the background.
05:41 "Fly, my pretties! Fly! Fly!"
05:46 And hey, maybe Laverne really did consider the pigeons to be her pretties.
05:49 Who are we to judge?
05:50 Number 5.
05:52 "Munchikins" - Sanford and Son.
05:54 "Now, come on!"
05:55 "All right, follow the yellow brick roads!"
05:58 In this episode, Grady unwittingly serves up a salad
06:01 garnished with what he thinks is just harmless wild parsley to a couple of cops.
06:05 Lamont suspects that the herbs were plucked from,
06:08 let's call it, the "special" part of the garden,
06:10 and ushers Grady to the kitchen to figure out what to do.
06:12 "It's the Hungrys or the Munchies."
06:15 "Weren't they in The Wizard of Oz?"
06:16 "That was the Munchkins!"
06:18 "Oh, yeah! Now didn't you just love that picture?"
06:24 However, Grady gets mixed up between a habit usually linked to those who munch on
06:28 wild parsley and those who reside in Munchkinland.
06:33 It's a hilarious misunderstanding that leads Grady down a Wizard of Oz rabbit hole.
06:37 "There was Dorothy and Toto and the Wicked Witch of the What? So-ho!"
06:43 "Of the West, Grady!"
06:47 Even as they return to the living room to check out the situation,
06:50 Grady's mind keeps skipping down that yellow brick road.
06:53 "You were right! They got the Munchkins all right!"
06:56 "The Munchkins, Grady!"
06:57 Number 4. There's no place like Full House.
07:00 Full House.
07:01 Full House loves a The Wizard of Oz reference.
07:04 For instance, in season one, after a thunderstorm disrupts movie night,
07:07 Joey acts out a mini version of the 1939 classic.
07:11 "If I were a king of the full house, I am the great and powerful Oz!"
07:23 Then there's the time he pulls out his best Scarecrow impression while Jesse
07:27 tries to brush up on literature for a fancy event he's attending with Becky.
07:30 Jesse is not too amused.
07:32 "The thoughts you'll be thinking you could be another Lincoln if you only had a brain."
07:37 "I'll get you. And your little dog too."
07:47 There's also the time Joey tries to ease
07:49 Stephanie's anxieties with his best Lollipop Guild impersonation.
07:52 "You represent the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild."
07:56 Oh, and remember when Michelle tells her dad about the animals she saw at the zoo?
08:00 If you love The Wizard of Oz nods, there's no place like Full House to find them.
08:04 "I saw lions and tigers and bears."
08:08 "Oh my."
08:09 Number 3. Yzma's potion filing system, The Emperor's New Groove.
08:13 After a long and rocky adventure, Kuzco and Pasha finally make it to Yzma's lair.
08:18 They rummage through her potion collection in search of the one that will transform Kuzco
08:22 back into a human.
08:23 "What does it look like?"
08:24 "I don't know, just keep looking."
08:26 Now, most people might organize their potions by color,
08:29 shape, size, or alphabetical order, but not Yzma.
08:33 No, her potions are arranged in a way that sets up the perfect punchline.
08:36 "It has to be one of these. Lions, tigers, bears."
08:40 "Oh my. Looking for this?"
08:44 It's so clever and quick that only true fans of The Wizard of Oz might catch it at first.
08:51 The brave little toaster offers a similar gag when
08:54 Radio teases Blanky as they venture into the ominous dark forest.
08:57 "We're definitely lost."
08:58 "But there might be lions in there."
09:02 "And tigers and bears, oh my."
09:05 Number 2. Sounds like something out of The Wizard of Oz, Good Morning Vietnam.
09:09 Robin Williams was perfectly cast as Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning Vietnam.
09:14 Cronauer's radio show, famous for its fearless humor and unforgettable greeting,
09:18 found its perfect match in Williams' quick wit.
09:21 "What is it demilitarized on? Sounds like something out of The Wizard of Oz."
09:24 "Oh no, don't go in there."
09:29 In his debut broadcast, he takes an unexpected turn into The Wizard of Oz,
09:34 hilariously blending references to the film with the backdrop of Vietnam.
09:37 He throws in everything. Munchkins and witches and Toto too.
09:41 "We represent the Arvern Army, the Arvern Army."
09:45 "Oh no, follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail, follow the Ho Chi Minh Trail."
09:48 "Oh, I'll get you my pretty."
09:50 The result is a whirlwind of humor that showcases Williams' unmatched comedic brilliance.
09:56 It's a real treat, especially for fans of The Wizard of Oz.
09:59 It earned Williams a Best Actor Oscar nomination and the approval of the real Cronauer.
10:04 "Oh, little G.I., you and your little to-do too."
10:07 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:14 Ding Dong, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
10:16 Captain Holt is as happy about Wunsch's demise as a munchkin
10:19 spotting Dorothy's house on The Wicked Witch of the East.
10:21 "Ding dong, the Wunsch is dead. Bagels for everyone."
10:27 Oreo Guards, Wreck-It Ralph
10:29 Oreo listening to what they're chanting?
10:31 "Oreo, Oreo, Oreo."
10:37 There's No Place Like Home, Toy Story
10:40 Maybe if he'd clicked his spurs together, he'd be back in Andy's room in two seconds.
10:45 "Sorry guys, but dinner's canceled."
10:47 "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."
10:50 Be Gone Before Someone Drops a House on You, The Nanny
10:53 Cece even glances up as if she actually expects a house to come crashing through
10:57 the Sheffield ceiling.
10:58 "You have no power here. Be gone before someone drops a house on you."
11:03 Dorothy Finds a Toto, The Golden Girls
11:09 There's No Place Like the Personals
11:11 "So tell me, what type of work is it that you need done, Mr, um..."
11:15 "Toto."
11:15 "Mr. Toto."
11:16 "Oh, no, mister. Just Toto. You're Dorothy, and I'm Toto."
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11:35 Number 1. My Way Home, Scrubs
11:40 In this homage to the 1939 flick, J.D. struggles to get home after he's called in to work on his
11:45 day off. "Whether they're looking for brains, a heart, or courage. As for me, I was just gonna
11:53 keep on following that yellow line and hope I'd eventually get back home."
11:58 Meanwhile, Elliot doubts her endocrinology knowledge, Turk convinces a family to decide
12:03 on organ donation, and Carla wrestles with courage after caring for Dr. Cox and Jordan's son Jack.
12:08 Yet the brilliance lies in the details.
12:11 "Oil can. Oil can! Thank you."
12:17 There are plenty of cleverly woven in quotes, nods to real and fictional figures from Oz,
12:22 and some stellar song choices. The episode was praised for its impeccable balance of humor and
12:28 heart when Scrubs received the Peabody Award in 2006. "Dr. Cox! Pay no attention to the man
12:35 behind the curtain." Indeed, this episode is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
12:40 "Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly."
12:49 What's your favorite Wizard of Oz reference? Leave your comments and quips and quotes,
12:56 oh my, down below. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know
13:01 into his personal flying monkeys." "Monkeys? You don't understand." "I do. I understood that reference."
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13:19 [outro music]