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Wizard of Oz
Tue Jun 08, 2004
Listen in RealAudio 
Tornadoes have been called twisters, whirlwinds, or vortices. But one name gained
popularity from a children’s book and its movie adaptation: the Kansas Cyclone! Hi, I’m
Bryan Yeaton and this is The Weather Notebook.
A deadly Kansas tornado outbreak in late-May 1879, described as "The Great Kansas
Cyclone," stuck in newspaperman L. Frank Baum’s mind. Eyewitnesses described the
storm enveloping one building and whirling it about like a top. Pieces of farmhouses
were carried many miles, leaving only the foundations behind.
Two decades later, Baum used the Kansas locale and tornado to open his classic
children’s book: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Although, Baum never uses the term
"Kansas Cyclone," the first chapter—titled "The Cyclone"—tells us that Dorothy lived in
the midst of the great Kansas prairie. Only 1,100 words long, that chapter leaves us
with a lasting iconic American image.
The 1939 film’s success arose, in part, from its innovative special effects, particularly
the opening storm scene. To recreate the Kansas Cyclone, special-effects artist Arnold
Gillespie constructed a 35-foot muslin stocking, an idea he got from airport windsocks.
It moved by a gantry crane and rotated by a speed-control motor. A rod through the
tornado base pulled it from side to side. By moving gantry and rod in opposite
directions, the tornado appeared to snake back and forth. The dust and dark clouds
were created using carbon, sulphur, and Fuller’s earth: a powdery brown dust. The
result was a remarkably realistic tornado sequence.
"The Wizard of Oz" made "Kansas Cyclone" popular for many years. Then in 1996,
another movie stole the Wizard’s thunder and a new word was on everybody’s tongue:
"Twister."
Thanks to our contributing writer, meteorologist Keith Heidorn. Our show is generously
funded by the National Science Foundation and Subaru of America.
Today's Links
The Oz Tornado
http://www.stormtrack.org/library/fringe/oz.htm
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