Surrender Dorothy

"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.

Appearance in the movie

The first appearance of the phrase is in the famous 1939 version of "The Wizard of Oz" (it is not in the novel or any previous adaptations). 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) based loosely on the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.

The special effect was achieved by using a hypodermic needle, spreading black ink across the bottom of a glass tank filled with tinted water. [ [http://thewizardofoz.info/faq12.html#14 Wizard of Oz - Frequently Asked Questions - The Movie - Production and Crew ] ]

The phrase was also later featured in Martin Scorsese's 1985 film "After Hours". In the film, Marcy (Rosanna Arquette) relates that her former husband would scream the phrase during intercourse. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088680/quotes After Hours (1985) - Memorable quotes ] ]

Washington area graffito

. [ [http://www.lds.org/multimedia/files//5310_WASHINGTONDC_hr.jpgWashington DC Temple photo] ]

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 "graffiti", and became so well known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding of their religion. [ [http://www.mormonstoday.com/011207/D1WashDCTemple01.shtml Mormon News, Dec 7, 2001 ] ] [ [http://www.mormonstoday.com/991114/D1WashingtonTemple01.shtml Mormon News for WE 14Nov99: Landmark to most, temple is sanctuary ] ] Dubious|date=March 2008

In summer 2007, a new piece of graffiti appeared on the rail bridge. The word "SURRENDER" was reduced in size to fit into a single section of the rail bridge, and the word "DOROTHY" was omitted from the graffiti. The original-size message is no longer visible, but its presence can still be felt at the top of the bridge, as the paint used to cover it does not exactly match the original paint on the bridge. The smaller "SURRENDER" graphic is located near the bottom of the bridge, over the far-left lane of traffic on the Outer Loop.

References