According to Google, today marks the 71st anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.

If you’re a fan of the film, I highly recommend the treasure trove of trivia at IMDB.com.

Although I have lots of favorite memories about the The Wiz, one of my favorites hearkens back to my days at the newspaper, when — for a time — I helped prepare the TV listings for publication. This droll little synopsis caught my eye:

Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.” — Rick Polito, Independence Journal

I was sure it was a mistake, but the editor let it run. “That pretty much sums it up,” she said dryly.

Years later, it seems fitting to me that this cultural icon should be summed up as a homicidal rampage. After all, it’s what the U.S. is best at.