August 25, 1939 marked the release of the Hollywood classic The Wizard of Oz. The film was based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900. There are many differences between page and screen, including the fact that the Wicked Witch, portrayed with such malevolent aplomb by actress Margaret Hamilton, has a much larger part in the movie than in the book. Interestingly, her character inspired Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which, in turn, has been adapted into the Broadway musical Wicked.
