I grew up loving THE WIZARD OF OZ. I have clear and fond memories of staring at our kitchen clock willing the hands to move faster so 7 o’clock would arrive and the movie would start. Remember if you can that this was a time before DVRs and VCRs and even beta max – special movies like THE WIZARD OF OZ were only shown once a year and if you weren’t sitting in front of your TV when the movie started you couldn’t rewind to catch up! Talk about pressure!
Anyway, I’ve naturally always loved names so even at a young age I found it odd that Judy Garland, I mean, Dorothy’s last name was Gale. For a time I actually thought Gale was her middle name, but nope it’s her last name. But why? Why give her two first names?
Just yesterday it hit me – gale – has more than one meaning. It’s a girl’s name, but it’s also a strong wind! A gale force wind – like a tornado! How could I miss this? Am I the only one? Does everyone else get it? I have no idea, but I have to do some research – pronto!
Let me know if you’ve always known the true meaning of Dorothy’s last name or if this revelation has blown you away just like me!