Overview

• The 35-item acquisition features first handwritten drafts of music and lyrics, draft song lists, and correspondence from director Mervyn LeRoy.
• Harold Arlen’s 1939 Oscar for best original song for "Over the Rainbow" accompanies the manuscripts as part of the gift.
• Items include music for "We're Off to See the Wizard," lyrics for the "Lollipop League," sketches for "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead," and pages marked "Oz possibilities."
• A 1929 self-portrait that George Gershwin sent to Arlen is among the artifacts.
• Select materials will be on view in the Thomas Jefferson Building’s Great Hall from October 23, 2025 through January 7, 2026, following a donation from the Arlen family that builds on a 2022 gift.