Over the Rainbow

I’m not much for parties, but I went from a MOMA reception celebrating the 75th anniversary of the New York Film Critics Circle to a vastly larger soiree at the Tavern on the Green. The latter was honoring the 70th anniversary of “The Wizard Of Oz,” which is being released in a gorgeous Blu-ray edition next week by Warner Home Video. Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft, sang a medley of songs from the movie — for the first time ever, she said. The medley did not include her mom’s signature song, “Over the Rainbow,” which was performed separately by Ashanti. Luft said her mom — who would be 86 if she hadn’t passed away 40 years ago — would have “loved” the event. “She had many friends from that movie, and she knew even back then that it was going to catapult her into people’s hearts.” Lorna remembers watching the movie for the first time when it debuted on TV when she was four. She and her sister Lisa Minnelli were “terrified” and “my mom made sure she was there the next time we watched it. With my own children, I would stop the VCR when they got scared. And eventually they would want to find out what happened next. In 70 years, people and their children will still be watching it.” Also attending the lavish charity bash were five of the six surviving Munchkins. Before the event, I interviewed Jerry Maren — the leader of the Lollipop Guild — for today’s print edition of the Post. Among other things, he delivers a salty review of one of the two other movies in which he plays a Munchkin. The restoration is showing tomorrow at the New York Film Festival, and will also be shown in a free outdoor screening in Central Park.