<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article possibly contains original research . Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed . (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article possibly contains original research . Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations . Statements consisting only of original research should be removed . (March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> MGM's 1939 musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz was first shown in theatres that year, then re-released nationwide in 1949 and again in 1955 . It was first broadcast on television on Saturday, November 3, 1956 . The film was shown as the last installment of the CBS anthology series Ford Star Jubilee . Since that telecast, it has been shown respectively by CBS, NBC, the WB Network, and several of Ted Turner's national cable channels . It has never been licensed to any local affiliate broadcast TV station . From 1959 until 1991, it was an annual tradition on American commercial network television . During these years, and for several afterwards, it was always shown as a television special . </P> <P> After the film was shown on television for the second time, network telecasts of it became a much - anticipated family event in the United States, drawing large audiences annually for many years . Between 1956 and 1980, commercial broadcast television was virtually the only means by which families were able to see The Wizard of Oz, unless they attended the MGM Children's Matinees in the early 1970s . </P>

When was the wizard of oz first shown on tv