Noel Langley was a South African-born (later naturalised American) novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director. He wrote the screenplay which formed the basis for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and is one of the three credited screenwriters for the film. His finished script for the film was revised by Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, the other credited screenwriters. Langley objected to their changes and lamented the final cut upon first seeing it, but later revised his opinion. He attempted to write a sequel based on The Marvelous Land of Oz using many of the concepts he had added to its predecessor, but this was never released.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 25, 1911
- November 4, 1980 (aged 68)
- South Africa
- Writer, also producer
- 16 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
What are Noel Langley's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 15
A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 3 · Dark 6
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 5
Gentle 4 · Charged 8 · Intense 3
A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 10 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 4
Resolved 15 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic4
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Noel Langley's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Noel Langley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
34 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page.
These Foolish Things(2006)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Wizard of Oz on Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Workteams & the Wizard of Oz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
We’re Off to See... The Most Happy Fellows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
The Search for Bridey Murphy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Vagabond King(1956)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Svengali (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Our Girl Friday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Pickwick Papers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Prisoner of Zenda(1952)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Ivanhoe(1952)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
A Christmas Carol(1951)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Tom Brown's Schooldays(1951)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Trio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Sunday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Adam and Evelyne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Cardboard Cavalier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Edward, My Son(1949)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Vicious Circle(1948)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
I Became a Criminal(1947)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Unexpected Uncle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)
Florian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Northwest Passage(1940)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Babes in Arms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
The Wizard of Oz(1939)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Queer Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Listen, Darling(1938)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Maytime(1937)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
The Secret of Stamboul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Career shape
A full career of 32 titles from 1936 to 2006.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Noel Langley's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Noel Langley work with?
People who share at least 2 of Noel Langley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard Thorpe shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Richard ThorpeShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Thorpe
Writers
- Talbot JenningsShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Northwest Passage (1940)See all 2 shared titles with Talbot Jennings
- Donald Ogden StewartShared titles: The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Edward, My Son (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Donald Ogden Stewart
Actors
- Felix AylmerShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952), Edward, My Son (1949)See all 3 shared titles with Felix Aylmer
- Robert TaylorShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Taylor
- Deborah KerrShared titles: The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Edward, My Son (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Deborah Kerr
- Francis De WolffShared titles: Ivanhoe (1952), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Francis De Wolff
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Freddie YoungShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952), Edward, My Son (1949)See all 3 shared titles with Freddie Young
- Frank ClarkeShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Frank Clarke
- Miklós RózsaShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Miklós Rózsa
- C.M. Pennington-RichardsShared titles: A Christmas Carol (1951), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951)See all 2 shared titles with C.M. Pennington-Richards
Producers
- Pandro S. BermanShared titles: Knights of the Round Table (1953), Ivanhoe (1952), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)See all 3 shared titles with Pandro S. Berman
- Brian Desmond HurstShared titles: A Christmas Carol (1951), Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Desmond Hurst
- Hunt StrombergShared titles: Northwest Passage (1940), Maytime (1937)See all 2 shared titles with Hunt Stromberg
