Ariana Grande’s Grandma Was 13 When The Wizard of Oz Released — 85 Years Later She Watched Her Granddaughter Play Glinda

When it comes to movies that take place in the land of Oz, Ariana Grande’s grandmother Marjorie Grande has quite literally seen it all.

Ariana, who stars in Wicked as Glinda, the famous “good witch” first brought to the big screen in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, documented her trip to the movies with boyfriend Ethan Slater and her family — including Marjorie — with multiple photos and a video she shared to Instagram recently from Boca Raton, Florida, where she grew up. The video showed her grandmother smiling during Glinda’s standout number, “Popular,” as the family all held hands. 

Marjorie, who turned 99 in October — Ariana’s brother Frankie shared a birthday tribute to her on Instagram Oct. 13 — was just 13 years old when The Wizard of Oz released in theaters in August 1939. That means the Grande family matriarch has lived through every screen portrayal of Glinda, culminating in her own granddaughter headlining Wicked alongside Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba.

Billie Burke, who died at 85 in 1970, portrayed Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Grande is one in a long line of actors to portray the iconic witch on the big or small screen, with more than a dozen adaptations of Frank L. Baum’s Oz novels made between The Wizard of Oz’s release and Wicked hitting theaters.

Prior to Wicked‘s release, Michelle Williams was the last actress to portray Glinda in a movie with 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful. The character also appeared in a number of television series in the years before Wicked. 

Ariana shared a video on YouTube all the way back in 2012 revealing that Marjorie and her grandfather, Frank, first met when Marjorie was 11 years old. Ariana’s grandparents began dating as teenagers and eventually welcomed two daughters, including Ariana and Frankie’s mother Joan. 

Marjorie recently appeared as a featured artist on Ariana’s album Eternal Sunshine on its final track “ordinary things.” The feature made Marjorie the oldest person ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 back in March.