Calories in 4 Oz of Lean Ground Beef
From offscreen friendships and jarring pay inequality to the special effects and makeup tricks that brought some of the globe's favorite film characters to life, The Wizard of Oz (1939) had and so much going on behind the emerald pall and the Technicolor gloss of an amazing fantasy world.
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the film, follow the xanthous brick slideshow to peek backside that curtain and acquire more about the secrets and fun facts that make the beloved film a timeless archetype.
Margaret Hamilton Was a Fan Before the Film
As a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of L. Frank Baum's Oz series, Margaret Hamilton was thrilled to be considered for a role in the 1939 film adaptation. Hamilton called her agent to inquire which grapheme the producers wanted her to play, and her agent famously said, "The witch — who else?"
Hamilton, a unmarried mother, fought MGM for an agreed upon amount of guaranteed work time. Three days earlier filming began, the studio agreed to a v-week deal. In the end, Hamilton was on set for 3 months, but many of her scenes were cut for being also scary for audiences.
Dorothy's Original Look Was More Movie Star Than Farm Girl
Sure, Dorothy Gale doesn't need prosthetics or aluminum makeup, simply that doesn't mean Judy Garland wasn't put through the costume department wringer. Although she was young at the time, the 16-year-old Garland had to wear a corset-like device and then she looked more like a preadolescent child.
Director Richard Thorpe suggested Garland wear a blonde wig and loads of "baby-doll" makeup (as any preadolescent daughter would…). Luckily, that vision of the character changed. Later MGM fired Thorpe, the intermediate director George Cukor nixed the heavy makeup and wig. Instead, he told Garland to be herself. Smart move.
The "Skywriting" Scene Employed Some Great Movie Magic
The Wizard of Oz employs a lot of great film tricks, and some of the virtually unique were used in the skywriting scene. In it, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) flies in a higher place the Emerald City, leaving the phrase "Give up Dorothy" in her wake in blackness smoke.
Using a hypodermic needle, the special effects squad spread black ink across the bottom of a glass tank that was filled with a thick, tinted liquid (some speculate milk). They wrote the phrase in contrary and filmed the scene from below. Initially, the skywriting ended with the ominous "Or Die — W Due west W."
The "Snow" in the Poppy Field Was Actually Dangerous
One of the Wicked Witch's terminal-ditch efforts to impede Dorothy'due south quest to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz involves a poppy field and some magical slumber-inducing snow. While many like to joke that the poppies and their drowsiness are the result of opium (a component of poppies), the scene has a much more blatant toxic connectedness than that.
All that magical snow? It's actually 100% industrial-class chrysotile asbestos. Even though the health risks associated with the material were known at the time, it was still Hollywood'south preferred choice for faux snow. Our advice to Dorothy? Don't grab whatsoever snowflakes on your natural language.
Scarecrow'due south Makeup Stuck Around for Awhile
In the stop, Ray Bolger (Scarecrow) was probably grateful in more means than one for Buddy Ebsen (the original Tin Homo's) willingness to trade parts with him. The Tin can Man's aluminum makeup acquired a huge amount of problems for Ebsen, who was replaced past Jack Haley.
Although Bolger'southward makeup experience was better than Ebsen'south, he withal had some issues. The Scarecrow's makeup consisted of a prophylactic prosthetic, consummate with a woven blueprint that mimicked the look of burlap. After the motion picture wrapped, the prosthetic left patterns on Bolger'southward face that took more a year to fade.
Margaret Hamilton Was Burned On Ready
In a burst of flames and red fume, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) vanishes from Munchkinland. Although the scene is terrifying for viewers, it may take instilled more fear for Hamilton. On the first take, the smoke rose from a hidden trapdoor too early.
For the second take, Hamilton stood on the trapdoor as planned, only her cape snagged on the platform when the fire flared upwards. Her copper-containing makeup heated up instantly, causing 2nd- and tertiary-degree burns on her easily and face. To brand matters worse, the crew tried to remedy her burns with (an even more than painful) acetone solvent.
The Flying Monkeys Became Falling Monkeys
The Wicked Witch's legion of flying monkeys — or Winged Monkeys as they're called in the source cloth — take certainly been a source of terror for generations. Well-nigh as scary as the Witch herself, these henchmen soar onto the scene to kidnap Dorothy and Toto — cheers to the magic of pianoforte wires.
However, the aerial stunt went awry when several of the pianoforte wires snapped, sending actors plummeting a few feet to the soundstage floor. To create such a vast troupe of monkeys (and cut downwardly on human marionettes), filmmakers made miniature rubber monkeys to aid populate the heaven.
"Over the Rainbow" Was Almost on the Cutting Room Floor
To no one's surprise, the American Film Establish ranked "Over the Rainbow" #1 on a list of 100 Greatest Songs in American Films. But what may surprise you? The (arguably) most iconic song of Judy Garland'southward career was nearly cut from the motion picture.
Studio execs at MGM thought the song made the Kansas scenes as well long. Moreover, filmmakers were concerned that children wouldn't empathize the song's meaning. Luckily, this unfounded business concern melted like lemon drops. Unfortunately, Garland's tearful reprise of the song was left on the cutting room floor.
The Tin Man Costume Didn't Allow Jack Haley to Rest Easy
Although Bert Lahr had to schlep around in a 90-pound panthera leo costume, Jack Haley didn't have it easy either. From the lingering concerns about the aluminum paste-based makeup on his face and hands to the minimal flexibility of the "tin" torso and arms, Haley faced some challenges.
Reportedly, his costume was so stiff that he had to lean against a board to residual properly. Many years later, role player Anthony Daniels, known for playing the protocol droid C-3PO in the Star Wars films, had the same issue with his rigid costume. It seems even fantasy and sci-fi can't help folks escape all their problems.
The Original Tin Man Was Rushed to the Hospital
Initially, Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, just traded parts with Ray Bolger. However, Ebsen'southward new character, the Tin Man, caused him a earth of issues. Namely, the character's silver makeup contained a harmful aluminum dust that coated Ebsen'southward lungs.
To brand matters worse, Ebsen had an allergic reaction, and, unable to exhale, he was rushed to the hospital. MGM recast the part with Jack Haley (and changed upwardly the makeup), but didn't explain why Ebsen "dropped out." Although Ebsen didn't announced in the concluding film, his vocals can be heard in "We're Off to Run across the Sorcerer."
A Stocking & Some Miniatures Gave Usa the Tornado
The tornado that strikes the Gale homestead is full of applied special furnishings that actually concord upwards. The funnel itself was actually a 35-foot long stocking made of muslin. The special effects team spun it around miniatures that resembled the farms and fields of Kansas. Confronting the painted backdrop, the tornado looks menacing.
The Gale house, which falls from the sky and into Oz, is just a miniature firm that was dropped onto a sky painting. Filmmakers then reversed the footage to make it look like the house was falling out of the clouds.
Hollywood Didn't Pay Upwardly Then Either
Pay inequality has always been an effect in Hollywood. For example, Adriana Caselotti, voice of the titular character in Walt Disney'due south Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), made $970 for her operation. The movie went on to brand roughly $8 meg.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Judy Garland'southward pay was meliorate than Caselotti's — playing Dorothy earned her $500 a calendar week — merely information technology nonetheless didn't reflect the film'due south success. Even more discouraging, the folks who portrayed the citizens of Munchkinland were paid a mere $50 per week. (Meanwhile, Terry the dog earned $125 per calendar week equally Toto. A real yikes.)
Bert Lahr'south Lion Costume Was Taxing
Originally, MGM thought it might cast its mascot — the actual lion used in the studio's championship card — as the cowardly character. Fortunately, for the prophylactic of the actors and the animal, the filmmakers decided to cast actor Bert Lahr every bit the anthropomorphic character instead.
To make a convincing creature, the costume department fashioned Lahr a xc-pound outfit made from real king of beasts skin. All the same, the arc lights used on prepare made things a steamy 100 degrees during filming, which meant Lahr did a lot of sweating unrelated to his graphic symbol's nerves. Each night, ii stagehands dried the costume for the side by side twenty-four hours.
The Initial Box Office Returns Were Uneven
The movie started shooting in Oct of 1938 but didn't wrap until March of 1939, racking up an unheard of $two,777,000 in costs. That'southward nearly $fifty million adjusted for inflation. Upon its initial release, the pic only earned $three 1000000 at the box office — about $51.8 1000000 by today'due south standards.
Although that seems impressive for a Depression-era motion picture, remember that Disney made $8 million with Snowfall White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The Magician of Oz'southward modest success in the U.S. barely covered production and pic rights' costs — MGM paid $75,000 to the publisher for those — but success overseas fortunately bolstered the flick'due south returns.
The Dark Side of Oz in a Time Before "Me Too"
Judy Garland was just sixteen years old when she was bandage equally Dorothy. Insecure and lonesome, she became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates, which were oftentimes given to immature actors to assist them slumber after studios shot them upwardly with adrenaline then they could piece of work long hours.
The spotlight — and her damaging contract with MGM — didn't help, leading to her lifelong struggles with an eating disorder and alcoholism. According to a writer for Express, "[Garland] was molested by older men, including studio chiefs [and head Louis B. Mayer], who considered her little more than their 'belongings.'" Moreover, MGM forced Garland to stick to a wildly unhealthy diet of cigarettes, coffee and chicken soup.
The Voice of Snowfall White Had a Cameo
A few years before The Wizard of Oz debuted, Walt Disney'due south feature-length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) became a blast-striking. Non only did the motion-picture show revolutionize the animation industry, it also reinvigorated the fantasy genre.
Disney wanted to follow up Snow White — then the most successful pic of all time — with an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, just MGM owned the rights. Past happenstance, Adriana Caselotti, who voiced Snow White, had an uncredited role in Oz. During the Tin can Homo'south "If I Only Had a Center," Caselotti speaks her sole line, "Wherefore art thou Romeo?"
The Ruby Slippers Are Props & Treasured Artifacts
Keeping in line with the book, Dorothy's iconic footwear was originally silvery, but screenwriter Noel Langley felt the red color would really popular in glorious Technicolor. Designed by MGM'due south principal costume designer Gilbert Adrian, the shoes are each covered in nigh 2,300 sequins.
1 of the remaining pairs is on view in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Since the display is so heavily trafficked, the museum has replaced the carpeting there several times. Another pair were stolen from Minnesota'south Judy Garland Museum in 2005, but the FBI recovered the slippers for the institution in 2018.
Only I Sequence Was Filmed "On Location"
The Magician of Oz is your classic risk story, and Dorothy's quest leads her from a Kansas farm to another world — complete with corn fields, poppy-filled meadows and forests. Yet, despite all these scenic locations, nigh all the scenes were shot on a soundstage.
As was customary at the time, immense, detailed backdrops were painted by studio artists, making information technology possible for filmmakers to transport audiences to far away places without filming on location. In fact, the only location footage in the flick is the opening title sequence — those clouds are 100% the existent deal.
A Second Toto Was Brought In
Toto, played primarily by Terry, is one of the most beloved dogs in film history. Terry was famously not a huge fan of special effects and can frequently be seen running out of a shot when something loud or alarming happens — similar when the Tin Man spouts out all of that steam.
After ane of the Witch's guards accidentally stepped on her, Terry was on bedrest for two weeks. Filmmakers went through 2 doubles to find one that resembled the original canine actor more than closely.
Fun fact: Judy Garland was so fond of Terry that she wanted to adopt the domestic dog.
Margaret Hamilton "Mourns the Wicked" Witch
In addition to beingness a huge fan of the Oz books, Margaret Hamilton also believed her character was more than just your run-of-the-mill evil villain. More than than 35 years later the picture debuted, Hamilton, donning her Witch's costume to prove kids it was brand-believe, appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where Fred Rogers interviewed her about the graphic symbol.
Co-ordinate to Hamilton, the so-called Wicked Witch relished everything she did, simply she was also a sad, alone effigy. In curt, things never went well for the frustrated Witch. Oddly enough, the Broadway musical Wicked also takes this arroyo to the Witch'southward grapheme.
The "Horse of a Unlike Color" Was Made Possible Thanks to a Food Product
In 1939, audiences were just as amazed as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin can Man and the Cowardly King of beasts when the horse in Emerald Urban center took on a rainbow of colors. This "horse of a different color" was fabricated possible thanks to a surprising food item…
Jell-O crystals were used to color the horses, which meant filmmakers had to move quickly — the animals were eager to lick up the sweet treat. But the colorful steed isn't the only interesting component in this fan-favorite scene. The horse-drawn carriage was once endemic by President Abraham Lincoln and now resides at the Judy Garland Museum.
The Makeup Department Hired on Extra Hands
From the citizens of Munchkinland and Emerald City to the Witch's flight monkeys, so many actors had to undergo a makeup transformation in society to give life to this fantasy film. To keep upward with the daily demands, MGM called upon workers from the studio mailroom and courier service to manage makeup stations.
Since almost of the Ozian ensemble required prosthetics, makeup artists — and "makeshift" artists — formed a kind of costuming assembly line. Most actors had to arrive earlier 5:00 in the morn — six days a week! — to begin the intensive process.
Memorable (& Ofttimes Misquoted) Lines Make full the Moving-picture show
The film is chock-full of iconic, memorable songs, and information technology has the great fortune of being responsible for some of the near quoted lines in movie history likewise. In 2007, Premiere compiled a listing of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" and placed a whopping iii of the moving-picture show's lines on the list.
"Pay no attention to that human backside the drape" was voted #24, while "In that location's no place like habitation" nabbed the 11th spot. Finally, the frequently misquoted "Toto, I have a feeling nosotros're not in Kansas anymore" landed in the 62nd spot.
The Witch'due south Fire Employed Some Technical Wizardry (& Juice)
Conspicuously, the technical wizardry — or witchcraft — in the movie is incredible. Like the "equus caballus of a unlike color" sequence, some other iconic, special effects-heavy scene harnessed the ability of everyday household items to pull off fun tricks.
Soon after Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland, the Wicked Witch tries to snatch the ruby slippers from the young girl'due south feet. Yet, fire strikes the Witch's hands, repelling her. This "fire" is actually apple tree juice spouting from the slippers in a sped-upwardly clip to make it look more flame-similar.
Technicolor Required Some Ingenuity in the Props Department
Experimenting with Technicolor was function fun and role trouble-solving for filmmakers. In gild to properly capture scenes with the Technicolor camera, the soundstage needed to be lit with arc lights, which oftentimes heated the set up to a toasty 100 degrees.
After the lights were set, the experts experimented with what would expect best on film, peculiarly in colorized form. For example, the white office of Dorothy's dress is actually pink — but considering it filmed improve. And the oil the Tin Man is then excited about? It's really chocolate syrup.
The Wicked Witch of the East Makes More Than One Appearance
Part of the Wicked Witch of the West'south beef with Dorothy is that the young girl dropped a house on her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, who was the short-lived possessor of the cherry-red slippers. Although Margaret Hamilton already plays both the Wicked Witch of the Westward and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch, she also plays the Wicked Witch of the East — if only briefly.
During the tornado sequence, an addled Dorothy looks out her bedroom window and watches Gulch transform into a witch, her shoes shimmering. For fans, this glint indicates the witch outside the window is wearing the reddish slippers. The restored version of the film makes that shimmer even more noticeable.
The Film'south Running Fourth dimension Was Cutting Downwardly Several Times
The showtime cut of the film clocked in at a running fourth dimension of 120 minutes. Although that seems like zero by today'south Marvel movie standards, producer Mervyn LeRoy felt it was long and unwieldy and wanted to chop off 20 minutes.
After cut the famed "Jitterbug" number (top right) and an extended Scarecrow dance sequence, the moving-picture show was 112 minutes long. LeRoy held a 2nd preview screening, and, subsequently, nixed Dorothy'south "Over the Rainbow" reprise, an Emerald City reprise of "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead," a scene where the Tin Man becomes a human beehive (Yikes!) and a few Kansas sequences.
Then Much for a "Wicked" Witch
Filmmakers deemed Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the Westward performance too frightening for audiences and cut or trimmed many of her scenes. Only not everyone thought her functioning was terrifying — namely Judy Garland, who played the Wicked Witch's nemesis, Dorothy Gale.
Off-screen, the motion-picture show'southward starring foes were actually friends. One story that emerged from the set described Garland excitedly showing off a dress to Hamilton, declaring she was going to wear it for her graduation. Unfortunately, MGM'south Louis B. Mayer sent Garland on a press tour the day of her graduation. Upset, Hamilton phoned Mayer and chewed him out.
Giving Credit to Technicolor
In the opening credits, the text reads "Photographed in Technicolor," as opposed to the more than apt "Color Sequences by Technicolor." The phrasing of the credits makes information technology seem as though the entire moving picture was shot in color. Was this washed deliberately, or was information technology a minor syntactical imitation pas?
It's widely believed this was a bit of a stunt done to raise the surprise of the moving picture turning into full iii-strip Technicolor when Dorothy arrives in Oz. Posters made at the fourth dimension of the motion-picture show'south debut made no mention of sepia tint (or "black-and-white"), calculation credence to this theory.
Ane of History's Nearly-Watched Films
Although The Sorcerer of Oz proved popular in theaters, another film released the same twelvemonth, as well directed by Victor Fleming, actually topped the box office. (Y'all may have heard of that little picture show — information technology'southward chosen Gone with the Wind.) Withal, MGM's musical fantasy may take more staying ability than other films of the era, thanks in part to re-releases.
The film was beginning broadcast on tv set on November 3, 1956, and garnered an impressive 44 million viewers. It's believed that The Sorcerer of Oz is one of the 10 most-watched characteristic-length movies in moving picture history, largely due to the number of almanac television screenings, theater viewings and various format re-releases.
Source: https://www.ask.com/tvmovies/wizard-of-oz-facts?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740004%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex