Free Wizard of Oz Books Read All Books Online
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 so much going on behind the emerald pall and the Technicolor gloss of an amazing fantasy earth.
In award of the 80th anniversary of the film, follow the yellowish brick slideshow to peek behind that curtain and learn more than nearly the secrets and fun facts that make the honey film a timeless archetype.
Margaret Hamilton Was a Fan Before the Moving picture
As a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of 50. Frank Baum'due south Oz series, Margaret Hamilton was thrilled to exist considered for a part in the 1939 film adaptation. Hamilton called her amanuensis to enquire which character the producers wanted her to play, and her agent famously said, "The witch — who else?"
Hamilton, a single mother, fought MGM for an agreed upon corporeality of guaranteed piece of work time. Three days before filming began, the studio agreed to a v-week deal. In the finish, Hamilton was on set for 3 months, but many of her scenes were cut for existence too scary for audiences.
Certain, Dorothy Gale doesn't need prosthetics or aluminum makeup, but that doesn't mean Judy Garland wasn't put through the costume department wringer. Although she was immature at the fourth dimension, the 16-yr-old Garland had to article of clothing a corset-like device so she looked more like a preadolescent child.
Managing director Richard Thorpe suggested Garland wear a blonde wig and loads of "baby-doll" makeup (every bit whatsoever preadolescent girl would…). Luckily, that vision of the character inverse. After 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 Keen Movie Magic
The Magician of Oz employs a lot of great pic tricks, and some of the most unique were used in the skywriting scene. In it, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) flies higher up the Emerald City, leaving the phrase "Surrender Dorothy" in her wake in black smoke.
Using a hypodermic needle, the special effects team spread blackness ink across the bottom of a drinking glass tank that was filled with a thick, tinted liquid (some speculate milk). They wrote the phrase in contrary and filmed the scene from beneath. Initially, the skywriting ended with the ominous "Or Dice — Due west W W."
The "Snow" in the Poppy Field Was Really Unsafe
Ane of the Wicked Witch'southward final-ditch efforts to impede Dorothy'due south quest to come across the Wonderful Wizard of Oz involves a poppy field and some magical sleep-inducing snow. While many like to joke that the poppies and their drowsiness are the upshot of opium (a component of poppies), the scene has a much more blatant toxic connection than that.
All that magical snow? It's really 100% industrial-grade chrysotile asbestos. Even though the wellness risks associated with the cloth were known at the time, it was still Hollywood'south preferred choice for false snow. Our advice to Dorothy? Don't catch whatsoever snowflakes on your natural language.
Scarecrow'southward Makeup Stuck Around for Awhile
In the cease, Ray Bolger (Scarecrow) was probably grateful in more ways than 1 for Buddy Ebsen (the original Tin Homo's) willingness to trade parts with him. The Tin Man'southward aluminum makeup caused a huge corporeality of issues for Ebsen, who was replaced by Jack Haley.
Although Bolger's makeup experience was improve than Ebsen'due south, he still had some issues. The Scarecrow's makeup consisted of a rubber prosthetic, consummate with a woven pattern that mimicked the await of burlap. After the film wrapped, the prosthetic left patterns on Bolger'southward face up that took more than a year to fade.
Margaret Hamilton Was Burned On Set
In a flare-up of flames and red fume, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) vanishes from Munchkinland. Although the scene is terrifying for viewers, it may have instilled more fearfulness for Hamilton. On the showtime take, the smoke rose from a hidden trapdoor also early.
For the second take, Hamilton stood on the trapdoor as planned, but her cape snagged on the platform when the burn down flared up. Her copper-containing makeup heated up instantly, causing second- and third-caste burns on her easily and face. To make 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 flight monkeys — or Winged Monkeys as they're called in the source material — have certainly been a source of terror for generations. Almost every bit scary as the Witch herself, these henchmen soar onto the scene to kidnap Dorothy and Toto — thanks to the magic of piano wires.
Yet, the aerial stunt went awry when several of the piano wires snapped, sending actors plummeting a few feet to the soundstage floor. To create such a vast troupe of monkeys (and cut down on human marionettes), filmmakers made miniature rubber monkeys to help populate the heaven.
"Over the Rainbow" Was Nigh on the Cutting Room Floor
To no one'southward surprise, the American Flick Found ranked "Over the Rainbow" #one on a listing of 100 Greatest Songs in American Films. But what may surprise you? The (arguably) nearly iconic song of Judy Garland's career was virtually cut from the film.
Studio execs at MGM thought the song made the Kansas scenes too long. Moreover, filmmakers were concerned that children wouldn't understand the vocal's meaning. Luckily, this unfounded business melted like lemon drops. Unfortunately, Garland's bawling reprise of the song was left on the cutting room floor.
The Can Man Costume Didn't Permit Jack Haley to Rest Easy
Although Bert Lahr had to schlep around in a 90-pound lion costume, Jack Haley didn't have it easy either. From the lingering concerns near the aluminum paste-based makeup on his face and hands to the minimal flexibility of the "tin" trunk and arms, Haley faced some challenges.
Reportedly, his costume was so stiff that he had to lean confronting a lath to residuum properly. Many years later on, actor Anthony Daniels, known for playing the protocol droid C-3PO in the Star Wars films, had the aforementioned event with his rigid costume. It seems fifty-fifty fantasy and sci-fi can't help folks escape all their problems.
The Original Can Human Was Rushed to the Infirmary
Initially, Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, simply traded parts with Ray Bolger. Notwithstanding, Ebsen'southward new graphic symbol, the Tin can Man, caused him a globe of issues. Namely, the character'south silver makeup independent a harmful aluminum grit that coated Ebsen'due south lungs.
To brand matters worse, Ebsen had an allergic reaction, and, unable to exhale, he was rushed to the hospital. MGM recast the role with Jack Haley (and inverse up the makeup), but didn't explain why Ebsen "dropped out." Although Ebsen didn't appear in the last film, his vocals can be heard in "We're Off to Run into the Wizard."
A Stocking & Some Miniatures Gave Us the Tornado
The tornado that strikes the Gale homestead is full of practical special effects that really hold up. The funnel itself was actually a 35-foot long stocking fabricated of muslin. The special effects team spun information technology 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 but a miniature house that was dropped onto a sky painting. Filmmakers then reversed the footage to brand information technology look like the house was falling out of the clouds.
Hollywood Didn't Pay Up Then Either
Pay inequality has always been an issue in Hollywood. For case, Adriana Caselotti, vox of the titular character in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Vii Dwarfs (1937), fabricated $970 for her performance. The pic went on to make roughly $8 million.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Judy Garland'due south pay was improve than Caselotti's — playing Dorothy earned her $500 a week — but it still didn't reverberate the moving-picture show's success. Even more than discouraging, the folks who portrayed the citizens of Munchkinland were paid a mere $50 per calendar week. (Meanwhile, Terry the canis familiaris earned $125 per week every bit Toto. A existent yikes.)
Bert Lahr's Lion Costume Was Taxing
Originally, MGM thought information technology might bandage its mascot — the bodily lion used in the studio's title menu — every bit the cowardly graphic symbol. Fortunately, for the safety of the actors and the fauna, the filmmakers decided to cast actor Bert Lahr as the anthropomorphic character instead.
To make a convincing animate being, the costume department fashioned Lahr a 90-pound outfit made from real lion skin. However, the arc lights used on ready made things a steamy 100 degrees during filming, which meant Lahr did a lot of sweating unrelated to his character'southward nerves. Each night, ii stagehands stale the costume for the next twenty-four hours.
The Initial Box Office Returns Were Uneven
The film started shooting in October of 1938 but didn't wrap until March of 1939, racking upwards an unheard of $two,777,000 in costs. That'south about $50 million adapted for aggrandizement. Upon its initial release, the movie only earned $3 1000000 at the box office — about $51.8 1000000 by today's standards.
Although that seems impressive for a Depression-era picture, call back that Disney fabricated $8 million with Snow White and the Vii Dwarfs (1937). The Magician of Oz's modest success in the U.Southward. barely covered product and film rights' costs — MGM paid $75,000 to the publisher for those — but success overseas fortunately bolstered the film's returns.
The Night Side of Oz in a Fourth dimension Earlier "Me Too"
Judy Garland was just 16 years quondam when she was bandage every bit Dorothy. Insecure and lonesome, she became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates, which were often given to young actors to help them sleep after studios shot them upward with adrenaline so they could 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 author for Express, "[Garland] was molested by older men, including studio chiefs [and head Louis B. Mayer], who considered her piffling more than their 'belongings.'" Moreover, MGM forced Garland to stick to a wildly unhealthy diet of cigarettes, coffee and chicken soup.
The Voice of Snow White Had a Cameo
A few years before The Magician of Oz debuted, Walt Disney's feature-length animated moving-picture show Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (1937) became a smash-hitting. Not only did the picture show revolutionize the animation industry, it as well reinvigorated the fantasy genre.
Disney wanted to follow upwards Snowfall White — and so the virtually successful moving-picture show of all time — with an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but MGM owned the rights. By happenstance, Adriana Caselotti, who voiced Snowfall White, had an uncredited role in Oz. During the Can Man'south "If I Merely Had a Eye," Caselotti speaks her sole line, "Wherefore art thousand Romeo?"
The Red Slippers Are Props & Treasured Artifacts
Keeping in line with the book, Dorothy'southward iconic footwear was originally silver, but screenwriter Noel Langley felt the red color would actually pop in glorious Technicolor. Designed by MGM'south chief costume designer Gilbert Adrian, the shoes are each covered in about ii,300 sequins.
I of the remaining pairs is on view in the Smithsonian Establishment's National Museum of American History. Since the display is so heavily trafficked, the museum has replaced the carpet there several times. Some other pair were stolen from Minnesota's Judy Garland Museum in 2005, but the FBI recovered the slippers for the institution in 2018.
Only 1 Sequence Was Filmed "On Location"
The Wizard of Oz is your classic chance story, and Dorothy'due south quest leads her from a Kansas farm to some other world — consummate with corn fields, poppy-filled meadows and forests. However, despite all these breathtaking locations, most 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 send audiences to far abroad places without filming on location. In fact, the only location footage in the film is the opening championship sequence — those clouds are 100% the existent deal.
A 2d Toto Was Brought In
Toto, played primarily by Terry, is one of the near beloved dogs in motion-picture show history. Terry was famously not a huge fan of special effects and can oft exist seen running out of a shot when something loud or alarming happens — like when the Can Man spouts out all of that steam.
After one of the Witch's guards accidentally stepped on her, Terry was on bedrest for two weeks. Filmmakers went through two doubles to detect one that resembled the original canine actor more closely.
Fun fact: Judy Garland was so fond of Terry that she wanted to adopt the dog.
Margaret Hamilton "Mourns the Wicked" Witch
In improver to being a huge fan of the Oz books, Margaret Hamilton also believed her grapheme was more than just your run-of-the-manufactory evil villain. More than than 35 years after the film debuted, Hamilton, donning her Witch's costume to bear witness kids it was make-believe, appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where Fred Rogers interviewed her most the character.
Co-ordinate to Hamilton, the so-called Wicked Witch relished everything she did, merely she was also a distressing, lonely figure. In short, things never went well for the frustrated Witch. Oddly plenty, the Broadway musical Wicked too takes this approach to the Witch's character.
The "Horse of a Unlike Color" Was Made Possible Cheers to a Food Product
In 1939, audiences were just equally amazed equally Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Human being and the Cowardly Lion when the horse in Emerald City took on a rainbow of colors. This "horse of a dissimilar color" was made possible cheers to a surprising nutrient 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 care for. Only the colorful steed isn't the merely interesting component in this fan-favorite scene. The horse-fatigued carriage was in one case owned 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'due south flying monkeys, so many actors had to undergo a makeup transformation in order to give life to this fantasy moving picture. To keep upwardly with the daily demands, MGM called upon workers from the studio mailroom and courier service to manage makeup stations.
Since most of the Ozian ensemble required prosthetics, makeup artists — and "makeshift" artists — formed a kind of costuming assembly line. Most actors had to get in before v:00 in the morning — six days a week! — to begin the intensive procedure.
Memorable (& Often Misquoted) Lines Fill the Film
The film is chock-total of iconic, memorable songs, and information technology has the nifty fortune of beingness responsible for some of the about quoted lines in movie history as well. In 2007, Premiere compiled a list of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" and placed a whopping 3 of the film's lines on the listing.
"Pay no attention to that homo backside the curtain" was voted #24, while "In that location's no place like home" nabbed the 11th spot. Finally, the frequently misquoted "Toto, I have a feeling nosotros're non in Kansas anymore" landed in the 62nd spot.
The Witch's Fire Employed Some Technical Wizardry (& Juice)
Clearly, the technical wizardry — or witchcraft — in the film is incredible. Like the "horse of a unlike color" sequence, another iconic, special furnishings-heavy scene harnessed the power of everyday household items to pull off fun tricks.
Shortly after Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland, the Wicked Witch tries to snatch the scarlet slippers from the young girl's feet. However, burn down strikes the Witch's hands, repelling her. This "fire" is actually apple tree juice spouting from the slippers in a sped-up clip to make it await more flame-similar.
Technicolor Required Some Ingenuity in the Props Department
Experimenting with Technicolor was function fun and part problem-solving for filmmakers. In social club to properly capture scenes with the Technicolor camera, the soundstage needed to exist lit with arc lights, which often heated the gear up to a toasty 100 degrees.
Subsequently the lights were prepare, the experts experimented with what would expect all-time on film, especially in colorized form. For example, the white office of Dorothy's dress is actually pinkish — merely because it filmed meliorate. And the oil the Tin can Human is and so excited about? It's actually chocolate syrup.
The Wicked Witch of the East Makes More Than One Advent
Part of the Wicked Witch of the W's 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 ruby slippers. Although Margaret Hamilton already plays both the Wicked Witch of the West and her Kansas analogue Almira Gulch, she also plays the Wicked Witch of the Eastward — if only briefly.
During the tornado sequence, an addled Dorothy looks out her sleeping room window and watches Gulch transform into a witch, her shoes shimmering. For fans, this glint indicates the witch outside the window is wearing the ruddy slippers. The restored version of the film makes that shimmer even more noticeable.
The Film's Running Time Was Cut Down Several Times
The kickoff cut of the motion picture clocked in at a running time of 120 minutes. Although that seems like naught by today's Curiosity movie standards, producer Mervyn LeRoy felt it was long and unwieldy and wanted to chop off 20 minutes.
After cutting the famed "Jitterbug" number (elevation right) and an extended Scarecrow dance sequence, the picture was 112 minutes long. LeRoy held a second preview screening, and, afterwards, nixed Dorothy'southward "Over the Rainbow" reprise, an Emerald City reprise of "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Expressionless," 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 Due west performance too frightening for audiences and cut or trimmed many of her scenes. Just non everyone thought her performance was terrifying — namely Judy Garland, who played the Wicked Witch's nemesis, Dorothy Gale.
Off-screen, the film's starring foes were actually friends. I story that emerged from the set described Garland excitedly showing off a clothes to Hamilton, declaring she was going to vesture information technology for her graduation. Unfortunately, MGM'due south Louis B. Mayer sent Garland on a printing 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," equally opposed to the more apt "Color Sequences by Technicolor." The phrasing of the credits makes it seem as though the entire movie was shot in color. Was this done deliberately, or was it a minor syntactical faux pas?
It's widely believed this was a chip of a stunt done to enhance the surprise of the picture turning into full 3-strip Technicolor when Dorothy arrives in Oz. Posters made at the time of the film's debut made no mention of sepia tint (or "black-and-white"), adding acceptance to this theory.
1 of History's Nigh-Watched Films
Although The Wizard of Oz proved popular in theaters, another moving picture released the same year, also directed by Victor Fleming, actually topped the box office. (Yous may have heard of that petty movie — information technology'southward chosen Gone with the Wind.) Nonetheless, MGM's musical fantasy may have more staying ability than other films of the era, cheers in part to re-releases.
The film was first broadcast on tv on November 3, 1956, and garnered an impressive 44 million viewers. It'due south believed that The Wizard of Oz is one of the 10 most-watched feature-length movies in moving-picture show history, largely due to the number of annual boob tube screenings, theater viewings and various format re-releases.
Source: https://www.ask.com/entertainment/wizard-of-oz-facts?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740004%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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