The Making of The Wizard of Oz

We are so excited to be sponsoring the viewing of The Wizard of Oz at the Hamilton Movie Theater on Monday, May 11, at 5:30pm.

The book’s original title page.

We all know and love the story that became a classic film, beloved by children and grown-ups alike for decades. Originally released in 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn’t become popular until it debuted on TV in 1956. Since then, it has become one of the most loved films of all time.

But how well do you know the stories behind the movie? Come travel down the yellow brick road with us, and learn the secrets behind Dorothy and her ruby slippers!

 
Did you know…

 
1. Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion costume weighed almost 100 pounds and was made with real lion pelts.

2. Judy Garland had to wear a corset in order to appear more childlike for her role as Dorothy. She was 16 years old when she made the movie.

3. The early Technicolor process required more light than a normal film production, so the set temperatures often exceeded 100 degrees.

4. In L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s slippers were silver. They were changed to “ruby” in order to take advantage of the Technicolor wow factor.

5. The special effects crew used flavored Jell-O powder to color the horses for the Emerald City scenes. It was a snappy shoot since the horses attempted to lick themselves clean.

6. Actress Margaret Hamilton played the Wicked Witch of the West and was depicted as an old hag. In reality, Hamilton was only 36 years old at the time, while her on-screen nemesis, the younger-looking and prettier Glinda the Good Witch of the North (played by Billie Burke), was 54.

7. Shirley Temple, then 11-years-olds, was a frontrunner for the part of Dorothy, but it’s said that producers didn’t think she had the vocal chops to cut it.

8. Buddy Ebsen (aka Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies) was the first choice for the Tin Man, but the actor suffered from an extreme allergic reaction to the aluminum dust in his makeup. Jack Haley took over the role, and makeup artists switched to an aluminum paste. It gave him an eye infection, but he avoided Ebsen’s near-death experience.

9. The Wicked Witch’s makeup was toxic, so actress Margaret Hamilton lived on a liquid diet to avoid accidental ingestion. Her face stayed green for weeks after shooting finished due to the copper-based ingredients.

10. The tornado in the film was created with a 35-foot-long muslin stocking that was spun while dirt, dust, and wind blew against it. The Kansas farm was a miniature.

11. MGM paid L. Frank Baum a whopping $75,000 for the film rights to his book, which was big money in those days.

12. It took five directors and 14 writers to bring The Wizard of Oz to the big screen.

13. The paint used to color the Yellow Brick Road showed up green on a screen test. The crew replaced it with standard yellow industrial paint.

14. Ray Bolger (The Scarecrow), Bert Lahr (The Cowardly Lion), and Jack Haley (The Tin Man) ate in their dressing rooms during breaks since their costumes frightened diners in the MGM cafeteria.

15. The now famous song “Over the Rainbow” was almost cut from the movie, because execs thought it made the movie too long.

16. The Tin Man’s oil was really chocolate sauce. Real oil didn’t show up sufficiently on film.

17. The shabby coat that Frank Morgan’s Professor Marvel/The Wiz wore was a thrift store find. It was discovered later that it used to belong to Oz author, L. Frank Baum (his name was sewn into the garment). Baum’s widow and tailor confirmed the find.

18. Dorothy’s blue and white gingham dress was actually blue and pink. True white looked underwhelming on the big screen due to the Technicolor process.

19. Ray Bolger’s facial prosthetic created an intense impression of lines on his face. It took about a year for them to disappear.

20. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, but lost Best Picture to Gone with the Wind.