382 Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
Description
This article is from the Movie Trivia, by Murray Chapman muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au with numerous contributions by others.
382 Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
- 'Ogden Nash' (qv) wrote an unused screenplay.
- The title role was written with 'W.C. Fields' (qv) in mind. Producer
'Mervyn LeRoy' (qv) wanted 'Ed Wynn' (qv), who turned down the role. Studio
executive Freed wanted Fields, and offered him $75,000. Fields supposedly
wanted $100,000. According to a letter from Fields' agent (and supposedly
written by Fields) Fields turned down to role to devote his time to writing
the script for ``You Can't Cheat an Honest Man''.
- 'Frank Morgan' (qv) has five roles: Professor Marvel, the gatekeeper of the
Emerald city, the cab driver (of the horse of a different color), the
Wizard's guard, and the Wizard. It is also possible that he was made up for
the projected image of the Wizard.
- MGM studio heads wanted 'Shirley Temple' (qv) to play Dorothy.
- 'Gale Sondergaard' (qv) was originally cast as the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Terry (Toto) was stepped on by one of the witch's guards, and had a double
for two weeks. A second double was obtained, because it resembled Toto more
closely.
- The Cowardly Lion's facial makeup included a brown paper bag. Actor
'Bert Lahr' (qv) couldn't eat without ruining his makeup. Tired of eating
soup and milkshakes, he decided to eat lunch and have his makeup redone.
- 'Buddy Ebsen' (qv) was the original choice for the Scarecrow.
'Ray Bolger' (qv) was originally brought in as the Tin Woodsman. Bolger
wanted to play the Scarecrow (his childhood idol was 'Fred Stone' (qv) who
had played the original Scarecrow in the 1902 Baum play ``The Wizard of
Oz''. Bolger had seen him in ``Jack O Lantern'' in 1919 or 1920.) He
insisted and was eventually given the Scarecrow role. Ebsen was given the
Tin Man. Ebsen got sick from the makeup, but that was not the sole cause:
his symptoms were not consistent with aluminum powder poisoning, but were an
allergic reaction to either the aluminum or the other chemicals in the
makeup. (he probably would have gotten sick anyway, but this speeded the
process). The makeup method was changed when 'Jack Haley' (qv) took over
(the aluminum was originally put on as a powder, they switched to mixing the
aluminum in a paste), so Haley did not inhale the aluminum as much. Haley
did not find out what had happened to Ebsen until after the movie. He
assumed that Ebsen had been fired. Ebsen's voice can still be heard in
``Off to see the Wizard''.
- ``Over the Rainbow'' was nearly cut.
- The film originally contained an elaborate production number
called ``The Jitter Bug'', which cost $80,000 and took five weeks to shoot.
In the scene, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly lion, and the Tin
Woodsman are on their way to the Witch's castle when they are attacked by
``jitter bugs'' - furry pink and blue mosquitolike ``rascals'' that give one
``the jitters'' as they buzz about in the air. When, after its first
preview, the movie was judged too long, MGM officials decided to sacrifice
the ``Jitter Bug'' scene. They reasoned that it added little to the plot
and, because a dance by the same name had just become popular, they feared
it might date the picture. The Witch still refers to the bug in the final
film, just before telling the Monkeys to ``Fly!'' Only home movies of the
filming of ``The Jitterbug'' survive, though the song is on current versions
of both the soundtrack CD and the recent anniversary edition videotape. The
sequence was also incorporated into a recent stage version of the musical.
- When filming first started, 'Judy Garland' (qv) wore a blond wig and heavy,
``baby-doll'' makeup; when 'George Cukor' (qv) assumed the role of
intermediate director (after the producer took the original director off the
picture, and before they found a replacement), he got rid of the wig and
most of the makeup and told her to just be herself.
- The ``tornado'' was a thirty-five foot long muslin stocking, photographed
with miniatures of a Kansas farm and fields.
- The Wicked Witch of the West ('Margaret Hamilton' (qv)) was off the film for
more than a month after being severely burned during her disappearance from
Munchkinland. Her stand-in was also injured when a broom exploded during a
stunt shot.
- Morgan's Professor Marvel coat was taken from a rack of second-hand
clothing purchased by the studio wardrobe department; he was astounded when,
just by chance, he turned out the coat's pocket and found the name
'L. Frank Baum' (qv) (the Oz books' author) sewn into the lining. Baum's
widow and the tailor who made the coat confirmed that the coat had, indeed,
been his. Upon completion of filminggg, the coat was presented to Baum's
widow.
- The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jello crystals. The
relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick
it off.
- Rumors of the Munchkin actors' wild drunken orgies and other escapades are
greatly exaggerated.
- Many of the Munchkins' voices were dubbed by professional singers, as many
of the actors had poor Engish or couldn't sing.
- There is a rumor that a man committed suicide on the set, and that his body
can be seen on the left of the screen as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the
Tin Man walk down the Yellow Brick Road after their first encounter with the
Wicked Witch. This is false; the object in question is a strange looking
bird.
- Director 'Victor Fleming' (qv) did not finish the film, being assigned to
take over direction of "Gone with the Wind (1939)" (qv). Fleming stayed
with Oz until the color photography was completed, and then handed over to
'King Vidor' (qv), who directed the black and white sequences.
Continue to:
My Books
