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The Wizard of Oz was voted #6 in AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time
Judy Garland was voted #8 Woman in AFI's 50 Greatest American Screen Legends
That TV made this movie. It did not show a profit or become wildly popular until it hit TV.
That Toto's real name was Terry and she was a Cairn Terrier? Only she was paid less than Judy Garland of the major stars. Well, except for the 124 midgets who were the Munchkins. They only got $50 a week.
The black and white scenes of Kansas were filmed last. This provides contrast to colorful Oz, which is a good thing since the Technicolor cameras had already been moved to the "Gone With the Wind" set.
Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Ray Bolger had to suck lunch through a straw as they couldn't eat in those costumes.
The Cowardly Lion's tail was worked by a technicians on an overhead walkway.
Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man, but the aluminum in the costume gave him serious breathing problems.
Judy Garland's body was a source of concern. They gave her diet pills, and then of course, sleeping pills, the consequences of which are well known. They also put her in a tight corset as she was seen as too buxom.
"Over the Rainbow" tested badly in preview screenings so it was cut out and then later, upon reflection, reinserted. Good thinking.
Shirley Temple was never the first choice for Dorothy. It was bought specifically for Judy Garland.
Margaret Hamilton got so badly burned she had to be hospitalized when the fire came too quickly as she exited Munchkinland. For her melting exit, they used dry ice. Good idea.
The Horse of a Different Color couldn't be actually painted because of Animal Rights concerns. So they used colored, flavored jelly - which the horse kept licking off.
It took 20 guys a week to set up the 40,000 wire poppies.
The ruby slippers were originally silver, as they were in the L. Frank Baum book. But hey, it's Technicolor and ruby looks better. Speaking of - according to some sources, 7 pairs actually existed. The location of 5 is known. If you're sitting on a missing pair, they're worth about 1.5 million. Dollars.
"Over the Rainbow", which the American Film Institute recently named the greatest movie song of all time, was nearly cut from the film.
The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.
Liza Minelli, the daughter of Judy Garland, was once married to TV producer Jack Haley Jr., son of the Tin Man.
Buddy Ebson, the original actor hired to play the Tin Man, became very ill from the metallic makeup and was not able to appear in the movie, but his voice can still be heard singing "We're off to see the wizard," when Dorothy and her friends are dancing down the yellow brick road after the forest scene.
Margaret Hamilton, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West, was a kindergarten teacher before becoming an actress.
The coat that Frank Morgan wears as Professor Marvel was bought second-hand for the film. It was only discovered later that it once belonged to L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz stories. The name sewn into the garment was shown to his widow, who confirmed that the coat did indeed once belong to the author.
The day Judy Garland died, a tornado struck Kansas.
Margaret Hamilton proved too authentic as the wicked witch as it was reported that mothers throughout the country had to carry their children out of movie theaters because the children were horrified by her make up.
In Frank L. Baum's books, Dorothy was actually about 11 years old. As Judy Garland was in her mid-teens when she was cast, MGM pulled out all the stops to make her look as young as possible. Already on a chicken soup-only diet and appetite suppressants (as she was a little too chubby for the studio's liking), MGM upped her dosage and had a corset made to flatten any signs of a womanly figure. Garland had to have special lessons on how to walk, talk and dance normally as the corset was so tight. The costume department dressed her in a childish pinafore dress and gave her little girl plaits too. Even with these efforts it's still clear to see that Garland looks older than 11 in the film
The title role was written with W.C. Fields in mind. Producer Mervyn LeRoy wanted Ed Wynn, who turned down the role. MGM executive Arthur Freed wanted Fields, and offered him $75,000. Fields supposedly wanted $100,000. According to a letter from Fields' agent (which he claimed was written by Fields) Fields turned down the role to devote his time to writing the script for _You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1940)_ .
Originally Betty Jaynes was cast as Princess Betty of Oz and Kenny Baker was to play her lover, the Grand Duke. They were to share the vocal load with Judy Garland. Eventually, after multiple rewrites, their characters were written out of the film.
Ogden Nash wrote an unused screenplay.
According to lead Munchkin Jerry Maren, the "little people" on the set were paid $50 per week for a 6-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.
A reprise of "Over the Rainbow" was filmed, in which Dorothy was remembering Kansas while being imprisoned in the Witch's castle. Judy Garland began to cry, along with the crew, because the song was so sad. It was later cut.
When filming first started, Judy Garland wore a blond wig and heavy, "baby-doll" makeup. When George Cukor assumed the role of intermediate director (after MGM fired the original director and before they found a replacement), he got rid of the wig and most of the makeup and told her to just be herself. f you look very closely at the Wicked Witch that Miss Gulch transformed into while Dorothy looks out her bedroom window during the tornado, you will see a shimmer from her shoes--she's wearing the Ruby Slippers. That means that she is the Wicked Witch of the East, who is soon to be killed when Dorothy's house falls on her. Margaret Hamilton has never been credited for playing this role (which is practically a cameo). This shimmer from her shoes is even more obvious when watching a better-quality copy of the film, such as the 1989 50th anniversary laserdisc version or the 1999 60th anniversary Warner Bros. DVD restored version.
The pre-release 112 minute version was never seen by the public.
Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy was the main inspiration for the character of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island" (1964).
In the song "If I Only Had A Heart", the girl who says, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" is Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
Judy Garland was voted #8 Woman in AFI's 50 Greatest American Screen Legends
That TV made this movie. It did not show a profit or become wildly popular until it hit TV.
That Toto's real name was Terry and she was a Cairn Terrier? Only she was paid less than Judy Garland of the major stars. Well, except for the 124 midgets who were the Munchkins. They only got $50 a week.
The black and white scenes of Kansas were filmed last. This provides contrast to colorful Oz, which is a good thing since the Technicolor cameras had already been moved to the "Gone With the Wind" set.
Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Ray Bolger had to suck lunch through a straw as they couldn't eat in those costumes.
The Cowardly Lion's tail was worked by a technicians on an overhead walkway.
Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man, but the aluminum in the costume gave him serious breathing problems.
Judy Garland's body was a source of concern. They gave her diet pills, and then of course, sleeping pills, the consequences of which are well known. They also put her in a tight corset as she was seen as too buxom.
"Over the Rainbow" tested badly in preview screenings so it was cut out and then later, upon reflection, reinserted. Good thinking.
Shirley Temple was never the first choice for Dorothy. It was bought specifically for Judy Garland.
Margaret Hamilton got so badly burned she had to be hospitalized when the fire came too quickly as she exited Munchkinland. For her melting exit, they used dry ice. Good idea.
The Horse of a Different Color couldn't be actually painted because of Animal Rights concerns. So they used colored, flavored jelly - which the horse kept licking off.
It took 20 guys a week to set up the 40,000 wire poppies.
The ruby slippers were originally silver, as they were in the L. Frank Baum book. But hey, it's Technicolor and ruby looks better. Speaking of - according to some sources, 7 pairs actually existed. The location of 5 is known. If you're sitting on a missing pair, they're worth about 1.5 million. Dollars.
"Over the Rainbow", which the American Film Institute recently named the greatest movie song of all time, was nearly cut from the film.
The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.
Liza Minelli, the daughter of Judy Garland, was once married to TV producer Jack Haley Jr., son of the Tin Man.
Buddy Ebson, the original actor hired to play the Tin Man, became very ill from the metallic makeup and was not able to appear in the movie, but his voice can still be heard singing "We're off to see the wizard," when Dorothy and her friends are dancing down the yellow brick road after the forest scene.
Margaret Hamilton, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West, was a kindergarten teacher before becoming an actress.
The coat that Frank Morgan wears as Professor Marvel was bought second-hand for the film. It was only discovered later that it once belonged to L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz stories. The name sewn into the garment was shown to his widow, who confirmed that the coat did indeed once belong to the author.
The day Judy Garland died, a tornado struck Kansas.
Margaret Hamilton proved too authentic as the wicked witch as it was reported that mothers throughout the country had to carry their children out of movie theaters because the children were horrified by her make up.
In Frank L. Baum's books, Dorothy was actually about 11 years old. As Judy Garland was in her mid-teens when she was cast, MGM pulled out all the stops to make her look as young as possible. Already on a chicken soup-only diet and appetite suppressants (as she was a little too chubby for the studio's liking), MGM upped her dosage and had a corset made to flatten any signs of a womanly figure. Garland had to have special lessons on how to walk, talk and dance normally as the corset was so tight. The costume department dressed her in a childish pinafore dress and gave her little girl plaits too. Even with these efforts it's still clear to see that Garland looks older than 11 in the film
The title role was written with W.C. Fields in mind. Producer Mervyn LeRoy wanted Ed Wynn, who turned down the role. MGM executive Arthur Freed wanted Fields, and offered him $75,000. Fields supposedly wanted $100,000. According to a letter from Fields' agent (which he claimed was written by Fields) Fields turned down the role to devote his time to writing the script for _You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1940)_ .
Originally Betty Jaynes was cast as Princess Betty of Oz and Kenny Baker was to play her lover, the Grand Duke. They were to share the vocal load with Judy Garland. Eventually, after multiple rewrites, their characters were written out of the film.
Ogden Nash wrote an unused screenplay.
According to lead Munchkin Jerry Maren, the "little people" on the set were paid $50 per week for a 6-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.
A reprise of "Over the Rainbow" was filmed, in which Dorothy was remembering Kansas while being imprisoned in the Witch's castle. Judy Garland began to cry, along with the crew, because the song was so sad. It was later cut.
When filming first started, Judy Garland wore a blond wig and heavy, "baby-doll" makeup. When George Cukor assumed the role of intermediate director (after MGM fired the original director and before they found a replacement), he got rid of the wig and most of the makeup and told her to just be herself. f you look very closely at the Wicked Witch that Miss Gulch transformed into while Dorothy looks out her bedroom window during the tornado, you will see a shimmer from her shoes--she's wearing the Ruby Slippers. That means that she is the Wicked Witch of the East, who is soon to be killed when Dorothy's house falls on her. Margaret Hamilton has never been credited for playing this role (which is practically a cameo). This shimmer from her shoes is even more obvious when watching a better-quality copy of the film, such as the 1989 50th anniversary laserdisc version or the 1999 60th anniversary Warner Bros. DVD restored version.
The pre-release 112 minute version was never seen by the public.
Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy was the main inspiration for the character of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island" (1964).
In the song "If I Only Had A Heart", the girl who says, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" is Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
Comments
I also love how Dorothy was the model for Maryanne on "Gilligan's Island". I had no idea. But when you look at her again, it makes sense. Brilliant.