play along here
I thought I’d keep the movie theme for another week!
1. the electric witch
The sparks that fly when the Wicked Witch of the West tries to take Dorothy’s ruby slippers… not electric at all. Instead, it was apple juice. A member of the crew splashed apple juice and sped it up on film to produce the “sparks.”
2. not the OG Dorothy
Judy Garland was almost not the famous Dorothy at all. Initially, Shirley Temple was the the first choice for the role, but the filmmakers decided that Shirley didn’t have the necessary vocal to sing the films interludes.
3. holy hellfire
The Wizard of Oz was one of the first movies to be filmed in Technicolor, which required large sets with lots of cameras and elaborate lighting rigs. Unfortunately for cast and crew, those lighting rigs were huge and made the set unbearably hot. Cinematographer Harold Rosson has said that the film borrowed every unused arc light in Hollywood. Temperatures soared to over 38°C/100°F, causing people to faint frequently.
4. the blue-and-white gingham dress
The dress actually wasn’t blue and white but blue and pink. Apparently, that color combination was much simpler to shoot with the new Technicolor technology.
photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images via Good Housekeeping
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5. unfair wages
Despite the central role the Munchkins played throughout the story of The Wizard of Oz, the actors who played them earned very little. They were paid $6,750 a week… divided by 135. That calculates to just $50 a week per each of the 135 Munchkin actors. Compare this to the $500 per week for Judy Garland and $125 a week for Terry, the terrier who played Toto.
6. age is an illusion
In the novel, Dorothy is a 12-year-old farm girl, but Judy Garland was 16. The Wicked Witch of the West was portrayed as old, and cruel, but Margaret Hamilton was just 34 when she played her. Glinda the Good was depicted as quite young, but she was played by Billie Burke, who was 54 years old.
7. dates of death
When the Coroner presents the Wicked Witch’s death certificate, the date of death is listed as May 6, 1938, an homage to the death date of The Wizard of Oz writer, L. Frank Baum, who died on May 6, 1919
8. the changing Tin Man
Buddy Ebsen, later known as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies, was cast as the Scarecrow, while Ray Bolger was cast as the Tin Man. But the two men switched roles. But when filming began, Ebsen had a severe allergic reaction to the aluminum dust that was used in the silver makeup necessary for the Tin Man. The cramps and breathing issues were so bad that it forced him to leave the production, paving the way for Jack Haley to become the Tin Man.
9. tears of chocolate
When the Tin Man cried, his tears were supposed to be machine oil. But oil didn’t film well, so instead he cried chocolate syrup.
10. the toxicity of a witch
The makeup used to paint Margaret Hamilton’s face green was incredibly toxic. She (and her doubles) were unable to eat once it was in place, subsisting on a liquid diet sipped through straws. Worse, her skin remained green for weeks after shooting because of the copper-based ingredients within the makeup.
11. the wicked witch & a wicked burn
Margaret Hamilton was also burned badly while filming the scene in which she leaves Munchkinland after meeting Dorothy. Her dress and hat, as well as her broom, caught fire and burned both her face and her hand. She spent six weeks recuperating before she could resume filming.
12. the interesting uses of Jell-O
The Horse-of-a-Different-Color was actually several horses. To create the colors, each horse was coated with Jell-O crystals. But the horses wanted nothing more than to lick themselves clean of the tasty treat, so the scenes had to be shot quickly.
13. the love(-ish) match of Dorothy and the Tin Man’s progeny
In 1974, Judy Garland’s daughter, the famous Liza Minella, married Jack Haley, Jr., the son of the actor who played the Tin Man. “Love-ish” match is appropriate, as they split just five years later in 1979.
bonus fact
The 1939 movie was actually the 10th screen adaptation of the book. This includes three silent films before “talkies” existed. Today, there are well over 50 movie adaptations of it. Not to mention stage and made-for-TV versions. And L. Frank Baum was paid only $75,000 for the rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Funny, too, that there have been so many adaptations, but this well-known and beloved movie actually flopped at the box office. It had two things going against it. First, it came out at the end of The Great Depression. And second, it had to compete with Gone with the Wind. The film only barely recouped the $2.8 million budget.
Great facts about the movie! I knew some of them but not all. I haven’t seen it in years. I should rewatch it now that I am old. (And I still get a notice that you have malware or a virus or something on your page.)
I have no idea why. There’s nothing attached to it. I have all sorts of malware tracking/elimination linked into it.
Apple juice and chocolate tears! I think the witch should have made the biggest paycheck for all that green toxicity. I’d like to see some of the earlier versions especially the silent one.