Movies
Revealed: the dark secrets behind the Wizard of Oz
It’s one of our all-time favourite musical films, but there’s a dark side to the wonderfully colourful 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. From drunken fights and poisonous makeup to knife-wielding Munchkins and Tin Man troubles, the family favourite wasn’t so family-friendly behind the scenes. Here are a few things you might not have known about The Wizard of Oz.
- Judy Garland went on a date with one of the Munchkin actors at the age of 17, accompanied by her mother. When the pair turned up, the actor quipped, “Fair enough, two broads for the price of one.”
- According to Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion, “many of the Munchkins made their living by panhandling, pimping and whoring,” and were often seen wielding knives and getting into drunken brawls.
- Beverly Hillbillies actor Buddy Ebsen was originally picked to play Tin Man, but was forced to withdraw after having a severe reaction to the aluminium dust in his makeup, which left him in an iron lung. He had lasting health problems from the short-lived role, complaining about his involvement in “that damned movie” until his death in 2003.
- Jack Haley, who took over the role of Tin Man, also had a reaction to the makeup (which was changed to a paste), leaving him with an eye infection.
- In yet another make-up blunder, Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West) swallowed some of her copper-based makeup and was forced to live on liquids for days. It took weeks for her face to lose its green colour.
- Hamilton also suffered a serious accident on set in the scene where she disappears in a puff of smoke in Munchkinland. She sustained a second-degree burn to her face when her makeup caught fire after reacting with the special effects equipment.
- Dorothy’s beloved pet dog Toto (played by a Cairn named Terrier Terry) was also injured on the set, when a crewmember accidently trod on her foot, breaking her paw. She recovered and went on to appear in 15 movies.
- In a surprising twist of fate, the jacket purchased at an op shop for Professor Marvel’s costume actually belonged to Oz author L. Frank Baum. It was returned to his widow, Maud Gage, after filming wrapped up.
- Judy Garland was forced to lose 12 pounds to get the role of Dorothy, as she was competing against 11-year-old Shirley Temple.
- The costumes worn by the Witch’s guards and the winged monkeys were so heavy (and, in the case of the monkeys, involved facial prosthetics), some of the actors almost died of heatstroke.
What’s your favourite childhood movie? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Related links:
Hollywood’s 15 best movies based on kids’ books
Wicked movie gets 2019 release date