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Son Elliot suggested a Bytes about nightmare stories and injuries in the making of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, so here is a post about that, a reprint of an article from:
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15 Nightmare Stories From Behind The Scenes Of 'The Wizard of Oz'
Despite the lighthearted material, some of the stories from the set of The Wizard Of Oz are quite dark. For such a beloved, ostensibly whimsical film, the production of The Wizard of Oz was a never-ending carnival of misery for those who worked behind the scenes. Made in 1939, it's still widely appreciated by both children and adults in modern times. Still, there's a lot people don't know about the making of The Wizard of Oz. While some of the production details are relatively harmless, and at times even charming, you have to remember the movie was produced during the dark days of the old Hollywood studio system.
So, what makes The Wizard Of Oz behind-the-scenes stories so dark? Mix heavy drinking and depravity with a few unfortunate on-set catastrophes, add some early movie-making naivety, and divide among five different film directors. Of all behind-the-scenes movie stories, The Wizard Of Oz has some of the most bizarre and shocking. There's a lot more to worry about than lions and tigers and bears. The Pink Floyd sync up may be coincidence, but these stories truly show the dark side of the rainbow. Now, take a look at these Wizard of Oz facts and see for yourself just how treacherous filming was at times.
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Many Of The Actors Playing Munchkins Were Completely Unruly And Inappropriate
The Munchkin actors' antics on The Wizard of Oz were, frankly, bizarre. It's said they engaged in aggressively drunken behaviour, gambling, and group adult activities at the Culver Hotel where they were staying. On Tonight Starring Jack Paar in 1967, Judy Garland said, “They were little drunks … They got smashed every night, and they picked them up in butterfly nets.”
However, many of the actors who portrayed The Munchkins deny the claims. In 2009, Margaret Pellegrini, one of the actresses who played a female Munchkin, spoke to The Independent about the longtime rumours. “There were a lot of them who liked to go out and have a few drinks, but nothing got out of hand. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves. There was no rowdiness or anything like that, and those stories are very upsetting.”
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Judy Garland Was Harassed And Treated Poorly
By many accounts, The Wizard Of Oz was both the beginning and end of Judy Garland's career. Actors in the 1930s were under contract to whatever studio they signed with, and many of them were systemically mistreated and overworked. Teenage actors were often given adrenaline shots to keep them awake, and barbiturates to help them sleep. Garland was no exception.
Garland was already taking pills before she was hired for Oz, but she began using them more frequently once on set. She was also given diet pills to slim down.
There were also reports she was also harassed by both Munchkin actors and studio executives. In his book Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland, the actress's late husband Sid Luft stated about her co-stars:
They'd make Judy's life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress … The men were 40 or more years old. They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.
Behind the camera, Garland was allegedly called "the fat little pig with pigtails" by studio execs.
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The Wicked Witch Got Burned On Set. Twice
During a take of the scene in which the Wicked Witch escapes Munchkinland in a plume of smoke, the pyrotechnics were accidentally set off too early and a trapdoor malfunctioned, causing actress Margaret Hamilton's broom, hat, and makeup to catch fire. In The Making of The Wizard of Oz by Aljean Harmetz, the flames caught on her broom and hat,
“…scalding her chin, the bridge of her nose, her right cheek, and the right side of her forehead. The eyelashes and eyebrow on her right eye had been burned off; her upper lip and eyelid were badly burned.”
Her face and hands were badly burned. Medics had to use alcohol to remove her toxic makeup, which was also extremely painful. After returning to work, she was asked to film the "Surrender, Dorothy," scene, which also required smoke effects. She refused, and her stunt double, Betty Danko, took over. Danko suffered a similar injury during the scene, and was ultimately hospitalised. After her time in the hospital, she said, “I felt as though my scalp was coming off."
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The Tin Man Was Poisoned. Also Twice.
After Ray Bolger insisted he would make a better Scarecrow, the part of the Tin Man was given to Buddy Ebsen. However, an allergic reaction to the aluminium powder in the silver-colored makeup forced him to be hospitalised in an oxygen tent. Upon being interviewed by Aljean Harmetz, author of The Making of Wizard of Oz, Ebsen said the studio was far from sympathetic to his condition:
“They told me to get the hell back to work."
When Ebsen, whose skin had turned blue at this point, could not return, Jack Haley was forced into the role. The production team switched makeup to an aluminum paste, but it caused an eye infection for Haley anyway.
Interestingly, Buddy Ebsen's voice can still be heard in a few places in the soundtrack.
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The Actors Were Sprinkled With Toxic Fake Snow
In the film, Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion fall asleep in a poppy field but are magically awakened by gently falling snow. Sadly, that beautiful snowfall was created using asbestos.
Asbestos fibres were often used as fake snow from the mid-1930s to the 1950s, both in people's homes as holiday decor and in films such as The Wizard of Oz. It wasn't until years later that people discovered the dangers of asbestos, far too late to help the actors exposed to the carcinogenic snow.
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Judy Garland Was Slapped For Laughing
While filming a scene in which Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland supposedly had a giggling fit and was unable to finish the scene without breaking into laughter. Apparently, she couldn't bring herself to stay serious while slapping a man wearing a lion suit.
According to some sources, director Victor Fleming allegedly slapped her to snap her out of it, and she delivered a flawless line delivery on the next take.
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The Cowardly Lion's Outfit Smelled Awful And Was Made Of Real Lions
Cowardly Lion actor Bert Lahr's costume was very authentic. So authentic, in fact, it consisted of real lion pelts. It allegedly weighed 90 pounds and produced an offensively unpleasant odour from having a sweaty human trapped in it all day. Lahr remembers spending about three hours each day in the makeup chair, as did the Scarecrow and Tin Man.
In fact, the makeup took so much time, all three actors were not allowed to take off their costumes or makeup. Their odd appearance while in costume also frightened people dining in the commissary, so they had to eat their lunch on set.
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There Were Five Directors And More Than Ten Screenwriters
Five different directors are credited with taking the helm on The Wizard of Oz. There were also more than 10 screenwriters working on the script, and it was constantly changing. Original director Norman Taurog was replaced by Richard Thorpe, who was replaced by George Cukor. Only working on the film for several days, he helped the musical numbers improve, but was ultimately replaced by Victor Fleming.
Cukor signed on for Gone With The Wind after leaving Oz, but was fired and was replaced once again by Fleming. Since Fleming was now absent from Oz, King Vidor finished the last few weeks of filming, adding the Kansas scenes including "Over The Rainbow," which was almost cut from the final film. Victor Fleming ended up with the sole director credit (as well as the one for Gone With The Wind), since he had the biggest influence on the movie.
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Judy Garland Was Forced To Look Younger
Originally, the producers wanted Shirley Temple to play Dorothy, but contract issues and doubts about her singing ability led them to offer the role to girl-next-door Judy Garland. She was asked to lose about 12 pounds so she would more closely resemble a 12-year-old.
Then 17, Garland was forced to follow a strict diet (which included cigarettes) and wear a painful corset to flatten her breasts. Dorothy's look at the start of filming included blonde hair and feminine makeup, but filmmaker George Cukor decided she should look younger and less fantastic than the Technicolor world she was about to enter.
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Margaret Hamilton's Skin Stayed Green For Weeks
In addition to being highly flammable, the Wicked Witch's green makeup was also toxic. Margaret Hamilton accidentally swallowed some and was unable to eat for days. Her skin was also stayed green for several weeks, due to the copper in the makeup.
Hamilton and the Tin Man weren't the only characters with makeup woes, however. The prosthetic Scarecrow mask Ray Bolger wore left imprints on his face that supposedly lasted for a year.
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A Winkie Trampled Toto And Broke Her Paw
Toto was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry. During filming, one of the Wicked Witch's Winkie guards accidentally stepped on Terry and broke her paw. Terry had to be replaced for the next four weeks of filming.
Injury notwithstanding, it was said that Toto received a higher paycheck (for her owner) than many of the Munchkin actors.
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The Studio Lighting Brought Temperatures On Set To Over 100 Degrees
Technicolor became popular in the early 1930s, as it allowed colours to appear vivid and highly saturated. However, it also required very bright lighting for filming. The intense lighting set-up caused temperatures in the studio to soar above 100 degrees, and there were issues with carbon dioxide buildup.
Production needed to be stopped occasionally so the studio could be aired out. The Winkies and the Winged Monkeys wore heavy costumes and struggled in the heat, some allegedly coming close to heat stroke.
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Some Wicked Witch Scenes Were Cut For Being Too Scary
The original look for the Wicked Witch was sultry, but producers decided "evil" should translate to "ugly." Gale Sondergaard was cast first, but dropped out because she exclusively wanted to play beautiful roles. Her replacement, Margaret Hamilton, was very good at being "ugly scary." So good, in fact, that many of her scenes had to be cut for being too scary, and she wound up appearing in less than 20 minutes of the final film.
She reprised her role in a 1976 episode of Sesame Street, but was also considered too scary, even away from the land of Oz. The episode aired once and was subsequently banned.
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A Magical Horse Was Smeared With Jell-O
If a filmmaker wanted to alter a horse's colour today, they could use CGI. In 1939, however, they had to get more creative. Here, "get more creative" means "use a bunch of Jell-O." The production team cast a white horse in the role of the Emerald City's “horse of a different colour” (which, of course, was red), and sponged it down with gelatin powder in between shots.
The horse apparently liked the flavour, and would try to lick the powder off. If you watch the scene closely, you can actually see the cart driver visibly trying to keep the colourful horse from licking itself.
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One Scene Was Cut For Fear Of Association With Alcohol
There's footage of a cut scene that includes a song and dance number called "Jitterbug." The group is on their way to the Wicked Witch's castle, when they're bombarded by bugs.
The scene was cut mostly because the producers didn't want the film associated with the popular Cab Calloway song "Call of the Jitterbug," which associated the "jitterbug" with alcohol. Weirdly, in the final film, a line referring to this scene still exists. If you've ever wondered what the Witch was referring to when she mentioned sending insects after Dorothy, this is it.
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