History Trivia / TheWizardofOz

* DawsonCasting: Here it's a sixteen year old Creator/JudyGarland playing a vaguely-aged but still younger Dorothy Gale. This is largely unnoticed unless the viewer has read the book. Creator/ShirleyTemple was originally considered for the role, but the plan fell through.[[note]]Temple would have been aged 10 during principal photography. She would star in her own Technicolor picture based on a popular children's book in 1939, ''Film/{{The Little Princess|1939}}''. This was to be her last big hit.[[/note]] Nowhere in either the book or the movie is Dorothy's exact age mentioned, though the book describes her as a "little girl." Some sources suggest Dorothy was meant to be twelve in the film while others assume (from the casting of Fairuza Balk in ''Film/ReturnToOz'') that in the book she is around eight.

* DawsonCasting: Here it's a sixteen year old Creator/JudyGarland playing a vaguely-aged but still younger Dorothy Gale. This is largely unnoticed unless the viewer has read the book. Creator/ShirleyTemple was originally considered for the role, but the plan fell through.[[note]]Temple would have been aged 10 during principal photography. She would star in her own Technicolor picture based on a popular children's book in 1939, ''[[Literature/ALittlePrincess The Little Princess]]''. This was to be her last big hit.[[/note]] Nowhere in either the book or the movie is Dorothy's exact age mentioned, though the book describes her as a "little girl." Some sources suggest Dorothy was meant to be twelve in the film while others assume (from the casting of Fairuza Balk in ''Film/ReturnToOz'') that in the book she is around eight.

** The only one that actually survives is an extended dance number with the Scarecrow following "If I Only Had a Brain." It was choreographed by Creator/BusbyBerkeley. However it was thought to slow the film down, and the cornfield sequence was partially reshot to smooth over the changes. The footage for this original sequence was discovered by 1984.

** And of course, the Music/PinkFloyd ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'' soundtrack synching legend. Vigorously denied by the band, who have pointed out that the audio technology necessary to make the film soundtrack and rock album synch this precisely with each other didn't exist in 1973. The soundtrack synching legend was later referenced as an EasterEgg[=/=]ShoutOut parody by WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd in his review of the videogame adaptation; but unlike Pink Floyd, who have said the synching with the film was unintentional, the creators of the episode at Cinemassacre did the synching of the album and the episode as intentional and [[ThrowItIn placed in a few bits and clues, like a plane,]] to make the synching work, as described [[https://web.archive.org/web/20101002133252/http://cinemassacre.com/2008/08/04/dark-side-of-the-nerd/ in their blog]].
** On a goofier note, urban-legend accounts of zany hijinks engaged in by the little people who had been recruited from all over the country to play the Munchkins provided inspiration for the 1981 Creator/ChevyChase comedy ''Film/UnderTheRainbow''.

** Creator/{{TBS}} frequently airs it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, despite it having nothing to do with any of those holidays. This is likely because it's a very family-friendly film that can be easily viewed or played in the background during holiday gatherings.

** Creator/{{TBS}} frequently airs it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, despite it having nothing to do with any of those holidays. This is likely because it's a very family-friendly film that can be easily viewed at the gatherings that frequently take place.

** The only element that went relatively peacefully was the music... and even then several songs were conceived and dropped, and one, the famous "Jitterbug" sequence, was cut entirely after early test screenings found the audience unreceptive. Though this ended up being quite serendipitous, as with the reference to such a '30s-centric dance craze gone, the film is far more timeless.

** "The Jitterbug" scene and dance number, even though the finished film still has a line leading into it from the Wicked Witch ("I've sent a little insect ahead to take the fight out of them!"), and most stage productions of ''The Wizard of Oz'' include it.

*** Also there was originally meant to be a DarkReprise of the song when Dorothy is trapped in the Witch's castle. As Judy Garland would have had to incorporate a lot of acting into the song, it had to be recorded live during the take. Reportedly it reduced the entire crew to tears. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urLDbg3m3Sk Here's the audio.]] Unlike in the above scene, however, the song was cut at this point.

** Noel Langley, a South African playwright, wrote a version of the script in which the Winged Monkeys are on Dorothy's side. He also invented new characters - Lizzie Smithers the soda jerk, a prince, princess and a dragon.
** A later script has the Wicked Witch out to get the Wizard of Oz with 200 winged monkeys, 4,000 wolves and 10,000 men, because she wants the Emerald City throne for her dim-witted son Bulbo.

** There are legends of two different alternate endings that show that Oz [[OrWasItADream was real]] after all. One ending shows the Ruby Slippers still on Dorothy's feet as she lies in bed, while the other has Dorothy saying "There's no place like home", with the camera panning down to show the Ruby Slippers under her bed. These endings are often mentioned to have only been shown once or twice on television reruns in the mid-to-late 20th century. Neither ending has been confirmed to exist, although the first inspired the ColdOpen of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryBackToOz''.

** Four months after the movie was released Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, was involved in a serious car accident. His chauffeur/house servant William Martin was killed in the December 20, 1939 smash in New Mexico and Frank's wife Alma suffered a fractured leg. Frank and his son George escaped unharmed.

* PromotedFanboy: Creator/MargaretHamilton said that the original novel "has been my favorite book since I was four", so the role coming when she also needed to work was easy to accept. (Although she admitted to not being ''thrilled'' that her agent thought her an obvious choice to play the ''Witch'' of all characters.) Creator/RayBolger also changed roles with the eventually replaced Creator/BuddyEbsen because his childhood hero, Fred Stone, played the Scarecrow in a 1902 stage adaptation of the story.

** Casting was another problem. Creator/MargaretHamilton was cast as the Wicked Witch of the West after the original choice, Gale Sondergaard, left the film due to CreativeDifferences over the Witch's makeup [[note]]The Witch was originally envisioned as a glamorous villainess until the producers realized the PlotHole this would cause due to Glinda's "[[BeautyEqualsGoodness only bad witches are ugly]]" line[[/note]]. Hamilton, a single mother, got into an argument with the studio over guaranteed time to work, only agreeing to take the role three days before filming. Ironically, although she finally got an agreement for five weeks of work, she ended up working on the film for three ''months''. Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Scarecrow, while Creator/RayBolger was the Tin Man; Bolger, whose childhood hero was Fred Stone (who had played the Scarecrow in a 1902 stage adaptation of the story), worked out a deal with Ebsen and switched roles with him. During filming, Ebsen suffered a severe allergic reaction to his Tin Man makeup and was forced to quit, being replaced by Creator/JackHaley. He remained plagued by respiratory issues for the rest of his long life, bitterly calling it "that damned movie."
** The film went through no fewer than five directors. The first, Norman Taurog, oversaw initial casting and set construction, but left before shooting began. Actual filming began under Richard Thorpe, who lasted a little over a week before being fired, after the footage he shot looked like absolute crap; Dorothy in particular was made to wear ridiculous-looking "baby doll" make-up. Creator/GeorgeCukor then came on-board for a few days to help re-tool the film's look, before being sent off to work on ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'', and replaced by Creator/VictorFleming. Fleming oversaw the vast majority of filming, but was ironically sent away to replace Cukor on ''Gone with the Wind'', leaving King Vidor to handle filming of the Kansas scenes. In the end, Fleming was the only one of the five directors to be credited.

** Hamilton suffered a serious burn during the filming of her exit from Munchkinland, which was aggravated by her makeup making treatment difficult. Once she recovered, she refused to film the "SURRENDER DOROTHY" scene on hearing they'd made her a fireproof costume, despite the studio's insistence that the scene involved no pyrotechnics; her stand-in did the scene... and was seriously burned herself!
** And because of that burn (which put her in the hospital for weeks), and her subsequent refusal to do any more fire stunts, the studio was stuck with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leb83bRkXDg the rehearsal take]] of the scene, in which [[SpecialEffectsFailure the smoke comes on too early and the trapdoor can be seen being opened]].
** Filming in general was an uphill struggle, with the cast's call time being four AM and their departure being at seven or eight at the ''earliest''.

* OldShame: As much as she loved being the Wicked Witch, having lobbied hard for the role once it was announced, Margret Hamilton often said that she felt guilty for her performance having frightened so many children who saw it (being both a single mother and a school teacher, she obviously cared deeply for children). Her appearance on ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', where she explains that the Witch is just make-believe and that children don't need to be scared of her, was done at her request.

** There's a scene where the Wicked Witch is giving instructions for her flying monkeys to intercept Dorothy's party, and she says, "They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them." This was in reference to a deleted scene where a bug called the Jitterbug stings the main characters, and they break into a dance number.

*** It also adds context to his response "One day they're gonna erect [[{{Foreshadowing}} a statue]] of me in this town!" The wind machine is meant to be a weather-controlling device, designed to prevent tornadoes (a lifesaving miracle in the Midwest). During the twister scene, when Hunk and Zeke are setting the horses loose, Zeke is audibly heard yelling out "Where's Hickory?". A further cut showed he was desperately trying to complete the machine in order to disperse the twister.

** Creator/JackHaley became the Tin Man after Creator/BuddyEbsen was hospitalized. The Tin Man's makeup originally consisted of aluminum powder, which coated the actor's lungs and nearly suffocated him. To avoid the same near-fatal mistake, the makeup was changed to aluminum paste. It goes further than that, originally Creator/BuddyEbsen was supposed to play Scarecrow and Creator/RayBolger was supposed to play Tin Man. Bolger, however, longed to play the Scarecrow, as his childhood idol, Fred Stone, who had inspired him to do vaudeville in the first place, had performed the role on [[Theatre/TheWizardOfOz1902 stage]] in 1902. Because of this, he was unhappy with his role as the Tin Man, reportedly claiming "I'm not a tin performer; I'm fluid", and convinced producer Mervyn [=LeRoy=] to recast him in the part he so desired. Ebsen agreed to switch roles with Bolger.

** Creator/{{TBS}} frequently airs it at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter, despite it having nothing to do with any of those holidays. This is more likely because it's a very family-friendly film that can be easily viewed at the gatherings that frequently take place.
** The film was a long-time tradition at Creator/{{CBS}}, who did the first TV airing of the film in 1956 (as the finale of the anthology series ''Ford Star Jubilee'') and annually aired it from 1959 to 1967 (skipping 1963) and from 1976 to 1998 (skipping 1997; Creator/{{NBC}} aired it from 1968 to 1975) before it became TBS' own tradition. CBS even aired it in color from the start in an era where it was otherwise reluctant to do color broadcasting because the technology was patented by RCA, owner of rival NBC (the one exception was in 1961 because the sponsor that year did not want to pay extra for the color telecast). The 1959-67 airings had specially-produced wraparound segments where a CBS star (Red Skelton in 1959, [[Series/HaveGunWillTravel Richard Boone]] in 1960, Creator/DickVanDyke in 1961-62 and Creator/DannyKaye in 1964-67) introduced the film; NBC opted not to do these due to commercial time concerns, as did CBS when they got the rights back, though they did create a special slide for preemption/sponsor announcements and commercial bumpers.

** The Wicked Witch is often misquoted as shouting, "Fly, my pretties!" as she sends out her army of flying monkeys, though she never refers to them as "my pretties".
** The line "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!" is a misquote of Dorothy's line in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. The actual quote is "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
** Dorothy (nor anyone else) does not say "It's a twister, Auntie Em". One of the farm hands, Hunk (the "real life" counterpart of the Scarecrow) does say "It's a twister! It's a twister!"

** Speaking of the Scarecrow, some people think it was the Tin Man who misstated the Pythagorean Theorem instead of him. Also, when most people quote said line, they leave out the part where the Scarecrow says "Oh joy! Rapture! I've got a brain! How can I ever thank you enough?".
** Nowhere in the script are the Winged Monkeys ever called the Flying Monkeys. Although, the advertisements have used the term since at least [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNugTWHnSfw 1949]].

** The February 24, 1988 airing on CBS was interrupted for a Special Report on a presidental conference, delaying the start time by an hour and a half.
* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/BuddyEbsen was originally cast as The Scarecrow, and Creator/RayBolger was to play the Tin Woodsman. However, Bolger convinced the studio that his style of dancing was completely wrong for that character (just try to picture the Woodsman dancing like the Scarecrow), so Ebsen agreed to switch roles with him. In an unforeseen complication, however, Ebsen had an extreme allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in the Tin Man's makeup, and was forced to quit the film, spending six weeks in hospital afterwards. Ebsen also noted [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6pjyEC9PU in an interview on the Jerry Springer Show]] many years later that he almost had his testicles cut off by the metal suit! Audio of his performance of "If I Only a Heart" has survived, and in the final film his singing voice is heard instead of Creator/JackHaley's during some reprises of "We're Off to See the Wizard".

** There were others cut early on-"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" was to be a full song, and "If I Only Had the Nerve" and "If I Only Had a Brain" were longer. The longer footage of "Brain" does still exist and later became a bonus feature on various home video releases.

* DawsonCasting: Here it's a sixteen year old Creator/JudyGarland playing a vaguely age but still younger Dorothy Gale. This is largely unnoticed unless the viewer has read the book. Creator/ShirleyTemple was originally considered for the role, but the plan fell through.[[note]]Temple would have been aged 10 during principal photography. She would star in her own Technicolor picture based on a popular children's book in 1939, ''[[Literature/ALittlePrincess The Little Princess]]''. This was to be her last big hit.[[/note]] Nowhere in either the book or the movie is Dorothy's exact age mentioned, though the book describes her as a "little girl." Some sources suggest Dorothy was meant to be twelve in the film while others assume (from the casting of Fairuza Balk in ''Film/ReturnToOz'') that in the book she is around eight.

** Many, many scenes of the Wicked Witch were cut after they made children cry in test screenings, reducing her role to 12 minutes of screen time. All of this footage is completely lost.

** Creator/JackHaley's Tin Man costume was so bulky that he couldn't sit down at any time, he could only lean. He also suffered a severe eye infection from his makeup - though that was mild compared to what Creator/BuddyEbsen had gone through before he replaced him.

** Even Creator/MargaretHamilton was affected. While filming the Wicked Witch's fiery exit from Munchkinland she suffered second and third degree burns, forcing her to take six weeks off to recover, and the green makeup she wore tinted her skin for weeks after filming concluded.
* EditedForSyndication: Starting in 1968, TV airings had subtle edits (no dialog or singing was cut) done and were sometimes time-compressed to have the film clock in at two hours with commercials. This stopped in 1991 when the film gained protected status from the Library of Congress and the National Film Preservation Board; since then, it has always aired uncut at normal speed.

** Some of the voice actors did double duty as well: Billy Bletcher as the Mayor of Oz and the Lollipop Guild member, Lorraine Bridges as an Ozmite and a Lullabye League member, and Abe Dinovitch as an apple tree and one of the Munchkins.

** Since most of the other major characters have Kansas counterparts, we can also count Creator/RayBolger as Hunk and the Scarecrow, Creator/BertLahr as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion, Creator/JackHaley as Hickory and the Tin Man, and Creator/MargaretHamilton as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witche of the West.

** Since most of the other major characters have Kansas counterparts, we can also count Creator/RayBolger as Hunk and the Scarecrow, Creator/BertLahr as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion, Creator/JackHaley as Hickory and the Tin Man, and Creator/MargaretHamilton as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witches of the West.

** Since most of the other major characters have Kansas counterparts, we can also count Creator/RayBolger as Hunk and the Scarecrow, Creator/BertLahr as Zeke and the Cowardly Lion, Creator/JackHaley as Hickory and the Tin Man, and Creator/MargaretHamilton as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witches of the East and the West.

* QuoteSource:
** AndThereWasMuchRejoicing
** AndYourLittleDogToo
** BraveryTropes
** TheCoroner
** CountingSheep
** DeaderThanDead
** RainbowTropes
** SceneOfWonder

* ImageSource:
** NarmCharm
** NiceShoes
** RustRemovingOil
** WickedWitch

** The VHS English release of the movie has VERY faded and bleak picture. The Japanese version has much better resolution.

* ChildrenVoicingChildren: In the English version of the movie: Dorothy was voiced by 11-year-old Aileen Quinn. Averted in the Japanese version, where Dorothy was voiced by Mari Okamoto.
* DigitalDestruction: The VHS English release of the movie has VERY faded and bleak picture. The Japanese version has much better resolution.

** The film was a long-time tradition at Creator/{{CBS}}, who did the first TV airing of the film in 1956 (as the finale of the anthology series ''Ford Star Jubilee'') and annually aired it from 1959 to 1967 (skipping 1963) and from 1976 to 1998 (skipping 1997; Creator/{{NBC}} aired it from 1968 to 1975) before it became TBS' own tradition. CBS even aired it in color from the start in an era where it was otherwise reluctant to do color broadcasting because the technology was patented by RCA, owner of rival NBC (the one exception was in 1961 because the sponsor that year did not want to pay extra for the color telecast). The 1959-67 airings had specially-produced wraparound segments where a CBS star (Red Skeleton in 1959, [[Series/HaveGunWillTravel Richard Boone]] in 1960, Creator/DickVanDyke in 1961-62 and Creator/DannyKaye in 1964-67) introduced the film; NBC opted not to do these due to commercial time concerns, as did CBS when they got the rights back, though they did create a special slide for preemption/sponsor announcements and commercial bumpers.

* PromotedFanboy: Creator/MargaretHamilton said that the original novel "has been my favorite book since I was four", so the role coming when she also needed to work was easy to accept. (Although she admitted to not being ''thrilled'' that her agent thought her an obvious choice to play the ''Witch'' of all characters.) Creator/RoyBolger also changed roles with the eventually replaced Creator/BuddyEbsen because his childhood hero, Fred Stone, played the Scarecrow in a 1902 stage adaptation of the story.

* ReferencedBy: Enough to get [[ReferencedBy/TheWizardOfOz its own page]].

** Also, in addition to the DawsonCasting example, Creator/WCFields was originally asked to play the Wizard, but he demanded a salary which MGM considered to be too exorbitant.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-_Ph93j6l4 The Jitterbug]]" may be the most famous example of a movie musical Cut Song. The audio has survived, but the original footage has not, aside from a few short clips (a common fate for Cut Songs from old movie musicals). According to Creator/MargaretHamilton, the song was cut to avoid dating the film via reference to the "jitterbug" fad. Many stage versions, as well as an ice show tour in TheNineties, reinstated the number. It was also included as part of the bonus content on the 50th anniversary VHS in 1990.

** Glinda tells Dorothy to "tap" her heels together in the actual film, with "knock" being used in the actual book. Theatre/TheWiz popularized it to be "click your heels..."

* HeAlsoDid: The 1982 anime film version was directed by Fumihiko Takayama. His best known directorial credit is ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket'', a harrowing tale of the exhilaration and horrors of war as seen through the eyes of a young boy. It also has a character named Dorothy, which may or may not be a ShoutOut to Takayama's earlier work.

** There was a somber reprise of "Over the Rainbow" with Dorothy singing while locked up in the Witch's castle. The audio survives, but the footage doesn't, other than some still photographs.

** And of course, the Music/PinkFloyd ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'' soundtrack synching legend. Vigorously denied by the band, who have pointed out that the audio technology necessary to make the film soundtrack and rock album synch this precisely with each other didn't exist in 1973. The soundtrack synching legend was later referenced as an EasterEgg[=/=]ShoutOut parody by WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd in his review of the videogame adaptation; but unlike Pink Floyd, who have said the synching with the film was unintentional, the creators of the episode at Cinemassacre did the synching of the album and the episode as intentional and [[ThrowItIn placed in a few bits and clues, like a plane,]] to make the synching work, as described [[http://cinemassacre.com/2008/08/04/dark-side-of-the-nerd/ in their blog]].

** Creator/JudyGarland's post-child star life was plagued with depression, mental illness, and other calamities, eventually leading to her premature death from a drug overdose in 1969. Some have said the Curse even encompassed her daughter, Creator/LizaMinnelli.