History Trivia / TheWizardofOz

* HostilityOnTheSet: Judy Garland was not treated well on set - her three co-leads felt she upstaged them and shunned her, and at least one director was outright abusive, slapping her for ruining a take. She felt perpetually lonely without friends on set and so mostly kept to herself. Ironically, the only member of the cast alleged to have treated her nicely was Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch.

* AccentDepundent: The Cowardly Lion's assertion that Courage "puts the ''ape'' in ''ap''ricot" only works if you pronounce it "APE-ri-cot" instead of "AP-ri-cot" like everyone else in the world does.

* AccentDepundent: The Cowardly Lion's assertion that Courage "puts the ''ape'' in ''ap''ricot" only works if you pronounce it "APE-ri-cot" instead of "AP-ri-cot".

** Which you should....

** Creator/JudyGarland's feet hurt so much in the ruby slippers that she could only wear them for shots when they would be visible on camera (this also cut down on the wear-and-tear the slippers had to endure). When her feet weren't shown, Garland wore booties or black shoes, which can be glimpsed briefly when she and the Scarecrow are backing away from the apple trees. In addition, Garland's breasts were tightly bound and corseted to make her look younger.

** There was a deleted RepriseMedley of "DingDongTheWitchIsDead" ("Hail Hail The Witch is Dead") and "The Merry Old Land of Oz" following the Wicked Witch of the West's death. Instead, the film cuts straight from the Witch's castle to the Wizard's throne room. Like The Jitterbug, the audio survived, but not the footage. "Hail Hail" and "Over the Rainbow (Reprise)" do appear in Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's 2011 stage adaptation, though.

* FatalMethodActing: Almost. Creator/BuddyEbsen suffered a near-fatal reaction to the Tin Man's aluminum make-up, and Creator/MargaretHamilton was almost burnt alive after catching on fire. To be exact, the original Tin Man makeup used aluminum powder, which was much shinier than Creator/JackHaley's aluminum paste makeup. Unfortunately, the metal particles lined Ebsen's lungs until, as he put it, he took a breath and nothing happened. Creator/MargaretHamilton, on the other hand, was badly burnt in the retake of her exit from Munchkinland -- a "tighter" timing of the fireball came entirely too close to her makeup. While she didn't catch on fire directly, this was bad enough, as the green facepaint was ''copper-based'', trapping the heat of the pyrotechnics. Hamilton remembered ever after the black flecks of burning makeup that were her first clue as to why the makeup man was stripping the stuff away so quickly.

** The trailers from 1949, 1955, and 1970 briefly show a Cut Song celebrating Dorothy's defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West.

** A keen-eyed viewer may notice that the door being cut by the Tin Man's axe is ''not'' the door the four friends exit in the next scene. Originally, Dorothy's friends were to cut their way into a room, following the sound of familiar singing -- only for the trio to discover that they had been duped by the Wicked Witch. Planning to kill Dorothy, she roots the three to the spot, then constructs an illusory rainbow bridge between that spot and Dorothy's prison, going so far as to test it with one of her Winkie guards. The bridge starts out solid, but the center fades out, and, well, GravityIsAHarshMistress. She then magically forces Dorothy's friends to call out to her, luring Dorothy onto the bridge -- only to have the ruby slippers flare to life and carry Dorothy safely across! Sadly, as good as this scene sounds, the optical methods of the day weren't up to the rainbow bridge, so everything between cutting open the door and running away was, er, axed. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFfj3eioIw/ this]] video uploaded onto [=YouTube=] in 2021 gives us a taste as to what the scene would have looked like.

** A keen-eyed viewer may notice that the door being cut by the Tin Man's axe is ''not'' the door the four friends exit in the next scene. Originally, Dorothy's friends were to cut their way into a room, following the sound of familiar singing -- only for the trio to discover that they had been duped by the Wicked Witch. Planning to kill Dorothy, she roots the three to the spot, then constructs an illusory rainbow bridge between that spot and Dorothy's prison, going so far as to test it with one of her Winkie guards. The bridge starts out solid, but the center fades out, and, well, GravityIsAHarshMistress. She then magically forces Dorothy's friends to call out to her, luring Dorothy onto the bridge -- only to have the ruby slippers flare to life and carry Dorothy safely across! Sadly, as good as this scene sounds, the optical methods of the day weren't up to the rainbow bridge, so everything between cutting open the door and running away was, er, axed. However,[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFfj3eioIw/ this]] video uploaded onto [=YouTube=] in 2019 gives us a taste as to what the scene would have looked like.

** 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 aboard 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.

** Because of the Munchkinland burn (which put Hamilton 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]].

** Noel Langley also purportedly wrote the final full screenplay of what would be closest to the actual finished script; but this included a number of differences. Miss Gulch had a son named Walter who would have gotten an Oz-counterpart as the Wicked Witch's son, Bulbo, it would have been the Cowardly Lion who killed the Witch instead of Dorothy, the Tin Man would have had a love interest in the movie (which might have been an explanation as to why he needed a Heart, to love her back), and Dorothy would have just returned to Kansas at the end of the movie without much explanation other than her adventure was over. A great deal of rewrites were obviously ordered to retool this final screenplay, and it is said when the movie premiered Langley bawled in the theater because they had destroyed his work. It wasn't until after World War II that Langley could finally admit the movie was decent for what it was.

** Dorothy was originally going to be blonde and wear an even frumpier dress.

* There was no real plan for the transition to color. Before they began shooting the now iconic sepia-to-color scene, they considered decolorizing the first part of the scene frame by frame, before deciding to color the scenery and actors in sepia-tone paint.

* {{Corpsing}}: In the scene where the Lion is introduced, Dorothy covers her face with Toto. This is because Judy Garland could not contain her giggling while the scene was filmed. After ruining several takes, director Victor Fleming took her aside and slapped her. He then told her to "go in there and work" and that just about did the trick. Fleming felt so ashamed of himself that, as soon as they finished the take, he asked the rest of the cast to punch him in the face for "borish behaviour". Judy, however, planted a kiss on his cheek.

** 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 Witch of the West. Some stage versions go further by having Auntie Em double for Glinda and Uncle Henry double for the Head Winkie.

** Creator/BillieBurke was 54 years old when she portrayed Glinda the Witch of the North.

** Noel Langley also purportedly wrote the final full screenplay of what would be closest to the actual finished script; but this included a number of differences. Dorothy's Uncle Henry would have gotten an Oz-counterpart as the Wicked Witch's son, it would have been the Cowardly Lion who killed the Witch instead of Dorothy, the Tin Man would have had a love interest in the movie (which might have been an explanation as to why he needed a Heart, to love her back), and Dorothy would have just returned to Kansas at the end of the movie without much explanation other than her adventure was over. A great deal of rewrites were obviously ordered to retool this final screenplay, and it is said when the movie premiered Langley bawled in the theater because they had destroyed his work. It wasn't until after World War II that Langley could finally admit the movie was decent for what it was.
** A later script has the Wicked Witch of the West 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 is one scene, just after meeting the Tin Man, where you can see an odd bit of movement in the far background; rumors say this is either a stagehand or one of the Munchkin actors [[DrivenToSuicide hanging himself]] because he was rejected by the woman he loved. [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-munchkin/ Apparently it's actually a large bird]].

** MGM considered using Leo the Lion (the lion who appears roaring on the studio's logo) as The Cowardly Lion. An actor would have dubbed the character's lines in. The insurance company refused to sign off on it, of course.

** A keen-eyed viewer may notice that the door being cut by the Tin Man's axe is ''not'' the door the four friends exit in the next scene. Originally, Dorothy's friends were to cut their way into a room, following the sound of familiar singing -- only for the trio to discover that they had been duped by the Wicked Witch. Planning to kill Dorothy, she roots the three to the spot, then constructs an illusory rainbow bridge between that spot and Dorothy's prison, going so far as to test it with one of her Winkie guards. The bridge starts out solid, but the center fades out, and, well, GravityIsAHarshMistress. She then magically forces Dorothy's friends to call out to her, luring Dorothy onto the bridge -- only to have the ruby slippers flare to life and carry Dorothy safely across! Sadly, as good as this scene sounds, the optical methods of the day weren't up to the rainbow bridge, so everything between cutting open the door and running away was, er, axed. However,[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFfj3eioIw/ this]] video uploaded onto YouTube in 2019 gives us a taste as to what the scene would have looked like.

** 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!!!"

** 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, appearing in the compilation film ''That's Dancing'' and on every major home media release since. When Fathom theatrically re-released ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 2022 (the year that would've marked Judy Garland's 100th birthday), this dance played after the end credits.

* OldShame: As much as she loved being the Wicked Witch of the West, 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.

* 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."
* {{Corpsing}}: In the scene where the Lion is introduced, Dorothy covers her face with Toto. This is because Judy Garland could not contain her giggling while the scene was filmed. After ruining several takes, Director Victor Fleming took her aside and slapped her. He then told her to "go in there and work" and that just about did the trick. Fleming felt so ashamed of himself that, as soon as they finished the take, he asked the rest of the cast to punch him in the face for "borish behaviour". Judy, however, planted a kiss on his cheek.

** A keen-eyed viewer may notice that the door being cut by the Tin Man's axe is ''not'' the door the four friends exit in the next scene. Originally, Dorothy's friends were to cut their way into a room, following the sound of familiar singing -- only for the trio to discover that they had been duped by the Wicked Witch. Planning to kill Dorothy, she roots the three to the spot, then constructs an illusory rainbow bridge between that spot and Dorothy's prison, going so far as to test it with one of her Winkie guards. The bridge starts out solid, but the center fades out, and, well, GravityIsAHarshMistress. She then magically forces Dorothy's friends to call out to her, luring Dorothy onto the bridge -- only to have the ruby slippers flare to life and carry Dorothy safely across! Sadly, as good as this scene sounds, the optical methods of the day weren't up to the rainbow bridge, so everything between cutting open the door and running away was, er, axed. However,[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFfj3eioIw/ this]] video uploaded onto ''Creator/YouTube'' in 2019 gives us a taste as to what the scene would have looked like.

** A keen-eyed viewer may notice that the door being cut by the Tin Man's axe is ''not'' the door the four friends exit in the next scene. Originally, Dorothy's friends were to cut their way into a room, following the sound of familiar singing -- only for the trio to discover that they had been duped by the Wicked Witch. Planning to kill Dorothy, she roots the three to the spot, then constructs an illusory rainbow bridge between that spot and Dorothy's prison, going so far as to test it with one of her Winkie guards. The bridge starts out solid, but the center fades out, and, well, GravityIsAHarshMistress. She then magically forces Dorothy's friends to call out to her, luring Dorothy onto the bridge -- only to have the ruby slippers flare to life and carry Dorothy safely across! Sadly, as good as this scene sounds, the optical methods of the day weren't up to the rainbow bridge, so everything between cutting open the door and running away was, er, axed. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFfj3eioIw/ this]] video uploaded onto Creator/YouTube in 2021 gives us a taste as to what the scene would have looked like.