'The Wizard of Oz'
In this 1939 file photo originally released by Warner Bros., from left, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Judy Garland as Dorothy, and Jack Haley as the Tin Woodman, are shown in a scene from "The Wizard of Oz."
(The Associated Press)
"The Wizard of Oz" had its world premiere 75 years ago on August 12, 1939, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Two weeks later, the film was released in theaters nationwide and now, three quarters of a century, the story of Dorothy and her friends still endures today.
The Oscar-winning film was based on the 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," written by Chittenango native L. Frank Baum. He wrote 13 books about Dorothy Gale, a Kansas farm girl who's taken to the Land of Oz by a tornado, that have since inspired dozens of movies, musicals, TV shows and other novels.
Here are 20 fun facts about "The Wizard of Oz" in honor of the film's 75th anniversary:
This is an undated photo of former Syracuse resident and Chittenango native L. Frank Baum, author of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
1. L. Frank Baum received $75,000 for the rights to his book.
The movie ended up costing $2.8 million to make -- a lot back then -- and grossed more than $22 million at the box office. Hopefully Baum got something on the back end.
2. Dorothy didn't have ruby slippers in Baum's books.
The heroine's shoes were silver in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," but changed for the movie to make more of a color spectacle. MGM still owns the copyright on the ruby slippers, which is why you don't see Dorothy wearing it in anything else, even though Baum's works are now in the public domain.
3. Filming in Technicolor was difficult.
The Guardian reports Technicolor required more light than normal film, so temperatuers on set were often 100 degrees or more. Also, Judy Garland's white dress was pink, which was apparently easier to shoot in Technicolor.
4. Jell-O powder was used to make the horses of a different color.
Before CGI, movie magic like purple horses were created with simple Jell-O powder. According to Flavorwire, though, the Emerald City scenes had to be shot quickly because the horses would keep kicking the Jell-O off.
5. The original film contains many hidden references to the Baum's books.
A wooden sawhorse appears in background of Tin Man scenes; according to Huffington Post, a sawhorse is brought to life in Baum's "The Land of Oz." The book "The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion" also notes Miss Gulch has an umbrella attached to her bicycle early in the movie to foreshadow water's effect on her Oz persona, the Wicked Witch of the West, who carries an umbrella in Baum's books -- not a broom.
The Wicked Witch of the West, left, played by Margaret Hamilton, confronts Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, and Glinda, the Witch of the North, played by Billie Burke, right, in this scene from 'The Wizard of Oz.'
6. Glinda was 18 years older than the Wicked Witch.
Margaret Hamilton, who played Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch, was 36. However, makeup (and that nose!) made her look much older than Billie Burke, 54, who played Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
7. The cast almost featured Buddy Ebsen and Shirley Temple.
Garland was 16 when the movie was made, but 11-year-old Shirley Temple nearly played Dorothy. Buddy Ebsen, who played Jed Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies," was originally cast as the Tin Man but quit after an allergic reaction to aluminum dust in his makeup; Jack Haley took over the role and got an eye infection from the aluminum paste that was eventually used.
8. Was Toto paid more than the Munchkins?
Dorothy's dog, whose real name was Terry, allegedly got paid $125 per week for the movie while the actors who played the Munchkins got $50. And it's not like Toto was professional at all times either: If you watch closely, you'll see steam tooting out of the Tin Man's head scared him into running out of a shot. Seven Munchkin actors -- Jerry Maren, Mickey Carroll, Ruth L Robinson, Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, Karl "Karchy" Kosiczky and August Clarence Swenson -- were later rewarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
9. Munchkin suicide, or urban legend?
A long-rumored story claims a Munchkin actor committed suicide during filming, and their body can allegedly be seen hanging from a tree in the background of a scene where Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man enter the woods. A YouTube video purportedly from an unedited 1980's VHS tape has added to the myth, but the Guardian reports it's been proved false and was a crane.
10. The original cut of "The Wizard of Oz" was 11 minutes longer.
The Guardian reports the film everyone's seen is 101 minutes long, but the original version shown at test screenings was 112 minutes. Many of the cuts supposedly came from the Wicked Witch, said to be too scary for children; the skywriting threat (originally said "Surrender Dorothy or Die! - WWW"); and a scene where the Tin Man was covered in bees.
11. Professor Marvel never gave Dorothy back her photo of Auntie Em.
Maybe it was in the original cut, but Marvel wasn't just a scam artist -- he was also a thief, apparently.
12. The Scarecrow's "brain" isn't very smart.
After getting a "brain," The Scarecrow refers to the Pythagorean Theorem about isosceles triangles but any math whiz knows he said it incorrectly. According to BuzzFeed, actor Ray Bolger struggled to remember the line and director Victor Fleming simply used his best take.
13. An "Oz" sequel almost happened in the '40s.
It may seem like Hollywood makes sequels out of everything these days, but a "Wizard of Oz 2" almost happened seven decades ago. Word is the project was scrapped after Hamilton, who was injured during filming, resisted and Garland became too big of a star. Bolger probably also wasn't too keen about it, after his facial prosthetic was said to leave lines on his face for nearly a year.
14. But plenty of other "Oz" spinoffs have happened since then.
Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor starred in 1978's "The Wiz" musical; Disney made "Return to Oz" in 1985, starring Fairuza Balk as Dorothy; Miss Piggy played the witches in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" in 2005 with Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo as the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man; James Franco starred in last year's "Oz: The Great and Powerful" prequel; and 2014's animated "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return" featured the voices of Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi and Kelsey Grammer. There are dozens of others, including the TV miniseries "Tin Man" in 2007 that starred Zooey Deschanel as "D.G." alongside Alan Cumming, Richard Dreyfuss and Syracuse University alumnus Neal McDonough, and an upcoming medical drama called "Dorothy."
15. How did Baum come up with the name Oz?
"The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion" claims the Central New York native got the name from his filing cabinets, which were labeled A-N and O-Z.
16. "The Wizard of Oz" had 14 writers.
It may seem crazy to see modern movies with five or six writers or directors dropping out of projects, but the 1939 film had five directors and 14 writers trying to bring Baum's story to life.
17. Fleming slapped Garland to get her to stop laughing.
Multiple stories claim Garland kept giggling while trying to slap the Cowardly Lion in a scene. The director took her aside, slapped her, and then she nailed the scene in one take.
A collection of books by L. Frank Baum are on display in the "All Things Oz" museum/gift shop in Chittenango.
18. A lot's different from the books and the movie.
Surprise, movies aren't often like the books they're based on and Baum's tale has at least forty major differences from the film adaptation. The Tin Man was originally a Woodsman who received a stuffed satin heart, put in his chest and patched over with tin -- a lot more difficult to film than simply handing an actor a heart-shaped clock.
19. The Dark Side of the Rainbow
Yes, you can really play Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album while watching "The Wizard of Oz" on mute. Many scenes match up well with the music, making it look like the world's longest music video -- just by a weird coincidence.
20. The Wicked Witch's death certificate pays tribute to Baum.
According to Huffington Post, the Munchkin coroner declares When the Munchkin coroner pronounces the Wicked Witch of the East (the one who had the house dropped on her) "really most sincerely dead," he holds a death certificate dated May 6, 1938 -- the 19th anniversary of Baum's death.