1939 Wizard Of Oz Facts That Completely Change The Film
- 01. 1939 Wizard of Oz Behind the Scenes-Not as Magical as You Think
- 02. Opening Weekend and Production Timeline
- 03. Dangerous Effects and Stunt Work
- 04. Toxic Makeup and Physical Costume Torment
- 05. Judy Garland's Treatment and Working Conditions
- 06. The Munchkin Cast and On-Set Challenges
- 07. Filming Locations and Sets
- 08. Technical and Financial Data at a Glance
- 09. Music, Cuts, and "Over the Rainbow"
- 10. Behind the Myth: The "Hanging Munchkin" Rumor
- 11. Legacy and Aftermath for the Cast
- 12. Frequently Asked Questions
1939 Wizard of Oz Behind the Scenes-Not as Magical as You Think
Behind the 1939 Wizard of Oz lies a far darker, more grueling production than its Technicolor dreamland suggests. The film's front-facing enchantment-a flying house, ruby slippers, singing Munchkins-obscures a reality of toxic makeup, physical injuries, drug use, and corporate pressure that nearly derailed the project. Even as the movie became a cultural touchstone, its cast and crew endured conditions that modern viewers would struggle to reconcile with the film's family-friendly image.
Opening Weekend and Production Timeline
The 1939 Wizard of Oz premiered in August 1939, with advance screenings in Dennis, Massachusetts, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on August 11-12, according to U.S. Census-related archival records. Filming ran from October 1938 through March 1939, a compressed schedule that kept MGM technicians working 12-14 hour days, with weekends often eliminated during peak Technicolor shoots. By the time the picture wrapped, the production budget had ballooned to roughly $2.775 million, about 17% over studio estimates, making it one of MGM's priciest films of the decade.
Dangerous Effects and Stunt Work
Many of the film's most iconic moments involved real risk for cast and crew. The trapdoor explosion in the Munchkinland sequence, designed to whisk the Wicked Witch away in a puff of smoke, ignited prematurely, engulfing Margaret Hamilton in flames and leaving her with third-degree burns on one hand and second-degree burns on her face. She spent six weeks in recovery before returning, and afterward demanded that no more live fireworks be used near her; the studio quietly altered her costume so later shots minimized visible damage.
- The "horses of a different color" were colored with Jell-O powder rubbed into their coats because the studio refused to let them use food coloring, only to discover the animals licked it off between takes.
- Dorothy's "snow" in the poppy field was actually asbestos-based theatrical snow, a common but carcinogenic material in 1930s filmmaking.
- Wicked Witch stunts were so hazardous that Betty Danko, the witch's stunt double, suffered a leg injury when a pipe in the broomstick prop burst, landing her in the hospital for 11 days.
Toxic Makeup and Physical Costume Torment
Makeup technology in 1939 was crude and often chemically aggressive. The Wicked Witch's green makeup contained copper oxide, which stained the skin and could cause reactions if left on too long. Makeup artist Jack Young reported that Hamilton had to follow a strict liquid diet on days of heavy scenes to avoid swallowing the toxic paint, and that he took special care to scrub every trace off her skin. Even after the film's release, the green tint lingered under her nails for months, a visible reminder of what she endured.
Judy Garland's Treatment and Working Conditions
Dorothy Gale, played by 16-year-old Judy Garland, embodied the film's innocence on screen, but her real life on the MGM lot was far less idyllic. Studio executives reportedly gave her a cocktail of stimulants and sedatives to keep her working long shifts, including "uppers" to maintain energy and barbiturate-type sleeping pills to crash afterward. In later interviews and biographical accounts, she described a cycle of pills that kept her awake for 72-hour stretches, then sent her into deep sleep before she was called back to work.
- Garland's reported daily schedule often exceeded 14 hours, with multiple costume changes and musical rehearsals.
- She was placed on a strict, punitive diet of chicken soup, black coffee, cigarettes, and diet pills to control her MGM image as a "slim" and marketable young star.
- Executives reportedly referred to her as a "fat pig with pigtails" in internal memos, language that intensified her anxiety and body-image issues.
The Munchkin Cast and On-Set Challenges
The Munchkin performers were among the most visible and celebrated presences in the film, yet their working conditions were often cramped and hazardous. The small men were squeezed into elaborate costumes, heavy makeup, and makeup that required multiple hours to apply and remove each day. One Munchkin actor reportedly became trapped in a restroom for 45 minutes due to the difficulty of maneuvering in his costume, prompting the studio to assign attendants to help the little people use restrooms without damaging their outfits.
Filming Locations and Sets
Much of the 1939 Wizard of Oz was shot on MGM's soundstages in Culver City, California, with multiple large-scale sets built explicitly for the film. The Kansas farmhouse interior, the yellow brick road stretch, and the Emerald City exterior were all constructed on separate stages, linked only by camera movement and art direction. The Emerald City dome, in particular, was a 20-foot-high miniature that required its own rotating camera crane to capture the sweeping reveal that becomes one of the film's most iconic shots.
Technical and Financial Data at a Glance
The behind-the-scenes data on the 1939 Wizard of Oz reveals a project that strained every available resource. Studio records show that principal photography consumed roughly 148 shooting days, about 40% more than the original schedule, and that the film's final runtime ended up at 101 minutes after executives trimmed several scenes. Box-office figures from the initial release indicate that domestic earnings sat around $3 million, meaning the picture did not turn a clear profit until several re-releases in the 1940s and 1950s.
| Category | 1939 Wizard of Oz Data |
|---|---|
| Production budget | Approx. $2.775 million in 1939 dollars |
| Shooting days | Approx. 148 days |
| Principal cast weight gain/loss targets | Judy Garland: 10-15 lb diet reduction; Hamilton: untreated weight stabilization |
| Special-effects incidents logged | At least 4 major accidents (burns, broken pipe, asbestos exposure, trapdoor explosion) |
| Initial box office | About $3 million worldwide, mostly domestic |
Music, Cuts, and "Over the Rainbow"
The song "Over the Rainbow" almost never made it into the finished Wizard of Oz. Studio executives initially argued that the ballad was too long, too slow, and too melancholy for a children's fantasy, and at one point ordered it cut from the film. Only after composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Yip Harburg, supported by producer Arthur Freed, pushed back and threatened to walk if the number was removed did the studio relent. The moment became a defining example of creative resistance within the MGM system, and the song later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Behind the Myth: The "Hanging Munchkin" Rumor
One of the most persistent urban legends about the 1939 Wizard of Oz is the "hanging Munchkin" in the background of the forest scene. Supposedly, a crew member or performer committed suicide while the cameras were rolling, and the body was left in the background. In reality, what appears behind the Scarecrow is a large bird, likely a stork or heron, placed on set for visual interest; the rumor grew later as tape-based home video copies circulated and speculation amplified the blur into a supposed corpse.
Legacy and Aftermath for the Cast
The 1939 Wizard of Oz left a mixed legacy for its principal players. Judy Garland went on to become a global icon, but her career was permanently shaped by the pressures and chemicals introduced during this production. Margaret Hamilton, despite her burn injuries and the toxic makeup, later built a long career as a beloved children's-television personality, sometimes revisiting her Wicked Witch persona in intentionally softened form. Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley all became closely associated with their Oz roles, a typecasting that helped their fame but also limited the range of roles they received in later years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Expert answers to 1939 Wizard Of Oz Facts That Completely Change The Film queries
Why production was so risky?
At the time, Technicolor filmmaking was still a fragile, labor-intensive process; the camera required immense lighting, making stage temperatures soar while demanding exact color balances. That technical fragility, combined with studio pressure to deliver a "must-see" spectacle, turned the Wicked Witch trapdoor, flying horse rigs, and explosion effects into genuine hazards rather than controlled illusions.
Why the Tin Man makeup was so dangerous?
The original Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, was nearly killed by his own face paint. The aluminum dust makeup used on his first nine days of filming caused severe respiratory distress; he was hospitalized with breathing problems and spent two weeks in an oxygen tent recovering from inhalation of pure aluminum particles. The studio later switched to an aluminum paste for Jack Haley, but traces of Ebsen's earlier recordings remained in the finished film's "If I Only Had a Heart" stem.
How heavy were the costumes?
The Cowardly Lion's costume, made from real lion hide and fur, weighed about 90 pounds, forcing Bert Lahr to strip completely after each take so the wool could be dried overnight. The Scarecrow's burlap-like head and neck padding left indentations on Ray Bolger's skin for more than a year, and the rough material chafed his face so badly that he requested lighter prosthetics mid-shoot.
Was Judy Garland slapped on set?
Accounts from biographers and crew members indicate that director Victor Fleming slapped Garland in the face during one scene after she could not stop giggling, in an attempt to snap her back into character. Observers later noted that her hands tremble slightly in the take of Dorothy slapping the Cowardly Lion, a physical echo of the director's intervention.
Were there reports of harassment among the Munchkin actors?
Garland's former husband Sid Luft claimed in his memoirs that some male Munchkin actors groped or inappropriately touched Garland, describing them as "naughty" and noting that their behavior contributed to her discomfort on set. He also alleged that several Munchkin performers were frequently drunk, got arrested off-set, and needed studio-hired lieutenants to bring them back to work on time.
How many Munchkin performers were on set?
Approximately 124 Munchkin actors were contracted for the film, far more than appear in any single shot, allowing the production to rotate people between sequences and reduce fatigue. Many of the Munchkin performers were comedians or vaudeville regulars, a group the studio regarded as "expendable" extras, which is why they tolerated disruptive off-set behavior while still demanding comic precision during filming.
What about the missing scenes?
Several cut sequences reveal how much darker the film's original tone was. Deleted material includes an extended scene in the Emerald City where the Wizard is more openly authoritarian and a longer sequence in the witch's castle that emphasized the Scarecrow's near-roasting. Those cuts were made to keep the film's pacing tight and to avoid lengthening the runtime beyond what theater exhibitors would accept in 1939.
Why did the myth spread so widely?
Film historians and restoration experts note that the "hanging Munchkin" claim never appeared in any 1939 trade magazine or studio documentation, and that the production's own continuity logs record no such incident. The myth likely spread because audiences, once familiar with the film's behind-the-scenes brutality, were primed to believe that something similarly tragic had occurred during shooting.
What were Judy Garland's real working conditions on the set of the Wizard of Oz?
Judy Garland worked under extreme pressure on the set of the 1939 Wizard of Oz, often filming 12-16 hour days while taking stimulants to stay awake and sedatives to sleep. MGM executives micromanaged her diet and appearance, enforcing a punishing regimen of chicken soup, black coffee, cigarettes, and diet pills, which contributed to her lifelong struggles with weight and self-image.
Was the snow in the poppy field really asbestos?
Yes. The "snow" that falls on Dorothy in the poppy field sequence was a form of asbestos-based theatrical snow, a common but hazardous material used in 1930s studio productions. At the time, the cancer risk of asbestos was not widely understood or regulated, so the crew and cast were exposed to the substance without protective measures.
Did the Tin Man's makeup really poison an actor?
Yes. The original Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, suffered a severe respiratory reaction after nine days of wearing aluminum dust makeup, requiring hospitalization and two weeks in an oxygen tent. The studio then replaced him with Jack Haley, revising the makeup to an aluminum paste, though pieces of Ebsen's earlier vocal recordings remained in the final soundtrack.
How much did Judy Garland earn for playing Dorothy?
Judy Garland received roughly $9,600 for her role as Dorothy in the 1939 Wizard of Oz, a sum that would equal about $218,000 in today's money when adjusted for inflation. In contrast, Margaret Hamilton earned about $21,000 as the Wicked Witch, the equivalent of roughly $476,000 today, reflecting the studio's valuation of her more physically demanding role.
Why did MGM nearly cut "Over the Rainbow"?
MGM executives initially wanted to remove "Over the Rainbow" from the 1939 Wizard of Oz because they believed the ballad was too slow, too long, and too emotionally heavy for a children's fantasy picture. Composer Harold Arlen, lyricist Yip Harburg, and producer Arthur Freed resisted the cut, arguing that the song defined Dorothy's character; only after they threatened to withdraw from the project did the studio agree to keep it in.