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MOVIE FEATURE

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Burn the Witch! Margaret Hamilton was seriously burnt during the scene of her disappearing in a scarlet puff of fire and smoke. As she positioned herself on the elevator platform the pyrotechnics kicked off well before she began her descent. Her hat and broomstick caught fire, scalding her chin, her nose, and right cheek. Her upper lip and eyelid were also badly burned. Heavily bandaged, she was unable to continue filming for six weeks. Director Victor Fleming shot around her until she was well enough to return.

The massive critical and audience approval following the release of Walt Disney's fantasy film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in December 1937 persuaded MGM boss Louis B. Mayer to purchase the film rights of the popular children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , written by author L. Frank Baum. Words Bob J

The primary choice for the multi faceted Wizard role was originally W.C. Fields, but he turned down the part. Leroy finally settled for the MGM contract actor, Frank Morgan. For the Wicked Witch of the West, Leroy cast Gale

A Frank L. Baum biopic titled Dreamer of Oz was made in 1990. The film starring Beau Bridges can be found hidden as a bonus feature on the current 4K and Blu-ray releases of The Wizard of Oz . DYK?

Sondergaard, the winner of the very first 'Supporting Actress' Oscar. But it was pointed

production personnel were

The Wizard of Oz cast. (L to R) Jack Haley asTheTin Man, Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as Scarecrow, and Bert Lahr asThe Cowardly Lion.

challenged to devise all the necessary Oz

out to Leroy that the thousands of children who were familiar with the book would not accept a glamorous witch - she had to be an ugly and hateful witch. The beautiful

M ayer selected Mervyn Leroy to produce the film, who swiftly set about casting the production. The Wizard of Oz has often been described as one of the most perfectly cast films ever made, but almost all of its principal players were, in fact, second choices. Judy Garland was the second choice for the role of Dorothy after MGM privately tried to negotiate - but was unable to secure - the services of little Shirley Temple from 20th Century Fox. Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, and Ray Bolger as the Tin Woodman. But Bolger argued that his style was better suited to that of a strawman

magic that was required for the story. What they achieved by using - at that time - fairly primitive special effects, was phenomenal. However, when completed filming, MGM's investment in the production topped three million

Sondergaard had no intention of appearing onscreen as a grotesque looking villainess and flatly refused the role. Margaret Hamilton replaced her. Billie Burke was then selected to play Glinda the Good Witch as her slightly fey quality played well against the acerbic menace of Hamilton. To portray the Munchkins, vaudeville impresario Leo Singer arranged to augment his own troupe of miniature performers with one hundred more from all over the U.S. The final part to be cast was supplied by trainer Carl Spitz, who brought to the studio a little female Cairn terrier named Terry who won the part of Dorothy's dog, Toto. Furthermore, it was not just the casting of the characters that proved problematic for Leroy, as the film over its production time would use up four directors. Filmed entirely on MGM's soundstages, the studio's creative

dollars, but it fell well short of that investment during its first run with the elimination of much of the foreign market - due to the beginning of WWII. Ironically it was television - Hollywood's great nemesis - that finally put the film in the black when it was leased to CBS in 1956. This movie milestone of family entertainment has had an unparalleled career as a worldwide television perennial, making it the most widely seen and beloved motion picture of all time.

and switched roles with Ebsen. The primary element of Ebsen's make-up was an aluminium facial dust spray which, when inhaled, caused him to suffer a severe breathing impairment resulting in Ebsen spending two weeks in an iron lung. Leroy was forced to replace him with vaudevillian Jack Haley and to use different make-up to avoid what happened to Ebsen. The Cowardly Lion character was originally going to be a real lion with vocals supplied off-screen by an actor's voice. This, however, proved too difficult and Bert Lahr was fitted into a lion's costume for the role.

Buddy Ebsen asTinman

14 JUNE 2024

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