Movie Trivia Tuesday: The Wizard of Oz

This past weekend, I saw a stage performance of The Wizard of Oz that, while cute, only made me appreciate the original, masterful, 1939 movie more than ever. I have always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz, but after that production, which featured some of the scenes that were left out of the movie (and rightly left out, I might add), not to mention the lackluster Oz The Great and Powerful from earlier this year,  I have come to appreciate what we have in the original film much, much more. It also made me want to explore some of the history and other information surrounding the movie. Here are some facts about The Wizard of Oz.

• The movie won two Oscars, one for Best Original Score and another for Best Original Song for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It was also nominated for Best Art Direction; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Effects, Special Effects;  and Best Picture.

• 1939 was a very difficult year for The Wizard of Oz to compete for Best Picture, and it lost to Gone with the Wind.

• Buddy Ebsen was originally cast to play the Tin Man, but after a reaction to the aluminum dust that was used for his make-up caused him to be rushed to the hospital, the role was recast with Jack Haley. The material used for the make-up was also switched from aluminum dust to aluminum paste. Buddy Eben's vocals remain in the film whenever they sing "We're Off to See the Wizard."

• In a deleted musical number that was to appear while the group was in the forest, the wicked witch sends a swarm of insects that causes the group to dance the Jitterbug furiously, robbing them of their strength. The scene was originally included to capitalize on the bobby-soxer dance craze at the time, but was later removed out of fear that it was date the movie too much. The song (featuring Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man) still survives, along with a rough filmed version, which you can listen to and watch here. Furthermore, a reference to the scene remains in the final film when the Wicked Witch says "send the insects on ahead to take the flight out of them" before the flying monkeys take off.

• Shirley Temple was considered for the role of Dorothy, closer matching the actual age of the character, but there were two problems with that: She was under contract with 20th Century Fox, and was eventually deemed to have inadequate vocal talent for the role.

• Judy Garland had to wear an uncomfortable corset-style device around her torso to maker her appear younger and flat-chested.

• Producer Marvyn LeRoy originally intended to use MGMs Jackie the Lion (from the studio's logo) in the role of the Cowardly Lion, dubbing in an actors voice for the dialogue, but this idea was scrapped when Bert Lahr was suggested for the part.

• Richard Thorpe was the original director of the movie, but was fired. He had made several choices for his vision of the film that were scrapped, including a blond, tousled hairstyle and baby doll make-up on Dorothy, different make-up for the Wicked Witch and Scarecrow, and a different look for the yellow brick road with oval bricks that looked artificial. All of these things were changed when George Cukor signed on as intermediate director.

• There were actually five directors assigned to the movie at different points: Richard Thorpe, none of his shot material actually existing in the final film, George Cukor, whose only major contribution was changing the look of Dorothy and the Scarecrow, Victor Fleming, the credited director, who shot the bulk of the movie, but who had to leave to direct Gone with the Wind, King Vidor, who mainly filmed the Kansas scenes (the storm and "Somewhere over the Rainbow"), and producer Marvin LeRoy, who directed some transitional scenes. The movie also had 14 writers. 

• Roy Bolger was originally cast to play the Tin Man and Buddy Ebsen the Scarecrow, but the roles were switched because Bolger's childhood idol, Fred Stone, had originated the part on stage in 1902 (Stone was briefly considered for the part, but at the age of 65 in 1938, he was not up to the physically demanding role).

• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut from the film entirely for multiple reasons: Some at MGM felt that it made the Kansas scene too long,  while others thought the song would go too far over the heads of the children for whom the movie was intended and furthermore thought it was degrading for Dorothy to be singing in a barnyard.

• The horses at the Emerald City were colored with Jell-O crystals.

• After he receives his "brain," the Scarecrow incorrectly recites the Pythagorean Theorem.

•  Most of the Wicked Witch's scenes had to be trimmed or cut entirely because they were thought to be too frightening for children.

• The snow used for the "poppy field" scene was made from 100% industrial grade chrysotile asbestos. This was done despite the fact that the health hazards of asbestos had already been known for several years.

• Three quotes from the movie appear on the American Film Institutes "100 Years...100 Movie Quotes" list:

         - "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." (#4)
         - "There's no place like home." (#23)
         - "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!"(#99)