The Wizard of Oz
One of Hollywood ’s most timeless classics , The Wizard of Ozwas determined in a recent study to be the most - viewed pic ever made . It ventilate on TV all the fourth dimension and is usable on all kinds of home media , so every contemporaries of kids since the movie ’s initial release has been capable to see it .
L. Frank Baum ’s darling tale about a young girl ’s journey through a phantasy world go through 14 film writer and five directors on its way to the bad screen , butThe Wizard of Oz ’s hard productionturned out to be worth it as it leave in a true chef-d’oeuvre .
An Early Draft Of The Script Implied A Romance Between Dorothy And The Scarecrow
An other reading of the draft included a shot at the close that involve a love affair between Dorothy and the actual - lifespan counterpart of the Scarecrow , as he went off to agrarian college and she promised she would compose to him .
While this setting was never filmed , Dorothy ’s affection for the Scarecrow in Oz – like when she says he ’s the one she ’ll miss “ most of all ” – was clearly intended to set this up .
Walt Disney Developed A Competing Oz Project
Early in MGM ’s ontogeny ofThe Wizard of Oz , Walt Disney began working on his ownOzproject as his follow - up toSnow White and the Seven Dwarves . To avoid competition , the two studios meet to discuss commingle their projects into a live - military action / living hybrid with MGM doing the unrecorded - action and Disney doing the life .
Eventually , programming conflicts called off the collaboration and Disney scrapped hisOzmovie and moved on to other labor for avoid competing with MGM .
Shirley Temple Was Considered To Play Dorothy
Judy Garland was always the top choice to play Dorothy , but a clustering of other asterisk were considered for the part . Shirley Temple was under contract bridge at twentieth Century Fox , but MGM cope to cut a deal to borrow her forThe Wizard of Ozin exchange for permit Clark Gable and Jean Harlow to star in Fox’sOld Chicago . However , this was foretell off when Harlow died .
This story is unconfirmed , because Harlow died in 1937 and MGM bought the rights toOzin 1938 . The producers decided Temple ’s singing articulation was n’t secure enough for the role , anyway .
MGM Wanted The Lion From Its Logo To Play The Cowardly Lion With An Actor Dubbing The Lines
MGM executives wanted to cast Leo the Lion , the iconic lion from their logo , in the role of the Cowardly Lion . They would ’ve hired an role player to dub over the character ’s dialogue and Dorothy , the Tin Man , and the Scarecrow would ’ve been joined by an actual hot king of beasts on the set .
Unsurprisingly , the insurance company would n’t even entertain the melodic theme and Bert Lahr was ramble to make for the Cowardly Lion in a costume .
The Wizard Of Oz Was Shot Almost Entirely On Studio Lots
The only footage in the entirety ofThe Wizard of Ozthat was flash on location are the clouds that look over the opening move deed of conveyance .
The guesswork of Dorothy ’s house falling from the sky was achieved with some movie trickery . A miniature house was cast onto a house painting of the sky on the soundstage floor , then the film was vacate to make it look like the planetary house was fall out of the sky .
“Over The Rainbow” Nearly Got Cut
MGM almost cut the “ Over the Rainbow ” melodious number fromThe Wizard of Oz , because executive matte up that it made the Kansas - typeset curtain raising too long , and also worried it would go over kids ’ heads .
Luckily , the executives allowed the identification number to stay and “ Over the Rainbow ” was afterward generate the top fleck on the American Film Institute ’s listing of the 100 Greatest Songs in American Films .
The Original Director Was Fired 12 Days Into Filming
at long last , 14 screenwriters and five directors wreak onThe Wizard of Oz . The original director was Richard Thorpe , but he was fired after 12 24-hour interval of filming . Thorpe collapse Judy Garland a blonde wigging and “ baby - doll ” makeup that did n’t forge for the character .
Before his eventual refilling , Victor Fleming , was rule , George Cukor was hired as an average director and his first order of business enterprise was to get disembarrass of the wigging and a lot of Garland ’s makeup . His principal short letter to Garland was to just be herself .
Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion Costume Weighed 90lbs And Stank
Bert Lahr ’s Cowardly Lion costume consider a thumping 90lbs , as it was made from real lion skin . wear upon the costume was already hot , but the oestrus from the set lights would often invoke the temperate to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit .
Lahr sweated so much in the costume that it would be drenched by the end of the twenty-four hour period . There were two whole job onThe Wizard of Ozcrew dedicated to dry out out the costume overnight . It was seldom cleaned and , according to one crew fellow member , “ it reeked . ”
A Lot Of The Wicked Witch’s Scenes Were Cut Because She Was Deemed Too Scary
Margaret Hamilton was a womb-to-tomb fan of theOzbooks , so she was enraptured when her broker called to say she was up for a part in the film adjustment . She expect which part and her agent cracked , “ The hag , who else ? ” A lot of the Wicked Witch ’s setting terminate up get edit out , or drastically trimmed down , because executive director imagine Hamilton ’s performance was too shivery .
Hamilton was nothing like her character on set . Judy Garland found it difficult to pretend to be frightened of Hamilton , because she was so delightful off - camera .
The Producers Didn’t Break Even Until A Decade After The Movie’s Initial Release
The budget ofThe Wizard of Ozwas so inflated – the essence were expensive and the form was made up of vast contemporaneous starsfrom vaudeville and Broadway – that every moviegoer in the world at the time buying a just the ticket would n’t be enough to recover the product toll .
Naturally , it was set up to bomb at the box office , despite the laudatory review from critic . The producer of the movie did n’t break even until a decade after the initial discharge .
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