Wizard of Oz

1. WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD
2. I'LL GET YOU MY PRETTY
3. DING DONG THE WITCH IS MY TEACHER
4. IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN
5. LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS
6. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow. On our way to see the T-Shirt King!

WE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD

The cherished favorite of millions, the MGM film was brilliantly adapted from L. Frank Baum's groundbreaking children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written in 1899. The magic world of OZ gained its name from the alphabetical letters O - Z which labeled the bottom drawer of Baum's file cabinet. The jury is still out on the WONDERFUL WIZARD of Oz.

I'LL GET YOU MY PRETTY

The production was wrought with mishaps.

Margaret Hamilton, aka The Wicked Witch of the West, literally caught on fire during the scene where she disappears in Munchkinland. Her green make-up contained copper, making it highly flammable. She narrowly escaped with her life, the burns were so bad that she was off the set for several weeks and for the rest of the production had to wear a tight-fitting green glove over her right hand because it had been so badly burned.

None of the cast were allowed to eat in the studio commissary because they looked so gruesome. Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion) could barely open his mouth to eat anyway, and had to drink soup and other liquid meals through a straw. Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West) had to carefully eat her sandwich wrapped in waxed paper to avoid having the make-up rub off onto her food.

DING DONG THE WITCH IS MY TEACHER

Funny that Margaret Hamilton was forever remembered for her legendary turn as The Wicked Witch of the West, when she initially was a kindergarten teacher. Funny too, that she threw future actor, William Windon, out of her classroom for misbehavior. Windon later played The President in "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" and Mr. Wilson on the 1987 TV series of "Dennis the Menace".

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN

Such a powerful film has a way of generating its own brand of modern myths. Perhaps the most popular and controversial was that there was a man hanging from a rope in the background of the shot where Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman and the Scarecrow are marching out of the forest singing "We're Off to See the Wizard".

As the myth goes, it was supposedly a munchkin dangling from a rope, however the truth is it was a bird flapping its wings. When viewed on the big screen it becomes evident. A number of birds were rented from the Los Angeles Zoo for the forest scene. If you look closely you'll also be able to a spot a toucan and a peacock. Additionally, the Munchkinland scenes were shot much later and the Munchkin actors had yet arrived to the set.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS

Who really directed the film? There were a total of five different directors attached to the mammoth undertaking. Norman Taurog was the first assigned to helm, but was replaced with Richard Thorpe before shooting began.

Thorpe held the reins for 10 days, when he too was replaced with George Cukor. Cukor redesigned some the sets, costumes and make-up, particularly the look of Judy Garland. Thorpe had her wearing heavy baby-doll make-up and a long blonde wig, similar to Alice of Wonderland. Cukor changed it to the look she has in the finished film. Oddly though, Cukor never shot a single frame and went on to the direct, Gone with the Wind that same year.

Victor Fleming was hired to take over. He's the one finally credited with directing the legendary movie. However, he didn't finish the film because he was hired to replace George Cukor on Gone with the Wind, the same director he replaced on The Wizard of Oz. King Vidor was brought in to finish the remaining unshot scenes, consisting mostly of the Kansas footage.

At one point Victor Fleming was shooting Gone with the Wind during the day and editing The Wizard of Oz at night, two of the most famous films of all time. Oh and 17 different writers, some credited - others uncredited, worked on the film's script.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

The Kansas scenes were the last scenes to be shot. For actor Frank Morgan who played Professor Marvel (also played The Cabbie and The Wizard of Oz), a shabby old coat that had once been quite elegant was found at a local Los Angeles thrift shop for him to wear. In between takes Morgan by chance found the name "L. Frank Baum" stitched into one of the pockets. A shocker, no doubt.

The rare discovery caused a riot on the set when Baum's widow and the Chicago tailor who had made the jacket confirmed that it had belonged to Frank Baum who had moved to Hollywood in 1911. Many were convinced that his spirit was over seeing the wondrous production. When the movie wrapped, producer Mervyn LeRoy presented the enigmatic coat to his widow Mrs. Baum.