Despite becoming 1 of the greatest films ever produced, it was no quick feat creating The Wizard of Oz. Even by today’s requirements, this 1939 classic holds up as an impressive feat of filmmaking. We all really like its nicely-crafted story and exciting cast of characters, and even its particular effects have managed to stay charming in 2024. That stated, at the time of its release, this film was nothing at all quick of groundbreaking. All sorts of tricks and procedures had to be employed through production to bring the land of Oz to life, and as fascinating as that sounds, it produced for a hellish, stressful atmosphere on set. Sometimes, a classic film comes with each other effortlessly, but in the case of The Wizard of Oz, behind-the-scenes difficulties produced it a total nightmare.

The Wizard of Oz

Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with 3 new mates to see the Wizard, who can return her to her dwelling and fulfill the others’ wishes.

Release Date

August 15, 1939

Director

Victor Fleming , Mervyn LeRoy , Richard Thorpe , King Vidor

Cast

Judy Garland , Frank Morgan , Ray Bolger , Bert Lahr , Jack Haley , Billie Burke

Runtime

101

Studio

Warner Bros.

Writers

Noel Langley , Florence Ryerson , Edgar Allan Woolf , L. Frank Baum , Irving Brecher , William H. Cannon

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‘The Wizard of Oz’ Remains One of the Most Iconic Films of All Time

In 1939, filmmaking wasn’t rather in its earliest years, but in the case of the fantasy genre, items had been largely left untapped. There had been occasional releases, like the game-altering film Metropolis (which was science fiction but nonetheless relied heavily on particular effects), Faust, and Universal’s line of monster films, but by and big, cinema was dominated by dramas, comedies, romantic films, and thrillers. Any time 1 of these fantastical projects came along, audiences would flock to the theater and marvel at their wonderful achievements. Today, we’re nonetheless in the dark as to how the filmmakers behind films like Metropolis and Faust crafted their worlds, and there is a likelihood we’ll never ever have the complete image. That stated, what is significant is that they did innovate the medium.

The Wizard of Oz is 1 of these photos. We all know how the story goes. After a tornado rips by way of her town, Dorothy (Judy Garland), a young girl from Kansas, and her dog Toto are transported to the land of Oz, exactly where they are joined by the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Tin Man (Jack Haley), as they go on a quest to obtain The Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan). This film has the sort of lifespan that most films dream of possessing. How quite a few titles can you name that are more than 80 years old, becoming introduced to youngsters to this day, and continue to win more than contemporary audiences this extended just after their initial release? Well, obtaining to this point was no quick feat — not by any stretch of the imagination.

The Cast and Crew Suffered From Extreme Stress During the Production — Especially Judy Garland

Because there had been hardly any significant fantasy films produced by 1939, the filmmakers behind The Wizard of Oz had to figure out a lot of their approaches to particular effects through production. According to Aljean Harmet, the author of The Making of The Wizard of Oz, “There were no unions at that time. Stars and lesser players were indentured servants for studios.” That meant that the actors and men and women behind the scenes had significantly less of a platform to stand on when it came to saying no to specific practices. Compared to nowadays, film sets had been the Wild West. The spend was ridiculous, particular effects practices had been hazardous, and the cast and crew had been anticipated to do what ever it took to finish a film.

For starters, Judy Garland, who was only 16 through production, was regularly taking uppers and downers to retain her going by way of the film’s taxing shooting schedule. This meant taking drugs with a stronger impact than drinking coffee, but also taking sleeping tablets to retain her going at all occasions. Garland would go on to have a reported history of drug-associated difficulties, so these early experiences of drug use merely due to the fact a film shoot essential it is a genuine shame. Apparently, the creating of this classic was so strenuous that the film went by way of a quantity of directors, such as King Vidor (who directed the black and white sequences), and the film’s credited director, Victor Fleming. This continual adjust in leadership behind the scenes could not have produced items any much easier for the cast and crew.

‘The Wizard of Oz’ Had Serious On-Set Injuries

Filming The Wizard of Oz wasn’t merely stressful — loads of films are stressful to make, to a specific degree! The Wizard of Oz is not like other films, although. Pulling off the particular effects for this film was the most tough element of the film, and quite a few actors had been harmed in the method. Buddy Ebsen, the original performer cast as the Tin Man, was sent to the hospital nine days into the shoot just after accidentally ingesting the toxic aluminum dust that was utilized to give him his metallic appear. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel(through Vanity Fair), he was “screaming from violent cramping in his hands, arms, and legs. When he had difficulty breathing, his wife called an ambulance and rushed him to the hospital. He remained in an oxygen tent for two weeks, recovering from the pure aluminum he had ingested into his lungs.” It’s secure to say that he left the film for a fantastic purpose. Ebsen was replaced with Jack Haley, who then had to have his eye medically treated just after becoming infected by the aluminum paint mixture that he was consistently covered in.

Then, there is Scarecrow actor Ray Bolger, who was left with burlap scars about his face just after taking off the rubber prosthetic mask that he wore on set. Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, was also impacted by her makeup. She claims that the green makeup seeped into her skin and stayed there for months, providing her an odd complexion that she ended up bearing for a though just after the film wrapped.

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That is not the finish of the troubles for the Wicked Witch, although. In 1 of the quite a few scenes exactly where her character escapes in a flash of light, Hamilton’s garments caught fire. This was due to the crew beginning the impact ahead of Hamilton could stroll away, a mishap that ended up igniting quite a few components of her face, and even burned the skin off of her hand. She could not even drive herself dwelling that day — a buddy had to come choose her up. Hamilton returned to set six weeks later, but due to the fact the nerves in her hand had been exposed, she had to put on a green glove for the rest of production. Upon returning, she was asked to film a scene that would involve pyrotechnics. She refused, only for her stunt double, Betty Danko, to be burned as an alternative. What a nightmare!

Many men and women like to point fingers at the “Dead Munchkin” rumor that has floated about for years as yet another 1 of The Wizard of Oz‘s popular disasters. For these that are unfamiliar, the legend is that you can spot a dead Munchkin in the background of the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” musical quantity. While men and women ought to have accepted the reality that there was never ever any death reported on the set of the iconic film, of course, the rumor prevailed. Things became a bit much easier for people to think when the record was set straight, and the mysterious object was identified as a bird. That’s not so undesirable at all!

‘The Wizard of Oz’ Was One of the First Films to Use Asbestos On Set

TheWizard of Oz clearly had its share of troubles through its production, leaving 1 to wonder how items could have possibly gotten worse on this traumatic set. Well, however, there is 1 strong answer to that. In order to develop the fake snow in the film’s poppy field scene, the crew mixed foam with a sort of asbestos named chrysotile, and then sprayed it all more than the set. For these who are not conscious, asbestos is a hazardous carcinogen and has been linked straight with mesothelioma improvement. It’s tough to be a lot more frustratingly negligent than that.

While this sounds terrible (nicely, it is), The Wizard of Oz was not the only film to have utilized asbestos to assist craft components of their film. Many previous productions utilized this silicate material when constructing sets, not realizing that subjecting their cast and crew to asbestos exposure would place these people’s overall health at excellent danger. Asbestos was mixed in a variety of concoctions and utilized on projects like Citizen Kane, It’s a Wonderful Life, and White Christmas to assist bring quite a few snowy scenes to life. Before the early 1960s, filmmakers just did not know how undesirable this stuff was for men and women. Using it on a film set was observed as a harmless and apparent implies to an finish. However, 1 of the most iconic James Bond films, Goldfinger, utilized asbestos for set building. Ronald Sharpe, a set painter, was not provided the suitable protection though functioning, and, sadly, died at the age of 59 just after possessing created mesothelioma. It was about the mid-1960s that this material started to be utilized significantly less and significantly less.

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You would assume that late 20th-century filmmakers would know much better than to continue employing this deadly substance, but even the set of 1987’s Full Metal Jacket was impacted by asbestos. The film’s second half was mainly shot at Beckton Gas Works, an old plant that manufactured a quantity of hazardous chemical compounds. Beckton’s buildings had been constructed employing asbestos, so when they had been blown up to frame a war-torn atmosphere, the asbestos dust would then float down on the set. Matthew Modine, in distinct, has been vocal about the life-extended cough that he created just after the film wrapped production. In an interview with ReelBlend, he named the set “one of the most toxic places I’ve ever been in my life.” Not precisely delighted memories for Mr. Modine.

If there is any film set that you could take a look at in history, I doubt it would be The Wizard of Oz. Still, it lives on as 1 of the greatest films of all time and does not appear like it’ll be waning in recognition any time quickly. We can flinch at these terrifying behind-the-scenes stories now, but a lot more than something, we ought to be impressed by the final solution, provided the perform that every person turned in beneath such attempting situations. This is 1 of the cheeriest films ever produced! How these men and women never ever showed the discomfort that they had been going by way of, we’ll never ever know. Nevertheless, as horrible as it all sounds, their perseverance paid off due to the fact, at the really least, we ended up with a bona fide classic.

The Wizard of Oz is out there to stream on Max in the U.S.

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