Typically, The Wizard of Oz conjures up warm fuzzy feelings of Auntie Em and dreaming of a world over the rainbow — but the making of the classic film is not so nice.
Yes, The Wizard of Oz may technically be a kids’ movie, but the stuff that went on behind the scenes was much more adult.
We heard some of the strange rumors about the 1939 film (including a Nazi sympathizer being involved with production and a possible munchkin suicide), so we did a little digging — and the more digging we did, the stranger things got.
Here’s what we found.
Originally published August 2014. Updated July 2017.
Munchkin misconduct
The munchkins sure were sweet to Dorothy when she got to Oz, but if accusations made by Judy Garland’s ex-husband are true, it was definitely all an act.
In a posthumously published memoir titled Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland, Sid Luft (Garland’s third husband) says a then-teenage Garland was repeatedly molested by some of the actors who played the Munchkins.
“They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress… The men were 40 or more years old,” wrote Luft.
And in a 1967 interview, Garland herself said, “They were little drunks… They got smashed every night, and they picked them up in butterfly nets.”
The rumors about the actors who played the munchkins have circulated for years, clearly, and they have denied that they harassed anyone or drank on set.
Tin Man in an iron lung
It was the actor Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) who was the Wizard of Oz producers’ original choice to play the slightly melancholy Tin Man.
The silver makeup used to make his character appear metallic was made out of aluminum powder, however, and after 10 days of shooting and breathing the aluminum into his lungs, Ebsen became horribly ill. He was reportedly rushed to the hospital where he had to recover in an iron lung that helped him breathe. Jack Haley replaced Ebsen, but the filmmakers wised up and ditched the powder for an aluminum paste that was applied over greasepaint.
Victor Fleming accused of being pro-Nazi
Oz‘s director, Victor Fleming, also known for directing Gone With the Wind, was rumored to be a Nazi sympathizer. Actress Anne Revere, who worked with Fleming in The Yearling, was quoted as saying Fleming was “violently pro-Nazi” and that he also loathed the British.
Wicked Witch was burned, for real
From the giant mole on her chin to her creepy green skin, Margaret Hamilton made a frightening Wicked Witch of the West. While shooting a scene where the Witch disappeared in a puff of smoke, the special effects went haywire, and the oil-based green makeup caught fire, burning her hands and arms. She recuperated but refused to work with fire again.
Toto’s broken paw
Turns out, it wasn’t only humans getting injured. Toto, Dorothy’s basket-sized Cairn Terrier, reportedly suffered a broken paw when one of the witch’s guards accidentally stepped on her foot. The dog, a female named Terry in real life, went on to make a total of 15 films.
The little person elevator
MGM needed to accommodate more than 100 little people to play Munchkins, and there are rumors that this required hiring a man whose entire duty was to pick up the actors and place them on their marks. His role was supposedly the “midget elevator.” This could have been necessary if chairs and set pieces were designed for people of average height.
Nothing about this rumor is politically correct today.
Auntie Em actress’ suicide
Dorothy’s Auntie Em, played by actress Clara Blandick, was perfectly cast as the tough, hardworking farmer’s wife. As she aged, she developed arthritis, causing her to be in a lot of pain. In addition, she was also going blind.
In 1962, Blandick overdosed on pills. According to several reports, she was found with a bag on her head and a suicide note that read, “I am now about to make the great adventure. I cannot endure this agonizing pain any longer. It is all over my body. Neither can I face the impending blindness. I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.” She was 81.
If you suspect someone might be considering suicide, or you have struggled with those thoughts yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Judy Garland’s untimely death
Just seven years after Blandick went on her “great adventure,” the lovely Judy Garland overdosed on barbiturates. The coroner ruled the death accidental. Garland, whose birth name was Frances Ethel Gumm, was only 47 years old at the time of her death.
L. Frank Baum’s coat
It could be fate or just an amazing coincidence, but legend has it that the jacket of the original Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, made it to the movie set.
As the story goes, a jacket purchased for Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan), was acquired at a secondhand store, and while Morgan was wearing the jacket on set, he noticed an inscription on the pocket that read “L. Frank Baum.” It may sound as fantastical as the movie, but legend also has it that the tailor who made the coat confirmed its authenticity. The jacket was given to Baum’s widow, Maud Gage, after the movie was completed.
Munchkin hanged himself on film?
There’s an urban legend that one of the Munchkins can be seen hanging from a tree in the forest just as Dorothy takes off on the Yellow Brick Road. Fortunately, it is just a legend. What appears to be a small figure hanging from a tree is actually a live bird that was on loan from the L.A. Zoo. The filmmakers thought having live birds flying around the set would make the forest appear real.
If you suspect someone might be considering suicide, or you have struggled with those thoughts yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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