The Backstory: What They Don't Tell You About The Wizard of Oz
We all love The Wizard of Oz, right? So why was it a box office flop when it came out? And why was production so horrible for the cast and crew? It’s a story of what people put up with (and still put up with) to make it in Hollywood.
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Speaker 1: Today we're revisiting a favorite episode from the past. I mean, really,
Speaker 1: who doesn't love The Wizard of Oz? The music, the
Speaker 1: vivid colors, Toto, for God's sakes, It's an American classic.
Speaker 1: So why was it a box office flop? Why did
Speaker 1: the studio try to get the director to cut the
Speaker 1: song Somewhere over the Rainbow out of the movie? And
Speaker 1: why was that beautiful film hell on Earth for the
Speaker 1: cast and crew. I'm Patty Steele behind the scenes with
Speaker 1: The Wizard of Oz. Next on the backstory, We're back
Speaker 1: with the backstory. Okay, when you think of the all
Speaker 1: time classic hits that came out of Hollywood, wouldn't you
Speaker 1: say The Wizard of Oz is right up there on
Speaker 1: that list? Except when it came out who is kind
Speaker 1: of a flop? In fact, the New Yorker magazine called
Speaker 1: it a stinkeroo. Not my words are their words. On
Speaker 1: the upside, the New York Times really liked the movie,
Speaker 1: but really hated the special effects, especially the bubble the
Speaker 1: good Witch came down in in munchkin Land. They didn't
Speaker 1: think that worked. But worst of hull for Hollywood because
Speaker 1: it costs so much to make. At the end of
Speaker 1: the day, The Wizard of Oz was a money loser
Speaker 1: for the studio. It wasn't until ten years later when
Speaker 1: it was re released that it finally made a profit.
Speaker 1: And listen to this. When it came to the Academy Awards,
Speaker 1: Oz was nominated for a modest five Oscars, but it
Speaker 1: only won two of them. And by the way, the
Speaker 1: iconic song over the Rainbow was almost cut because MGM
Speaker 1: execs thought the song slowed down the movie. They asked
Speaker 1: why a farm girl would sing a ballad outside of
Speaker 1: a barn? Not very creative thinking, right. It was only
Speaker 1: when the flick's producer, along with Judy Garland, went to
Speaker 1: battle to keep it in that it made the final cut,
Speaker 1: and it's a good thing it did, because that song
Speaker 1: was one of the only two oscars the Wizard of
Speaker 1: Oz one. Okay, now, in fairness, it was a tough
Speaker 1: year to put a film out since it was up
Speaker 1: against a ton of iconic clicks like the mega hit
Speaker 1: Gone with the Win, as well as Wuthering Heights, Mister
Speaker 1: Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach and many more. But the
Speaker 1: making of the Wizard of Oz wasn't exactly a fun
Speaker 1: time for Judy Garland the star, or, for that matter,
Speaker 1: for most of the people involved in the production. Well,
Speaker 1: first of all, imagine your sixteen year old Judy Garland.
Speaker 1: You're already totally insecure because you've got a really vicious
Speaker 1: mother who constantly threatens you. She violently punishes you and
Speaker 1: mentally abuses you to get you to do what she wants.
Speaker 1: And all she wants is for you to make money
Speaker 1: and be a bigger star. Later in life, Judy called
Speaker 1: her mom the real wicked witch of the West. So anyway,
Speaker 1: you'll arrive on the Wizard of Oz movie set only
Speaker 1: to have studio executives complain too old, too fat, and
Speaker 1: not pretty enough for the role. You're reminded they really
Speaker 1: wanted Shirley Temple to play Dorothy, but you only got
Speaker 1: the job because you could sing way better, no kidding.
Speaker 1: These icy individuals want you to look younger, so they
Speaker 1: bind your breasts really tight so you don't look sixteen.
Speaker 1: They want you to lose weight, so you're only given
Speaker 1: chicken soup and black coffee every day, and they also
Speaker 1: give you every day four packs of cigarettes to keep
Speaker 1: your weight down. But that's not enough. With mom's blessing,
Speaker 1: they make you take barbituates and amphetaments to keep you
Speaker 1: slim and awake snow under Judy was an attic for
Speaker 1: the rest of her life, and the physical abuse continues.
Speaker 1: You get slapped by the director whenever you giggle on
Speaker 1: the set. And remember the scene where Dorothy falls asleep
Speaker 1: in the field of poppies, but Glinda, the Goodwitch makes
Speaker 1: it snow so she'll wake up. They actually use asbestos
Speaker 1: fibers because it was the cheapest fake snow they could find,
Speaker 1: and Judy wasn't the only one abused. The Cowardly Lion's
Speaker 1: costume was made from fifty pounds of real lion pelts,
Speaker 1: impossibly heavy and hot, especially because the temperature on set
Speaker 1: was always well over one hundred degrees. That was due
Speaker 1: to the arc lighting needed for that early Technicolor film.
Speaker 1: And there's more. A bunch of the flying monkeys really
Speaker 1: people in costume got hurt when the piano wire holding
Speaker 1: them up broke. Both the Wicked Witch and her stand
Speaker 1: in were badly burned by flames from the flying broom
Speaker 1: and scarred, and the original tin man was hospitalized and
Speaker 1: then finally replaced after his lungs gave out due to
Speaker 1: the aluminum dust in his silver body makeup, and oh man,
Speaker 1: do not get me started on the Munchkins. The Little
Speaker 1: People actors were so much trouble on the set. The
Speaker 1: cops were called infrequently because of their drinking and also
Speaker 1: for harassing young Judy Garland. Now, on the other hand,
Speaker 1: they were also treated horribly. In fact, the guy that
Speaker 1: hired them for the studio took half their paychecks if
Speaker 1: they weren't short enough. In fact, the dog that played
Speaker 1: Toto was paid more than they were. Speaking of Toto,
Speaker 1: they say Terry, the pup who played Toto, suffered several
Speaker 1: nervous breakdowns while filming. As tough as Hollywood still seems
Speaker 1: to be. None of this stuff exactly would happen today
Speaker 1: because there are people advocating for all these folks and animals.
Speaker 1: But it's still horribly abusive. It's just way more subtle.
Speaker 1: Problem is everybody then and now wants to be a star.
Speaker 1: It just depends on how much you're willing to put
Speaker 1: up with to make it. I'm Patty Steele. Story is
Speaker 1: a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group,
Speaker 1: and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Mike Paeseglia. Our
Speaker 1: writer is Jake Kushner. New episodes are out every Tuesday
Speaker 1: and Friday, and feel free to reach out to me
Speaker 1: with comments and story suggestions on Instagram at Reel Patty
Speaker 1: Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening
Speaker 1: to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history
Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.