On this date in 1939 Wizard of Oz was released in the USA. Ten things you might not know about this classic film.
The film was based on Frank Baum's 1900 children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Prior to 1939, the story had already been adapted into a stage play which was a hit in Chicago and New York, a silent film made in 1925 and a 1933 Canadian short film.
It was one of the first films to use technicolor. This meant the set required a lot of lighting which made the set extremely hot. Some reports say that temperatures got up over 38 degrees Celsius. This meant many of the actors were really suffering in their costumes. Bert Lahr, for example, wore a costume that weighed 90 pounds and was made from a real Lion skin.
He wasn’t the only star who had to suffer for their art. The wicked witch’s Green make up was so toxic that Margaret Hamilton could not eat on set once it was applied. It was Copper based. And left her with green-tinged skin for weeks afterwards. Scarecrow Ray Bolger had to wear a mask which was not only almost unbearable in the heat, but left him with lines on his face that took a year to disappear.
Showing off what Technicolor was capable of influenced much of it. Dorothy’s dress, which appears to be Blue and White was actually blue and light Pink, because that was easier to shoot in Technicolor. Also, in Frank Baum’s novel, the ruby slippers are silver, but they were made red in the film in order to show off the colour process.
Toto was played by a female Cairn terrier named Terry, who was already a movie star. She had appeared in Ready for Love, and in Bright Eyes, with Shirley Temple. She appeared in 16 films in her 11 year lifetime. She even received a salary of $125 a week — roughly $2,200 in today's money, which was more than some of the human actors received. The Munchkins got just $50 a week.
The Tornado was a 35-foot-long muslin stocking, spun around among miniatures of a Kansas farm and fields in a dusty atmosphere.
The Tin Man’s tears were chocolate syrup, because machine oil didn’t show up very well on camera.
The Horses in the Emerald City were coloured with gelatin powder. Their scenes had to be shot quickly before they started to lick it off.
Other actresses considered for the role of Dorothy were Deanna Durbin, Bonita Granville, and Shirley Temple. Initially, Dorothy was meant to be blonde and Judy Garland had to wear a blonde wig and heavy make up. However, when there was a change of director part way through, he decided Dorothy looked just fine as a brunette and told Judy to ditch the wig and make up and just be herself. That said, she was still expected to lose weight and wear a corset to hide her womanly figure.
The first cut was heavily edited as it was decided the film was a bit too scary for children. A scene of the tornado destroying the farmhouse went, as did some of Hamilton’s wicked witch scenes.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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