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Most of us are by now familiar with The Wizard of Oz. Blah blah tornado, blah blah witch dies, blah blah need a brain, blah blah heart, blah blah courage, blah blah off to see the wizard, blah blah man behind the curtain, what a world, yadda yadda back to Kansas.

But there’s plenty of stuff I bet you’re not familiar with, so today, brace yourself for a round of behind the scenes factoids about the great American picture, The Wizard of Oz.

The Tin Man’s Casting

Ray Bolger was not always the Tin Man–for a while, he was actually the Scarecrow, and Jed Clampett himself, Buddy Ebsen, was playing the Tin Man. Bolger was unhappy as the Tin Man, and thus suggested to an Oz producer that the change be made. Ebsen, meanwhile, had no problem with this…until nine days after filming began.

Buddy Ebsen suffered an allergic reaction to the aluminum powder makeup, which he breathed in daily while it was being applied. The heavy metal coated his lungs, and Ebsen, who was by then in critical condition and near death, was hospitalized. It may well have played some role in his death at the age of 95 from complications of pneumonia.

No one bothered to tell Jack Haley, Ebsen’s replacement, just why Ebsen suddenly left shooting.

Script Modifications

The original script for The Wizard of Oz featured a series of musical contests enacted after a princess in Oz bans all music except for operetta and classical. Dorothy took on said princess with a swing style and thus won over the audience. This was done in an attempt to win over an actual audience for the film, a younger audience more likely to buy repeat showing tickets.

The Wicked Witch of the West was originally set up to be a stylish and cold villianess in the style of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but later shifted into an ugly hag.

Judy Garland was originally tasked to perform the role of Dorothy under a blond wig and heavy “baby-doll” makeup, and perform in a highly exaggerated fashion.

Injuries

Several injuries beside Ebsen’s took place on set: The second Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, was burned severely in the filming of the Munchkinland scene. Following her hospital stay, she refused to shoot the scene with her on a broomstick trailing smoke. Which was a smart idea–the stand-in selected was injured during a malfunction on set.

And if you think you’re ready to take on our The Wizard of Oz movie trivia, walk on down that yellow brick road.

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