1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,199 Speaker 1: I mean, really, who doesn't love the Wizard of Oz? 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: The music, the vivid colors, Toto. For God's sakes, It's 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: an American classic. So why was it a box office flop? 4 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: Why did the studio try to get the director to 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: cut the song Somewhere over the Rainbow out of the movie? 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: And why was that beautiful film hell on earth for 7 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: the cast and crew. I'm Patty Steele behind the scenes 8 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: with The Wizard of Oz. Next on the backstory. We're 9 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: back with the backstory. Okay, when you think of the 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: all time classic hits that came out of Hollywood, wouldn't 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: you say The Wizard of Oz is right up there 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 1: on that list? Except when it came out, who was 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: kind of a flop? In fact, the New Yorker magazine 14 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: called it a stinkeroo. Not my words are their words. 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: On the upside, the New York Times really liked the movie, 16 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: but really hated the special effects, especially the bubble the 17 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,279 Speaker 1: good Way which came down in in munchkin Land. They 18 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: didn't think that worked. But worst of all for Hollywood, 19 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: because it costs so much to make. At the end 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: of the day, the Wizard of Oz was a money 21 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 1: loser for the studio. It wasn't until ten years later 22 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,679 Speaker 1: when it was re released that it finally made a profit. 23 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: And listen to this. When it came to the Academy Awards, 24 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: Oz was nominated for a modest five Oscars, but it 25 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: only won two of them. And by the way, the 26 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: iconic song over the Rainbow was almost cut because MGM 27 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: execs thought the song slowed down the movie. They asked 28 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: why a farm girl would sing a ballad outside of 29 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: a barn? Not very creative thinking, right. It was only 30 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: when the flick's producer, along with Judy Garland, went to 31 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: battle to keep it in that it made the final cut. 32 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: And it's a good thing it did, because that song 33 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: was one of the only two Oscars the Wizard of 34 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: Oz won. Okay, Now, in fairness, it was a tough 35 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: year to put a film out since it was up 36 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: against a ton of iconic cliques like the mega hit 37 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: Gone with the Wind, as well as Wuthering Heights, Mister 38 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach and many more. But the 39 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: making of the Wizard of Oz wasn't exactly a fun 40 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: time for Judy Garland, the star, or for that matter, 41 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: for most of the people involved in the production. Well, 42 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: first of all, imagine your sixteen year old Judy Garland. 43 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: You're already totally insecure because you've got a really vicious 44 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: mother who constantly threatens you. She violently punishes you and 45 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: mentally abuses you to get you to do what she wants. 46 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: And all she wants is for you to make money 47 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: and be a bigger star. Later in life, Judy called 48 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,680 Speaker 1: her mom the real wicked Witch of the West. So anyway, 49 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: you'll arrive on the Wizard of Oz movie set only 50 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: to have studio executives complain you're too old, too fat, 51 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: and not pretty enough for the role. You're reminded they 52 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: really wanted Shirley Temple to play Dorothy, but you only 53 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: got the job because you could sing way better, No kidding. 54 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 1: These icy individuals want you to look younger, so they 55 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: bind your breasts really tight so you don't look sixteen. 56 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: They want you to lose weight, so you're only given 57 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: chicken soup and black coffee every day, and they also 58 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: give you every day four packs of cigarettes to keep 59 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: your weight down. But that's not enough with mom's blessing, 60 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: they make you take barbituates and amphetamins to keep you 61 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,040 Speaker 1: slim and awake. Snow under Judy was an attic for 62 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: the rest of her life, and the physical abuse continues. 63 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: You get slapped by the director whenever you giggle on 64 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: the set. And remember the scene where Dorothy falls asleep 65 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: in the field of poppies, but Glinda the Goodwitch makes 66 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: it snow so she'll wake up. They actually used asbestos 67 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: fibers because it was the cheapest fake snow they could find, 68 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: and Judy wasn't the only one abused. The Cowardly Lion's 69 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: costume was made from fifty pounds of real lion pelts, 70 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: impossibly heavy and hot, especially because the temperature on set 71 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: was always well over one hundred degrees. That was due 72 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: to the arc lighting needed for that early Technicolor film. 73 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: And there's more. A bunch of the flying monkeys really 74 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: people in costume got hurt when the piano wire holding 75 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: them up broke. Both the Wicked Witch and her stand 76 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,720 Speaker 1: in were badly burned by flames from the flying broom 77 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: and scarred, and the original tin man was hospitalized and 78 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: then finally replaced after his lungs gave out due to 79 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:48,679 Speaker 1: the aluminum dust in his silver body makeup. And oh, man, 80 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: Do not get me started on The Munchkins. The Little 81 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,479 Speaker 1: People actors were so much trouble on the set. The 82 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: cops were called infrequently because of their drinking and and 83 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: also for harassing young Judy Garland. Now, on the other hand, 84 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 1: they were also treated horribly. In fact, the guy that 85 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: hired them for the studio took half their paychecks if 86 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: they weren't short enough. In fact, the dog that played 87 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: Toto was paid more than they were. Speaking of Toto, 88 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: they say Terry the pub who played Toto suffered several 89 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: nervous breakdowns while filming. As tough as Hollywood still seems 90 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,840 Speaker 1: to be, none of this stuff exactly would happen today 91 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: because there are people advocating for all these folks and animals. 92 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: But it's still horribly abusive. It's just way more subtle. 93 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:44,119 Speaker 1: Problem is everybody then and now wants to be a star. 94 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: It just depends on how much you're willing to put 95 00:05:47,400 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: up with to make it. I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory 96 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia and Steel Trap Productions. Our 97 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: producer is Doug Fraser. Our executive producer is Steve Goldstein 98 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: of Amplify Media. We're out with new episodes twice a week. 99 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the backstory, the pieces of history 100 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.