The Great Movie Re-Watch

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Directors:

Victor Fleming

George Cukor

Mervyn LeRoy

Norman Taurog

Richard Thorpe

King Vidor

Writers:

Noel Langley

Florence Ryerson

Edgar Allan Woolf

Starring:

Judy Garland

Frank Morgan

Ray Bolger

Bert Lahr

Jack Haley

Billie Burke

Margaret Hamilton

Blurb:

Dorothy Gale is swept away from a farm in Kansas to a magical land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard who can help her return home to Kansas and help her friends as well.

Thoughts:

If you don’t have a horrible story to tell about working on The Wizard of Oz, did you really work on it? Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch, got third-degree burns on her face and hands. Her stunt woman was horribly injured as well. Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Woodman, was admitted in critical condition to a hospital when he had an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust they used for his costume. Jack Haley, the Tin Woodman in the movie, ended up getting an eye infection from the aluminum paste they switched to. Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, received permanent lines to his face caused by the glue they used for his mask. To top it all off, they sprinkled asbestos all over the set to look like snow and Judy Garland, Dorothy, got to lie in a pile of it.

All of that and so much more happened with this movie. When you read back over it all, it feels like a miracle that it was even made. That could be my ignorance of the behind the scenes of making movies, though.

I was introduced to this movie by my grandmother when I was relatively young. I loved it. Unlike my sister and brother, the flying monkeys never bothered me. I was too caught up in the music and bright colors. I loved Dorothy. I honestly think this movie may have been what started my love of fantasy.

It is yet another movie that has been added to the US Library of Congress. This might make my movie taste basic, but I don’t care. This movie is a classic and should be watched by everyone.