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From offscreen friendships and jarring pay inequality to the special effects and makeup tricks that brought some of the globe's favorite picture characters to life, The Wizard of Oz (1939) had so much going on behind the emerald curtain and the Technicolor gloss of an amazing fantasy world.

In honor of the 80th ceremony of the film, follow the yellow brick slideshow to peek behind that curtain and learn more about the secrets and fun facts that make the love film a timeless classic.

Margaret Hamilton Was a Fan Before the Flick

As a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of Fifty. Frank Baum'south Oz serial, Margaret Hamilton was thrilled to be considered for a role in the 1939 film adaptation. Hamilton called her agent to inquire which character the producers wanted her to play, and her amanuensis famously said, "The witch — who else?"

Hamilton, a single mother, fought MGM for an agreed upon amount of guaranteed work time. Iii days before filming began, the studio agreed to a five-week bargain. In the end, Hamilton was on set for three months, but many of her scenes were cut for being likewise scary for audiences.

Sure, Dorothy Gale doesn't need prosthetics or aluminum makeup, but that doesn't mean Judy Garland wasn't put through the costume department wringer. Although she was immature at the fourth dimension, the xvi-year-erstwhile Garland had to wear a corset-similar device and so she looked more like a preadolescent child.

Director Richard Thorpe suggested Garland wear a blonde wig and loads of "infant-doll" makeup (every bit any preadolescent girl would…?). Luckily, that vision of the grapheme changed. After MGM fired Thorpe, the intermediate director George Cukor nixed the heavy makeup and wig. Instead, he told Garland to exist herself. Smart move.

The "Skywriting" Scene Employed Some Great Movie Magic

The Wizard of Oz employs a lot of great film tricks, and some of the most unique were used in the skywriting scene. In it, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) flies higher up the Emerald Urban center, leaving the phrase "Give up Dorothy" in her wake in blackness smoke.

Using a hypodermic needle, the special effects team spread blackness ink across the bottom of a glass tank that was filled with a thick, tinted liquid (some speculate milk). They wrote the phrase in contrary and filmed the scene from below. Initially, the skywriting ended with the ominous "Or Die — Westward W West."

The "Snow" in the Poppy Field Was Actually Dangerous

One of the Wicked Witch'south last-ditch efforts to impede Dorothy's quest to run across the Wonderful Wizard of Oz involves a poppy field and some magical slumber-inducing snow. While many like to joke that the poppies and their drowsiness are the result of opium (a component of poppies), the scene has a much more blatant toxic connection than that.

Photo Courtesy: MGM Studios/Courtesy of Getty Images

All that magical snow? It's really 100% industrial-course chrysotile asbestos. Even though the health risks associated with the textile were known at the time, it was still Hollywood's preferred option for faux snow. Our advice to Dorothy? Don't catch any snowflakes on your tongue.

Scarecrow's Makeup Stuck Effectually for Awhile

In the end, Ray Bolger (Scarecrow) was probably grateful for Buddy Ebsen (the original Tin Man's) willingness to trade parts with him for more than reasons than one. The Tin Man'south aluminum makeup caused a huge amount of problems for Ebsen, who was replaced by Jack Haley.

Although Bolger'southward makeup feel was ameliorate than Ebsen's, he nevertheless had some issues. The Scarecrow's makeup consisted of a rubber prosthetic, complete with a woven pattern that mimicked the look of burlap. After the film wrapped, the prosthetic left patterns on Bolger'south face that took more than a year to fade.

Margaret Hamilton Was Burned On Prepare

In a burst of flames and red smoke, the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton) vanishes from Munchkinland. Although the scene is terrifying for viewers, information technology may have instilled more than fright for Hamilton. On the first take, the smoke rose from a hidden trapdoor too early on.

For the 2d take, Hamilton stood on the trapdoor equally planned, but her greatcoat snagged on the platform when the fire flared up. Her copper-containing makeup heated upwardly instantly, causing second- and tertiary-degree burns on her hands and face up. To make matters worse, the crew tried to remedy her burns with (an even more painful) acetone solvent.

The Flying Monkeys Became Falling Monkeys

The Wicked Witch'south legion of flying monkeys — or Winged Monkeys as they're called in the source fabric — have certainly been a source of terror for generations. Almost every bit scary as the Witch herself, these henchmen soar onto the scene to kidnap Dorothy and Toto — cheers to the magic of piano wires.

Nonetheless, the aeriform stunt went awry when several of the piano wires snapped, sending actors plummeting a few feet to the soundstage floor. To create such a vast troupe of monkeys (and cut downwardly on human marionettes), filmmakers made miniature rubber monkeys to help populate the heaven.

"Over the Rainbow" Was Well-nigh on the Cutting Room Floor

To no one'southward surprise, the American Picture Institute ranked "Over the Rainbow" #ane on a list of 100 Greatest Songs in American Films. But what may surprise yous? The (arguably) most iconic song of Judy Garland'southward career was nearly cut from the flick.

Studio execs at MGM idea the song made the Kansas scenes too long. Moreover, filmmakers were concerned that children wouldn't understand the song'south meaning. Luckily, this unfounded business concern melted like lemon drops. Unfortunately, Garland's tearful reprise of the song was left on the cut room floor.

The Tin Human being Costume Didn't Permit Jack Haley to Residue Easy

Although Bert Lahr had to schlep effectually in a 90-pound king of beasts costume, Jack Haley didn't have it easy either. From the lingering concerns nigh the aluminum paste-based makeup on his face and hands to the minimal flexibility of the "tin" trunk and artillery, Haley faced some challenges.

Reportedly, his costume was and so potent that he had to lean against a board to residual properly. Many years later, actor Anthony Daniels, known for playing the protocol droid C-3PO in the Star Wars films, had the same issue with his rigid costume. It seems even fantasy and sci-fi can't assist folks escape all their problems.

The Original Tin Human being Was Rushed to the Hospital

Initially, Buddy Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, just traded parts with Ray Bolger. Yet, Ebsen's new character, the Tin Man, caused him a slew of issues. Namely, the character's silver makeup independent a harmful aluminum dust that coated Ebsen's lungs.

Photo Courtesy: John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

To brand matters worse, Ebsen had an allergic reaction, and, unable to breathe, he was rushed to the infirmary. MGM recast the part with Jack Haley (and changed up the makeup), merely didn't explain why Ebsen "dropped out." Although Ebsen didn't appear in the final moving picture, his vocals can exist heard in "We're Off to See the Wizard."

A Stocking & Some Miniatures Gave The states the Tornado

The tornado that strikes the Gale homestead is total of practical special effects that really hold up. The funnel itself was really a 35-foot long stocking made of muslin. The special effects team spun it around miniatures that resembled the farms and fields of Kansas. Against the painted backdrop, the tornado looks menacing.

The Gale house, which falls from the heaven and into Oz, is just a miniature house that was dropped onto a heaven painting. Filmmakers then reversed the footage to brand it look like the house was falling out of the clouds.

Hollywood Didn't Pay Up Then Either

Pay inequality has always been an issue in Hollywood. For example, Adriana Caselotti, vox of the titular character in Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), fabricated $970 for her operation, though the pic went on to make roughly $8 million.

Co-ordinate to the Los Angeles Times, Judy Garland's pay was amend than Caselotti's — playing Dorothy earned her $500 a calendar week — but it even so didn't reflect the movie'due south success. Even more than discouraging, the folks who portrayed the citizens of Munchkinland were paid a mere $50 per week. (Meanwhile, Terry the dog earned $125 per week as Toto. A real yikes.)

Bert Lahr's King of beasts Costume Was Taxing

Originally, MGM thought it might cast its mascot — the actual panthera leo used in the studio'southward championship card — as the cowardly character. Fortunately, for the safety of the actors and the creature, the filmmakers decided to cast actor Bert Lahr every bit the anthropomorphic character instead.

To make a convincing creature, the costume department fashioned Lahr a 90-pound outfit made from existent lion skin. Yet, the arc lights used on prepare made things a steamy 100 degrees during filming, which meant Lahr did a lot of sweating unrelated to his character's fretfulness. Each night, two stagehands dried the costume for the next twenty-four hour period.

The Initial Box Office Returns Were Uneven

The film started shooting in October of 1938 but didn't wrap until March of 1939, racking up an unheard of $2,777,000 in costs. That's well-nigh $50 million adjusted for inflation. Upon its initial release, the movie only earned $3 meg at the box office — about $51.8 million by today's standards.

Although that seems impressive for a Depression-era film, remember that Disney made $eight million with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The Wizard of Oz'due south pocket-size success in the U.S. barely covered product and flick rights' costs — MGM paid $75,000 to the publisher for those — merely success overseas fortunately bolstered the film's returns.

The Night Side of Oz in a Time Before "Me Too"

Judy Garland was just sixteen years onetime when she was cast as Dorothy. Insecure and lonesome, she became fond to amphetamines and barbiturates, which were often given to young actors to help them sleep after studios shot them up with adrenaline so they could work long hours.

The spotlight — and her damaging contract with MGM — didn't help, leading to lifelong struggles with an eating disorder and alcoholism. According to a author for Express, "[Garland] was molested by older men, including studio chiefs [and head Louis B. Mayer], who considered her little more than than their 'property.'" Moreover, MGM forced Garland to stick to a wildly unhealthy nutrition of cigarettes, coffee and craven soup.

The Voice of Snow White Had a Cameo

A few years before The Wizard of Oz debuted, Walt Disney's feature-length animated picture Snowfall White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) became a nail-hit. Non only did the motion-picture show revolutionize the blitheness industry, it also reinvigorated the fantasy genre.

Disney wanted to follow up Snow White — then the nearly successful moving-picture show of all time — with an accommodation of The Wizard of Oz, but MGM endemic the rights. By happenstance, Adriana Caselotti, who voiced Snowfall White, had an uncredited role in Oz. During the Tin can Man'south "If I But Had a Heart," Caselotti speaks her sole line, "Wherefore art 1000 Romeo?"

The Ruby Slippers Are Props & Treasured Artifacts

Keeping in line with the book, Dorothy'south iconic footwear was originally silverish, only screenwriter Noel Langley felt the red color would really pop in glorious Technicolor. Designed by MGM'south chief costume designer Gilbert Adrian, the shoes are each covered in nigh 2,300 sequins.

Photograph Courtesy: Larry Marano/FilmMagic/Getty Images

One of the remaining pairs is on view in the Smithsonian Institution'south National Museum of American History. Since the display is then heavily trafficked, the museum has replaced the carpeting there several times. Another pair were stolen from Minnesota'southward Judy Garland Museum in 2005, only the FBI recovered the slippers for the establishment in 2018.

Only Ane Sequence Was Filmed "On Location"

The Wizard of Oz is your archetype chance story, and Dorothy's quest leads her from a Kansas subcontract to another world — consummate with corn fields, poppy-filled meadows and forests. Yet, despite all these scenic locations, most all the scenes were shot on a soundstage.

As was customary at the time, immense, detailed backdrops were painted by studio artists, making it possible for filmmakers to ship audiences to far away places without filming on location. In fact, the only location footage in the motion picture is the opening title sequence — those clouds are 100% the real deal.

A Second Toto Was Brought In

Toto, played primarily by Terry, is ane of the most beloved dogs in moving picture history. Terry was famously not a huge fan of special effects and tin can often exist seen running out of a shot when something loud or alarming happens — like when the Tin Man spouts out all of that steam.

Subsequently i of the Witch's guards accidentally stepped on her, Terry was on bedrest for two weeks. Filmmakers went through 2 doubles to detect one that resembled the original canine player more closely.

Fun fact: Judy Garland was so addicted of Terry that she wanted to adopt the dog.

Margaret Hamilton "Mourns the Wicked" Witch

In addition to being a huge fan of the Oz books, Margaret Hamilton likewise believed her character was more than simply your run-of-the-manufacturing plant evil villain. More than 35 years later the moving picture debuted, Hamilton, donning her Witch's costume to prove kids it was make-believe, appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where Fred Rogers interviewed her near the graphic symbol.

According to Hamilton, the then-chosen Wicked Witch relished everything she did, merely she was also a pitiful, lonely figure. In curt, things never went well for the frustrated Witch. Oddly plenty, the Broadway musical Wicked likewise takes this arroyo to the Witch's graphic symbol.

The "Horse of a Dissimilar Color" Was Made Possible Thanks to a Food Production

In 1939, audiences were merely as amazed as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly King of beasts when the horse in Emerald City took on a rainbow of colors. This "horse of a different color" was fabricated possible thank you to a surprising food particular…

Clot-O crystals were used to color the horses, which meant filmmakers had to move quickly — the animals were eager to lick upwardly the sweet treat. But the colorful steed isn't the only interesting component in this fan-favorite scene. The horse-drawn railroad vehicle was once owned by President Abraham Lincoln and now resides at the Judy Garland Museum.

The Makeup Section Hired Extra Hands

From the citizens of Munchkinland and Emerald City to the Witch's flying monkeys, so many actors had to undergo a makeup transformation in club to give life to this fantasy pic. To keep up with the daily demands, MGM called upon workers from the studio mailroom and courier service to manage makeup stations.

Since most of the Ozian ensemble required prosthetics, makeup artists — and "makeshift" artists — formed a kind of costuming assembly line. Most actors had to go far before five:00 in the morning — six days a week! — to begin the intensive process.

Memorable (& Often Misquoted) Lines Fill the Film

The pic is brimming-total of iconic, memorable songs, and information technology has the bang-up fortune of beingness responsible for some of the almost quoted lines in moving-picture show history likewise. In 2007, Premiere compiled a list of "The 100 Greatest Moving picture Lines" and placed a whopping iii of the motion-picture show's lines on the listing.

"Pay no attention to that human being behind the drapery" was voted #24, while "There's no place like habitation" nabbed the 11th spot. Finally, the frequently misquoted "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" landed in the 62nd spot.

The Witch's Fire Employed Some Technical Wizardry (& Juice)

Clearly, the technical wizardry — or witchcraft — in the movie is incredible. Like the "horse of a different colour" sequence, another iconic, special effects-heavy scene harnessed the power of everyday household items to pull off fun tricks.

Soon after Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland, the Wicked Witch tries to snatch the ruby slippers from the immature girl'due south feet. However, fire strikes the Witch's hands, repelling her. This "fire" is actually apple juice spouting from the slippers in a sped-upward clip to make it await more flame-like.

Technicolor Required Some Ingenuity in the Props Section

Experimenting with Technicolor was part fun and role problem-solving for filmmakers. In order to properly capture scenes with the Technicolor camera, the soundstage needed to be lit with arc lights, which oftentimes heated the set up to a toasty 100 degrees.

Later the lights were ready, the experts experimented with what would expect best on picture, especially in colorized form. For example, the white part of Dorothy's wearing apparel is actually pink — simply because it filmed better. And the oil the Tin Human being is and so excited about? It's actually chocolate syrup.

The Wicked Witch of the East Makes More than Than One Appearance

Function of the Wicked Witch of the Westward'due south beefiness with Dorothy is that the immature daughter dropped a house on her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, who was the short-lived owner of the cherry slippers. Although Margaret Hamilton already plays both the Wicked Witch of the Westward and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch, she also plays the Wicked Witch of the East — if only briefly.

During the tornado sequence, an befuddled Dorothy looks out her bedroom window and watches Gulch transform into a witch, her shoes shimmering. For fans, this glint indicates the witch outside the window is wearing the ruby slippers. The restored version of the film makes that shimmer even more noticeable.

The Film'south Running Time Was Cutting Down Several Times

The outset cut of the picture show clocked in at a running time of 120 minutes. Although that seems like zip by today'due south Marvel movie standards, producer Mervyn LeRoy felt it was long and unwieldy and wanted to chop off 20 minutes.

Subsequently cutting the famed "Jitterbug" number and an extended Scarecrow dance sequence, the motion picture was 112 minutes long. LeRoy held a second preview screening, and, afterwards, nixed Dorothy's "Over the Rainbow" reprise, an Emerald Urban center reprise of "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead," a scene where the Tin Human being becomes a human beehive (Yikes!) and a few Kansas sequences.

Then Much for a "Wicked" Witch

Filmmakers deemed Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West functioning too frightening for audiences and cut or trimmed many of her scenes. Merely non everyone thought her performance was terrifying — namely Judy Garland, who played the Wicked Witch's nemesis, Dorothy Gale.

Off-screen, the moving-picture show'southward starring foes were actually friends. One story that emerged from the set described Garland excitedly showing off a dress to Hamilton, declaring she was going to clothing it for her graduation. Unfortunately, MGM'south Louis B. Mayer sent Garland on a press tour the day of her graduation. Upset, Hamilton phoned Mayer and chewed him out.

Giving Credit to Technicolor

In the opening credits, the text reads "Photographed in Technicolor," as opposed to the more than apt "Colour Sequences past Technicolor." The phrasing of the credits makes it seem equally though the unabridged film was shot in color. Was this done deliberately, or was information technology a minor syntactical simulated pas?

It's widely believed this was a bit of a stunt done to enhance the surprise of the film turning into full iii-strip Technicolor when Dorothy arrives in Oz. Posters made at the time of the film's debut made no mention of sepia tint (or "black-and-white"), adding credence to this theory.

One of History'due south Most-Watched Films

Although The Sorcerer of Oz proved popular in theaters, another film released the same twelvemonth, besides directed past Victor Fleming, actually topped the box office. (You lot may have heard of that little flick — information technology's called Gone with the Wind.) Nonetheless, MGM'south musical fantasy may have more staying power than other films of the era, cheers in part to re-releases.

The film was showtime broadcast on television set on Nov iii, 1956, and garnered an impressive 44 million viewers. It's believed that The Wizard of Oz is ane of the 10 most-watched characteristic-length movies in movie history, largely due to the number of annual tv set screenings, theater viewings and diverse format re-releases.