In 1938, when Garland was sixteen, she was cast as the young Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film based on the 1900 children's book by L. Frank Baum. In the film, she sang the song with which she would be constantly identified afterward, "Over the Rainbow".
Actress-singer Judy Garland paved her way into movie history at the age of 16 by skipping down the yellow brick road in a blue gingham dress and sparkling ruby red slippers as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 MGM movie musical, The Wizard of Oz.
Who was originally cast as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz?
Casting. Several actresses were reportedly considered for the part of Dorothy, including Shirley Temple from 20th Century Fox, at the time, the most prominent child star; Deanna Durbin, a relative newcomer, with a recognised operatic voice; and Judy Garland, the most experienced of the three.
When Judy Garland went over the rainbow as Dorothy Gale in the classic 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz, she almost left without singing what was to become her signature number.
Garland gave iconic film performances in The Wizard of Oz (1939), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948), and A Star Is Born (1954). She is also remembered as the singer of “You Made Me Love You” and “Over the Rainbow” and for the concert album Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961).
In 1938, when Garland was sixteen, she was cast as the young Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film based on the 1900 children's book by L. Frank Baum. In the film, she sang the song with which she would be constantly identified afterward, "Over the Rainbow".
Since she was sixteen years old at the time of filming, Garland's maturing figure was bound into a figure-hiding corset. Since fantasy films generally were unsuccessful at that time, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer portrayed Oz as a head-trauma-induced delirium, instead of a real place.
Raimi was hired to direct the following year. After Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp declined the title role, Franco was cast in February 2011 with principal photography commencing five months later. Danny Elfman composed the film's score.
Roger Edens, MGM composer and Garland's mentor, dubiously made an appointment to hear Shirley Temple sing on the Twentieth Century-Fox lot. He returned to Metro to report that Temple lacked the robust vocal chops required for the extravaganza being prepared, and the part of Dorothy remained Judy Garland's, as intended.
Not only was the studio slow to find roles for Garland, but being under contract also opened her up to a world of criticism about her appearance. Studio head Louis B. Mayer allegedly called Garland "my little hunchback" (Garland was less than five feet tall and had curvature of the spine).
Who did Dorothy miss the most in The Wizard of Oz?
Dorothy says to the Scarecrow, I'll miss you most of all. But fortunately for you, I never get sick of talking about it. So let's do it again. In the early drafts of the Wizard of Oz script, there was an innocent romance between Dorothy and Honk, the counterpart of the Scarecrow in Kansas.
Even though Judy Garland was originally Freed's first choice as Dorothy, she wasn't the only person considered to play the part. MGM's parent company at the time urged the producers to choose a bigger name, like Shirley Temple.
Baum's choice of a girl instead of a boy for this central role is significant in several respects. Many of the rulers and protagonists in Oz were female. In addition to Dorothy and Glinda, later books introduce Ozma and Lurline, both benevolent rulers. Frank Baum was committed to the cause of women's rights.
Robert De Niro was born in New York City and grew up in Little Italy, the son of painters. He made his stage debut at the age of 10 playing the Cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz. By age 16, he had quit school and turned his attention to acting, studying under Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg.
Legend has it that a deal was almost made between MGM. and 20th century. to loan out Shirley Temple for the role of Dorothy, but in 1937. MGM had not yet acquired the rights to The Wizard of Oz.
The Wizard of Oz was filmed entirely on stages at MGM's Culver City studio at 10202 Washington Boulevard. The studio still stands today and offers visitors a look behind the curtains to see where the magic happened, as part of the Sony Pictures Studio Tour.
What was the age difference between Dorothy and Sophia?
(Based on evidence presented by the ladies themselves during the first year of the show, Dorothy and Rose are actually both 55, Blanche is in her early 50s, and Sophia is 80.)
Mayer habitually referred to his newly acquired adolescent star as “our little hunchback.”1 Her biographers tell us that Garland was afflicted with scoliosis, a hereditary curvature of the spine more common in women than in men, and that it gave her some- thing of a “dowager's hump” by her teenage years.
