over Judy Garland? At the time, Shirley Temple seemed like a shoe in for the role. of Dorothy in a film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, but in 1937, Shirley Temple was under contract at 20th Century Fox. Legend has it that a deal was almost made between MGM.
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.
Who was originally supposed to play the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz?
Buddy Ebsen was originally cast in the role of the Tin Woodman, a.k.a. the Tin Man, but he was essentially poisoned by the makeup, which was made of pure aluminum dust.
How old was Julie Garland when filming Wizard of Oz?
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".
She remains the most successful child star of all time, but Temple just couldn't capture the same sort of popularity as an adult. She left show business for the first time at age 12 to go to school full-time. After attempting a comeback in her early 20s, she formally retired in 1950.
2/ Jack Haley was not the original choice to play the Tin Man. Buddy Ebsen was initially cast for the 1939 movie, but he had to be replaced because the makeup made him sick. Haley's son, Jack Haley Jr., and Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow, talked about the switch.
What happened to the cast of The Wizard of Oz during filming?
During the Munchkinland sequence, a faulty trap door was responsible for inflicting serious burns upon Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West. She missed six weeks of filming and subsequently insisted her stand-in handle any scenes involving fire.
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.
Sophia was never afraid to admit how old she was, often using it to her advantage over the other women in the house. Ironically, actor Estelle Getty was a year younger than Bea Arthur, who played Sophia's daughter Dorothy. The clever use of makeup and a wig helped Getty match her character's age.
What mental illness did Dorothy have in The Wizard of Oz?
We're no shrinks, but it seems like Dorothy could be suffering from HPD, a disorder that manifests itself through attention-seeking behavior, intense theatricality, and a shallow array of emotions.
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).
In the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, Toto was played by a female brindle Cairn Terrier named Terry. She was paid a $125 salary each week, which was more than some of the human actors (the Singer Midgets who played the Munchkins reportedly received $50 to $100 a week).
Actor Buddy Ebsen, best known for his role as Jed Clampett on the TV series The Beverly Hillbillies, died at age 95 at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, Calif.
He was cast to appear in The Wizard of Oz (1939), originally as the Scarecrow, and before filming began, his role was changed to the Tin Man. He fell seriously ill during filming due to the aluminum dust in his makeup and was forced to drop out.
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.
As conceived and written by Lyman Frank Baum in 1900, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was a political allegory of turn-of-the-century America. Written in the waning days of the Populist movement of the late 1800s, it was the story of the sad collapse of Populism and the issues upon which the movement was based.
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.
Shirley Temple, the dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers, has died.
At what age did Shirley Temple stop making movies?
"Although she may always be best remembered as America's sweetheart, the woman who left the screen at 22 saying she had 'had enough of pretend' ended up leaving a considerable mark on the real world," the Times writes.
