Producers may have cut some of Margaret Hamilton’s scenes, but that was far from the worst thing that happened to the actress on the project. Hamilton, like Ebsen before her, was injured on set and was absent for a full six weeks of filming.
During the Wicked Witch’s first appearance in the movie, where she appears in Munchkinlan. Hamilton was actually burned just as she was supposed to disappear in a puff of smoke and flames. The stunt was designed to drop the actress safely through a trap door before any flames appeared, however, due to a malfunction, the door did not open quick enough, though the flames appeared right on cue. The actress was left with burns on her hands and face.
The Transformation Of The Wicked Witch
Not everyone judges a book by its cover, and it's no different with characters. While the Wicked Witch of the West today is an icon with her black hat and green complexion today, that wasn't always her signature style. Originally the concept for the Wicked Witch gave her a much more sleek and sexy style. Producers however, concerned with making her appear convincingly evil and cruel changed her look before filming. They needed her to contrast much more sharply with the look of Glinda the Good Witch.
The look wasn't the only thing that changed but, like the Tin Man, the Wicked Witch also had to be recast. Gale Sondergaard was originally hired to play the Wicked Witch but, upon learning of the change to the look and makeup, stepped away from the project. Margaret Hamilton stepped in to take Sondergaard's place.
The Witch Was Too Wicked For The Big Screen
Margaret Hamilton's casting, and the new black and green look, worked so well that the character took on a life of her own. Have you seen the musical or read the book "Wicked"? However, Hamilton inhabited the character so well she took away from the "light hearted" family adventure producers hoped the film would be.
Hamilton's performance, they feared, was just a little bit too scary for a children's audience. Rather than recasting again, executives cut down the scenes in which Hamilton appeared. Despite losing some screen time, Hamilton's presence was no less strong in the film, or as part of the movie's legacy.
The Movie Is Always Different From The Book
Movies that are adapted from novels will always contain changes and edits. However, lovers of the Frank Baum original were not expecting to find quite so many changes from their beloved book in the beloved MGM film. Some changes were small, like names. In the book, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, rather than the Good Witch of the North, as she is in the movie. But some changes were much larger than that. For instance, in the book, Oz is a real place. In the film the story, and Oz itself, is portrayed as a dream Dorothy had.
The most well known change has to do with one of the film's most well known symbols. In The Wizard of Oz on screen, Dorothy has red ruby slippers. In the Frank Baum original, Dorothy has silver slippers. It was studio head Louis B. Mayer, who insisted on the change. Wanting to test out the company's new Technicolor technology, he insisted that they use a brighter and more vibrant color than silver, as described in the book. In other fun Technicolor facts, Dorothy's dress on set was not white and blue, but pink and blue, so it would be easier to shoot with the Technicolor cameras.
Don't Scare The Crew!
Ray Bolder, who played the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr, who played the Lion, and Jack Haley, who played the Tin Man, wore costumes that were both very lifelike, and very hard to get on and off. Between takes, and during lunchtime, they often had to rest and eat in costume. In the 1930's cast, crew, and other employees on the MGM lot were not particularly used to horror movies or realistic special effects.
This meant that the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Man were banned from eating in the regular MGM lunchroom, reportedly, so they wouldn't scare other staff members. They had to eat alone, something that is all but unimaginable in today's selfie and celebrity obsessed culture.