Victor Fleming was not the original director of the film. The original director was a man named Richard Thorpe. He had envisioned a film that resembled the book much more closely. He wanted a Dorothy that looked like the illustrations of John R. Neill. In the original illustrations Dorothy is blonde. Thorpe wanted his and sporting a face of baby doll styled makeup.
Thorpe did not cast Judy Garland in his film. He was hoping he would be able to cast the young blonde star, Shirley Temple. He also cast a different actor for the Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen of “Beverly Hillbillies” fame. His vision didn’t matter much in the end because Thorpe’s tenure on the film lasted for only two weeks.
The Movie's Most Famous Song Almost Didn't Make The Final Cut
The soundtrack for the Wizard of Oz produced one of the most memorable songs of our time, "Over the Rainbow." But that beautiful ballad was almost cut from the film. The original cut of the film has a run-time that the studio found unacceptable. Producers insisted that the two hour run time be cut down by 20 minutes at least so the length would be reasonable for audiences to sit through. One of the original cuts was the "Over the Rainbow" song, since producers believed that all the black and white scenes slowed down the picture, and younger audience members would have no interest in the message of the song. In the end the song did get cut, but it was the reprise filmed in the Wicked Witch's castle rather than the opening black and white version with Dorothy. And the rest is movie history.
In the end the song did get cut, but it was the reprise filmed in the Wicked Witch's castle rather than the opening black and white version with Dorothy. And the rest is movie history.
Judy Garland Almost Didn’t Get The Lead Role
Many years later, it is almost impossible to imagine The Wizard of Oz without Judy Garland. MGM Studio executives always had her in mind, but she wasn't at the top of their lists. Everyone thought the blonde star, Shirley Temple, would be a better casting decision. She was younger than Garland and a much bigger star at the time. However, despite her baby doll looks and successful filmography, no one was sure that she had the singing voice necessary to make the movie successful.
In the end it was the studio system itself that sealed both actresses' fates. Shirley Temple was contracted to 20th Century Fox at the time. MGM offered to trade both Clark Gable and Jean Harlow's contracts to secure Shirley Temple but when Jean Harlow died unexpectedly the deal fell through. The studio system itself may have led to Harlow's untimely death. It has been implied that the hair dye the star used may have caused her death from liver failure.
Who Really Came Up With Dorothy's "Look"?
Before Victor Fleming came onto the project, but after Richard Thorpe had departed, George Cukor was at the project's helm. At the time Cukor was angling to be hired as director for "Gone with the Wind," and never intended to finish the Wizard of Oz. In the end Cukor lost both The Wizard of Oz and the Gone with the Wind jobs to the same man, Victor Fleming.
However, it was during Cukor's time on the picture that Dorothy's iconic look came to be. He rid the production of any thought of blonde wigs or dye and insisted on a "natural" look for the Kansas farm girl. He wanted her looks to contrast the fantastical Technicolor style of the rest of Oz.
Playing The Tin Man Was Quite The Hassle
No one had any luck, it seems, when it came to being cast as the Tin Man. Jack Haley was not poisoned as his predecessor, Buddy Ebsen, but it was not an easy assignment. While Haley did not have breathing problems, or have to spend two weeks in a hospital, he did contract an eye infection from all the makeup he was forced to use.
The Tin Man costume itself was very stiff and awkward to move around in. It was impossible for Jack Haley to rest or relax while dressed for his part; there was no way to sit down while in character. If Haley decided to lay down on the ground, it was then impossible for him to stand up again without assistance from the cast and crew. The only relief he was able to find was by leaning up against walls or pillars to take some of the weight off his feet. Otherwise, he was standing the entire time he was in costume.