Nicki cackles for THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) Movie Reaction FIRST TIME WATCHING w/Adult Brain

[@DanielTate-wt9jt]

The fortune teller at the beginning told her that her aunt was ill because he knew that would get Dorothy to go home. He was helping her. He wasn't being mean. He knew she would go home because she was worried about her aunt. He was trying to get her to go home.

[@ronweber1402]

Ya really. How could she not get that? It was a different time I guess. People today are much more suspicious.

[@terrylandess6072]

It's not rocket science, I guess it's social science - like we had in school back in the 60's/70's.

[@minnesotajones261]

@@ronweber1402 Stranger Danger! lol

[@ericjanssen394]

"Poor kid, I hope she gets home okay..."

[@ritarene2965]

Putting on the ruse and using reverse psychology was far more effective than directly trying to convince her.

[@Dej24601]

This was not shown on television until 1959, and was shown once a year. It was a major event which families eagerly anticipated all year.

[@sedawk]

Yes "the on television" caught me too. Movie theatres!

[@DEWwords]

It scared the stuffing out of me ( I was 6 ) and I loved it and looked forward to seeing it once a year.

[@triadmad]

My sister and I watched the movie every year for several years before finding out that the Oz scenes were in color. We didn't get a color television until late 1968.

[@johno1765]

And most of us didn't have color TV sets way back then so many families like mine didn't see the Technicolor till years later.

[@TedLittle-yp7uj]

@@triadmad It was shown each year as an event, introduced by a host. I can remember Danny Kaye in his spiel, telling owners of colour TVs (my family was the first in the neighbourhood to have one) not to worry about the first part of the film being in black and white because it was made that way. "There's nothing wrong with your set." In the television prints, Kansas scenes were in B&W rather than sepia for technical reasons I do not understand. It wasn't until VHS became available that they restored the sepia.

[@davidfox5383]

Before the days of home theater and VHS, we could only see this movie once a year when the networks decided to show it. Usually it was around Easter or Thanksgiving. For kids growing up in the '60s and '70s, it was almost as big an event as birthdays or Christmas. That's really how the film became so beloved, because its message of home reminds us of our childhood and our homes.

[@Sarah_Gravydog316]

now you watch it 24/7 if you wanted to that's one of the bad things about today

[@johnnehrich9601]

People forget or don't know how low resolution early tvs were, and color tvs rare but even so, this was a super-big event.

[@MattB2603]

I remember this being shown on TV in the spring. I grew up in the '80s and it was huge seeing this on TV. Sunday night got to stay up late to watch this.

[@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh]

And yet there was no internet and no closed captioning so many of the songs went so fast we did not catch many of the words.

[@jamesgardner2101]

Yep. Never missed it!

[@quicktastic]

The professor tricked her into going back home. He was looking out for her.

[@billolsen4360]

Indeed!

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

But he is a man. You have to wonder what his _real_ intentions were.

[@billherman7294]

@@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.- oh for God's sake

[@RemyEdits]

@@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.- to make her go back to her family. Weirdo.

[@brandonflorida1092]

At the beginning, Professor Marvel suggested Auntie Em's illness to induce Dorothy to go home.

[@minnesotajones261]

I think it wasn't an illness; it was a broken heart.

[@brandonflorida1092]

@@minnesotajones261 She clutched her heart and fell down on the bed. "Illness," or an attack, or a seizure are all close enough unless we plan to diagnose her.

[@TheBTG88]

Dorthy stepping through the door into a colored world is one of the most iconic scenes in film history.

[@billolsen4360]

Everything today is "Iconic." Can't someone think up another adjective for once?

[@MATTHEW-rp3kq]

so excited cause we didnt have a color tv set until i was 12

[@markstoudenmire4935]

@@billolsen4360 Suggestions?

[@TheBTG88]

@@billolsen4360 In 1939, it was iconic.

[@halfvader8015]

@@TheBTG88 Not possible. By its very nature things can't be instantly iconic. That takes time.

[@bossfan49]

When you're a kid you're amazed by all the crazy characters, costumes and sets and makeup, etc. When you're an adult you're amazed by the same things...and you understand how much ingenuity, hard work and detailing went into everything. Then there's the brilliant songs and choreography. The actors who can also sing and dance...and play multiple roles.

[@jonathandyrland4851]

Margaret Hamilton played the Wicked Witch of the West and she got along so well with Judy Garland on set that Judy reportedly struggled to act scared of her. On the flip side, there were several scenes involving the Wicked Witch that the movie studio deemed "too scary for children" and cut from the film. Margaret was originally a schoolteacher and loved children. Still, she had trouble connecting with children after filming The Wizard of Oz because many children couldn't get past her movie role and were frightened of her. In 1974, she made an appearance on the PBS children's show "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." She discussed the role and explained the difference between acting and reality.

[@cbobwhite5768]

Buddy Ebsen, who played Jed Clampett in the 60's TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies, was set to play the Tin Man. He had filmed several, before falling very ill. The way they applied his silver makeup was to put down a base, then use a pounce bag to apply aluminum powder to the base. Ebsen had inhaled a lot of the powder coating the inside of his lungs. He spent months in the hospital. Before Jack Haley started, they switched to a liquid makeup.

[@libertyresearch-iu4fy]

Ebsen was originally set to play the scarecrow then he got bumped to the tin man, and then out the door.

[@billolsen4360]

I'd heard that account of Mr Ebsen's reaction to the aluminum power makeup about 40 years ago and was always concerned that it would eventually cut his life short, because, as a kid, I loved him as Jed Clampett. But, Buddy lived to be 95!

[@treetopjones737]

Haley's makeup was a paste made from aluminum powder. He suffered a temporary eye infection from it.

[@curtisbrack3398]

Here's a little tidbit. Buddy Ebsen is still technically in the movie. You don't see him, but you do HEAR him. When Jack Haley replaced him, they had to, of course, refilm all of the tin man's acting and singing by himself. What they did not bother to re-record was the group singing of "We're off to see the wizard . . ." when Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man (and later the lion) head off down the road singing together. Buddy Ebsen had already recorded that and they left his version in the movie. So, if you listen really close when Dorothy and friends sing "We're off to see the wizard", you can hear Buddy Ebsen's slightly twangy country-ish version of the tin man singing.

[@MsAppassionata]

@@curtisbrack3398 Interesting tidbit. Thanks for the info. 👍🏽

[@rhettboy1]

I’m glad you recognised Scarecrow’s physicality. Ray Bolger, the guy who played scarecrow, was regarded as one of the best physical comedians of his day. You can definitely see why.

[@MATTHEW-rp3kq]

and dancers

[@MsAppassionata]

Yeah! He was also a dancer. That’s why he could move like that.

[@Raven5150]

The fortune teller wasnt being mean he was getting dorthay to go back home he used reverse psychology to show Dorothy sympathy

[@whatseatontim918]

Fun Fact: The beginning and ending of the movie was filmed entirely in sepia colors. When Dorothy came out of the house into color, the inside of the house was made with sepia colors, with a Dorothy double, who was dressed and painted in sepia colors to match. So when the double opens the door, Judy Garland then walks out to give that illusion of her walking out from sepia into color. 😊

[@KevyNova]

She keeps mentioning TV but in 1939, televisions were extremely rare and there were no networks or broadcasts worth watching. Movies were only viewed in theaters. Televisions had not become commonplace until the 1950s and even then, they were black and white. Color televisions were not widely available until the mid 1960s.

[@johnnehrich9601]

Also, movies were not intended to be shown again. This movie was not released to theaters again until 1955 - 16 years later. (And no way to watch home movies, no video or DVD's.) It was only because CBS approached MGM to be able to broadcast Gone With The Wind (also 1939, also color), and MGM offered them this movie as a second best, where it was then shown once a year, starting in the late '50's.

[@bigdream_dreambig]

@@johnnehrich9601 When you say "offered them this movie as a second best," do you mean they said "No, you can't have Gone with the Wind, but we'll let you have The Wizard of Oz"? Or was it "We'll let you have Gone with the Wind for Big Bucks, but to sweeten the deal we'll throw in The Wizard of Oz for free"?

[@johnnehrich9601]

@@bigdream_dreambig The first - CBS would not let them broadcast Wind (don't if it has ever been on tv) so they gave them Oz. At the time, although Oz had been a hit, it hadn't been such a hit as MGM had hoped. Although for one thing, with the War on, they lost the European market. (I think it was shown in England.) Like It's a Wonderful Life, it was the repeated tv showing that cemented its legacy.) And totally unrelated - in the book, they find out the wizard is a fraud so they have to travel to the Good Witch of the South (whose name was Glinda, the one in the north was unnamed). Mad TV did a spoof of the movie ending, where Dorothy is really pissed at Glinda for not telling her how to get home back in Munchkinland. Type "Wizard of Oz" and "Mad TV" to see this great spoof.

[@bengilbert7655]

My folks didn't get a color TV until 1980. There was a big price difference between B&W and color.

[@joycewinn1960]

Our family didn't get a color TV until 1969 when we were stationed in Japan. Even then, it was a small TV with a tiny screen. We watched the moon landing on that small TV. It was really cool to get a larger console TV when we moved back to the states. I don't think I saw The Wizard of Oz in color until the early 1970's. In addition, most television stations didn't have the capability to broadcast in color for a long time.

[@Jon_Nadeau_]

The professor told her her aunt was sick to get her to go back home. He was looking out for her.

[@MyraJean1951]

Loved seeing that lightbulb moment when you realized how many different parts Frank Morgan plays in this!

[@tremorsfan]

I like to think that they're all the Wizard but he likes to go in disguise among his people.

[@matthewmarcinko9157]

They all wanted attributes they already possessed, courage, intelligence, heart, they simply needed to believe in themselves to attain them. That's the moral of this story.

[@Deathbird_Mitch]

A journey of self-discovery.

[@DEWwords]

The witch in the crystal ball cackling terrified me as a kid 60 + years ago. It's still fantastic.

[@DEWwords]

Try MEET ME IN SAINT LOUIS for more Judy Garland , ( & A STAR IS BORN ). She WAS fantastic., too.

[@blueboy4244]

image that in a dark theater.. on a huge screen.. that and the monkeys and the talking trees and the tornado are really scary in a movie theater

[@billolsen4360]

And the actress a former kindergarten teacher! Apparently Margaret Hamilton was a dear person.

[@billbogamer4389]

The snow to wake them up in the poppy field was actually asbestos, ugh!

[@tommiller4895]

And Heroin is made from poppies.

[@billolsen4360]

Another scary substance overhyped by non-medically-trained "experts.

[@FilmBuff54]

Yup. They didn’t know how dangerous it was when this movie was made.

[@meliakelle]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the set was painted with lead paint too

[@CrownlessKing88]

The voice that says “where for art thou Romeo” in “if I only had a heart song” was the voice of Snow White in the original Disney Film.

[@Dej24601]

The tornado was a 35 foot tall structure made out of muslin and filled with a clay/dust substance. A huge crane moved the tornado across a stage.

[@johannesvalterdivizzini1523]

We throw around the phrase "classic" pretty freely (like "classic chips" "classic cars" "classic sneakers") but this is truly classic cinema. My dad graduated high school the year it was released, and he saw it at some nearby theater---and I saw it annually when it was on TV. for all my childhood. (didn't know it was in color at all since we had a B&W tv) It was lovely seeing how much you appreciated it. I get to experience it anew through your (beautiful green) eyes, thanks.

[@billolsen4360]

Even worse, everybody throws around the word "Iconic" too. So sick of that.

[@rainbowpegacornstudios]

The song *Over The Rainbow* is one of the most iconic numbers in a musical and my personal favorite in this movie. Delicious movie trivia: >The "oil" that they used to lube up Tin Man's joints was actually watered-down chocolate syrup. >The horse pulling the carriage in The Emerald City kept licking off the gelatin powder that turned its coat purple, red and yellow. Sweet movie trivia: >Jack Haley, the actor who played the Tin Man was the replacement for Buddy Ebsen, who suffered an allergic reaction to the makeup. The voice Jack used for Tin Man was reportedly one he'd use when reading good night stories to his daughter, his real voice was gruffer and deeper. Sad movie trivia: >In the scene where Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man meet The Cowardly Lion, you can see Judy bury half of her face in Toto's fur. This is because she found it difficult to keep a straight face when Bert Lahr started blubbering as the Lion, and the producers would get mad and slap her because of it. >In the poppy field scene when Glinda makes it snow to negate the Wicked Witch's sleeping spell, the "snow" is actually asbestos flakes. >The pyrotechnics used for the Wicked Witch of the West's entries and exits inflicted 2nd degree burns on Margaret Hamilton's face and a 3rd degree burn on her right hand. She understandably refused to not only do any more stunts involving pyrotechnics, but she missed 6 weeks of filming due to hospitalization.

[@johnnehrich9601]

I've heard the snow was NOT asbestos but gypsum, which would have been cheaper. According to Wiki: "The poppy plant, Papaver somniferum, produces opium, a powerful narcotic whose derivatives include morphine, codeine, heroin, and oxycodone." So the witch didn't actually poison the plants. The accident that burned Margaret Hamilton was on another take of the scene in Muchkin land, where the flames shoot up after she descends. The biggest problem was the green makeup, made of copper, which is poisonous if it gets in the body. The stagehands first grabbed her and rubbed her burnt skin with alcohol to remove the makeup before they could treat the burns. In another take of the skywriting scene, Hamilton's stunt double was burned instead of Hamilton but of course it only freaked her out more.

[@TheNeonRabbit]

I like that Glinda explains that good witches are beautiful and bad witches are ugly, then can't tell which type Dorothy is without asking

[@bigdream_dreambig]

Doh!

[@chulavista5239]

Logically, if you say only bad witches are ugly, you are not saying that all bad witches are ugly. So there is a loophole for that, awkward construction or not.

[@paulkennedy8701]

@@chulavista5239 It's not just a loophole. It's exoneration. Glinda says "only bad witches are ugly". When she asked whether Dorothy was a good witch or a bad witch she revealed that she believed Dorothy was not ugly. (If she had been ugly-and Glinda had been sure she was a witch-then Glinda would have known she was a bad one.)

[@jamescline4354]

Best reaction ever! You were the best part of the ensemble! There's no place like pure joy!

[@Dej24601]

The film was out in 1939. It was not the first Technicolor film but was an early one. The sepia sequences were done because sepia creates a warmer, more nostalgic atmosphere, than the coolness and stark contrast of black & white. Also, it helps to simulate the “Dust Bowl” atmosphere of the Great Depression. It also fitted the transition to color better.

[@billolsen4360]

Dorothy's aunt & uncle were clearly doing well, in spite of the dust bowl era. If my folks had been able to afford to have THREE HIRED MEN fulltime on the farm in the mid-1960's, they would have considered themselves rich!

[@yedead1]

It wasn't an early Technicolor film either the first Technicolor film was The Gulf Between in 1917, it wasn't even one of the early Technicolor Process 4 films theres over 70 other films that used it before The Wizard of Oz.

[@Dej24601]

@@yedead1 by early, I meant as a large-scale, big-budget feature film pushed by the major studios as a prestige release with some major studio talents attached. By 1939, the larger percentage of films were in black & white, or sepia, so a Technicolor film attracted critical and popular attention. I have seen some of the pre-WW1 hand-colored silent films and some experimental films from the 1920’s which incorporated color segments, and love them all and am astonished at the creative talent.

[@JesseOaks-ef9xn]

I never knew the time in OZ was in color until I got a color TV in the 1970's.

[@vytallicaq.6881]

Great reaction! You'd also love watching Judy in "Meet Me in St. Louis". More iconic songs in that one. Including a very sentimental Christmas Classic! Also check out a great song called "Tin Man", by '70's pop group "America". I think you'll love that too. 👍

[@FilmBuff54]

One of my favorite Christmas movies, even though it covers an entire year in the life of the family.

[@MLawrence2008]

Great reaction, a couple of notes for you. Judy Garland was 16 years old when she was cast as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. She was 17 when filming ended. Colour television in the U.S did not start until the early 1950's and the movie was released when colour films were a rarity, so you can imagine its impact on the big screen.

[@bengilbert7655]

I never saw this in color growing up. My parents didn't get a color TV until after I moved out.

[@treetopjones737]

In the Oz books she's a young girl, not a teen.

[@candicelitrenta8890]

@@treetopjones737 They originally was going to use Shirly Temple as Dorothy, but she was under contract to another studio. They were going to trade the use of different actors in order to do the deal, but Jean Harlow was one of the trades, but she passed away at the age of 26 so the deal was off, and they HAD to use one of their own which is where Judy Garland came in. She was only doing B-films back then and this was her big break. Shirly said she thought Judy was brilliant in that character. If she had done the film, there would not have been an Over the Rainbow song because she was not a singer like that

[@chrispittman8854]

"I wonder where the RED brick road goes..." Me too. I was hoping Tim Burton would come up with "Dorothy and the Red Brick Road."

[@jamesgardner2101]

If I learned anything from Labyrinth, I would assume it goes straight to Kansas!

[@KevyNova]

I’m always amazed at adults who’ve never seen The Wizard Of Oz! Their parents really failed them.

[@maneoj46]

I know right? It’s one of those films that’s just a cornerstone of not only movie history but a classic that stands the test of time. Kinda like the old Willy Wonka movie

[@tommiller4895]

Actor Frank Morgan played 5 roles in this movie: Professor Marvel, the Emerald City Doorman, the Carriage Driver (Horse of a Different Color), the Wizard's Doorman and the Wizard of Oz.

[@hawkeyegeorge]

As a child, the flying monkeys scared the Hell out of me.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

Same!

[@billolsen4360]

Oh, yeah! Creepy as hell.

[@thomastimlin1724]

They also scared the hell out of our cockatiel birds, they saw and heard those on the TV set, and feather were flying, the flew all over and pooped on the drapes lol LMAO

[@meliakelle]

Same here!!! Even today they’re nightmare fuel

[@borntogazeintonightskies]

"You live in an ugly castle." SHOTS FIRED!

[@MyraJean1951]

Btw Toto's real name was Terry. She was a Cairn Terrier. Watch her run from the Tin Man when he makes that "toot toot" noise during "if I only had a heart."

[@josephmayo3253]

Great reaction Nicki. For people of a certain age, who came of age before the widespread popularity of the VCR, viewing this movie was an annual tradition. CBS would show it during the Thanksgiving season, and the whole family would watch. Pretty much every TV set in America was tuned in. Nothing in today's world can match that communal experience, with so many viewing options. There is a ton of trivia to go along with the movie. The aluminum dust that they used for the original Tin Man makeup gave Buddy Ebsen emphazema. He had to spend several weeks in an oxygen tent, and was replaced by Jack Haley. Head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer wanted Shirley Temple to play Dorothy, but the songwriters didn't. They fought for Judy Garland. They even threatened to quit if Shirley Temple got cast. She didn't have the vocal range necessary for their songs. Mayer also wanted to scrap Over the Rainbow, to bring the runtime down. But the editors found other places for cuts, and the song survived. Most of the munchkins were adults, or at least teens. There were only a few children used, and they were relegated to deep background. If you want to see Toto again, he (really a she), stars in Tortilla Flat with Oa costar Frank Morgan, (Prof. Marvel/the Wizard, etc.) The miniseries Tin Man is a sequel, with Dorothy returning to Oz as a young adult. Oz the Great and Powerful is a prequel with Johnny Depp arriving in Oz, and becoming the Wizard. The 75th anniversary dvd has about 3 hours of documentaries on the making of, and cultural impact of the movie. Since you want to know more, that would be a great place to start. An even earlier Technicolor movie I would highly recommend is The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn. The colors really pop. And I think it's still the best telling of the Robin Hood story on film.

[@BobCrabtree-ev4rz]

I'm going to go along with practically everything you've written here,especially the nod to Errol Flynns' Robin Hood...best version ever on film,brilliant colour,amazing cast..One minor correction.Oz The Great And Powerful starred James Franco,not (mercifully)Johnny Depp.

[@josephmayo3253]

@BobCrabtree-ev4rz Oops. I can never tell them apart outside of the Jack Sparrow costume. 😅

[@BobCrabtree-ev4rz]

@@josephmayo3253 No worries.If the Oz movie had Johnny Depp in the starring role,I would have passed.Not a fan.I could only imagine if Sam Raimi had passed and Tim Burton had directed.No thanks.

[@conniegaylord5206]

FYI: The actors who played scarecrow, tin man, and lion were veteran vaudeville actors who kept pushing Dorothy out of the scene.

[@bigdream_dreambig]

That doesn't make any sense; veteran actors typically know how to share a stage -- although I guess vaudeville may have been a different beast.

[@chulavista5239]

@@bigdream_dreambig FWIW, Bert Lahr moved from vaudeville to Broadway and then the movies. He had already been in feature films for 10 years at this time.

[@VirtualBabe29]

Actually that is a story told by Judy years later. As Liza Minelli (Judy's daughter) told it Judy was an amazing raconteur and could turn anything into an epic joke.

[@conniegaylord5206]

I can't remember the source right now but that was what is reported. It just means poor Judy.

[@beatleschick1000]

You’re thinking of an old interview with Judy Garland I think on the Jack Paar show. It’s in black-and-white and she tells the story that the Director kept calling cut because of that. She is so funny. you really need to watch a few of her interviews. She’s hilarious! But she tells the story of the Director had to keep saying cut and yelling “you big hams! quit pushing that little girl out of the scene!” Here’s a clip of her telling that story. She starts talking to the interviewer at 15:43 and tells the wizard story at 26:40. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmbZdXl8nrqShdUsi=eh5keINtXS2MHkH0

[@unstrung65]

The best reaction to "The Wizard Of Oz " I have ever seen , maybe you are an old soul to really be moved by this movie . You showed more scenes and especially much of the music that nobody has ever seen on reactions . It was the equivalent to younger peoples " Star Wars " in our day .We watched a scratchy version on a small black and white TV every year . Many years later we saw it for the first time on a color TV ! These days , I have the DVD version which was restored to perfection ! You must have some experience in the theater ! A new subscriber !

[@reddevil3387]

I had the honor of playing the title role in a local Community Theater production of this, and when I watch the movie, I can still say the lines along with Professor Marvel and the Wizard. It was one of the highlights of my life. Backstage playing with the children who played the Munchkins was a lot of fun too.

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

I'll repeat what others have said. Professor Marvel told Dorothy that Auntie Em was sick to get her to go back home. He knew it was a bad thing for a young girl to run away, and fixed the problem in his own way. Also, the scene with Professor Marvel serves a dramatic purpose. All the time Dorothy was in Oz, she was trying to go home. This parallels what she was trying to do in Kansas before the tornado. Professor Marvel gave her the motivation for her quest. The tornado was a big piece of twisted muslin cloth. It's amazing what they could accomplish with practical effects long before CGI was invented. The transition to color when Dorothy opened the door was done by painting the room in shades of grey, and putting her in a grey dress, then shooting the whole thing in color. I've heard it was actually a double who opened the door (maybe to save time with costume changes). Most of the Munchkins were adults. They cast little people, and also shot things so they'd look smaller than they actually were. Some of the Munchkins were European Jews, and they stayed in the U.S. after the movie was made to get away from the Nazis. Toto got $125 a week. The Munchkins each only got $50 a week. Margaret Hamilton, who played Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West, was a kind woman who loved children. It bothered her that children were afraid of her after this movie came out. She once went on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and changed from her normal clothes into a witch costume while explaining to kids that it was all make believe. They originally wanted to cast Shirley Temple as Dorothy. It would have been an entirely different movie. Temple was typecast as a cute little kid. Also, Garland was a much better singer than Temple. They originally cast Buddy Ebsen as The Tin Man, but he had to quit because he had an allergic reaction to the silver makeup, so they got Jack Haley instead. Ebsen is best known today as Jed Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies. The "snow" in the poppy field was made from asbestos. The horses in Emerald City were colored with Jell-O mix. They had to shoot the scenes quickly before the horses licked it off. The song "Over the Rainbow" was almost cut from the movie. It's a slow number, and they thought the movie was too long. Fortunately, they left it in. Otherwise it would have been lost to history. In 2004 the American Film Institute ranked it #1 in their list of 100 Greatest Songs in American Films. It was also named The Song of the Century by the National Endowment for the Arts. Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics to all the songs, and Harold Arlen wrote the music. Both wrote a large number of other songs, and wrote some together apart from Wizard of Oz, including "It's Only a Paper Moon." They'd have worked together more, except that Harburg drove Arlen crazy with his political opinions. Harburg was a socialist. It's not that Arlen disagreed with Harburg, but that Harburg wouldn't shut up about it. Harburg also wrote: April in Paris Brother Can You Spare a Dime? Arlen is considered one of the all-time great American songwriters - some of his best are Accentuate the Positive Come Rain or Come Shine Get Happy I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) Stormy Weather That Old Black Magic.

[@pastorbrianediger]

Thanks for all the information Jeff!

[@isaackellogg3493]

Book Dorothy was twelve, which was much closer to Shirley Temple’s age (11) than Judy Garland’s (16).

[@donp1964]

The munchkins were all adult “small people “ brought together from all over the country. There’s a comedy called “Under the Rainbow” about the real life problems they had with the little actors (Wild parties; orgies, public indecency, public intoxication, etc. ) Supposedly it was a wild time

[@jimfountain2603]

1952 Singing in the Rain...... The Standard of the Modern Musical.

[@flibber123]

I think the professor wanted her to go home but I think he knew that just telling her to go home wouldn't work. He knew she needed to be the one who told herself that she belonged at home. This ties into the lesson that Glinda teaches her "There's no place like home".

[@nathanielseymour8108]

I've always enjoyed this movie and it's even more delightful with you reacting to it. 😊 I actually live around Culver City where this was filmed. Keep up the good work!

[@JLOFlix]

This is one of the BEST reactions that I have ever seen, ESPECIALLY for this film!! It is CLEAR that movies like these were made for people like you!

[@DevlinDomini]

You’d think everyone would wanna see Oz at least once. (If not once a year.) 💚

[@michaelcoffey1991]

This was my wife's favorite film seen it 40+ times, and love it each time. Thank you had not seen it since she passed almost 3 years ago. I adore someone so young seeing this classic and allowing the younger generation to keep the classics alive. Thank you :)

[@charlie.on.youtube]

The fact that that tornado was an on-stage practical effect, just using nothing more than a 35-foot long muslin bag hung from a gantry, plus wind machines, and dust -- then adding in the sky/cloud effects is nothing short of amazing. To have it hold up as _that_ _realistic_ after nearly ninety years is mind-boggling. My jaw drops every time I see it, even to this day.

[@van8ryan]

Margaret Hamilton was apparently a very sweet lady in real life. Originally was a kindergarten teacher, but went into acting to better support her young son. She was actually at a ballgame when her agent told her she'd won a part in THE WIZARD OF OZ; her favorite book from childhood. Margaret asked whom she was playing. He said, "Well.......the Witch." She said, "THE WITCH???!!!" Then, he said, "Yeah, what else?" A story Margaret would tell fans til the day she died. Sadly, the scene where the Witch exits Munchkin City nearly ended in tragedy. Margaret was supposed to drop down a trapdoor before the fireball went off, but unfortunately the timing was off and the fireball went off before she dropped. She got third degree burns all over her face and arms, but the makeup artists had to immediately wash the makeup off because there was copper in it, which would've ate right through her face. Because she came home in bandages, she pretended she was made up like a mummy as not to scare her son.

[@whatseatontim918]

Terry (November 17, 1933 - September 1, 1945) was a female Cairn Terrier performer who appeared in many different movies, most famously as Toto in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). It was her only credited role, though she was credited not as Terry but as Toto, and because of the role's popularity her name was officially changed to Toto in 1942. She was owned and trained by Carl Spitz and Gabrielle Quinn.

[@tracyepaul7872]

I heard they let Judy Garland keep her after filming wrapped up. I don't know if that was true or if it was just a rumor. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[@quicktastic]

Color was only in the movie theaters. Color TV was still 30+ years away.

[@justbuz]

This was a fun reaction. Thank you, Nicki.

[@TedLittle-yp7uj]

Dorothy's friends were all played by seasoned Broadway and Vaudeville veterans who made too few movies. Among other appearances, Ray Bolger (scarecrow) can be seen in "The Harvey Girls" 1946, and "Where's Charley" 1952, Jack Haley (tin man) appeared in "Poor Little Rich Girl" 1936, and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" 1938, and Burt Lahr (Lion) was in "Ship Ahoy" 1942, and "Rose Marie" 1954. Frank Morgan (the wizard, etc.) had major roles in the musical extravaganza "The Great Ziegfeld" in which Myrna Loy plays Billie Burke (Glinda) and in the drama "The Human Comedy" 1943 among many other films.

[@BobCrabtree-ev4rz]

I remember watching Burt Lahrs' last movie appearance,1966s' The Night They Raided Minskey's,a period comedy set in the '20s.

[@melenatorr]

Billie Burke was married to Ziegfeld and returned to acting after the Crash of 1929 destroyed Ziegfeld's career. Burke used that soprano champagne voice of hers to wonderful effect, especially in comedies, where she often played dotty upper class ladies. She's especially delightful in "Merrily We Live", and in "Dinner at Eight". Here, in "Oz", she's about 55, and she certainly doesn't look it.

[@ink-cow]

Color film wasn't entirely new. The first color film was in 1902, and there would be newsreels in color all through the 30s. The first Technicolor films were released a few years prior. Gone With the Wind, in Technicolor, was released the same year as Wizard of Oz. The real achievement here was the seamless transition from sepia to full color. This was a special effect you don't necessarily think about while you're watching. When Dorothy opens the door to Munchkinland, it's already full color. The interior set and Dorothy's double were literally sepia-colored to trick you into thinking the film was still sepia, as in the previous shots. When Dorothy's double opens the door, you see the colorful set beyond, and Dorothy is momentarily out of shot and replaced by Judy Garland in her blue gingham dress.

[@halfvader8015]

It's not really a special effect though. They just painted stuff sepia in that shot (the set, the costume), rather than it actually being in sepia like the preceding stuff. Still very clever though!

[@ink-cow]

@@halfvader8015 It's called a practical special effect, I forgot the term when I posted. 😄 Before CGI, all special effects involved physical trickery of some kind. For instance, the impressive cyclone was a huge sock with dirt poured through it.

[@halfvader8015]

@@ink-cow Yup I work in VFX and grew up with practical fx. You're not using the terms correctly though. Painted costumes and makeup, and set dressing and painting of a physical set don't come under that banner. But I know what you mean. It is definitely "trickery" and lateral problem solving of the best kind! And yes the tornado is a fantastic practical effect!

[@lifelover515]

What a delightful reaction. so much so that I'm inspired to share some notes I made for a trivia quiz site some years ago. It was my very second movie-theatre experience, after Disney's 'Pinocchio'. When you're five years old, the Wicked Witch of the West is truly the stuff of nightmares. It was the green skin that creeped me out. Her portrayer, Margaret Hamilton, was said to be the kindliest of souls, a kindergarten teacher who doted on children. She's reported to have had even the teachers diving under their seats in terror during latter-day visits to school auditoriums for talks about the 'making of' etc. On persistent request, she would (reluctantly) let loose that cackle into a powerful mike and suddenly you're a petrified five-year-old again - and not in Kansas any more. 

It is true Margaret did get badly burned, delaying production for a few weeks, bur recovered like the trooper she was. The studio (MGM) at first wanted Shirley Temple. I wonder what Judy's signature tune would have been if ‘Little Miss Dimples’ had played Dorothy; Shirley's occasional dancing partner, versatile TV legend Buddy Ebsen (Georgie Russell, Jed Clampett, Barnaby Jones) was the original Tin Man but had to drop out due to a severe allergic reaction to the metallic paint. The cast were not told he'd been hospitalised and some assumed for years afterward that he'd simply been fired - that's Hollywood, after all. Ebsen was the original Scarecrow but Bolger wanted to play the part he had already created on stage so desperately that the studio relented. I assume Buddy was too sick, or just too darn nice, if Donna 'Ellie May' Douglas's recollections of him are anything to go by, to ask for his scarecrow back. Just minor quibbles: you mentioned television. Not in 1938 dear! And Toto was actually a brindle cairn terrier bitch named Terry,

[@johnnehrich9601]

Yes, there is speculation about using Temple but the studio knew from the get-go that she didn't have the voice range for this part so she was never seriously considered. Warner-Bros. used her in a movie, Bluebird of Happiness, which was intended to be their version of a blockbuster movie like Oz. I started watching it and couldn't see it all the way through, as I thought it was ghastly. (And I love Temple in such movies as Heidi.) Margaret Hamilton in later years appeared on an episode of Mr. Rogers, where she tried to allay children's fears about her character.

[@lifelover515]

@@johnnehrich9601 Thanls for info John. Yes, I've seen the Mr Rogers footage. I didn't think much of the movie version of 'Bluebird' either

[@treetopjones737]

In the Oz books, the Tin Woodsman had been a real man who got cursed by a witch to keep chopping off body parts. He found a tin smith to make him replacements, and eventually he replaced even his head, and his consciousness joined the new head.

[@blueboy4244]

that crow that is there with the scarecrow in the field, later shows up in 'It's a Wonderful Life'

[@brooos]

Misc trivia: They originally wanted Shirley Temple for Dorothy, but her studio wouldn't let her do it. The tin man was originally played by Buddy Ebsen (aka Jed Clampett of the Beverly Hillbillies or Barnaby Jones). He had such a bad reaction to the makeup, he ended up in the hospital. The Munchkins were all played by little people. Most of them had never seen another little person before and Judy Garland (Liza Minelli's mother) said it was like an orgy for them. One of two pairs of the original ruby slippers, which were stolen in 2005, were recently recovered and are presently being auctioned off for over $1 million. Great reaction!

[@DanielTate-wt9jt]

A movie no one ever reacts to but is a great old classic musical with great dancing, and singing is "Calamity Jane" (1953) with Doris Day. You should definitely do a reaction Nicki if you love the old classic musicals, it's one of the best!

[@Majoofi]

Doris Day is so under-rated.

[@chrispittman8854]

"PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!" 🤣

[@robertdarger9773]

I'm glad you know this film, I'm 46 and grew up watching it along with Lucille Ball, Charlie Chapin, and John Wayne(it's what my parents watched), me I'm a Crow, Warriors(or anything late 70's, 80's and 90's films), me I'm a E.T. , Star Wars and 80's Horror loving type of person(big Friday the 13th fan here), glad to your generation discovering these classics.

[@Hardrock1a]

The green face paint on the wicked witch was lead based, the snow was actually asbestos. Just a couple of un-fun facts from this movie, there’s others that I only partially remember.

[@tracyepaul7872]

Actually, the green makeup base was copper, which caused the burns to be worse.

[@corvus1374]

Liza Minelli, Judy Garland's daughter, married Jack Haley Jr., the son of the Tin Man.

[@billolsen4360]

Never knew that! In 1984, our family walked into a restaurant in Georgetown, Colorado and were seated back to back with Liza!! Incredibly beautiful woman. She was lunching with Alan Jay Lerner.

[@ProBreakers]

Wizard of Oz recap: young girl travels to magical land and commits multiple murders.

[@Sarah_Gravydog316]

in her dream

[@johnnehrich9601]

OR really just a "chick flick" - two women fight to the death over a pair of shoes.

[@douglascampbell9809]

I would say only one murder, the wicked witch of the West. No matter how you try she was not driving the house that landed on the other witch. You can't charge the occupant of a non vehicle for landing on someone.

[@isaackellogg3493]

A traveler who kills the first person she meets in a strange land, teams up with three others to kill again.

[@darost]

Nobody saw it on color TV or any television until at least the 1950s. I love❤ watching it with you!!! It's timeless and makes me feel "young at heaŕt!!!" Thank you so much!!! ❤❤❤

[@Stephen-nd1sx]

We didn't have a color tv until 1977. They were available around 10 years before that but as with most things generally the rich had them sooner.

[@jollyrodgers7272]

it was commercially available in the '50s, but few shows were in color (my grandfather had color, but I only remember Packer games in color). We got our 1st color set in '67.

[@hobbievk5119]

All three of the actors playing Dorothy's friends were veterans of Burlesque stages and silent films. Their training in those venues really shows in the physicality of their performances, and it was a perfect match for this film.

[@Nyleao4Reel]

I just LOVE how animated you get! I'm new to reaction channels and I love watching people be enchanted/excited by my favorite medium and you look like you had such a great time with this! Consider me a fan and a subscriber!

[@davidfox5383]

If you like Judy Garland in this, you should see her in Meet Me in St Louis (1944) and especially in A Star is Born (1954), which earned her an Oscar nomination.

[@seregrian5675]

First thing, Nicki, I don't see HOW I haven't found your channel until now. But what an introduction this has been! I am eagerly loking to your other reactions, and all the more to come, with a new subscription!

[@billbogamer4389]

Every summer up in Chittenango, NY there's a Wizard of Oz festival where the author Frank L Baum was born. The movie was based on the first book of the series. The second was made into a movie around 1984, Return to Oz which while not a musical was very good in its own right.

[@melenatorr]

Professor Marvel isn't being mean: Dorothy wants to go off with him "To see the crowned heads of Europe" and this was a way he felt would send her back home without rejecting her request. Incidentally, of course, in 1939, this wouldn't have been "on tv" but in movie theaters, where the color would have been spectacular. However, in 1939, remember, all color "Gone With the Wind" was also filmed. Color was a novelty, but not unknown. When I was growing up, we had only b&w tvs. This movie was broadcast about once a year, but I never saw the color transition until we could afford a color tv. Yes, the doorman is the same person as the cabbie, is the same person as the guard, is the same person as the Wizard, is Frank Morgan, who was Professor Marvel at the start. Morgan was one of an army of priceless supporting actors during this period. They came in to take small or medium parts in thousands of movies, and were often better recognized than the stars, and sometimes more anticipated.

[@scottcunningham799]

I'm so glad that I got to enjoy your reaction to this wonderful classic. This was such a great way to discover your channel. It's easy to see you're beautiful inside and out 💗

[@parksnrec5476]

Such a joy seeing you become a kid again in this watch! ❤❤❤ You also brought alive just how special the music and dance is. Thank-you Nicki!

[@SwiftFoxProductions]

If you love Judy Garland's singing voice, make a note to watch "Easter Parade" around Easter and "Meet Me in St. Louis" around Christmas!! Both classic seasonal musicals and I think you'll enjoy them. ☺

[@EricAKATheBelgianGuy]

I had this on VHS at my house, and we watched it a lot. I remember two things made me cry out of fear - the MGM lion's roar at the beginning, and when the Wicked Witch cackles into the hourglass.

[@Dej24601]

Also, most homes did not have color TVs until the late 60’s. Color sets were extremely expensive, even during the 1970’s, so most people stayed with black & white, and would enjoy color when they went to the movies. The first time I saw this in color or on the big screen, was in the 1970’s at a movie theater, when MGM re-released a lot of their films in newly restored copies.

[@bobchisholm7487]

We didn't get color TV until the 80's, because my dad was convinced that they were radioactive.

[@maceomaceo11]

It's adorable that you think people were watching this on tv in 1939. Though there was television, mass production of them was years away. Pretty much a decade before the upper middle class had the newest house hold luxury....a black and white television console. Color television was another decade after black and white, again for the upper middle class and above. But b&w tv was fairly standard and affordable. It wasn't until the 70's, when color tv's were wide spread that this became a once yearly standard on television. When this came out, going to the movie theatre was the only option of seeing what is a breathtaking feat in film making to this day.

[@treetopjones737]

At her age she's likely in the dark about things before 1990, sadly.

[@8_bit_Andy]

Cozy movie to kick off cozy season with my fav reactor Nicki! I'm so excited to watch this!

[@justbuz]

I'm sure others have mentioned this, but nobody saw this on color TV in 1939. The TVs were all black & white until the late 1950s. The Technicolor in this movie and others would only have been experienced in theaters.

[@terrylandess6072]

Growing up long before cable created what may be viewed as event programing. Once a year one of the three networks would show one of several classically loved films, like this or It's a Wonderful Life for example. We would still gather around the TV as a family for these. One of the first things they saw in color at the movies. Color TV was a ways off. I know - it was long ago and not that important.

[@bossfan49]

Wizard of Oz, Ten Commandments and Sound of Music on tv were annual events. I loved the days of the "Saturday/Sunday Night Movie"... Sinbad, James Bond, Pink Panther etc....

[@marcelopaolillo9848]

There is more than meets the eye in this story. Frank L. Baum was a theosophist, and he passed a lot of universal wisdom in every detail of the story. Man, know thyself !

[@ThistleAndSea]

It's a keeper, isn't it? So much fun! I enjoyed rewatching it with you, Nicki. Thank you for sharing it. ❤

[@ValyTraveler]

I've watched this with reactors and I just now got the - Poppy scene... And the snow to wake them up... This went over my head when I saw it in the 70's...

[@markmorningstar5374]

Great reaction, Nicki! You're just so cute! When the actor who played Professor Marvel got the part, he was sent to the wardrobe department to find an appropriate coat. He didn't like any of them, so the wardrobe department was sent out to every second-hand store in Los Angeles and surrounding areas to purchase all the coats they could find. After all coats were brought into wardrobe, Prof. Marvel came in to try them all on. He finally found one wool coat. Everyone agreed, it was perfect! It was so heavy, one hot day during filming he took it off, and on the inside was a label from a private tailor shop in London. On the label was stitched-in a name. It so stunned the cast and director, they tracked down the tailor shop. He searched his records to confirm it was made for L. Frank Baum...the author of the original book! After filming ended, the director took the coat back to London, and presented it to Baum's family as a personal memory connection for the author and the movie! Also. The American Film Institute conducted a poll in 1999, and voted "Over the Rainbow" the number 1 best song of the 20th century! Amazing indeed!

[@PhilHoraia]

I understand that the snow is asbestos :))

[@philipholder5600]

Professor Marvel was making her decide not to run away.

[@Bill-White-001]

This is when color film came into existence in the theaters. The first scene had been shot in Sepia ( B&W ), They shot the Land of Oz in color. It was breathtaking for the public. And yes, The three farm workers were the Lion, the tin man and the scarecrow. The cowardly lion is the one who rescued Dorothy from the pig pen, then nearly passed out form the fear of what he just did. The one who was saying there will be a statue of him and raised his arm like a statue, was the Tin Man. The other was of course the scarecrow. It was a typical Hollywood executives instruction to take out the Rainbow song, because it was just no good. And yet if became a world renowned legend heard everywhere. So typical of Hollywood executives. Hollywood gathered as many 'short people' as they could find for the movie. It is quite delightful watching with you.

[@GaryCain-qf5vi]

My mother graduated High School in 1938 and ln 1939 saw it at the theater, In 1956 when I was 2 year's old they started showing it on TV📺 it was on every year, in 1969 we got a color TV📺 to see the Moon Landing 🌙, l was 15 and it the first time I saw the Wizard of Oz in Color and Munkinland amazed me it wasn't as grand in Black and White 😅. It's Great to see you enjoying my all time favorite movie, check out more Judy Garland Movie's she also had here own TV Variety Show you will love her she's an American Treasure😊 Great Reaction👍 Gary 😊✌️

[@Gurpreet-w1t]

Everyone passed away in this movie I think only 2 people alive its 1939

[@vincentpuccio3689]

The tornado was a silk stocking tied to a drill and made the spin a lot, and then it followed along a track cut in a plywood floor. And they shot up dust through a hose around the base of the drill.

[@eblackadder3]

I remember watching The Wizard of Oz on television for the first time with my sisters when I was a little kid, but it was in black and White. It must have been in 1964 or '65, we didnt have a color TV until 1966.

[@kendallcarstens9194]

Buddy Ebson was originally cast for the part of Tin Man, but during dress rehersals it was discovered that he had a very bad reaction to the aluminum paint they used on the skin. They had to recast the part to find a different actor that could withstand the paint.

[@markpekrul4393]

When Margaret Hamilton disappeared in flames from Munchkinland (lowered on a trap door) they discovered her makeup was flammable and she suffered some serious burns - production had to shut down for maybe a month. The first man to play the tin-man was Buddy Ebsen - later Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies and many other roles. He suffered a life-threatening reaction to the silver face makeup and was replaced by Jack Haley. The studio's story was that it was an allergic reaction, but in reality it was a reaction anyone would have had - they changed the composition of the makeup for Haley. Ebsen was furious that the studio told the story of the allergic reaction - maybe 30 years ago I heard an interview with him and he was still hot that they essentially blamed it on something about him to cover themselves.

[@goldean5974]

85 years later, and this film still looks goddamn amazing. This was decades before motion control and CGI and the effects work still dazzles. And Judy Garland is immortal. Not a perfect movie, but perfectly realized and it still brings a sense of wonder to those who watch it.

[@billbogamer4389]

TV would not enter American homes for about another 15 years. This was only in movie theaters (big screen, WOW)! It would have won academy award for best picture in 1939 but lost to Gone with the Wind.

[@joepowell7025]

Green is MY favourite colour too lol

[@23Prospero37]

My Grandfather saw one of the first talking pictures in Canada. He was kicked out the theatre for laughing too loudly because the sound went out of sync and the dialogue got swapped between the evil villain and the heroine, with the villain saying "Help me! Help me!" and heroine saying "Marry me my pretty or I'll tie you to the railroad tracks."

[@whatseatontim918]

There is also a three part SyFy channel miniseries called "Tin Man" that came out in 2007, which was also very good. It stars Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cummings, Neal McDonough & Richard Dreyfus. I think you would enjoy it as well.. 😊

[@billherman7294]

What a great reaction to one of my childhood favorites. Also, at the risk of sounding creepy, you are so easy on the eyes, stunning actually.

[@nowthatisawesome5431]

Professor Marvel was trying to get her to go home. She had already confirmed that she was running away from home. She also asked him if she and Toto could join him to see all the crownheads of Europe (per the sign on his wagon). If he had directly told her to just go home, she probably would have kept going on the road. So in order to get her to turn around and go home, he pretended to see Aunt Em being sick in his crystal ball. He was looking out for her.