The Disastrous Production History of The Wizard of Oz

A Deep Dive Documentary into the production history of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. What were the early (and failed) adaptations? Why did the 1939 version have so many problems? What about all the lost footage, including the first 2 weeks that was be an entirely different version of the film altogether? We’ll explore all of this is and more!
PRIMARY INFORMATIONAL SOURCES:
American Experience: American Oz - PBS / The WGBH Educational Foundation
The Making of the Wonderful Wizard Of Oz - © Warner Bros. In association with Leva Filmworks, Inc.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic (1990) - © Warner Bros.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Original Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers (Book Now in Public Domain)
The Making of the Wizard of Oz - Aljean Harmetz - Published by Alfred A. Knopf, INC. © 1977 by Aljean Harmetz
The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History - Puck Productions - By John Fricke, Jay Scarfing, William Stillman. Warner Books, INC. - © John Fricke, Jay Scarfing, William Stillman.
The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion - Copyright © Warner Bros. Global Publishing
The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic - By John Fricke and Jonathan Shirshekan, published by Metro Books - © John Fricke and Jonathan Shirshekan
OZ: Before The Rainbow - Mark Evan Swartz, published by The John Hopkins University Press
The Oz Scrapbook - By David L. Greene and Dick Martin - Published by Random House Inc., New York - © David L. Greene and Dick Martin
The Wizard of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic - By Jay Scarfing and William Stillman - Published by Gramercy Books, a devision of Random House Inc., New York - © Jay Scarfing and William Stillman
OzMuseum.com
TheJudyRoom.com
ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONAL SOURCES:
Oz Book Sales Statistics - www.rareozbooks.com/statistic...
Oz Radio Play - steampunkopera.wordpress.com/...
Wizard of Oz Production Timeline - oz.fandom.com/wiki/Wizard_of_...
Lost Media - lostmediawiki.com/The_Wizard_...)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oz_...
thewizardofoz.info/wiki/The_M...
Oz Financial Information - ozmuseum.com/blogs/news/the-o... - Article by John Fricke
Lost Media - lostmediawiki.com/The_Wizard_...)
Asbestos Timeline - www.mesotheliomahelp.org/asbe...
South Dakota State Historical Society
Museum of the City of New York
Syracuse University Libraries
The New York Public Library
The New Yorker
Hathi Trust
Library of Congress
I Am Running Down the Long Hallway of Viewmont Elementary - Chris Zabriskie - chriszabriskie.bandcamp.com
(The rest of the attributions can be found in the video’s end credits, as they were far to long for the description)

[@thewholecircus]

Fun fact: if you watch an OSHA workplace safety video and wizard of oz at the same time, they sync up perfectly

[@potterinhe11]

I know this reference and about the abuse of little people.

[@mtgamateurnight]

dark side of the rules?

[@morbidsearch]

​@@mtgamateurnight Yes, Pink Floyd syncs perfectly with Dua Lipa's 2017 hit.

[@Ihartwalrusguy]

@@potterinhe11 didn’t one of them hanged themselves on set, and it was left in the final film?

[@user-fp7im4bb8k]

@@Ihartwalrusguynope that’s a myth I researched it. The only munchkin who died was of a car accident where she was a passenger during filming.

[@kait3863]

The fact that young Judy Garland was seen as ugly is wild to me

[@RemoWilliams1227]

Lol honestly. I grew up wearing out more than one VHS of The Wizard of Oz and I certainly wouldn't describe young Judy as ugly lmfao.

[@gatchywatchyentertainmentb2090]

Execs have always been asses. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.

[@weatheredseeker]

It's classic abuse. Tell her she's ugly but that you're the only one that'll give her a chance and sees her beauty. It was a lie no one believed for sure

[@WizardIllustrator]

​@@weatheredseeker We call that pegging or reverse psychology aka....emotionally manipulation abusive assholes.

[@MaskedMan66]

Nobody ever called her flat-out "ugly." But she did not fit the very narrow standards of beauty that the showbiz industry touted in those days.

[@unclegumbald989]

Margaret Hamilton had it right: If you're notorious for terrifying children for decades and wanna go on an apology tour: go 👏on 👏Sesame 👏Street! 👏

[@KatKaiju]

We didn’t deserve that woman. 🥹 She was wonderful.

[@emilyholasek63]

And Mr Roger's Neighborhood

[@FTChomp9980]

She is so pure!

[@Musicradio77Network]

Margaret Hamilton did made her guest appearances on TV shows, including “Sesame Street” where she reprised her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in one of the lost episodes from 1976.

[@morbidsearch]

If only Jimmy Savile had known

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Kinda ironic how the Witch’s weakness is water but her actress was caught on fire and had to spend weeks in the hospital before filming again.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Poor Margaret Hamilton! She deserved much better than what she really got.

[@MaskedMan66]

She didn't almost die. People have been burned far worse than she was and lived.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@SlapstickGenius23 She got the love of billions and pop culture immortality.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

@@MaskedMan66 don’t forget the toxic, copper-based makeup that forced her to eat through a straw while filming.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

@@MaskedMan66 Also, I stand corrected. OP has been edited accordingly.

[@maxxpower3d6]

It's one thing that these actors suffered so greatly for a film that is still watched nearly 100 years later. Now imagine all those who did the same for movies that fell into obscurity.

[@Harley-and-Her-Ruff-Riders]

The Library of Congress estimated in 2013 that of all American made silent full length film, only 14% still exists in its full original state. Another 16% is either missing parts, only has speech cards in different languages (so we can’t be sure the translations are even close) or are in absolute terrible states. That means 70% is estimated to have been totally lost and that’s assuming we know of every single film. It makes me so sad, because it’s actually about 90% is fully lost when you add in motion pictures with sound, television episodes that were tossed for shelf space, and however many films we just lost records of. People still happen to stumble upon random films lost during WWII, like the 1928 French film the Passion of Joan of Arc (found in a Norwegian hospital in 1981). Or Metropolis! A 1927 German film, where we only had partials until a 95% original cut was found in a museum in Argentina… in 2008.

[@watchforever1724]

@@Harley-and-Her-Ruff-Riderssad

[@RidleySmash]

A stuntman DIED for the last Resident Evil film, one of the worst movies I've ever seen

[@skechers28227]

Every time I see a scene where a wall falls off the building and only narrowly misses crushing the actor because of a 2nd story window that lines up perfectly to where the actor is standing.... yeesh. Those guys were just figuring out practical effects. They were really risking their necks for a gag. Crazy. And incredibly brave.

[@lutherheggs451]

You do realize that the movie was a massive, epic flop until decades later when it started airing on television right? The movie was absolutely hated until TV airings.

[@ozvlog]

Hi there! I’m a Wizard of Oz historian and this was an excellent video! A couple of details were myth/legend rather than fact, but the major points were all perfect! 💚 Well done!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm honored you took the time to watch my video :) Out of curiosity, off the top of your head, do you recall any of them? I did my best to avoid perpetuating any myths/legends as facts, but as you can imagine that's easier said than done given all the conflicting information out there amongst various publications.

[@ozvlog]

@@YesterworldEntertainment Bert Lahr’s costume actually weighed about 60 lbs (it gets heavier with every retelling), the “three dirty hams” story was a joke, not true. There is historical disagreement about the asbestos in the snow. There are reports from people on the set (particularly Charles Schram who was responsible for picking the snow from Judy Garland’s hair and Bert Lahr’s mane) that it was actually gypsum. Those minor points aside, this was so comprehensive and well-made! This is a very impressive video.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I appreciate you pointing those out! The whole Asbestos/Gypsum controversy is quite fascinating. Maybe one day someone will find an official MGM memo or document putting this to rest, neatly packaged alongside a perfectly preserved rough cut of the film, and underneath that, an equally well preserved reel of the Richard Thorpe footage...one can hope :)

[@ozvlog]

@@YesterworldEntertainment That would be my wildest dream come true!!! 🌈

[@Forysan]

I literally just recommended your work in a comment! 😂 Your information got me into the world of Oz. :)

[@shyb7847]

A few weeks ago, my dad was telling us a story about seeing the wizard of OZ on a colored TV for the first time. He said the man who had the TV was flipping out because he thought it was broken. They hadn't realized that the wizard of OZ didn't have color in the beginning.

[@bennymora3086]

I really did enjoyed that film!☺️🧙🏻‍♂️🌈

[@thefonzkiss]

Sepia is color. It’s not black and white.

[@derekllewellyn6663]

​@@bennymora3086Do you know what me too

[@derekllewellyn6663]

​@@bennymora3086do you know what in wizard of Oz it's on Disney channel on 90s TV's before I just didn't know all about it before I was in kid was

[@bennymora3086]

@@derekllewellyn6663 Wow, I didn’t know that.

[@PetProjects2011]

A few days ago, I was like "Yesterworld hasn't posted in several months. Hope they're ok." And then BOOM

[@melasnexperience]

Thank you for manifesting this.

[@austins.2495]

Hope they’re* okay. Stay in school, kid. You’re the future

[@SpaceGarfieldboi777]

Tysm, my man! ❤

[@GatsbyCioffi]

I do the same thing with Oversimplified. Every time I think "Man, it's been a while since Oversimplified posted", the next video comes out a day or so later, haha. Speaking of which...

[@QuietM4n]

Kansas being gray and OZ being colorful is pretty much in the book, it mentions the grass is burnt gray and matches the dirt. It made logical sense to shoot it that way, it's wild only 1 screenwriter put it in there

[@WysteriaGuitar]

I actually met Buddy Ebsen when I was in High School. He came to our school not sure why. He was at an advanced age by then but such a gentleman and all around nice guy.

[@MaskedMan66]

And very tall!

[@evanmak7837]

Margaret Hamilton was a treasure to the world. Her being Judy's emotional support on the set is so wholesome.

[@susanrado]

They could not have picked a more perfect witch

[@IAmTheShadowStar]

"The song stays. Or we go" what a baller way to protest against the suits, & unlike most cases in history it actually worked.

[@worawatli8952]

It was when MGM was at its golden years, they had best managements who knows how the industry work, not today world where investors play really big role. :(

[@MaskedMan66]

Nobody said that.

[@ministerofdarkness]

Baller!!

[@TheDigitalApple]

If I remember the story correctly The Wizard of Oz’s production was so dangerous and disastrous that Hollywood had to put in new safety measures for actors during future film production.

[@SuperWolsey]

John Landis: "What's safety measures?"

[@HandsomeSteveJacobson]

Twilight zone the movie

[@devinisdead4061]

Jed Clampet almost died.

[@MaskedMan66]

You don't remember correctly. Any movie is dangerous, and _Wizard's_ making was in no way "disastrous."

[@toebeans96]

God that was rough. Eli Roth did a series called Cursed Films. That movie was the last episode of the first season. Hearing again from people on set re broke my heart. @@HandsomeSteveJacobson

[@epicgamerhank9509]

I find it ironic that Buddy Ebsen’s project with Disney led to the creation of audio animatronics when years ago he was originally supposed to play the Tin Man, who is basically a robot.

[@MaskedMan66]

He isn't a robot. That's more what Tik-Tok is. The Tin Woodman is a human being who became tin when he had to get bits of himself replaced as a result of his axe being under a hex.

[@alysssabear]

The production history of this film is a tale as old as time but this was definitely the most in depth, informative and entertaining of them all.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Thank you so much, that means a lot to read!

[@MaskedMan66]

No, it's only a little over eight decades old. ;-) And it's has a lot of ridiculous embellishments.

[@VeggiePun]

Hearing that oldtimey guy measure stage lights in, "Candle power" blew my little mind

[@luxythefool9401]

God, hearing the detector calling Judy “his little hunchback” is fucking depressing. I never really understood the beauty standards of the time until I heard that for the first time. I’m glad times have changed and my heart goes out to Judy.❤

[@Halfscotboy_39]

I have a back disability and if Louis B Mayer had said this to me. I would have sued the ass off him for discrimination if the law back then had been the way it is now.

[@MaskedMan66]

Victor Fleming the *director* never called her any such thing. Judy claimed later in life that Louis B. Mayer called her that, but it was likely one of her many tall tales.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@Halfscotboy_39 He didn't; Judy claimed years later that he had, but that was when she was telling a lot of whoppers to make people laugh.

[@Halfscotboy_39]

@@MaskedMan66 Well in the Judy Garland biopic starring Judy Davis Me and My Shadow, that same word was used for her being a lil hunched over by make over artists AND the actor playing him used that word too! Also the makeover artists telling her she needed to lose the fat.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@Halfscotboy_39 That series depicted a lot of things, like Judy's famous "three dirty hams" story which also didn't happen, and which almost destroyed her friendship with Jack Haley.

[@kestreldomann2787]

"movie studios put out movie after movie with little regard to quality, just hoping one would be a hit" *TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE*

[@MaskedMan66]

And that quote is rubbish.

[@UlrichTheOmega]

The only surviving Buddy Epsen material is the "We're Off To See The Wizard" reprise. You can hear him pronounce Wizard differently from Jack Haley.

[@GareksApprentice]

I'm kinda surprised that wasn't mentioned in the video

[@UlrichTheOmega]

@GareksApprentice it's a very small, easily missed detail, and he's more focused on video production rather than audio. It's just a random bit of trivia I know.

[@stanfordite1]

His recording of If I Only Had a Heart is still in existence.

[@thefonzkiss]

@@stanfordite1 correct

[@MaskedMan66]

Ebsen.

[@user-ye4ru8wg8f]

As someone who just turned 66 this month I remember being so excited when The Wizard of Oz was going to be shown on TV! This only happened once a year and my siblings and I couldn’t wait to watch it! Then when my family got our first color TV it became even more magical! I remember at one point it was introduced by Danny Kaye! Such a memorable part of my childhood ❤❤❤

[@MaskedMan66]

The very first TV. hosts for the movie were Bert Lahr and Liza Minnelli!

[@kojinaoftheinvertedeye810]

Average hospital: "Will it hurt?" *Pulls out the most terrifying contraption ever* "Ah not at all, it'll just make you feel happy"

[@junkjunker842]

And young Fairuza Balk went on to play a wide range of weirdos and nutjobs. For completely unrelated reasons. Ahem.

[@MaskedMan66]

You're more cowardly than the Lion.

[@MaskedMan66]

It was a cool-looking bit of Victorian tech.

[@jessehcreative]

I could never have seen Temple as Dorothy, ESPECIALLY after watching “Cats Don’t Dance.” Garland NAILED the role perfectly. Perfectly.

[@MaskedMan66]

Shirley did eventually make it to Oz, and in a sense one-upped Judy by playing the ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, in a T.V. adaptation of the second book.

[@1981deloreanfan]

During the costume tests, the production crew tried two different styles for the Ruby slippers. They were the extravagant style Arabian test pair and the traditional style pair. Both were given sequences and faux gems. After the costume tests, it was decided that the traditional pair was better suited for Dorothy and had duplicate pairs made for production. The Arabian test pair was put into storage and were later given to Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds later sold them at auction in 2011.

[@dylanrinker6831]

What happened to them after she died

[@gethappyConor]

Hey! I’m one third of the Garland Gab here on KZbin and this is excellent work. The only small piece of feedback is that Judy didn’t smoke several packs of cigarettes a day while making Oz - that’s one of those myths fuelled by social media. She did indeed smoke but that came a few years later - the earliest photos we have are during production of Babes on Broadway in 1941.

[@MaskedMan66]

Thank you! I wish more people would speak against that absurd story.

[@JoeyAnimate]

When the world needed him most, he returned.

[@multifandom1662]

When doesn’t the world need him

[@dylanalgate8130]

As the prophecy for told!

[@briana8088]

Somehow, Yesterworld returned.

[@wstine79]

The Wicked Witch of the West was my mom's favorite character. Margaret Hamilton really cooked in that role.... Literally.

[@susanrado]

Yes! I agree 1000%

[@MaskedMan66]

Not funny.

[@tufab3494]

Ok, this right here is going to be a classic real soon. This movie was made in much darker times and Hollywood's behind the scenes was specially obscure, but I never really knew exactly how it was produced and its history. Btw, welcome back Yesterworld!

[@MaskedMan66]

Darker times than now??? You're kidding.

[@caitlinabbott7895]

Not only is he back, but he's doing proper research into this topic that other people normally don't Look at all thoses sources in the description, TheOzVlog would be proud

[@theUselessProfessor]

She commented her seal of approval! 😊

[@wyattbascom9711]

Looks like he learned from the Kimba video to do proper research.

[@antifagoat6591]

I am heavily involved with my local church full of boomers. During one after service lunch discussion, I was talking about "the Wizard of Oz," since it's a favorite live action movie of mine along with the "fogies." The person I was talking to asked me what I thought of the "new colorized" version of it, saying he'd grown up with the movie in black and white. I was confused at first, thinking maybe he was just trying to ask me about the color effects after Dorothy leaves Kansas, but as we kept talking, I realized that he had only watched the movie on black and white television as a child, and he believed that all the technicolor was a gimmick MGM had stuck in later to get butts in seats and boost video sales. It really was shocking to imagine growing up with an Oz devoid of color, especially when the whole story is about a girl with red shoes following a yellow road to a green city. The books are even more wild about the colors in Oz, but that's aside from the point here. I felt so sorry for him, since he had lived with a shadow of the filmmakers' intentions and thought that was all there was. I've heard that people used to report dreaming in black and white when that was the TV standard. I can remember my dreams having a static blur to how everything looked and moved because that was the TV quality my parents could afford and HDTV was far over the horizon, but my dreams became clearer with time as technology improved. The image makes the impact.

[@rosemarierambo5460]

Beautiful

[@MaskedMan66]

Nope, it was in color from the start.

[@meganmodjewski3282]

I have lived in Kansas most of my life (I’m 39). I have seen this so many times that I kinda hate it. We even watched it in school because it’s such an ingrained part of Kansas history. (Even though none of the movie was shot in Kansas) when we went to Disney in 2004 my siblings and I rode the Great Movie Ride and the cast member “driving” our ride car asked people where they were from. We said Kansas and the cast member started gushing about how much we were going to LOVE the end of the ride my siblings and I all groaned. 😂

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

That’s gotta be rough. You do have Kansas City though, that place looks lit

[@Mr-WillsonXp]

do you ever seen a twister on your place? ;)

[@meganmodjewski3282]

@@Mr-WillsonXp 🤣 yes I’ve seen a few. So the other part of the story is that while we were standing in line there was a family behind us from Australia and she asked us where we were from because we had unusual accents (pretty funny considering they are from Australia) anyway I told them and they got all excited and asked what we call those killer dirt devils. I said tornadoes and she said “not that’s not it! Like that movie with the chasers! Oh yeah twisters!” I told her politely that no one actually calls them that where I live. She was so freaking disappointed 😂

[@Mr-WillsonXp]

@@meganmodjewski3282 so you go to twister zone? and inside the twister sounds "tornado"

[@shenloken2]

The Wizard of Oz is one of those film classics that started out as financial duds but gained a bigger lease on life through television, theatrical rereleases and home video. Something that still goes on today.

[@thefonzkiss]

Exactly the same as 1971 Wonka.

[@MaskedMan66]

It wasn't a dud, but it only just broke even.

[@CaptainKotetsu]

The fact that the dog got paid more than any of the munchkin actors😂

[@NemesisOgreKing]

Golden Age Hollywood makes the wild west look tame.

[@caitlinabbott7895]

The Munchkins were only in one scene and half the pay went to their agent Terry the Terrier was in the entire move. Also the pay went to the trainer, not the dog

[@gracekim25]

@@caitlinabbott7895yeah I think the OP commentor is aware

[@SuperXzm]

@@gracekim25 Yeah I think it was just a lukewarm iq take

[@julijepp]

​@SuperXzm not everything is a take, it was just a comment laughing at a fact. Jesus

[@fo-ef8qo]

It's funny to me that they didnt want the film dated by the term Jitter Bug, but that term has become a universal phrase. Great Vid!

[@rachel_espinoza]

Fun fact that most people probably know. But: In the forest scene where Cowardly Lion tries to grab Toto, after you can see Judy holding him up to hide her giggle. She ruined take after take laughing. And that was still in there. It was also probably the drugs they had her take

[@Mooms]

It wasn’t because of the drugs. She was probably laughing because she couldn’t take it seriously.

[@invaderzoomer]

I heard the director actually took her aside after so many takes and slapped her across the face as hard as he could to try to make her stop. Even after that you can still see her smile in the movie.

[@stanfordite1]

@@invaderzoomer Victor Fleming immediately regretted what he did to her and asked a crew member to punch him for it. Garland overheard this and kiss Fleming revealing she forgave him and had no hard feelings about what happened.

[@MaskedMan66]

No, it was because Bert Lahr was a hilarious performer. She didn't use any meds but an appetite suppressant.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@invaderzoomer He didn't slap her "as hard as he could." He knew better than that. And the only reason he did it was that they were up against the clock. The studio was about to close for the evening and they had to finish their day's work. The truth is that Judy-- who had a great sense of humor-- had frequent giggle fits, and the standard operating procedure was to wait until she got her breath back under control, after which she'd be all business.

[@JustAnAccountLmao810]

OH MY GOD HES BACK !! THIS IS NOT A DRILL !!!

[@bennymora3086]

I guess making videos like this one can end up being a 1 hour video.👨🏼‍💻

[@Disneyfreak_8]

I was so excited when I got the notification!

[@SuperFlashDriver]

@@bennymora3086 Considering Yesterworld for his previous community post mentioned it'll take him longer to make videos like these, don't expect him to make another video like this for a good while and such.

[@jimglass3106]

I honestly thought I was hallucinating.

[@JDelwynn]

Let's all pour one out for Jimmy the Crow (actually a raven but whatever), a true Hollywood rebel!

[@Emperor_Oshron]

Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man has been one of my classic favorite "pop culture what-if" scenarios ever since i learned about it and why he had to quit

[@NathanSpies]

Rafiki: The King Has Returned!

[@DaveysWonderfulworld3]

Hi Nathan it’s so good to see you here 😊

[@xianblackk]

My 4-year-old daughter has recently taken up an uncanny fascination with the wizard of Oz. She wants me to read her the books all the time and falls asleep to the Judy Garland movie nearly every night. She also loves Return to Oz and even The Wiz! I can't find the James Franco movie anywhere, I suppose Disney is trying to act like it never happened lol really psyched for the new Wicked movie coming out.

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

Oh no, the Disney one is pretty bad.

[@RachelGardoll]

It’s on Disney+

[@MaskedMan66]

What do you mean "even 'The Wiz?'" _Oz the Great and Powerful_ tries too hard to seem like the MGM movie, but it's good; I liked it better than I expected to. Joey King was a revelation as the voice of the China Girl. You wouldn't expect a child (I think she was 13 at the time) to have such a handle on getting a performance out from just the voice, but she did it!

[@queenmedesa]

Oh yeah, a black woman painted green 😜

[@MaskedMan66]

@@KatieLHall-fy1hw Which "Disney one?"

[@mightyfilm]

I'd say the film itself got the best form of revenge. It basically made sure that any and every other adaption (minus a certain stage adaption of a sequel book) would live forever in the big, towering Emerald City shadow. In 1962, Filmation would make A Journey Back to Oz movie, but it would take almost a decade start to end to finish (as well as another 2 years to release), for example. And it was their infamous not really a sequel to the famous film, even though it totally was. Not to mention, not unlike the Disney movie versions of fairy tales, our perception of the Wizard of Oz especially in parody and reference IS based heavily on the movie, not the books. Especially the "it was all a dream" thing the studio forced in. Wasn't that an M&M's commercial at some point? And let's not forget the most cursed adaption, directly referencing the MGM movie, of them all. That Sesame Street episode. Hearing how kindly Margaret was to Judy during the making of this film, makes that letter writing campaign that killed the episode all the more harsh. Plus, that scene where Oscar calls the Wicked Witch the most beautiful person he's ever seen and having her smile at it is low key one of the most heartwarming things I've seen.

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

I agree, as nasty as this film may have been to make, it was absolutely a marvelous piece of art and will never be forgotten

[@mightyfilm]

@@KatieLHall-fy1hw My point is that it ruined the potential of every adaption since. Like we'll never get an alternate adaption that's closer to the original text, at least in movie form. And not to say adaptions that directly reference or stem from this version. Like the weird DIC animated series from the 90's or the Dorothy in Oz cartoon WB made a few years back.

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

@@mightyfilm I don’t know, I disagree, I think we could. But it would be VERY dependent on the cast and the makeup and the rest of the team.

[@MaskedMan66]

"Revenge" for what?

[@BabyCharmander]

@@mightyfilmI mean, we got Return to Oz, which ruled. It did make a few nods to the MGM musical, but it’s still the better portrayal of Oz.

[@marcusfridh8489]

Hollywood in fiction: the dream factory Hollywood in reality: the Nightmare factory

[@ethanmacdowell7531]

Yesterworld is like an eclipse. Doesn’t always happen. But when it does it's a sight to see. Edit: Mom I'm famous

[@DMacB42]

Glad I don’t need special yesterglasses to merely gaze upon it though

[@KaponoMonster]

Yesterworld still does an awesome job creating non Disney topics having a connection to Disney!

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

These documentaries ought to be added as extras to future movie DVD releases.

[@violetthebookcat7457]

New Yesterworld vid!!! I’ve heard some things of the film’s production but can’t wait to see what this episode provides!!

[@sin-t]

I find it funny how, despite being an iconic movie that had a huge impact on the world, no one was able to do a fateful recreation of the original book, or even adapting the other Oz books at all (only return to Oz did it best imo). I guess Oz truly is an unfilmable fantasy book

[@thefonzkiss]

They’re also not actually very good.

[@teruienages962]

It could be done. If they could do the Lord Of The Rings, they could do this. The problem is that before this, every adaptation of LOTR was dealt some form of mostly criticism, and never particularly beloved (aside from a few minority of people who have an unhealthy amount of love for the Ralph Bakshi version which is still... yeesh...), but Wizard Of Oz is so beloved as a movie that a faithful adaptation would only make people angry who would hate it due to not being like the film. That's the real difference. It's not that they can't..... it's that they don't to. Even Hollywood which loves to dig up the corpse of ANY franchise for a remake tends to leave the Wizard Of Oz alone. .......well, except for that Tom and Jerry version and we all know how much people loved THAT..

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@thefonzkiss Really? Why??

[@MaskedMan66]

You mean faithful.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@thefonzkiss "Not actually very good." Yeah. Sure. That's why they were such a major phenomenon. Don't be a troll.

[@bofo408]

I'm surprised you didn't mention that one of the directors (Fleming I think) slapped Judy after being dissatisfied with her performance

[@stanfordite1]

Fleming only slapped her because she kept giggling at Bert Lahr's performance after Dorothy slaps the lion. She went back and nailed it one take although still holds Toto in front of her to stifle a smirk. Fleming immediately regretted what he did and asked a crew member to punch him for what he did to Garland. Garland overheard him and kiss him to show she forgave him and bore no hard feelings.

[@davidfairweather3301]

@@stanfordite1I know the standards were different back then, but it is still wild for a director to slap a child actor in the face for doing something silly. I mean the bare minimum would be that he would feel bad after doing it.

[@tyrannozilla]

1939-2024. Happy 85th Anniversary.

[@SuperFlashDriver]

Funny enough, I did mention that in my comment as well considering how it's now 85 years old this year....Weird to think many movies now are starting to reach the 100 year mark. And The Lost World (1925) film will turn 100 years old next year, with the stop-motion/claymation work done by the father and pioneer of claymation/stop-motion work Willis O' Brian.

[@Bonehead_V]

New Defunctland and Yesterworld vids only a week apart? Splendid.

[@SK-yx7hm]

Its absolutely incredible how one movie changed culture and workstyles in hollywood forever.

[@arabatis]

Please do “The Complicated History of the Little Mermaid” video next

[@BigBossMan538]

The Disney film?

[@arabatis]

@@BigBossMan538 Yes, the 1989 version

[@zeldafan1942]

Coincidentally enough, just like "Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut from the Wizard of Oz, Little Mermaid nearly removed "Part of Your World"!

[@hillarypritchard9249]

@@zeldafan1942I know what is it with suits wanting to remove the entire point of movies???

[@zeldafan1942]

@@hillarypritchard9249 I don’t know, but I also have the opinion that “Part of Your World” should have also been a Best Original Song Academy Award winner, instead of “Under the Sea”!

[@feliciteacup]

yesterworld disappears for 7 months and then comes back with a banger video on one of the most interesting movie productions

[@carsfan1995]

Kaz Rowe and Be Kind Rewind did videos like this. Go check those out.

[@aarondaguio7179]

It’s a shame they didn’t wait for Buddy Ebsen. Had he recovered and ended up in the film, his death in 2003 would have made him the last surviving actor in the Wizard of Oz, right next to the munchkins.

[@Metal_Groove45]

I hope the original 2 hour cut isn't completely lost, and hopefully, somebody finds it! I would love to see the Hail Hail, The Witch is Dead number! They should've kept that for the final cut!

[@lutherheggs451]

Its absolutely lost. Between film rot and the fact that studios didn't start hanging on to footage until well into the 90s and well into DVD releases. Its 1000% gone at this point. Studios didn't just sit around on old footage back in the day

[@Finfection]

Even when taking into account all of the fires and disasters that have happened regarding film preservation back in the day. The 2 hour preview cut was not a wide release. It was only screened a few times. And there was likely only one print of it. Had it been more widely released then the chances of it surviving due to more prints would increase assuming that the prints hadn't been altered. This is back in the era where instead of ordering new prints with editing changes, they instead just went ahead and physically cut footage from already printed reels. So, even if that print were still somehow around today it would likely not have the missing footage with it. Studios back then never ever thought about saving and preserving footage for later. When it got cut it really got cut. It was assumed that no one would care about it.

[@Ryanmichaelmac]

Wow. This is one of the best if not THEE best wizard of oz documentaries I’ve ever seen an independent creator make.

[@MaskedMan66]

Not really.

[@drooliab]

The narration is definitely not Morgan Freeman quality. I'll say that. 😐

[@justafan9399]

@@MaskedMan66 Why not make one, then? You seem intent on correcting any comment that credits videos like these, which should most certainly be enough material to condense into a video.

[@peterheimsoth159]

@@justafan9399 I'd rather encourage people to read the authoritative books which have been written by people who have done the real research. Then they'd have the whole story, and more detailed and exact than can be put into a video.

[@UrsulaRulez]

The fact that The Oz Vlog has approved this documentary, means I will be watching it from start to finish!!!!

[@seth.calling.service9678]

I recently JUST got into your content and adored the Roger rabbit video- it’s like the stars aligned

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Glad you enjoyed the Roger Rabbit episode! I loved making it.

[@Nerdtendo6366]

Bro I swear I was literally rewatching your videos just today because I love these vids. I’m so happy to have a new one

[@SuperFlashDriver]

I believe it or not have them all downloaded for me to watch them offline. Someday yesterworld should do a compilation of his videos, much like how other creators would do to their own works (DidYouKnowGaming, Game Theory, Nintendo Content Creators, SmallAnt, Pokemon Content Creators, Etc.) so this way people can fall asleep to yesterworld's content. I know I did when I put it on, and considering Yesterworld now has over 105+ videos to go through, some of them full length one hour videos full of attractions and movie history videos, it helped me fall asleep to what would usually be the time to watch other videos, or if I need something to sleep to but without having to worry about the internet going out (except electricity going out, that would suck...Thankfully not the case if I have it on my 2TB USB drive without having to use a hard drive....I know I did two days ago).

[@erikspooner6518]

I feel like you and defunctland are the twin pillars of this genre. The research and information are amazing. I’m not sure if you would collaborate, but I feel like it could be amazing. Either way keep up the great work.

[@CatHerderCam]

We all know Mark is the one behind the curtain

[@DragonStorm545]

The Jitterbug sequence was shown in the 2016 animated film, “Tom and Jerry: Return to Oz”

[@Megafreakx3]

Fun fact there is a clever practical effect was used to transition from the black-and-white scenes in Kansas to the Technicolor scenes in Oz. For the iconic scene where Dorothy opens the door of her home to reveal the colorful land of Oz, a double was used. Here's how it was done: 1. **Black-and-White Double**: The interior of the house was filmed in sepia-toned black-and-white. The double, dressed as Dorothy, was also in sepia-toned costume and makeup. 2. **Opening the Door**: The double opened the door to reveal the bright and colorful Munchkinland set. 3. **Switch to Judy Garland**: As the double stepped aside, the camera followed Dorothy (Judy Garland), now in full color, as she steps out into the Technicolor world of Oz. This practical effect allowed for a seamless transition from black-and-white to color without the need for special effects technology that wasn't available at the time.

[@Musicradio77Network]

We saw this movie last year in the theater at Bard College called Fisher Theater at Bard which is in Red Hook, NY and they had a full orchestra on stage where they re-dubbed the original score for the entire film along with the original dialogue being synced to the music, and it was a fun movie. I do have the VHS of this movie and the soundtrack as well. Here is a fun fact. “The Wizard of Oz” was released as a soundtrack album on the Decca label in 1939 with 4 78 RPM records, but it’s extremely rare and hard to find. By 1956, when “The Wizard of Oz” was first aired on TV, MGM Records released the soundtrack album complete with original dialogue and musical score taken directly from the movie. It has been reissued many times from 1956 through the 1970’s until MGM Records folded into Polydor in the early 1980’s. I have the 1969 reissue of the soundtrack album which was a promotion for Singer products where they sponsored the movie, and that was put out by MGM Records subsidiary, MGM Merchandising which was known for Hugh Downs narrating the “First Man On The Moon” 45 where he talks about the Apollo 11 mission. I listened to the entire album and it was great, and the audio was taken directly from the movie in which home video didn’t exists by the 1980’s. The soundtrack was sold million copies, and since the advent of home video, the soundtrack was out of print after MGM Records folded into Polydor in the early 1980’s.

[@MrJohnisthename]

Very interesting

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

Yes very interesting.

[@bryangonzalez1398]

This was a fantastic deep dive! It would be amazing to see a deep dive into the Disney Zorro series and just how it was so connected to Disneyland and the way Walt approached his future TV projects.

[@flannelsarah4992]

I love hearing about all the disasters that plagued this poor movie, so interesting!! great video :)

[@NA-ys9ib]

Genuinely it's a small miracle hollywood didn't burn itself to the ground with the way they made movies

[@davidfairweather3301]

It’s crazy too that despite all the wild stuff behind the scenes, there was actually so much creativity and a lot of well made movies

[@nobodysperfect06]

The rough cut or just the full uncut version of The Wizard of Oz originally ran 20 minutes longer than the film that we have today. The Scarecrow dance or just also known as the extended version of If I Only Had a Brain is the only deleted scene that completely survives or remains fully intact to this day. However, the one deleted scene that I wish had either stayed in the film or I just wish completely survived, is The Triumphal Return to Emerald City. That scene would have been the musical climax of the movie or it just would have been the last musical number of the movie. Yes I know only a few seconds of footage does survive of that scene in one of the film's trailers. This is how I feel about that deleted scene, there are times I wish I never found out or I wish I never learned about that deleted scene, because when I watch The Wizard of Oz now, the movie feels tragically incomplete without it. In mind boggles me and feels like a crime that they would cut a scene that celebrates the defeat of the film's main villain but yet they have a parade and celebration in munchkinland which celebrates the defeat of a witch who is not the film's main villain and whom is barely noticeable in the film. Plus, Glinda herself said The Witch of the West is much worse of her sister. But yeah I can accept and let go with the rest of the lost deleted scenes of The Wizard of Oz being destroyed, except for the Triumphal Return to Emerald City. I doubt there's anyone alive today who has seen that lost deleted scene in its entirety before it became lost to history.

[@Finfection]

The sad reality is that most of that footage was probably lost long before some of our grandparents were even born.

[@DaveTexas]

Very good video! You presented all the information very well, noting which stories were just rumors. That’s more than a lot of other people do. Sadly, I doubt that the missing footage has survived. I think it would have turned up by now, considering the extensive searches and several big remastering projects. I would LOVE to see the two-hour cut of the film, as I imagine the whole thing makes much more sense when all the dialogue and musical numbers are included. Most of all, I’d love to see the "Ding! Dong! Emerald City" sequence. The still photos make it look so huge. At least all the audio prerecordings were kept, so we have the missing musical numbers in audio format. While I generally hate the idea of using AI to create new content from dead people, I think we might be approaching a time when the missing sequences from the film could be recreated using the existing audio and still photos as guides. I’d pay money to see that, just like I paid money to see the 3-D version that was created digitally 15 or so years ago. The image in that version was the sharpest I’d ever seen; I noticed that Dorothy had freckles on her cheeks, which I’d never seen before. It was really amazing to see the film on a big screen, too.

[@darrenorange2982]

I was just looking for a new video from you the other day and was concerned but sooo happy to see this now you have to be one of my absolute favorite creators. Honest without any pretentious elements. You are honestly one of the best.

[@ohnothimagen224]

It was the 1893 Chicago's World's Fair not 1883. 1893 was also the same year as the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer won the "blue ribbon" at the Chicago's World's Fair.

[@MrJohnisthename]

Well aren't we the expert on PBR.

[@Hammerhead547]

Fun Fact: Ritchie Blackmore's band Rainbow used too open and close all their shows with audio from the wizzard of oz in the form of their instrumental arrangement of over the rainbow and film audio from the beginning and end of the movie.

[@ministerofdarkness]

Blackmore Rules!

[@PatrickMealeyVO]

Honestly, as a cinephile and former film major, I love hearing behind the scenes stories and watching these video essays delving into the history of a films production. There’s always different things that can happen on a set, either good or bad, and I think every aspiring filmmaker should know about them! Always love your content my man!

[@sallomon2357]

I find the productions of this time especially fascinating, with the war, the silent era, beginnings of Technicolor all being very close to each other in addition to the way actors were unfortunately pushed to their limits and the use of a lot of materials later found dangerous, like the asbestos or the aluminium powder mentioned in this video. Whenever I see the posters of the time, I think of something mysterious, but also shady, with a lot of stuff behind the scenes now left unknown and lost, and the copious amount of lost media from the time probably contributes to this 😅

[@neilhannan7525]

Welcome Back We Missed ❤🎉 glad your back ❤

[@patiencekillz]

do i know most of this info already? yes. am i still going to consume this video like drinking water in the middle of a desert? why, yes.

[@P-P-Panda]

Amazing video, you really put a lot of hard work into your stuff. That was great. I cant believe they threw so much of that stuff away

[@ianpatrickmchugh787]

Another absolutely smashing video! I’m loving these longer format video essays so much! But don’t let that discourage you from doing shorter, quicker vids if the mood ever takes you! And I’m only saying that so we can see your wonderful productions even more often 😊

[@emilyholasek63]

We need a follow up video on the abandoned Wizard of Oz park in North Carolina.

[@Scribal_Chief]

Hear hear!

[@MaskedMan66]

It wasn't abandoned; it reopens every year for special events.

[@emilyholasek63]

@MaskedMan66 it was abandoned for some time. I think that would be a cool follow up to this video.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@emilyholasek63 No, there were still people who did their best to look after it.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@emilyholasek63 I'll bet there are some documentaries (or attempts at documentaries) about Beech Mountain here on YT. And this may interest you; if the link doesn't appear, just type "WE'RE OFF TO SEE...To Tell The Truth! WIZARD of OZ ANNIVERSARY! | BUZZR" in the Search box. 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpyah6KwbJp6iNk

[@allnutritionalyeast]

I have watched so many of these types of Oz videos to try to soak up as much as I can about a story that has a very special place in my heart and this is by far the best and most comprehensive I have ever seen! U had so much stuff in here I had never even seen before, really well done

[@tedgruver7618]

🎵 We’re off to see the Wizard! The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!🎵

[@SuperFlashDriver]

Fun Fact: Considering, and thank god, that The Walt Disney Company isn't extending the copyright act anymore, The Wizard of Oz from MGM Studios will eventually be copyright free and in the public domain 10 years from now. And considering some of the horror movies and silent movies in the next 6 years to come will eventually be public domain, the songs however you'll have to wait for most of the 1930s and 1940s recordings to be public domain by the time the 2040s and 2050s comes around, even if the singers & actors has since long passed from this world. And while ten years is a while to wait, before you know it the 2030s will be right around the corner, thus, we'll be able to use, parody, and create new versions of the MGM Studios type of film back in 1939.

[@MrJohnisthename]

Because, because, because, because,because, ​@@SuperFlashDriver

[@SuperFlashDriver]

@@MrJohnisthename I know, but there is still a chance I would say, but it'll take a while to get there.

[@PatrickStevens-v2g]

Fun fact; the witches Dorothy met in the book vs the movie are different. Dorothy met the "Good Witch of the North" (Given the name Locasta in Braum's play adaptation) in the book and then later meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, at the end of the novel. In the film, they merge the characters by having Glinda appear earlier and establishing a character relationship useful for later in the film and shortening the number of characters needed. Supposedly, instead of keeping Glinda as the Witch of the South and merely changing which directionally identified witch arrives, the changed Glinda to be the Witch of the North because they didn't want to associate "Good" and "South" due to the still prevalent sentiments that the South was pretty backwards and post-Civil War feelings. That might seem odd to some, but post-war South was still *extremely* terrible and that was still within people's memories as it was only 60~ years earlier in the 1930s. That... also might be something someone made up to explain the discrepancy. It's also an adaptation change that, much like our green witch and ruby slippers, has stuck around. Glinda is almost always considered the Witch of the North now.

[@SonofMrPeanut]

Time to find out if this review syncs up w/ Dark Side of the Moon, too.

[@nickdorenkamp959]

Throwing away a matte painting and dumping technicolor film footage into the ocean (by the way smart decision guys🙄😒) is why the preservation of film is important.

[@owens.studios]

I love your amount of dedication and care for every video. They're far in between each other but always worth the wait

[@masterice4464]

Hey good to see you again yesterworld I’m glad your still making videos.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I never leave...I just hibernate for awhile while I work on the next one ;)

[@masterice4464]

@@YesterworldEntertainment lol fair enough… still I’m glad your still working on more videos and I’ll always watch them… also you actually teach me the many things I didn’t expect from theme parks and other content so truly thank you yesterworld

[@tutti-frutti1429]

YESSSSSSS YESTERWORLD IS BACK WITH THE FILM DOCUMENTARIES!!!!

[@PetProjects2011]

"Back then, most studios pumped out movies like an assembly line, hoping every so often, one would stick." Honestly, doesn't sound too different from how it is now.

[@hotmesslex18]

at one point i said, out loud, “jeez what ELSE could go wrong?!” and then realized i was only halfway through the video

[@SaltWaterLullaby]

I really love how your “history of this movie” encompasses SO MUCH MORE than the movie. I’ve read the original book but had no idea there were sequels let alone that many!!!! Love your dedication and research!!!!!

[@Kirbyfan87827]

I got to meet Mickey Carroll, one of the last surviving Munchkin actors, around twenty years ago give or take at the Mall of America. He was actually from St. Louis, like me and my family! Don't remember much of the meeting, though.

[@Egt1074]

I'm about to go see a local play of the Wizard of Oz with my family in a few days and this video came at the perfect time. They're gonna love hearing me geek out about how terrible the conditions of filming were. 🙄😂

[@MaskedMan66]

Don't believe everything you hear.

[@Egt1074]

@@MaskedMan66 oh, I was being sarcastic.

[@MaskedMan66]

@@Egt1074 I wasn't. ;-)

[@thisismaribethe]

What a treat! Another amazing video. :) while none of the information was really new to me personally I was super excited to see you tackle this project! Great job!

[@tylerbates2884]

Another well done video! Got done watching your Disney channel history and what a treat to have this one come out today!

[@wstine79]

Yesterworld Entertainment videos are like a Rainbows. They rarely appear, but they are a sight to see.

[@theseanwardshow]

Fun fact: if you put on Dr Dre's 1992 album The Chronic and start the Wizard of Oz exactly 17 seconds in, it syncs up perfectly

[@Stinkerton2001]

I cant state enough how much I adore your videos and eagerly await your next upload !! Your channel is so underappreciated

[@AttnDefDis_]

Well, this was awesome. I miss the shorter, more frequent videos, but I was totally hooked on this. Love the Wizard of Oz!

[@frozenbinarystudio]

And to think we almost got a slightly hotter wicked witch of the west.

[@ryanahr2267]

You and Defunctland posting within about a week of one another has made things significantly less shitty for me. This one in particular will go down as one of my favorites. The Wizard of Oz is important to my family's lore as it's my mom's all time favorite movie, and so I've watched it more times than I can count in my 38 years of life. I love it and I'd heard most of these stories, but it was still great going through it again.

[@robertr8873]

Another high quality production! By far the best KZbin creator! One of the best videos yet!

[@taniaj09]

Looking forward to watching this and am happy to see you are still producing videos, I binged a lot of your stuff after finding your channel a while back and I love it, and appreciate the high quality of the content. TWOZ is one of my favourite movies of all time so this will be extra interesting.

[@Nerd_with_internet_access]

When I was a kid I was OBSESSED with the wizard of oz. I would listen to my boot leg CD of the audio book every night falling asleep, and my birthday party was themed after the wizard of oz. One thing that drove me bananas about this story is whenever I told an adult I liked it, they always said some variation of “ did you know in the books her shoes were actually silver, but they changed it so they would show up better”. And I would say yes, I’ve read the book. I’m aware this isn’t super related to the video, but I figure an extra comment does hurt when it comes to the algorithm. Anyways, I hope everyone has a good day. 🫶🏻

[@Dr170]

Hey, did you know that in the book the shoes were actually silver?

[@Nerd_with_internet_access]

@@Dr170 oh, yeah actually, I’ve read the book. 😄 Did you know some scholars think that the silver shoes in the book were a metaphor for the importance of the American dollar being backed by silver? (I vaguely remember learning this in a community college class, idk Wikipedia I think says something about it)