25 Wonderful and Weird Behind-the-Scenes Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’

The Wizard of Oz is still enchanting viewers nearly 80 years after it first premiered in theaters. The classic musical has had more influence on audiences than any other Hollywood film. The movie was based on the wildly popular children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the iconic MGM film from 1939 is cherished all around the world. The story behind the scenes of The Wizard of Oz is almost as fantastical as the film itself. From urban legends to shocking behind-the-scenes mistreatment of actors, several facts have only now been brought to light about this classic film, so here are a bunch of juicy ones that even the most loyal fans may not yet know.

Tortuous Costumes

The actors had to endure absolute torture to wear their costumes. Bert Lahr’s Lion costume weighed about 90 lbs, and it didn’t afford him much ventilation – he was constantly perspiring in the suit.

It took a few assistants to dry out the costume every night. Buddy Ebsen’s Tin Man ensemble was made mostly of metal, so he wasn’t able to even sit while wearing it. When he felt tired, poor Buddy had to lean against a wall. He also had an extreme reaction to the makeup.

Judy Garland Was Medicated

Garland was a teenager at the time she played Dorothy and was only permitted to work for four hours a day. During filming, Garland was given barbiturates and amphetamines, as well as sleeping tablets to help her wane off from the medication at night and get enough sleep.

Those medications were new to the marketplace at that time; so there was very little information about their side effects, let alone the long-term consequences.

Weight Loss

The studio insisted that their teen star shed any excess fat – even though Garland was only 15 years old when she began her role as Dorothy, they wanted her to look even younger.

They strongly suggested that she diet. They also assigned her a personal trainer, who also served as a spy for the studio. MGM was infamous for assigning people to shadow their biggest stars because they had a clause in their contracts concerning how they conducted themselves.

Plastic Surgery

Billie Burke had plastic surgery specifically for the film. This was before cosmetic surgery became so mainstream, and an easy and often less painful way to give a facelift was to fix small pieces of fabric in front of an actress’ ears and then pull them up tight with a string.

A wig would then cover it, making the cheeks and the droopy neckline magically revived. Billie Burke, who played Glinda the Good Witch, underwent surgery to appear ageless on camera, but she was actually 54 years old.