Three myths (and three strange truths) about ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Three myths (and three strange truths) about ‘The Wizard of Oz’

Regardless of what you see on TikTok, a Munchkin didn’t hang himself on set, and Pink Floyd didn’t secretly sync Dark Side of the Moon to the movie

The Wizard of Oz was a pop culture phenomenon from the minute the original book by Frank Baum was released in 1900. A musical adaptation reached the US stage just two years later, and a 15-minute silent film followed in 1910, when Hollywood was still in its infancy. A much better film came at the height of the silent film era in 1925, with Oliver Hardy. Over the past 100 years, many projects related to Wizard of Oz were produced, which culminated in the launch of Wicked in cinemas.

But an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz stands out from all others, even Wicked. We’re talking, of course, about the 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland. It was a sensation when it opened in theaters, just when black and white films were giving way to Technicolorand its legend only grew in the decades that followed thanks to countless television reruns. Entertaining today’s children with any film made before 1980 is very difficult, but the magic of The Wizard of Oz it rarely fails to captivate.

The film has also inspired more myths and urban legends than any other in Hollywood history. Many of us heard these stories as kids, and they were very difficult to debunk before the Internet — and even now, they still circulate on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). There’s something about the surreal nature of the film that makes anything seem possible about its production, no matter how absurd the claim. And indeed, very strange and unfortunate things happened during filming.

Here’s a look at six of them.


False: A Munchkin didn’t hang himself on set.
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What is a Munchkin?
In the context of The Wizard of OzMunchkin is the term used to describe the inhabitants of Munchkinland, a region of Oz. They are small in stature, cheerful and known for their clothing. In the 1939 film, the Munchkins welcome Dorothy when they arrive in the magical world after the cyclone.Even today, the term “Munchkin” is used as a synonym for something small or ”charming”.

The most persistent myth about the film involves an actor who allegedly committed suicide on set. The story varies, but generally involves a member of the Singer Midgets troupe who hanged himself after a Munchkin actress rejected his romantic advances. Supposedly, you can see him swinging from the rafters in the background when Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man first enter the Enchanted Forest. (This moment was paused on VHSs more often than the supposed ghost scene in Three Bachelors and a Baby.)

This statement is ridiculous for a number of reasons: First, The Wizard of Oz it was filmed out of sequence, and they shot the scene before any of the Munchkin actors were on set. Secondly, although it was difficult to notice in the days of VHS films, the movement briefly visible on the screen is that of a large bird. The movie was 100% filmed on indoor studios, so they borrowed animals from the Los Angeles Zoo to make it look like they were outside. You can see a large peacock near the Tin Woodman’s hut.

Finally, think about this statement for more than three seconds. If an actor died on set, would they really include the material in the final cut of the film? This myth just won’t go away, but trust us on this. There are no hanging munchkins. It’s a bird. (And yes, there are several videos on YouTube where pranksters edited the footage to make it look like a figure was actually hanging in the background. They have all been debunked.)


Truth: There were a number of serious injuries on set.

Hollywood studios in the 1930s didn’t have anything close to the safety precautions of today. It was very easy to get hurt, and lawsuits were very uncommon, as no one wanted to be blacklisted from the industry. The original Tin Man actor, Buddy Ebsenwas the first to fall, as the aluminum powder in his silver makeup entered his lungs, nearly killing him. He was replaced by Jack Haleybut found fame later in life when he was cast as Jed Clampett in The Buscapé Family. (He had breathing problems for the rest of his life, however, which he blamed on the film.)

The Wicked Witch of the West actress, Margaret Hamiltonwas next, when he suffered severe second- and third-degree burns to his face and hands while filming his Munchkinland departure scene. This kept her from the set for six weeks. (Check out the fireball at the 1:49 mark in the video above and imagine it hitting your face.) “I’m not going to sue, because I know how this business works, and I would never work again,” she said. “I will return to work on one condition – no more fireworks.”

Poor Toto, the little dog even got hurt when an actor playing a Winkie guard stepped on his paw. Terrier Careen spent two weeks recovering at Judy Garland’s home and made a full recovery. She continued to appear in films until shortly before her death at age 11 in 1945.


False: The Munchkins did not throw wild parties during filming.

Leopold Singer brought 124 short people to the set of The Wizard of Oz, who were part of his Singer Midgets vaudeville troupe. Despite having little experience in Hollywood, they performed their roles with great professionalism. But stories about them spread decades after filming ended.

“They were drunk”he said Garland the Jack Paar in 1967.

One of them, who was about 40 years old, a gentleman, invited me to dinner and I couldn’t say no because you’re a dwarf. I just said, ‘No, my mother wouldn’t like that,’ [o homem respondeu ‘Ah, vamos lá, traga sua mãe também’. Eles os colocaram todos em um hotel em Culver City. Eles se embebedavam todas as noites. 

Garland estava correta ao dizer que os Singer Midgets ficaram todos em um hotel em Culver City, o que inspirou o filme de 1981 de Carrie Fisher/Chevy Chase, Hotel das Confusões. O filme acontece principalmente no hotel enquanto os atores Munchkin correm soltos e bebem. Mas é uma completa ficção. De acordo com quase todos os relatos confiáveis, as histórias de suas travessuras foram exageradas a absurdos graus ou completamente inventadas.


Verdade: Judy Garland estava viciada em barbitúricos e anfetaminas durante as filmagens.

Garland tinha apenas 16 anos quando conseguiu o papel de Dorothy, mas já era uma veterana da indústria desde a infância, como parte do trio vaudeville, as Irmãs Guam. A MGM fixou-se em seu peso e vigor durante a produção de O Mágico de Oz, e deram a ela pílulas para suprimir seu apetite e mantê-la trabalhando longas horas. Isso criou uma dependência ao longo da vida de barbitúricos e anfetaminas que levou à sua morte em 1969, quando ela tinha apenas 47 anos.


False: Pink Floyd did not synchronize the film with Dark Side of the Moon.

In the 90s, a story hit the Internet with a bang and they said that the Pink Floyd secretly synced his 1973 LP, Dark Side of the Moonwith The Wizard of Oz. And to be fair, there are some strange coincidences that happen when you start the album just as the MGM lion roars for the third time during the intro. Clare Torrys during “The Great Gig in the Sky“As the tornado arrives, the register rings”Money” just as the film turns to color, and the final heartbeat at the end of the album plays at the exact moment Dorothy hears the Tin Man’s heartbeat.

None of this was intentional. As band members have explained several times, they didn’t have VCRs in 1973, and they certainly didn’t project the film onto a screen while making the album. The vast majority of the album doesn’t line up at all with the action on screen, and the parts that do line up are just coincidences. It’s just proof that when you work to justify an already existing conclusion, you can convince yourself of almost anything.


Truth: You can pause the movie and see some fun inconsistencies.

When a film has been watched as many times as The Wizard of Ozall kinds of little inconsistencies will be discovered. For example, pause the video above the apple picking scene at the 1:05 mark. Garland is wearing black shoes instead of the Ruby Slippers. A more glaring inconsistency occurs when Dorothy meets the Scarecrow for the first time and the length of her braids changes from scene to scene. This was because they reshot the scene several months after the initial filming and spliced ​​the footage together. Pause the clip below at 2:09 and again just four seconds later at 2:13 to see the most glaring example. Did a rogue Munchkin ruffle her hair between takes? Roger Waters he wrote “Brain Damage” about that? No. It’s just a movie. Everyone needs to relax.


This article was translated and adapted from Rolling Stone USA. Read the original version here.

Source: Rollingstone

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