 |  | Jan 13, 2007 |
 |  | Dont B Shy!!  | |
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"A Bit of OZ"
Wizard of Oz won 2 Academy Awards:
Music (Original Score) - Herbert Stothart
Music (Song) - "Over the Rainbow," Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg
Wizard of Oz did not win Best Picture, called Outstanding Production back then. But 1939 was a banner year for movies, the likes of which we have never seen again.The other nominees in 1939 were : "Dark Victory," "Gone with the Wind," "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Of Mice and Men," and "Stagecoach."
"Gone With the Wind" was the 1939 winner.
Did you know?
That Wizard of Oz was voted #6 in AFI's 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time?
That Judy Garland was voted #8 Woman in AFI's 50 Greatest American Screen Legends?
That TV made this movie. It did not show a profit or become wildly popular until it hit TV?
That Toto's real name was Terry and she was a Cairn Terrier? Only she was paid less than Judy Garland of the major stars. Well, except for the 124 midgets who were the Munchkins. They only got $50 a week,plus room & board.
The black and white scenes of Kansas were filmed last. This provides contrast to colorful Oz, which is a good thing since the Technicolor cameras had already been moved to the "Gone With the Wind" set.
Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Ray Bolger had to suck lunch through a straw as they couldn't eat in those costumes.
The Cowardly Lion's tail was worked by a technicians on an overhead walkway.
Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man, but the aluminum in the costume gave him serious breathing problems.
Judy Garland's body was a source of concern. They gave her diet pills, and then of course, sleeping pills, the consequences of which are well known. They also put her in a tight corset as she was seen as too buxom.
"Over the Rainbow" tested badly in preview screenings so it was cut out and then later, upon reflection, reinserted. Good thinking.
Shirley Temple was the first choice for Dorothy. She was part of a trade with Fox for Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. But Harlow died and Garland got the nod.
Margaret Hamilton got so badly burned she had to be hospitalized when the fire came too quickly as she exited Munchkinland. For her melting exit, they used dry ice. Good idea.
The Horse of a Different Color couldn't be actually painted because of Animal Rights concerns. So they used colored, flavored jelly - which the horse kept licking off.
It took 20 guys a week to set up the 40,000 wire poppies.
The ruby slippers were originally silver, as they were in the L. Frank Baum book. But hey, it's Technicolor and ruby looks better. Speaking of - according to some sources, 7 pairs actually existed. The location of 5 is known. If you're sitting on a missing pair, they're worth about 1.5 million. Dollars.
Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minelli, married Jack Haley's son, Jack Haley Jr.
EACH "WINKIE" COSTUME WEIGHED APPROX. 50 POUNDS
THE TIN MAN'S COSTUME WEIGHED 40 POUNDS
THE HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR(actually 4 of them) WAS COLORED WITH POWDERED GELATIN.
THE WEIRD FOREST NOISES WERE ACTUALLY BIRD CALLS PLAYED BACKWARDS
IT TOOK NEARLY 10 MONTHS TO FILM THE ENTIRE MOVIE
JUDY GARLAND WAS PAID $500 a WEEK FOR 19 WEEKS OF WORK ON THE MOVIE
As a child, L. Frank Baum had a reoccurring nightmare in which he was chased by a scarecrow
When answering his fan mail, Scarecrow Ray Bolger would sometimes send admirers strands of straw from his original costume.
JUDY GARLAND WAS FORCED TO WEAR A TIGHT CORSET TO KEEP HER BUDDING FIGURE IN CHECK
THE TIN MAN, SCARECROW & THE COWARDLY LION WEREN'T ALLOWED TO EAT WITH THE OTHER ACTORS,.THEIR COSTUMES WERE DEEMED TOO FRIGHTENING
THE COWARDLY LION'S COSTUME WEIGHED 90 POUNDS
THE WICKED WITCHES HAT SOLD FOR $33,000 IN 1988
THE DRESS(one of several) THAT JUDY GARLAND WORE ON SCREEN SOLD FOR $267,000 IN 2005
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| Today is
"National Good-Looking Person's Day"
Send this to someone outrageously good-looking.
But PLEASE don't send this back to me, I've been getting them
all day long & to be quite honest, I'm getting kinda sick of them!
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| Just swingin by to say,...
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 | My Thoughts | |
| | There SOOOOO many people I like& admire-Here R some of them
43 Photos, 21 comments
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