97 Fun Facts About Wizard of Oz

Who illustrated the first edition of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'?

W. W. Denslow co-held the copyright with Baum, and the costumes for the 1902 stage extravaganza were modelled on his drawings.

In what year was the original novel, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' first published?

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first published in 1900: the first copy came off the press in Chicago on May 17, 1900, with full distribution that September.

In the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Golden Cap lets its wearer summon which creatures, with three commands per holder?

Winged Monkeys obey three commands per holder; the Wicked Witch used hers to capture Dorothy, and Glinda's final three uses free the monkeys from the enchantment.

Which publisher issued the first edition of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'?

George M. Hill Company printed the first copy on May 17, 1900, and Baum assembled it by hand as a gift for his sister before the September publication.

What does Dorothy primarily seek from the Wizard of Oz?

Dorothy's main goal throughout her journey in Oz is to find a way to get back to her home in Kansas.

Which quality does the Scarecrow wish the Wizard would grant him?

The Scarecrow joins Dorothy on her journey to the Emerald City, hoping the Wizard can give him a brain.

What does the Tin Woodman desire from the Wizard of Oz?

The Tin Woodman, made entirely of tin, wishes for a heart so he can feel love and emotion.

What does the Cowardly Lion hope the Wizard can provide him with?

Despite his fierce appearance, the Cowardly Lion is afraid of everything and seeks courage from the Wizard.

What colour are Dorothy's magic shoes in L. Frank Baum's original book?

Silver in the book, the shoes became ruby in the 1939 film to show off Technicolor; either way they are what carry Dorothy home.

In the novel, whom does the Wizard name to rule the Emerald City when he leaves in his balloon?

The Wizard names the Scarecrow ruler of the Emerald City before departing in his balloon, telling the people that with his new brains he will govern wisely.

In the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, what must every visitor put on before entering the Emerald City?

Green-tinted spectacles are locked on with a key by the Guardian of the Gates, supposedly to protect eyes from the city's brilliance, which is why everything inside looks so dazzlingly green.

What title is Glinda most commonly known by in the Land of Oz?

Glinda is known as the Good Witch, specifically the Good Witch of the North in the film and the Good Witch of the South in the book, guiding Dorothy on her journey.

How does Dorothy accidentally defeat the Wicked Witch of the West?

Dorothy throws a bucket of water over the Wicked Witch of the West, who melts away; in the book she does it in anger after the Witch tricks her out of one of her silver shoes.

The Wizard of Oz turns out to be an ordinary conman from which U.S. city?

The Wizard confesses he was born in Omaha, Nebraska, a circus balloonist whose balloon drifted away and landed in Oz, where he ruled the Emerald City with tricks and props.

Terry, the dog who portrayed Toto in the 1939 film, was what breed?

Terry was a Cairn Terrier trained by Carl Spitz; a Winkie guard stepped on her paw during filming and she spent two weeks recuperating at Judy Garland's home.

Which actor began the 1939 Wizard of Oz as the Tin Man but left after a toxic reaction to his aluminum-powder makeup?

Buddy Ebsen was hospitalised in critical condition ten days into the shoot after inhaling aluminum dust; Jack Haley took over with a safer aluminum paste, though Ebsen's voice survives in the Tin Man's group vocals.

Which member of the 1939 cast played five parts, including Professor Marvel and the title role?

Frank Morgan plays Professor Marvel, the Wizard, the Emerald City doorman, the cabbie and the Wizard's guard; the closing credits list only his Kansas role, so he is billed as Professor Marvel.

Bert Lahr's sweltering costume in the 1939 film was made primarily from which material?

The Cowardly Lion suit was made of real lion skin and fur and weighed close to 90 pounds, punishing under the hot lamps three-strip Technicolor required; Lahr's makeup limited his lunches to soup and milkshakes.

What was used to tint the white horses in the "horse of a different color" sequence?

The horses were coated in Jell-O powder, flavored gelatin crystals, so each shot had to be captured quickly before the animals started licking it off.

Besides Best Song for 'Over the Rainbow', which Oscar did the 1939 film win?

Herbert Stothart won Best Original Score for MGM. Best Picture went to Gone with the Wind that year, and Judy Garland received a non-competitive Academy Juvenile Award.

In the 1939 Wizard of Oz, which Kansas neighbour gets a sheriff's order to seize Toto after he bites her?

Almira Gulch is the neighbour in the sepia Kansas scenes, and she morphs into the Wicked Witch of the West, also played by Margaret Hamilton, as the farmhouse spins through the air.

The Kansas footage in the 1939 film was shot in black and white and then given which treatment?

The Kansas scenes and credits were shot in black and white and given a sepia-tone process afterwards; only the Oz sequences used three-strip Technicolor, and the sepia footage returns when Aunt Em appears in the Witch's crystal ball.

Who directed the bulk of the 1939 film before departing to take charge of Gone with the Wind?

Victor Fleming directed most of the picture, then left in February 1939 to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind; another director finished the last Kansas scenes uncredited.

The fake snow falling on Dorothy in the poppy field was made from which material?

The poppy-field snow was asbestos, the industrial chrysotile fibre then sold as artificial snow; the Wicked Witch's smouldering broomstick was made of asbestos too.

Which US network first broadcast the 1939 film on television in 1956?

CBS first televised the film on November 3, 1956, paying MGM $225,000 per broadcast; the later annual showings turned it into a television tradition.

Who wrote the lyrics to the 1939 film's songs, including 'Over the Rainbow'?

E. Y. 'Yip' Harburg wrote the lyrics and Harold Arlen the music; 'Over the Rainbow' won the pair the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

What was the name of the swing-style song cut from the 1939 film before release?

'The Jitterbug', a swing number shot in the Haunted Forest, was cut before release; a trace remains when the Witch says she has sent 'a little insect on ahead' to take the fight out of them.

Which actress was first cast as the Wicked Witch of the West before withdrawing?

Gale Sondergaard was cast as a sleek, glamorous witch but withdrew when the character was reworked into an ugly hag; Margaret Hamilton took over the part.

What is the name of Ray Bolger's Kansas farmhand in the 1939 film?

Hunk, played by Ray Bolger, is the farmhand who becomes the Scarecrow in Oz; Jack Haley's Hickory becomes the Tin Man and Bert Lahr's Zeke the Cowardly Lion.

From whom did MGM buy the film rights to Baum's novel in January 1938?

Goldwyn had pictured the book as a vehicle for Eddie Cantor, whom he wanted as the Scarecrow.

The success of which 1937 film convinced MGM that a fairy-tale adaptation could work?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's 1937 hit, proved a children's story could draw adult audiences, and its Technicolor success nudged MGM toward shooting Oz in color.

Which comedian reportedly demanded $100,000 to play the Wizard before Frank Morgan got the part?

W. C. Fields was MGM's pick for the Wizard but asked $100,000 against the studio's $75,000 offer; Ed Wynn had already passed, calling the part too small, so contract player Frank Morgan got the job.

Which director was removed from the film for rushing the production?

Thorpe's footage, including Garland in a blonde wig, was scrapped and reshot.

Which interim director scrapped Garland's blonde wig and told her to "be herself"?

Cukor shot nothing himself; he left on November 3, 1938 to direct Gone with the Wind.

What was the "oil" used on the Tin Man's joints actually made from?

The oil was chocolate syrup, which showed up better than real oil on Technicolor film; the Tin Man costume itself was leather-covered buckram, a stiff fabric.

Margaret Hamilton's green face paint was based on which metal?

Hamilton's green makeup was copper-based and toxic, so she lived on liquids while wearing it; after the Munchkinland trapdoor fire burned her, the copper paint had to be cleaned from the wounds.

What was Margaret Hamilton's profession before she turned to acting?

Margaret Hamilton trained as a kindergarten teacher and taught in Cleveland before her stage and screen career; she later served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education.

Which stunt double was badly hurt when the smoking-broomstick rig malfunctioned?

Betty Danko, Hamilton's stunt double, was badly burned when the smoking broomstick's pipe exploded during the 'Surrender Dorothy' skywriting shot; Hamilton had refused further fire work after her own burns.

What fabric formed the twister in the tornado sequence?

A 35-foot muslin funnel hung from a gantry, with fuller's earth blown in for dust; the footage was reused in Cabin in the Sky.

The Lion and Scarecrow masks were pioneering uses of which material?

The Scarecrow and Lion faces were early foam latex prosthetics from makeup chief Jack Dawn; Bolger's glued-on mask took an hour to remove and left a pattern of lines on his face that took over a year to fade.

How were the Winkie guards' deep chanting voices produced?

The Winkie chant was recorded fast and played back slow to deepen the voices; vocal arranger Ken Darby used the reverse trick, a slow recording sped up, to give the Munchkins their high pitch.

Whose "Night on Bald Mountain" underscores the escape from the Witch's castle?

Herbert Stothart's score quotes Mussorgsky's 'Night on Bald Mountain' during the escape from the Witch's castle; Schumann's 'The Happy Farmer' and Mendelssohn also sneak into the score.

What was the film's final running time after test-screening cuts?

After the test-screening cuts the film ran 101 minutes; early cuts ran nearly two hours, when the average 1939 feature was about 90 minutes.

Where was the Hollywood premiere held on August 15, 1939?

The Hollywood premiere was held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 15, 1939; the same venue, renamed the TCL Chinese Theatre, hosted the film's IMAX 3D premiere in 2013.

Who performed live with Garland after screenings at the New York premiere?

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, her frequent co-star, performed a live stage show after screenings at New York's Loew's Capitol, where the film opened on August 17, 1939.

Which re-release finally pushed the film into profit?

The 1949 re-release finally pushed the film into profit; the original 1939 run had lost about $1.1 million despite a gross of roughly $3 million.

Roughly what was the film's budget, MGM's largest at the time?

The production cost roughly $2.7 million ($2,777,000 on MGM's books), the studio's most expensive film to that date; Technicolor lighting pushed stage temperatures past 100 °F.

Where did the Wicked Witch of the West rank on AFI's list of 50 screen villains?

AFI ranked the Wicked Witch of the West No. 4 among screen villains, behind Hannibal Lecter, Norman Bates and Darth Vader; her 'I'll get you, my pretty' line also made AFI's 100 Movie Quotes at No. 99.

Which Oz line placed highest (No. 4) on AFI's 100 Movie Quotes?

'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore' sits at No. 4 on AFI's 100 Movie Quotes; 'There's no place like home' landed at No. 23.

Which novelist said the film "made a writer of me" and wrote a BFI study of it?

Salman Rushdie wrote the BFI Film Classics study The Wizard of Oz (1992), recalling that his first short story, written at age ten, was titled 'Over the Rainbow'.

Which director's obsession with the film is the subject of a 2022 documentary?

Alexandre O. Philippe's Lynch/Oz traces the film's echoes across Lynch's work.

Which Munchkin trio did Jerry Maren belong to in the 1939 film?

The Lollipop Guild: Jerry Maren was the green-clad middle member who hands Dorothy a lollipop; he was the last surviving Munchkin actor when he died in 2018.

Whose daughter voiced Dorothy in the 1972 animated sequel Journey Back to Oz?

Judy Garland's daughter Liza Minnelli voiced Dorothy in the animated Journey Back to Oz, which also cast Margaret Hamilton as Aunt Em.

In Baum's novel, which Munchkin hosts a banquet for Dorothy on her first night?

Boq, 'one of the richest of the Munchkins', welcomes Dorothy to a feast at his house after she is hailed for freeing the Munchkins from the Wicked Witch of the East.

In the novel, in what form does the Wizard appear to the Tin Woodman?

The Wizard appears to the Tin Woodman as a terrible Beast with five arms and five legs; Dorothy sees a giant Head, the Scarecrow a lovely Lady, and the Lion a Ball of Fire.

In the novel, who tells Dorothy a good witch in the South might send her home?

The Soldier with the Green Whiskers, the Emerald City's one-man army, suggests that Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, is powerful enough to send Dorothy home.

Which sorceress originally bound the Winged Monkeys to the Golden Cap?

Gayelette, a princess and sorceress of the North, had the Golden Cap made as a wedding gift and bound the Winged Monkeys to serve its wearer after they ducked her fiancé Quelala in a river.

In the novel, the Lion becomes king of a forest after killing what creature?

He finds the spider asleep and decapitates it; the animals bow and beg him to rule.

Where are Dorothy's magic shoes lost on her flight home in the novel?

The Silver Shoes fall off during Dorothy's flight through the air and are 'lost forever in the desert', the Deadly Desert that seals Oz off from the outside world in later books.

The Wizard's "brains" for the Scarecrow in the book are made of what?

The Wizard fills the Scarecrow's head with bran mixed with pins and needles, calling them 'bran-new brains'; the Tin Woodman gets a silk heart stuffed with sawdust.

Baum said the name "Oz" came from the label on what household object?

Baum said he took the name from a file cabinet whose second drawer was labeled O–Z; a rival theory links the name to the abbreviation for ounce.

The yellow brick road is said to derive from a road in which New York town?

Baum spent two unhappy years at Peekskill Military Academy from age 12.

Dorothy is thought to be named for Baum's infant niece with which surname?

Dorothy Louise Gage died at five months; a statue of Dorothy now stands by her grave.

The Tin Woodman grew out of a figure Baum built for what purpose?

Baum built the figure for a hardware-store shop window display from a wash-boiler, stovepipe limbs and a saucepan while editing The Show Window, a magazine on window dressing.

In Alexander Volkov's Russian retelling, what is the Kansas heroine called?

Volkov's The Wizard of the Emerald City renames Dorothy as Ellie, with her dog Totoshka; the series ran to six books that drifted ever further from Baum.

How many Oz novels did Baum write in total?

Baum wrote 14 Oz novels between 1900 and 1920, alongside 41 other novels, and tried repeatedly to end the series before readers' letters pulled him back.

Who continued the Oz series after Baum's death in 1919?

Ruth Plumly Thompson took over with The Royal Book of Oz in 1921 and wrote 19 Oz books; a new Oz title appeared every year from 1913 to 1942.

Which Oz book was published posthumously in 1920, a year after Baum died?

Glinda of Oz, the last of Baum's fourteen Oz books, appeared in 1920, the year after his death; his last words were reportedly 'Now we can cross the Shifting Sands.'

In which Dakota Territory town did Baum run a store and edit a newspaper?

In Aberdeen Baum opened Baum's Bazaar, which failed after he extended too much credit, then edited The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer; the drought-ridden prairie shaped his gray Kansas.

Baum's mother-in-law Matilda Joslyn Gage drew him into which spiritual movement?

Theosophy drew Baum in under the influence of his suffragist mother-in-law Matilda Joslyn Gage; he and his wife Maud joined the Theosophical Society in Chicago in 1892.

In the 1902 stage musical, Toto was replaced by what animal?

Imogene the Cow replaced Toto in the 1902 stage extravaganza; the Wicked Witch of the West was dropped entirely and topical jokes about Teddy Roosevelt were added.

In Henry Littlefield's 1964 allegory, the yellow brick road stands for what?

In Littlefield's 'The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism' the yellow brick road is the gold standard and the silver shoes free silver; the high-school teacher later conceded he had no evidence Baum intended it.

The Wizard dropped his other middle initials because together they spelled what?

His full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs; the initials after O.Z. spell PINHEAD, so he kept only the first two.

In which book is Dorothy's surname, Gale, first revealed?

Dorothy's surname first appears in print in Ozma of Oz (1907); it began as a pun in the 1902 stage script, 'one of the Kansas Gales' with a 'breezy manner'.

What is the Tin Woodman's original human name?

Nick Chopper was a Munchkin woodcutter whose axe the Wicked Witch of the East enchanted to chop off his limbs one by one, each replaced by a tinsmith until he was all tin.

Who was the Tin Woodman's lost love, a servant of the Wicked Witch of the East?

Nimmie Amee, the Munchkin girl Nick Chopper courted, served the Wicked Witch of the East; in The Tin Woodman of Oz he finds she has married Chopfyt, a man built partly from his own discarded limbs.

In the books, the Lion's closest companion is which animal?

The Hungry Tiger, who longs to eat fat babies but is stopped by his conscience, is the Cowardly Lion's constant companion; the pair pull Ozma's chariot and serve as her guards.

Which color belongs to the Gillikin Country in the north of Oz?

Purple is the Gillikin color: blue is Munchkin, yellow Winkie, red Quadling; the Gillikin Country was not even named until the second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz.

Princess Ozma spent her childhood transformed into a boy with what name?

The witch Mombi raised her as Tip; Glinda forced the reversal in The Marvelous Land of Oz.

What did General Jinjur's all-girl Army of Revolt carry as weapons?

Jinjur's girls each carry two long, glittering knitting needles; they seize the Emerald City, make the men do the housework, and are finally ousted by Glinda's army.

What do the Nomes fear above all else?

Eggs are poison to Nomes, which is why Billina the hen is the Nome King's worst nightmare in Ozma of Oz; her eggs help free the royal family of Ev.

In Ozma of Oz, Dorothy is washed overboard while sailing with Uncle Henry to where?

Dorothy and Uncle Henry are sailing to Australia for his health when a storm washes her overboard; she drifts to the land of Ev in a chicken coop with the hen Billina.

In which Minnesota town were a pair of ruby slippers stolen from a museum in 2005?

The Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Garland's birthplace as Frances Gumm, lost the slippers to a 2005 smash-and-grab; the FBI recovered them in a 2018 sting.

Which auction house sold the recovered stolen slippers in December 2024?

Heritage Auctions sold the recovered pair in Dallas on December 7, 2024 for $28 million, $32.5 million with fees, then the highest price ever paid for movie memorabilia.

Which actress owned the rejected curled-toe "Arabian" test pair of slippers?

Debbie Reynolds owned the curled-toe 'Arabian' test pair, acquired through costumer Kent Warner; they fetched $510,000 at the 2011 auction of her collection.

Which Hawaiian singer paired the song with "What a Wonderful World" in a ukulele medley?

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole recorded his 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World' medley in one 3 a.m. take in 1988; it later spent twelve weeks at No. 1 in Germany.

Gene Wilder reportedly died listening to whose recording of "Over the Rainbow"?

Gene Wilder's family said he died in August 2016 listening to Ella Fitzgerald's recording of 'Over the Rainbow', one of his favourites; the song's unused introductory verse survives in the sheet music.

Who played the Scarecrow opposite Diana Ross in the 1978 film The Wiz?

Michael Jackson met Quincy Jones on the set, and Jones went on to produce Off the Wall and Thriller.

Who originated Dorothy in The Wiz on stage in 1974?

Stephanie Mills originated Dorothy in The Wiz, which opened on Broadway in January 1975 after 1974 tryouts; she was signed for the film too, until Diana Ross persuaded Universal to make it with her as the lead.

Which famed film editor made his directing debut with Disney's Return to Oz (1985)?

Walter Murch, editor and sound designer of Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, made Return to Oz his only film as director; Disney paid MGM a fee to use the ruby slippers.

Who played Dorothy in Return to Oz (1985), her feature-film debut?

Fairuza Balk, then ten years old, made her feature-film debut as Dorothy in Return to Oz, a darker sequel drawing on The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz.

Which show beat Wicked for Best Musical at the 2004 Tony Awards?

Avenue Q took Best Musical in an upset; Wicked still won Best Actress for Idina Menzel plus scenic and costume design.

Gregory Maguire's name for the Wicked Witch, Elphaba, is a tribute to whom?

Elphaba is built from L. Frank Baum's initials, L-F-B, sounded out as 'El-fa-ba'.

Who played Theodora, the witch who turns wicked, in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)?

Her sister Evanora (Weisz) is the real villain; Kunis won an MTV award for Best Villain.

Roughly how many tulips were planted around the Munchkinland set for Wicked (2024)?

Production planted about nine million tulips so Munchkinland could be shot among real blooming fields rather than digital ones, a scale director Jon M. Chu insisted on for practical sets.

Fans famously sync the film with which 1973 Pink Floyd album?

The Dark Side of the Moon pairing, nicknamed 'The Dark Side of the Rainbow' or 'The Wizard of Floyd', spread from a 1995 Fort Wayne newspaper article; the band denies any intent.

In which city did Wicked (2024) hold its world premiere?

Wicked held its world premiere at Sydney's State Theatre on November 3, 2024, ahead of the Los Angeles premiere on November 9.