The Wizard of Oz’ Celebrates it’s 75th Anniversary!

wizard-of-oz-original1The classic movie, ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ celebrates it`s 75th anniversary this month. Although the film industry has advanced quite a bit since then, this beloved film is still considered one of the greatest of all times. Here are some interesting and shocking facts of this classic film.

Although the costumes and makeup were considered to be elaborate and vibrant, they were considered to be dangerous! Buddy Ebsen, who played the role of the Tin Man, had to leave the film set due to his lungs becoming filled with aluminum dust. This issue was later fixed but still was considered to be a health risk. Another example of the danger caused by the make up, was the make up that Margaret Hamilton wore to portray the Wicked Witch . This copper based makeup was poisonous and she was put on a liquid diet during the film to prevent health problems.

One of the most famous dogs in film`s history to this day is Toto. Toto`s real name is Terry and is a female. Toto was paid $125 per week to appear in the film. Although she put in a lot more work, Judy Garland was paid $500 a week for her iconic role as Dorothy.

The debut of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ was a huge success and will forever be recognized. This film was nominated for six Oscars. The film won two of those nominations. One Oscar was for its score and the other for the song “Over The rainbow”, which was almost cut from the film.

75 years seems like quite a bit of time but this film will always live on as an American favorite.

Written by: Sandra Costanzo

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