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Quiz: How Much Do You Know About The Technicolor Classic, The Wizard Of Oz?

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What movie beat The Wizard of Oz for Best Picture at the Academy Awards?

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Although the Wizard of Oz was nominated for six Oscars, it only won two, for Best Song and Best Original Score.
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Early scripts gave the Wicked Witch of the West a son. What was his name?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Bulbo’s removal was just one of many, many changes the script went through before arriving at the final version.
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When Bert Lahr made Judy Garland laugh uncontrollably, how did the director snap her out of it?

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Sadly, this was just one example of the terrible treatment that the 16-year-old Garland received while working on the movie.
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Who was originally going to be Dorothy’s love interest?

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The script was originally going to imply a relationship blooming between Dorothy and the Kansas version of the Scarecrow at the very end. The plot line was (thankfully) cut, but some remnants of it remained, like when Dorothy tells the Scarecrow “I think I’ll miss you most of all.”
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Which actor of Beverly Hillbillies fame was originally going to play the Tin Man?

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Ebsen was cast, but the aluminum dust that was used to make him look like he was made of tin gave him a severe allergic reaction. He was sent to the hospital in critical condition, and his part was recast, with Jack Haley filling his shoes.
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What role was Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow, originally supposed to play?

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Ray Bolger was cast as the Tin Man, but he figured his lanky frame was more suited to the Scarecrow, so he convinced Buddy Ebsen, who was meant to play the Scarecrow, to switch. Bet Ebsen ended up regretting that decision…
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What was the Tin Man’s original origin story?

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The film’s producers initially thought audiences would be turned off by the fantastical plot, so they came up with origin stories that made Dorothy’s companions normal people. The Tin Man was going to be a brutal criminal whose punishment taught him to be nice, while the Scarecrow was going to be a man so stupid that the only work he could find would be scaring crows.
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Which roles did Frank Morgan play?

Wikimedia Commons
Morgan also played the man who owned the Horse of a Different Color and the Wizard’s guard that eventually breaks down in tears.
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What show did Margaret Hamilton appear on to show kids that her scary character, the Wicked Witch of the West, was just “make-believe”?

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Hamilton must have found her role on the Neighborhood to be a snap—after all, she was once a kindergarten teacher!
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When was the first film based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz released?

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Though it seems ancient today, The Wizard of Oz was released almost 30 years after the first adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s story. The silent film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the original, and it was followed by another silent adaptation in 1925 before the masterpiece we all know was released in 1939.
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In an early draft, what insect attacked the companions and forced them to dance?

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The Jitter Bug was meant to attract young folks to the movie, taking advantage of the dance “the jitterbug” that was sweeping the nation, but the scene was eventually left on the cutting room floor.
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What cruel name did MGM head Louis B. Mayer call Judy Garland?

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Sadly, the terrible nickname is just one example on a long list of abuses that Mayer focused on his young star.
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How long did it take for The Wizard of Oz to turn a profit?

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For a decade after it was released, the film was actually a financial failure. It wasn’t until it was re-released ten years later that it became a success.
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Which of the following men directed The Wizard of Oz?

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Though only Fleming was credited, the film actually went through four different directors before it was finished—five if you count Norman Taurog, who oversaw casting and set construction.
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What classic film heavily inspired The Wizard of Oz?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The idea to adapt The Wonderful Wizard of Oz came only after Snow White proved that fantasy movies could be hits. In fact, the Wicked Witch of the West was initially going to look sleek and glamorous, like the evil queen in the Disney film.
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What event did many close to Judy Garland say started her crippling addiction and depression issues?

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Garland tragically died at just 47 years old after a life spent fighting demons, and many have said that it all began when she was 16 and subjected to terrible abuse on the set of The Wizard of Oz.
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Which actor kept messing up takes, often making gruelling days of filming even longer?

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Though Terry, who played Toto, was trained to act in films, it would still sometimes take up to a dozen takes to get her (yes, Toto was played by a lady dog) to follow her companions down the Yellow Brick Road.
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What was used to dye the Horse of a Different Color’s coat?

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Rather than dye and wash a horse multiple times, several horses were used. The purple horse was covered in grape flavored powder, the orange in orange, and the yellow in lemon. Who needs CGI when you’ve got Jell-O?
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How did several actors who played Winged Monkeys get injured while filming?

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Safety was clearly not as much of a concern back then, and during the haunted forest scene, several poor monkeys were sent plummeting to the floor of the soundstage when the piano wires that were holding them up snapped.
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When Terry the Dog hurt her foot, where did she go to recuperate?

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Terry broke her foot when one of the Wicked Witch’s soldiers accidentally stepped on her, and a doggie double had to be brought in until she was back to her old self.
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Which character’s actor had to lean against a board to rest between takes?

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Jack Haley’s Tin Man suit was extremely uncomfortable and hard to move in. He actually faced very similar difficulties to another actor playing an iconic metal man: Anthony Daniels, who played C-3P0!
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Which character’s makeup caused the actor who played him an eye infection?

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Poor Jack Haley! It’s no wonder that he called the production “not fun at all.”
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How much did the Cowardly Lion costume weigh?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
It was heavy enough on its own, but by the end of every day of filming, it would be soaked in Bert Lahr’s sweat from the blazing studio lights. Reportedly, there were two people on the production whose sole job was to make sure that the Lion suit was dry by the time it came to start filming again.
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What was the worst part about playing the Scarecrow for Ray Bolger?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Apparently, the mask would make his skin crack and bleed after wearing it all day, and it left marks on his face that lasted over a year after filming was finished.
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What iconic aspect of The Wizard of Oz was almost cut from the film?

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Apparently, one executive thought that the song slowed the movie down and wanted it taken out. Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed.
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Why was lunch so difficult for many of the actors?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Since their makeup took so long to apply and eating could mess it up, much of the cast was forced onto a liquid diet for filming days. Margaret Hamilton probably could have managed to eat, but her makeup was poisonous, so she had to follow the same routine as the rest or else risk a seriously unpleasant digestion.
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What did the filmmakers use to create the fake snow used in the movie?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
You may want to say “it was another time, people didn’t know asbestos was bad for you,” but the movie was shot long after the dangers of the material were widely known.
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Which actor suffered terrible burns when a special-effect went awry?

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Hamilton was meant to fall through a trapdoor while flames shot up behind her, but the trapdoor didn’t open on time, so she was blasted with the fire. When she finally healed, she returned to finish filming, but on one condition: “No more fireworks!”
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Which character’s stunt double was nearly killed in an explosion while filming?

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After Hamilton returned with her “no more fireworks” rule, her stunt double was sent in to film a scene on the Witch’s broom (really a pipe spewing smoke). While she was sitting on it, the pipe exploded, sending the stuntwoman to the hospital for 11 days.
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Who originally owned the coat worn by the Wizard in the movie?

The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The coat was bought second-hand, and no one involved had any idea where it came from. Then, one day, actor Frank Morgan checked the pockets and found a note that said the coat had belonged to the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz himself! Everyone was dumbfounded, it seemed too good to be true, but a call to Baum’s widow confirmed it.
About This Quiz
The Wizard of Oz is one of the greatest films in cinema history. But for how amazing the final product was, it was honestly a miracle that the movie was even finished. Accidents, staff turnover, and emotional abuse are just some of the sad stories behind the Technicolor masterpiece. So, knowing about its tumultuous creation, the question is: do you really know anything at all about the Wizard of Oz? Set off down our yellow brick quiz and find out!

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