Aside from the added expense, many patrons claimed that color films gave them headaches the same complaint they had lodged against talkies a decade earlier. WebLollipop Guild Members - Billy Bletcher, Lorraine Bridges, Jon Dodson, Jackie Gerlich, Bud Linn, Jerry Maren Mayor - Billy Bletcher Winged Monkies - Buster Brodie, Harry Cogg, Sid Dawson, Sig Frohlich, Harry Monty, Lee Murray, George Noisom, Jack Paul "You have to be very careful that you don't lose fine details like highlights in people's eyes. Jack Haley was the last one to join the cast. The first test was a failure because the rubber funnel refused to twist like a tornado. When requests were made for duplicate negatives, MGM Labs fashioned a copy from this source. Fantasy was still a hard sell in the Thirties, but it became easier in 1937 following the immense success of Walt Disney's first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. On the paper attached to the frame, he wrote, "With this pencil, I wrote the manuscript of The Emerald City." Admitting that he is just a balloonist from Kansas, the Wizard offers to take Dorothy home. One of his most unusual roles was as the smaller version of "The Thing" (replacing James Arness) in the creature's final scene in The Thing from Another World (1951). "We test scanned the original fine-grain and the dupe to see if there were discernible differences in resolution, sharpness and overall image quality," he says. ", In that time, the two makeup colors that studios had to be careful of were gold (because it was a concealer and closed the pores) and green (because of the copper). She made, According to Judy Garland's biographer, her, And the "snowstorm" that took place in the poppy field scene was actually. A few scenes, such as the establishing shot of the witch's castle, are complete paintings, 40 inches wide and without live action. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. WebCurtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. Jungle Moon Men. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. The Wizard of Oz | Bert Lahr was a vaudeville star famous for playing anxious and neurotic comic characters. The Wizard of Oz | Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz , an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. Seconds after the mishap, she looked down at her hand and saw the damage: "From the wrist to the fingernails, there was no skin on the hand. | ", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses. The front-projection process used today had not been developed at that time, but the close-up registered effectively on the steam in one of the larger projected images that had been attempted in color. I would guess that the original negative was probably used to make more than 10 and perhaps as many as 200 release prints. To do this, she had to step on a certain part of the road and descend on an elevator. WebTHE WIZARD of Oz Review Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A Victor Fleming Production with: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Buddy Ebsen, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin and the Munchkins However, they were immediately bailed out so production wouldn't be stalled: "You couldn't lock them up for long because they were needed on the set. Feiner notes that the original Technicolor imagery can be re-created by making separate passes with each of the three strips directly onto an answer print. The Wizard of Oz | The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house records. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy The Wizard of Oz | The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles. The Adventures of Superman. A cadre of creative minds infused MGMs classic fantasy with a timeless supply of movie magic. Let's disclose the ones surrounding the episodic book. The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles. This article contains incorrect information, This article doesnt have the information Im looking for. Shocking Facts About "The Wizard Of Oz" Movie And Some of the best remembered 'beauty shots' in Oz are Newcombe composites, such as scenes in which the towering buildings of the Emerald City loom in the distance as Dorothy and her friends follow the yellow brick road. Age information for actors in the movie The Wizard Of Oz, released on Tuesday, August 15 1939. Billy Curtis. He was 98. We have estimated WebThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. You might have misheard her because she yells out, "Fly, Fly, fly.". 35 Amazing Wizard Of Oz Facts That Will Definitely And if you're curious, one of the costumes for the Cowardly Lion sold for over $3 million at a New York auction a few years ago. It would be a crime to cut corners and do anything in a sub-standard manner.". WebBorn with dwarfism, actor Billy Curtis famously played a Munchkin city father in The Wizard of Oz in 1939. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. Each model required two wires for the bodies and two for flapping the wings. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." In one memorable scene, Hamilton's face appears in a large crystal ball. Some strange and weird props were used for the movie, including chocolate syrup for tears, a brown paper bag as a prosthetic, a cumbersome cowardly lion costume, bizarre stuff in Tin Man's oil, and several others. Your privacy is important to us. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house records. Next, the Tin Man's suit, Buddy Esben wore a metal suit, making it hard for him even to sit. The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. The studio hired an assistant director and a lieutenant to keep an eye on everyone, but "many of them would wind up in jail and have to be bailed out." The Wizard of Oz This was a realllllly common practice on movie sets back in the day. In Oz, frames were hand-painted in order to create the transition to color. Louis B. Mayer, the top man at MGM, bought the rights from Goldwyn for $75,000 in June of 1938. If one scans a full-aperture anamorphic frame in full color, the file size would run about 45 megabytes. Shirley Temple, Twentieth Century Foxs child superstar, was originally sought for the lead role of Dorothy, but for various reasons, the deal was never consummated. Lanky, loose-jointed dancer Buddy Ebsen was signed to play the Scarecrow, a part for which he was ideally suited. Thorpe had made four great Tarzan films and the remarkable Night Must Fall, but the rushes soon convinced producer LeRoy that the director was not capturing the desired fairytale quality. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy Curtis was: 30. And in the 2010 film Dahmer vs Gacy, he played a mime. His wife, actress Elizabeth Barrington, died in 2011. The Wizard of Oz was highly successful in its New York run at the Capitol most of the New York critics hated it, but who cared? Category : The Wizard of Oz (film) - Wikimedia The mass of wires more than 1,000 altogether necessitated numerous retakes due to breaks. WebCurtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The Billy Curtis' career thrived into the 1970s, notably with solid parts in the Clint Eastwood western High Plains Drifter (1973) and the crime-caper melodrama Little Cigars (1973), in which he had second billing as a diminutive criminal mastermind. Then, MGM Studios managed to cut a deal to borrow Shirley Temple for The Wizard of Oz, the silent film. After this incident, MGM hired attendees for them. People found the book so captivating that it sold out in the first two weeks of its distribution and remained a best-seller for two consecutive years. Jerry Maren Dead: Wizard of Oz Munchkin Actor Was Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. A silent version of the book was made in 1910 by Selig Polyscope Company, which, if you want to have a look at it, is available on the internet. Chances are that no film has been seen by more people than The Wizard of Oz. The actual ball was about 8" in diameter and was not moved while being photographed. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Sid Luft, Judy's third husband, wrote in his memoir that Judy, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz , but he left before it finished to take over, The Wizard of Oz | Fleming with actors Billy Curtis (left) and Charlie Becker (right). This one twisted and careened wildly. It's safe to assume that most moviegoers have experienced The Wizard of Oz through the narrow perspective of a television screen. Ultimately, they sponged colorful Jell-O powders onto the horses: "a decision complicated by the fact that the horses invariably managed to lick off most of the Jell-O between shots.". Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Dorothy flees with Toto but runs for home after talking to Professor Marvel, a fortune-teller and balloonist. All of the original three-strip Technicolor film from that period was recorded on a potentially flammable nitrate-based emulsion. The giant floating head of the Wizard was front-projected onto heavy clouds of white steam piped in from outside the stage. The Harold Arlen/E. But did we not see the color correctly? A preponderance of shiny surfaces, such as the Tin Man's metallic suit, the big prop emeralds, and even the sequined red slippers, caused problems by creating distracting reflections. ", Garland told biographer Paul Donnelly that they'd give her and Mickey Rooney, with whom she made several movies, the pills to "keep us on our feet long after we were exhaustedthen knock us out with sleeping pillsthen after four hours theyd wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Bert Lahr was a vaudeville star famous for playing anxious and neurotic comic characters. Billy Curtis retired in the 1980s, except for the occasional interview or Wizard of Oz cast reunion. Then again, his first Oater wasdifferent. For instance, the cowardly Lion costume worn by Bert Lahr was authentic, meaning it was made from a real lion and weighed approximately 90 lbs (40.8 kg). Ebsen claimed to have breathing problems for the rest of his life because of "that damned movie. Buddy Esben was to play the role, but while nearing the end of the shoot for the role, his lungs failed, and he was rushed to the hospital. The final method that worked was Jell-O powders. In this MGM classic, who we see playing the Tin Man is Jack Haley, but he was not the original Tin Man. The McDonalds character, Mayor McCheese, was played by Billy, from its creation until his death in 1988. The dancing Scarecrow sequence was an outtake stored on 250 feet of film less than three minutes of screen time in the CRI (Color Reversal Intermediate) format. Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The Wizard of Oz Minor Cast Members By manipulating the car, the effects experts could make the tornado twist and perform erratic moves. He told her to take the scenes seriously and get it done. Others who were considered included Victor Moore, Hugh Herbert, Robert Benchley and Charles Winninger. Two effects units operated within Cedric Gibbons' art department. Ray Bolger, who played Scarecrow, had to tolerate the marks his makeup left on his face even after a year since the beloved film was wrapped. They began including two-color Technicolor sequences in silent features as early as 1924, with The Uninvited Guest. After 11 days, production was halted and George Cukor assumed directorial duties. Edna Mae Oliver and Margaret Hamilton were interviewed, and the role went to Hamilton. Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen., In the memoir Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland, Sidney Luft revealed that a lot of the older male Munchkin actors were "naughty." The highest paying actor from the cast seems to be Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, and Jack Haley, the Tin Man, earning $3,000 per week. Studios also tried using cornflakes that were painted white to look like snow, but this method was too noisy because of the crunching sound it made whenever actors walked during scenes. I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks! Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Ebsen was hospitalized and forced out of The Wizard of Oz's production because of the costuming and makeup. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Model monkeys in various scales, of sizes down to six inches, flying on wires hanging from the tornado gantry, were used in the backgrounds and miniature landscapes. The last of these books is Glinda of Oz, published in 1920. Fields begged off because he was preparing You Can't Cheat an Honest Man at Universal. If we had scanned from the original fine-grain, we would have copied the abrasion and emulsion digs and that would have required extensive digital paintwork. The Wizard of Oz | Margaret Hamilton was a character actress who played a lot of housemaids. By joining Kidadl you agree to Kidadls Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receiving marketing communications from Kidadl. They tried using food coloring, "but the colors were not subtle enough." Offers may be subject to change without notice. Billy Curtis The main camera, mounted on a huge crane, was kept moving, tracking with the subjects in most shots. Due to this hazardous effect, the actor, Hamilton, could not consume anything while she had her green makeup on. "Some people say 3K, or even 2K, and 8-bit log space per pixel is sufficient, but this film is an important part of our heritage and culture," he says. ", This particular incident occurred when the Wicked Witch of the West was supposed to make her dramatic, fiery exit from Munchkinland. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 79 years old group. ", Judy told biographer Paul Donnelly that they'd give her and Mickey Rooney, whom she made several pictures with, the pills "to keep us on our feet long after we were exhausted then knock us out with sleeping pills then after four hours theyd wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later. Toto was paid much more than the three munchkins. The Wizard of Oz | Casting Garland was a risk, but no one ever doubted her voice. The picture was produced in 1938-39, with the Great Depression slowly grinding to a close and the specter of global war looming on the horizon. Danko made only $35 for completing the broomstick stunt and $790 for everything else she did in the movie. While shooting for an iconic scene where the wicked of the west, Margaret Hamilton, had to make a grand entrance, which involved fire. A subsequent version made of muslin whipped around satisfactorily, but it quickly tore loose at the bottom. The explosion blew me off the broomstick." May Robson and Sarah Padden were tested for Aunt Em; Clara Blandick got the part. The film's director slapped Judy Garland. In fact, the costumes were so unbearable for all three men on set that Judy Garland remembered how "each one was making bets as to which makeup was the most difficult all the way through the picture.". 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Offscreen, he was often seen with a cigar. The top of the sock was attached to a small car on the bottom of the gantry. Are you also in awe of the blue and white combination gingham Dorothy wore in the Wizard of oz? The picture's fine-grain master was stored at the Library of Congress. Because you don't take chances with green. She spent six weeks recuperating in the hospital and at home. Margaret Hamilton, on the roof, awaits her cue while Jack Haley's Tin Man has a heart-to-heart with Dorothy and the Scarecrow. He was paid $50 a week; the dog that playedToto, meanwhile, got $125. Webscottbdoug. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content. There's no magic bullet with digital technology you can only scan in the image quality on the source material. Dye fading is not inherent to the Technicolor three-strip process. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. The bottom of the funnel was anchored in a hidden slot that ran the length of the stage. The three join up and travel to the Emerald City, where a terrifying apparition appears and finally agrees to help them all if they will bring him the Wicked Witch's magic broomstick. MGM wanted 10-year-old Shirley Temple instead. They were flown on piano wires and their wings were made to flap by means of small hidden motors. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. He stumbled upon the marking of his filing cabinet, and the last drawer was marked 'O to Z,' hence the name Oz came into being. Though the film opened strong, it wouldn't earn its money back until 1948. That equals $2,246 per week in the year 2021or a yearly salary of $116,792. "That eliminates the major source of cell abrasions and emulsion digs, which can occur during the duping or printing process. Our thanks to Fred Detmers, Buddy Ebsen, Lois January, and the late George Cukor, Billy Curtis, Marcel Delgado, Harold Rosson, ASC and Harry Wolf, ASC. At 79 years old, Billy Curtis height In that time, the 1970s, to be more precise, Kurt Warner was the set designer, and he also assisted in wardrobe management in Hollywood during the 1970s. Seldom accepting a role which demeaned or patronized little people, Curtis played an obnoxious vaudeville performer compelled to sit on Gary Cooper's lap in Meet John Doe (1941), a suspicious circus star willing to turn Robert Cummings over to the cops in Saboteur (1942), and one of the many fair-weather friends of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Portrayed by rapper Master P. After Vern Schillinger's daughter-in-law Carrie gave '", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses during the Emerald City scene. Safety nets and pads usually saved the day, although several "monkeys" landed in the hospital. Glinda tells her she can go home if she clicks the heels of the ruby slippers and thinks "There's no place like home" three times. The studio's next choice was W.C. Fields a mind-boggling concept!
