Lanky, loose-jointed dancer Buddy Ebsen was signed to play the Scarecrow, a part for which he was ideally suited. (A few children were used as a well.). There was a lot of drama about casting over the next few years, and the part ultimately went to Judy Garland. Her performance as the Wicked Witch would frighten generations of children, who routinely, The Wizard of Oz | Victor Fleming consults with his actors. Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, it tells of Dorothy and her fantasy trip to the land of Oz where witches, scarecrows, lions and talking trees all exist. Jack Haley was the last one to join the cast. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Born June 27, 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Casting of the Wizard was more complicated. WebActor Age Check - How old was Billy Curtis in The Wizard of Oz? With those words, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer introduced what became the most popular Technicolor fantasy ever made, The Wizard of Oz. Others who were considered included Victor Moore, Hugh Herbert, Robert Benchley and Charles Winninger. Gillespie had a 35' wind sock cast in thin rubber and ordered a steel gantry specially built and suspended from the ceiling. The workstations were networked to an SGI Origin 2000 file server that provided high-density image storage and rapid transfer rates. LeRoy wanted Ed Wynn, who felt that the part was too small. The trio (plus Toto, whose real name was Terry) approaches the Cowardly Lion's hunting grounds. The Wizard of Oz | Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Then again, his first Oater wasdifferent. They tried several different alternatives, including food coloring, but "the colors were not subtle enough." Luft recalled one event in particular, saying, "The next day, on the set, hungover, they would make Judy's life miserable by putting their hands under her dress. ", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses. At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic 1939 movie. This does not influence our choices. Amen. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Mon, Jan 01 1934 Sat, Jan 01 1955. The first test was a failure because the rubber funnel refused to twist like a tornado. As the group passes through the Haunted Forest, Dorothy and Toto are seized by flying monkeys who carry them away to the Witch's castle. It's easy to imagine any of these actors performing the role beautifully, but the final choice, Frank Morgan, proved to be the perfect Wizard. | In late October, Ebsen became seriously ill from breathing the powdered aluminum dusted over his Tin Man makeup. Although he won Oscars in 1944 (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo) and 1947 (Green Dolphin Street), his most celebrated achievement is the tornado in Wizard. It would be a crime to cut corners and do anything in a sub-standard manner.". The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb WebBilly Curtis, Actor: High Plains Drifter. and Girl of the Golden West. The Wizard of Oz | Casting Garland was a risk, but no one ever doubted her voice. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan. 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. The film's director slapped Judy Garland. 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. McDonalds retired the character when Billy died in 1988. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Shocking Facts About "The Wizard Of Oz" Movie And The famous song 'Over the Rainbow' almost did not make it to the final cut. They had to work fast between each take, though, because "the horses invariably managed to lick off most of the Jell-O between shots.". Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen.. Company Credits At 79 years old, Billy Curtis height WebPlayed one of the Munchkins in the film "The Wizard of Oz" CREDITS Broadway; Every Man for Himself (Dec 09, 1940 - Dec 11, Curtis [Little Boy] PlayOriginal. Billy Curtis (Luigi Curto) was born on 27 June, 1909 in Springfield, MA, is an American film actor. I believe we bring a unique film aesthetic to the use of digital tools for restoration.". Feiner speculates that MGM decided to rid its lot of nitrate-based film sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies. WebThe Wizard of Oz. ", The images were stored on the high-speed disk array for display at 2K resolution. Scroll to Crew. The Wizard of Oz | Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. The last of these books is Glinda of Oz, published in 1920. Note: Submissions include topics of sexual assault. 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. 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The resulting composite was back-projected outside Dorothy and the window. "Most people wouldn't have noticed that, but I've worked on a lot of trailers for TV in CRI format. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan played him as a frightened little humbug. A few scenes, such as the establishing shot of the witch's castle, are complete paintings, 40 inches wide and without live action. But this was the 9th adaptation of the book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' The Harold Arlen/E. In 1984, a copy was struck from one of those intermediates. A silver ball floats like a giant bubble into the scene, looming larger and larger as it moves into the foreground of the set. Given the possible inclusion of the extra sequence, Pacific Title/Mirage was responsible for scanning some 44,500 frames (of the approximately 85,000 in the original 101-minute movie) for image processing, and then recording them back onto film. Cast. After reciting this magical mantra, Dorothy awakens in her bed, surrounded by her aunt and uncle, the three farmhands who bear an uncanny resemblance to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion and Professor Marvel, whom we realize is the Wizard. The explosion blew me off the broomstick." Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. Other writers involved were Herman J. Mankiewicz, Irving Brecher, Robert Pirosh, George Seaton, Herbert Fields, Jack Mintz and Ogden Nash. Sid Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! 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. I pray the Lord my soul to take. She had to go through a lot of physical and verbal abuse on set. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, 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. Before Dorothy can break in her new heels, however, the Wicked Witch of the West swears vengeance. Finally, they can now see it in a cinema the way it is meant to be seen. Figuring out how to color the horses in Emerald City was an extremely difficult task, and the The previously photo-graphed, which was projected from the side onto a mirror set at a 45-degree angle, relaying the image onto a small translucent screen inside the hollow ball. Curtis Bennett | Oz TV Wiki | Fandom 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.". Toto escapes and brings Dorothy's friends to rescue her, but they are also captured. A cadre of creative minds infused MGMs classic fantasy with a timeless supply of movie magic. The co-founder of MGM, Louis B. Meyer, called Judy Garland 'My little hunchback.'. The vivid colors came from dyes added during this process. The book 'Amazing Wizard of Oz' was published in July 1900, and the film was released in 1939. 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 The Wizard of Oz | Producer Mervyn LeRoy helped persuade MGM's Louis B. Mayer to acquire the rights to L. Frank Baum's book and played a crucial role in the, The Wizard of Oz | The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. The Wizard of Oz | Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz , an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. is 4 2 . "When we scanned our dupe at full film resolution, there was no loss in image quality. Reporting on what you care about. From lino cutting to surfing to childrens mental health, their hobbies and interests range far and wide. While shooting for an iconic scene where the wicked of the west, Margaret Hamilton, had to make a grand entrance, which involved fire. 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 house has squashed the Wicked Witch of the East. (At press time, that decision had yet to be made.). Completely untrue. It sort of closed the pores in my face, and when the lights got real hot and ate up all the oxygen I couldn't breathe." Because you don't take chances with green. Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. Most producers were reluctant to go forward with color films even after the much-improved three-color process was introduced in 1934. It was rigged to move the full length of the 200' stage. Finally, one of the producers and an assistant producer said they would quit if the song were not added, and so it was made the film's part, a famous one. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. 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 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Maren, now 94, is the last surviving Munchkin actor. '", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses during the Emerald City scene. Her weight was consistently monitored too. A subsequent version made of muslin whipped around satisfactorily, but it quickly tore loose at the bottom. ", The digital files for both the Technicolor and black-and-white sequences were converted to intermediate film with a Kodak laser film recorder. Some of it splashes on the Witch, destroying her. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? The movie rights were fought over between several studios, but MGM ultimately got the rights. While cleaning the warehouses of MGM, they asked Warner to give them a hand and offered him whatever costume piece he wanted for free. Release Date: Tuesday, August 15 1939 83 years ago . With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house, The Wizard of Oz | Aug. 15, 1939: The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles. Wizard of Oz "I noticed that there were two frames, right before the pictures started, with clear lines outside the perforations," he says. Safety nets and pads usually saved the day, although several "monkeys" landed in the hospital. A commercial artist from Massachusetts, Newcombe entered the movie field in 1922 by producing an art film entitled The Enchanted City. "Dorothy is in the scene in question, and we needed to match her skin tones to scenes on either side of the cutting done by the editor. The Kansas scenes at the beginning, directed by King Vidor, were photographed in black-and-white. The next casualty was Margaret Hamilton, who was supposed to disappear from Munchkinland in a burst of smoke and fire. WebThe Wizard of Oz. A miniature of the Kansas farm, scaled at 3/4" to 1', was built on Stage 14. The final cost was $2,777,000. Principal photography wrapped on March 16, 1939, after five months of production. Offscreen, he was often seen with a cigar. Crew. Luft recalled one event in particular, claiming, "The next day, on the set, hungover, they would make Judy's life miserable by putting their hands under her dressThe men were 40 or more years old. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. Margaret Hamilton, on the roof, awaits her cue while Jack Haley's Tin Man has a heart-to-heart with Dorothy and the Scarecrow. The only remaining copies were protection fine-grain intermediates made by MGM Labs in 1960. As of today, no principal cast of the film is still alive. Billy Curtis. One of his early roles was uncredited as a Munchkin city father in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He had a featured role as part of the circus troupe in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). He also appeared in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), a B-Picture intended as the pilot for the Adventures of Superman TV series. A musical adaptation also originated in 1902, which, a year later, was transformed to Broadway. Chances are that no film has been seen by more people than The Wizard of Oz. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Diminutive American actor Billy Curtis avoided the usual onus of freak-show employment as a youth, opting for a mainstream job as a shoe clerk. 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 actors and people on set had to endure several hardships while shooting for the film. ", MGM Labs had set up a production line to copy the nitrate film onto CRIs, recording from the emulsion side rather than the base side. He had a regular gig throwing confetti at the end of each Gong Show; had recurring roles on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Sid and Marty Kroffts Lidsville; and guest-starred on such series as The Odd Couple, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West and Seinfeld (in the 1997 The Yada Yada episode). were photographed separately and double-printed onto the spinning background. Ken Darby. He replaced Buddy Ebsen two weeks into filming after the original Tin Man fell ill. However, scanning from a black-and-white element at full film resolution yields about 13 megabytes per frame a rate that allows for more efficient data management at faster speeds. Pacific Title/Mirage converted it to digital format with a Kodak digital film scanner at full film resolution. I. E. Chadwick produced a silent Wizard in 1925 which also flopped, despite featuring Larry Semon as the Scarecrow, Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodsman, and Charlie Murray as the Wizard. When it crashes down, she emerges in Munchkinland, which is inhabited by little people, in the Land of Oz. MGM, then the world's richest motion picture company, stepped gingerly into the realm of "natural color." Georgina Onuorah has been announced as the lead role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz this summer, produced by Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group.. Onuorah is currently performing as Ado Annie in the multi-award-winning production of Oklahoma! Dorothy flees with Toto but runs for home after talking to Professor Marvel, a fortune-teller and balloonist. I would guess that the original negative was probably used to make more than 10 and perhaps as many as 200 release prints. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! "For nearly 40 years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. 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." Was the tin man shown to us not the original one? 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." The huge camera moved smoothly and quietly over the well-lubricated tracks. Is Pink Floyd's album a coincidence or not? The Wizard of Oz | Jack Haley was the last one to join the cast. Did you know that it took more than a year for deep grooves to leave Ray Bolger's face from the prosthetics? He had been spotted by an MGM scout while performing in a show at the Bond Hotel in Connecticut and was the youngest of the 124 adult actors to suit up as a Munchkin. By joining Kidadl you agree to Kidadls Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receiving marketing communications from Kidadl. Discover Billy Curtis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Wizard of Oz Like the silver makeup of the Tin Man, Margaret Hamilton's (The Witch of the West) green makeup was poisonous. This was done in exchange for allowing Clark Gable and Jean Harlow to star in Fox's Old Chicago film. Bert Lahr, the Broadway comic who hadn't quite caught on in movies, was hired as the Cowardly Lion and almost stole the show from everybody. In the beginning, the author could not come up with the magical land that Dorothy is swept onto. 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. THE SEXUAL SECRET OF MARIJUANA in the much longer sexually Ever wonder how he would have thought of the name 'Oz'? Marcel Delgado, the sculptor and technician who had made the models for The Lost World and King Kong, cast the bodies in rubber over aluminum armatures, with hinges for the wings. Warren Newcombe headed the matte painting section, where he and his assistants produced what the studio called "Newcombe Shots.". To do this, she had to step on a certain part of the road and descend on an elevator. Still, it took me about a day to discover what had happened. In 1973, Maren played as a child ape in the sequel Battle for the Planet of the Apes and starred in the comedy film Little Cigars opposite another former Munchkin, Billy Curtis. Because today at least, it washes off. His wife, actress Elizabeth Barrington, died in 2011. Another was built, and this time it was reinforced throughout with piano wire. Gillespie, a husky Texan from El Paso, began his career as a set designer at Paramount in 1922, then joined MGM as an art director when the studio opened in 1925 and stayed for 41 years. Note: This article includes stories about suicide and assault. 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). That would equate to almost $2,300 per week in 2019. The Wizard of Oz | Margaret Hamilton was a character actress who played a lot of housemaids. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion. The explosion blew me off the broomstick." Everything that could have gone wrong during the making of this movie DID go wrong. The only way to do that is to compare the processed images on the computer screen to a matching frame of the source material. One would think it to be Judy Garland, but she only made $500 per week. Jack Young, one of the movie's makeup artists, revealed that the green paint that was used to cover Hamilton's body was actually toxic because it had copper in it: "Every night when I was taking off the Witch's makeup, I would make sure that her face was thoroughly clean. They were printed in the MGM laboratory's beautiful but long-extinct Sepia Platinum process, which not only gave the images a sepia tone, but lent an iridescent quality to the highlights. A. Arnold Gillespie was in charge of miniatures, projection process, and mechanical effects. This proved to be a key advantage on the Oz undertaking, given the job's aggressive eight-month schedule. The Wizard of Oz | The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles. Louis B. Meyer, the co-founder of MGM, often referred to Judy Garland as "my little hunchback." Admitting that he is just a balloonist from Kansas, the Wizard offers to take Dorothy home. The Wizard of Oz | Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich, who became the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland. Billy Curtis may have been one of the most unusual heroes in any Western. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong. ", 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. The main camera, mounted on a huge crane, was kept moving, tracking with the subjects in most shots. 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. 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. WebBilly Curtis retired in the 1980s, except for the occasional interview or Wizard of Oz cast reunion. Louis B. Mayer, the top man at MGM, bought the rights from Goldwyn for $75,000 in June of 1938. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. A look at, say, The Adventures of Robin Hood was sufficient to convert many naysayers. TelevisaUnivision Taps Becky G for Upfront Performance (Exclusive), Former ABC News/Disney Exec Marie Nelson Named Hot Docs Fest President, James Gunn Created 600 Unique Versions of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 For Various Types of Cinemas (Exclusive), Sylvester Stallone Sets Cliffhanger Reboot With Angel Has Fallen Director, GKIDS Acquires North American Rights to The First Slam Dunk, Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? Is that famous line from the film accurate? Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! These structures strongly resemble Alex Raymond's 1934 drawings of Ming's Diamond City in the newspaper cartoon Flash Gordon. But the costumes were so unhandy. The Wizard of Oz | Bolger mugs with Mickey Rooney, the MGM star of the Andy Hardy movies who was Garland's frequent costar. Director Victor Fleming's 1939 classic has made an indelible imprint on American pop culture, giving us durable metaphors ("the yellow brick road") and memorable lines ("We're not in Kansas anymore"). Billy Curtis in The If he ever found out that she ventured from what he wanted (like when he'd catch her sneaking in a milkshake), he'd give her "diet pills to speed her up and reduce her appetite. 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. The makeup used on the sets of the Wizard of Oz circles many claims. Even so, Rosson was astonished at the number of big arcs required to light the picture. We all know that the film Wizard of Oz is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book titled 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, its illustrator was W.W TMZ first reported the news of his death. As an Amazon Associate, Kidadl earns from qualifying purchases. Wizard of Oz (1939) credits But Cukor left after a week to begin preparing Gone With the Wind. The images themselves were recorded simultaneously onto three strips of a special black-and-white film custom-made by Kodak: one strip was sensitized to record the density of cyan colors, another was sensitized to yellow and a third to magenta. A dozen monkeys seen in the foreground and in scenes where they harass the heroes were men in costume, all selected because of their slight physiques. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. 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. The result was that there were scratches, embedded dirt and other anomalies copied onto the fine-grain master in 1960. 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. --Billy Curtis, Lord High Mayor of Munchkinland Judy Garland starred in The Wizard of Oz when she was 16. 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).