Book Review: “The Wizard of OZ FAQ: All That’s Left To Know About Life According To Oz”

Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about The Wizard of Oz, here’s a book to inform you how little you actually do know about the classic film.

Released during 1939, that magical year that produced so many classic films—think Gone With The Wind, Stagecoach, Ninotchka—The Wizard of Oz endeared itself to a bunch of boomer children who watched it annually on TV for decades. With the advent of video (both VHS and DVD), the film lives on with each new generation.

The filming of this classic was a complicated process. Film techniques were invented, music was composed, and extravagant sets and unique costumes had to be produced to bring the magic of L. Frank Baum’s original Oz novels to life. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw the success of Walt Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and concluded that they could produce a live-action fantasy hit.

Casting the pivotal role of Dorothy was difficult for the studio. They were looking for a proven box office star. For a fleeting moment, Shirley Temple was considered, but her vocal range was limited and the producers didn’t think she was right for the part. Deanna Durbin, once an M-G-M contract player was now a top star at Universal. She had proven box office appeal and had a classically trained voice that could handle any song the composers could come up with. But bringing in a star outside of the studio would cost them more money and the production costs for The Wizard of Oz were quickly racking up.

Judy Garland was under contract at M-G-M. She was primarily used for specialty numbers in some A productions, as well as being loaned out to other studios to appear in B movies. Even though she was hired for her “swing-style” of singing, M-G-M didn’t seem to know what to do with her. The studio finally agreed to give Garland the coveted role of Dorothy and the rest is movie history.

Going away party for director Victor Fleming who was going to work on
Gone With The Wind

The Wizard of Oz is credited (on screen) to director Victor Fleming. He was responsible for directing the bulk of the film, as well as its editing, but he was also working on Gone With The Wind for David O. Selznick. And because of Fleming’s grueling schedule the studio enlisted the talents of at least five other directors. George Cukor was responsible for Dorothy’s look. Originally Garland was costumed in a blonde wig and garish makeup. Cukor thought that this look was all-wrong for a girl from Kansas. He instructed the makeup department to tone it down and ditch the blond wig and go with Garland’s natural hair color. King Vidor directed most of the scenes in Kansas, including the scene where Garland sings “Over the Rainbow.” Vidor had a great musical sense and his filming of Garland singing while moving around the farm is truly inspired.

Lighting test for Judy Garland as Dorothy in a blonde wig, which director
George Cukor ditched

Author David J. Hogan writes in a smooth and readable style that really hooks you. The number of facts about the film that he brings into focus are really amazing. One thing that fascinated me was the fact that all the principle actors made more money that Garland who earned a weekly salary at M-G-M. Jack Hailey, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Margaret Hamilton were all freelance actors so they negotiated contracts that paid them generous weekly salaries. Even Toto (real name Terry) had a contract that paid him $125 a week, which was big money in 1939.

Director King Vidor filmed the famous "Over the Rainbow" scene.

If you grew up loving The Wizard of Oz or if you enjoy classic film and the studio era, this book is a must.



The Wizard of Oz FAQ
Trade Paper: 450 pages
Applause Theatre & Cinema Books (204)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-4803-5062-59
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
Price: $19.81

Judy Garland is Turner Classic Movies's April Star of the Month

Film icon Judy Garland (1922-1969) is Turner Classic Movies’s April Star of the Month. TCM will be screening Garland’s films every Friday. Garland was one of Hollywood’s top movie musical talents during the 1930s and 1940s.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) made Garland a star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where she reigned as the studio’s top musical star. At her home studio she starred in For Me and My Gal (1942), Presenting Lily Mars (1943), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Harvey Girls (1946), Till The Clouds Roll By (1946), Easter Parade (1948), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), and Summer Stock (1950).

Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis

Garland also excelled in dramatic roles like The Clock (1945), but the studio loved Garland and musicals because they were big business. Meet Me in St. Louis was M-G-M’s biggest hit since Gone With the Wind* (1939). In 1950 Garland and M-G-M parted ways. She appeared on television in the 1950s and started performing in live concerts that were very popular. In 1954 Garland starred in a musical remake of A Star is Born (1954). The film was a hit with the public and critics, but it lost money due to its huge budget. In spite of this Garland was nominated for Best Actress. Many thought Garland was the favorite to win, but Grace Kelly bested her for her performance in The Country Girl.

Garland in The Harvey Girls

Garland had a dramatic success in the 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg for which she was Golden Globe and Oscar- nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She starred alongside Burt Lancaster in A Child is Waiting (1963), and with Dirk Bogarde in I Could Go On Singing (1963), which was her last film. In 1967, Garland was cast as Helen Lawson in the movie version of Valley of the Dolls. Garland was fired for missing rehearsals and was replaced by Susan Hayward.

Garland died on June 22, 1969 of an overdose of barbiturates.

*GWTW was co-produced with Selznick International Studios