The Wizard of Oz [1939] (2 discs)

Random Trivia For This Title:

• Bert Lahr's costume weighed 90 pounds.
• The House of Winston made a pair of real ruby slippers to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary in 1989. These are valued at $3 million.
• Ray Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man. However, he insisted that he would rather play the Scarecrow--his childhood idol ^[?] Fred Stone had originated that role on stage in 1902. Buddy Ebsen had been cast as the Scarecrow, and now switched roles with Bolger. Unbeknownst to him, however, the make-up for the Tin Man contained aluminum dust, which ended up coating Ebsen's lungs. He also had an allergic reaction to it. One day he was physically unable to breathe and had to be rushed to hospital. The part was immediately recast and MGM gave no public reason why Ebsen was being replaced. The actor considered this the biggest humiliation he ever endured and a personal affront. When Jack Haley took over the part of the Tin Man, he wasn't told why Ebsen had dropped out (and in the meantime, the Tin Man make-up was changed from aluminum dust to aluminum paste as one of its key components). However, his vocals remain whenever the song {We're off to see the Wizard} is played. Jack Haley's vocals were never used during the song, but were used for {If I Only Had a Heart} and {If I Only Had the Nerve}. Ebsen's vocals are also heard in the extended version of {If I were King of the Forest}, though the spoken segment has Jack Haley. Although no Ebsen footage from the film has ever been released, surviving still photos show him taking part in the Wicked Witch's castle sequence.
• The much quoted line "Fly my pretties, fly" doesn't actually appear in the movie. The Wicked Witch of the West actually says, "Fly, Fly, Fly."
• Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy was the main inspiration for the character of Mary Ann on [Gilligan's Island].
• The steam shooting from the Tin Man's cap startles Toto, who runs out of the shot.
• MGM paid $75,000 for the film rights to L. Frank Baum's book, a towering sum at the time.
• Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Coroner of Munchkinland, was, at one time, the shortest licensed pilot in the U.S. During WWII, he volunteered for military service and was turned down. He was accepted as a volunteer instructor in the Civil Air Patrol.
• The movie's line "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" was voted as the #99 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100). "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" was #4. "There's no place like home." was #23.
• A small sign to the left of the door of Professor Marvel's wagon lists "Exhibition Balloonist" as one of his talents.
• ^[?] Rick Polito of the [Marin Independent Journal] printed in Northern California is locally famous for his droll, single-sentence summations of television programs and movies which the newspaper reports will be broadcast. For the Wizard of Oz, he wrote, "Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again."