The following gallery is a sampling of some of the photos which show just how different the original version of Oz would have been. He shot the Cornfield sequence (“If I Only Had A Brain” & “We’re Off To See The Wizard”), Dorothy in the Witch’s castle (including the deleted reprise of “Over the Rainbow”), and the rescue of Dorothy by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. It wasn’t until 1978 and Aljean Harmetz’s book “The Making of The Wizard of Oz” (which was the first comprehensive book about the making of the film), that the general public discovered the history behind the “different looking” photos, something Oz fans and experts already knew.ĭuring those first twelve days of filming, Thorpe managed to cover a lot of ground. Even a few photos of Garland as the blonde Dorothy popped up in newspaper articles, magazines, and books, usually without explanation. In the final film and thanks again to George Cukor, her hair was pulled back into a bun to bring out her face, making the effect much more severe and therefore scarier. If anyone was the film’s savior, it was George Cukor.Ī good number of promotional and behind-the-scenes photos were taken during the “Thorpe Era” some of which were subsequently released, most notably those of Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch with her hair down, different face makeup, and less prosthetics. All of these changes ultimately made an immeasurable impact on the film’s enduring success. Cukor also changed the looks of the costumes and makeup on all of the main characters and even the Yellow Brick Road, as the following photos show. If the audience was taking this journey with her, they needed to be able to identify with her. Dorothy Gale was no Hollywood blonde glamor girl! When giving her advice on how to play the role, he’s quoted as telling her to “Just remember you’re a little girl from Kansas.” He wisely knew that for the film to work, Dorothy had to be the normal one among all of these fantastical characters and sets. This brought out her natural, down-to-earth beauty. He cleaned up her makeup and took away the blonde wig, using Garland’s natural dark hair color, with a light red rinse added. It’s thanks to his intelligent input that we have the Dorothy we know and love today. He was shocked at what he saw, especially Garland’s overly made-up appearance and affected acting. “King” Vidor took over, including staging and directing “Over the Rainbow.” Fleming’s departure was due to another troubled production needing his expertise, Gone With The Wind.ĭuring the short interim between Thorpe and Fleming, legendary director George Cukor was brought in to take a look, even though he had no desire to direct the film. He famously left the production just when the finals segments, the sepia (Kansas) scenes, were to begin filming. Thorpe was eventually replaced by Victor Fleming, who went on to direct most of the film. During the break, and while they searched for a new Tin Man, it was decided that everything that had been shot was unusable. Production was put on hold when the original Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, had a near-fatal reaction to the silver makeup he had been breathing, which basically was slowly poisoning him. Unfortunately, Thorpe was all wrong for The Wizard of Oz. He directed everything from dramas to Tarzan films, to adventures and musicals, including Ivanhoe, The Prisoner of Zenda (both released in 1952), Three Little Words (1950), and even Jailhouse Rock with Elvis Presley (1957). He began directing films in the silent era and had a long career that lasted through the late 1960s. Richard Thorpe was a well-known and respected director at MGM. These first twelve days of filming are known as “The Thorpe Era.” When filming began on October 13, 1938, under the direction of Richard Thorpe, the look of the film was much different than what we’ve come to know and love. The early weeks of filming The Wizard of Oz and the later deleted scenes are almost as famous as those that made the cut. 1967 – Valley of the Dolls (unfinished).1946 – Till The Clouds Roll By (spotlight).1943 – Presenting Lily Mars (spotlight).Miscellaneous (Radio, Concerts, TV, etc.).
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