The production of The Wizard of Oz in 1939 occurred at MGM studios under dangerous conditions. To use the Technicolor process, the sets required an immense amount of light. These powerful lamps made the soundstage temperature rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Actors in heavy costumes faced physical exhaustion daily. The heat was so intense that the crew monitored the equipment to prevent fires from the electrical load.
Makeup processes created serious health risks for the main cast. Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man, but he suffered a medical emergency after ten days of filming. The silver makeup was made from aluminum powder, which coated his lungs and made it impossible for him to breathe. He spent weeks in an hospital recovery room. Jack Haley took over the role after the studio changed the makeup to a paste. Even with the new formula, Haley suffered a severe eye infection from the silver paint.
Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch, faced a life-threatening accident. During a scene where her character disappears in a cloud of smoke, a trapdoor failed to open. The sparks from the pyrotechnics ignited her copper-based green makeup. She suffered second and third-degree burns on her face and hands. She refused to work with fire for the rest of the production. Her stunt double was also injured later while filming a sequence on a smoking broomstick that exploded.
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The costumes were another source of physical pain. Bert Lahr wore a Cowardly Lion suit made from real lion skins. The heavy material weighed 90 pounds and did not breathe. He frequently became dehydrated and removed the headpiece between every take. Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, wore a rubber mask that left permanent lines on his face for a year after filming ended. The intense studio lights caused the costumes to smell, requiring them to be cleaned every night by a dedicated crew.
Directing the film was a complicated process involving four different people. Richard Thorpe was the first director, but the studio fired him after two weeks. George Cukor took over briefly and changed Judy Garland’s look to a natural style. Victor Fleming directed the majority of the film, though King Vidor finished the Kansas sequences. Judy Garland worked long hours and followed a strict diet. The production lasted over six months and cost nearly three million dollars.
