But oneWizard of Ozadaptation towers above them all, evenWicked.
Were talking, of course, about the 1939 MGM movie starring Judy Garland.
It has also inspired more myths and urban legends than any movie in Hollywood history.
Judy Garland, as character Dorothy Gale, holds Toto in a publicity still for ‘The Wizard of Oz’.Herbert Dorfman/Corbis/Getty Images
And there were indeed some very strange and unfortunate things that took place during filming.
Heres a look at six of them.
False:A Munchkin did not hang himself on set.
you’ve got the option to see a large peacock near the Tin Woodmans shack.
Finally, just think about this claim for many than three seconds.
If an actor died on set, theydreallyinclude the footage in the final cut of the movie?
This myth simply will not go away, but trust us on this one.
Theres no hanging munchkin.
Its a friggin bird.
Theyhave all been debunked.)
True:There were a number of serious injuries on set.
Hollywood studios of the 1930s didnt have anything close to the safety precautions of today.
The Careen Terrier spent two weeks healing at Judy Garlands house, and made a full recovery.
She continued to appear in movies until shortly before her death at age 11 in 1945.
False:The Munchkins did not have wild, drunken parties during the shoot.
Leopold Singer brought 124 little people toThe Wizard of Ozset who were part of his Singer Midgets vaudeville troupe.
(While that term is obviously no longer acceptable, it was the parlance of the day.)
Despite little experience in Hollywood, they executed their roles with great professionalism.
But wild tales about them spread decades after the movie wrapped.
They were drunks, Garland told Jack Paar in 1967.
They put them all in one hotel in Culver City.
They got smashed every night.
Theyd pick them up in butterfly nets.
It takes place largely at the hotel as the Munchkin actors run wild and drink heavily.
But its a complete fiction.
True: Judy Garland was hooked on barbiturates and amphetamines during filming.
False:Pink Floyd didnt sync the movie toDark Side of the Moon.
True:you’re free to pause the movie and see some fun inconsistencies.
For example, pause the above video of the apple picking scene at the 1:05 mark.
Garland is wearing black shoes instead of the Ruby Slippers.
This happened because they re-shot the scene several months after they initially filmed it and merged the footage together.
Did a rogue Munchkin mess with her hair between takes?
Did Roger Waters write Brain Damage about it?
Its just a movie.
Everyone needs to relax.
