As the new movie Wicked is premiering over Thanksgiving weekend, it is bringing back attention to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz is an American musical fantasy film that was an adaptation of the 1900 children’s fantasy novel.
The story is about an imaginative teen farm girl named Dorothy who dreams of the fantasy land of Oz. During a storm, a tornado takes away her house and whisks her away to the fantasy land she dreamed of joining. However, she now must find her way back home. On her journey to see the Wizard, who reportedly will give her a way to get home, she befriends a scarecrow, a tinman, and a cowardly lion who also need something from the wizard. The only thing that may prevent them from getting their wishes is the Wicked Witch of the West, who Dorothy melts at the end of the film before she is able to go home.
Although this famous film has much history and success, there were many dangerous incidents that harmed the cast for life. For instance, the movie’s choice of makeup and character design severely harmed Buddy Ebsen, who was casted as the Tin Man. In order to get his chrome appearance, his makeup was made from pure aluminum dust, which caused him to experience body aches, muscle cramps, and shortness of breath. He became so ill that he had to be hospitalized and replaced by Jack Haley. For his makeup, instead of using aluminum powder directly on his skin, they mixed it into a paste that caused an infection in his right eye.
Another actor named Margaret Hamilton was casted as the Wicked Witch of the West suffered from two serious injuries. One of her injuries happened during her iconic scene of her leaving munchkinland with a fiery exit. She received a second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand. This is directly because of the trap door that was used for exiting and entering and having a delayed drop. Additionally, the fire that was used for effects caught onto the actress, forcing her to be hospitalized for six weeks. She was considering suing because of the crimes that she experienced from the film, but chose to not jeopardize her acting career in hopes of continuing her career after this horrific film.
If you thought this wasn’t enough, there was also a scene that impacted each member of the cast. In the scene where Dorothy and the crew fell asleep in the field near the emerald city, the snow was actually made from the toxic mineral asbestos. Because of this, all of the actors were put at risk because the exposure to asbestos can increase a person’s risk for cancer within the digestive system, such as colon cancer.
Since Wicked is trending, many people are remembering the old film that is correlated with the story. It is important that the public does not forget these crimes that happened to the cast because it will help prevent these incidents from happening again. When producers and directors have control over the scenes of the cast, this does not allow for crimes to occur that endanger each person.The neglect and abuse the cast experienced happened when there were not as many protections on actors as there are now. Therefore, this film serves as an example of how important safety is when creating films because of all of the crimes experienced from the cast.
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Hi, Sophia!
Growing up with this film as an integral part of my childhood, I’ve always associated it with the magic of movie musicals and as a cult classic masterpiece. I had no idea the production team of this film was so grossly negligent of their actors’ safety. I was especially shocked to read that after Buddy Ebsen was hospitalized from the aluminum powder, they did not change methods with the new actor, knowingly putting profit and ease over the actors’ safety. This was a very well-selected topic, with the cultural relevance of Wicked and the special place The Wizard of Oz has in so many hearts. This article comments on a larger issue of actors’ rights (or lack thereof), that is still rife today. It’s easy to think that the industry has improved since The Wizard of Oz. Still, I think back to the actress that Alec Baldwin accidentally killed when a real gun was loaded and used on set without the actors’ knowledge, and I remember that we still have awful examples of negligence today. Too often, directors and production companies view actors as tools of their craft and as a means to boost marketing and sell tickets, which unfortunately results in harmful working conditions for actors. This occurs in other industries as well, and being involved in the theatre world, I can say with confidence that the performance world is no better. My biggest takeaway from this article is that it’s so important to be aware of injustices that occur in the entertainment field so that we as consumers can advocate for our beloved actors, support ethical films, and stand with actors’ unions went they go on strike. Great work!
Although I have previously heard of the horrors behind the filming of The Wizard of Oz movie, I always find it so interesting and saddening that such a beloved movie treated their actors so awfully. The conditions toward the cast of this film were clearly terrible and it is unfortunate that it took so long for all of this information to come out to the public. In addition to Judy Garland being forced to take drugs to control her appetite because she “wasn’t thin enough,” the director also slapped her for not being able to get through a scene without giggling. It is crazy to think that Judy Garland was only 16 during the filming of this movie. She was still a child and she was being treated so terribly. Additionally, despite being the main character, Garland made one of the lowest salaries of the cast. Although I love the story of the Wizard of Oz, it would be difficult for me to watch this movie and not think about all of the horrible things that happened to the cast while filming.
I’ve heard of the horrible filming conditions before from the filming of the Wizard of Oz, especially from the actor who played Dorothy, Judy Garland. By the time she was done filming the movie, 17 year old Garland was addicted to drugs, from being told she need to stay skinny and energetic. The pills were called “pep pills” in the industry because they allowed actors to be able to work grueling 72 hour days. Unfortunately, Judy Garland wasn’t the only one subjected to the drugs, as many actors faced similar pressures and drugs used as a coping mechanism became normalized. There was so much wrong with the filmmaking industry and while the film industry has mad significant strides in improving working conditions and prioritizing the well-being of actors, it’s still very important to remember the history of Hollywood to help it never repeat.
Hi Sophia, I have not seen the Wizard of Oz since I was really young and I do not remember much, however I just saw Wicked and absolutely loved it which sparked my interest in clicking on your article. I had absolutely no idea that Buddy Ebsen, the tin man was harmed during the filming of the Wizard of Oz due to real aluminum dust or that Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West got second and third degree burns from a real fire! Also, the fact that all the actors within the film were put at risk due to toxic minerals in the emerald city is mind boggling. Your article was so interesting and taught me so much and I feel like it was a great topic and cross between art and crime while also being relevant towards pop culture right now with Wicked coming out. Hopefully Wicked did not make the same mistakes that the original Wizard of Oz did!
My social media feed has been flooded with discussions about The Wizard of Oz. One of the rumors that keeps resurfacing is the claim that a munchkin actor can be seen hanging from a tree in the background of a scene—a haunting and persistent urban legend. The dark and unsettling history surrounding the movie reflects how Hollywood has evolved over the years in response to shifting cultural expectations. For example, I learned that Judy Garland, the actress who played Dorothy, was reportedly told she was “too fat” and put on a cigarette diet, which later caused severe health problems. While there have been significant strides in the media industry, recent conversations about the health and eating habits of actors on the set of The Wizard of Oz suggest that some toxic practices from Hollywood’s past still echo today.
Hi Sophia, I enjoyed reading your article. I have seen many clips online about the tragedies of The Wizard of Oz movie. The part I remember the clearest are the rumors of drugging and poisoning from the sets. It is so crazy to think about when you watch this movie. I did not know about the fire accident. It is scary that the actor did not speak out about the wrongdoings for the sake of her career. She should have not had to choose between her career or her safety. All of the actors on that set were at risk and that is not ok. Nowadays it seems there are such strict film laws. But maybe it is just meant to look that way and still actors can be exposed to harm on sets with poor management. The asbestos part is horrifying and it is sad that people didn’t even know about it till after the movie was released. Now with the new Wicked musical movie people are talking about this film and seeing it for what it was.
Sophia, I have been hearing things from friends and have seen a few mentions of how dangerous the filming of this movie was online, so I was very excited to read your article. The information that you provided is absolutely horrifying. The scariest part, in my opinion, is that the actors were too scared to voice these tragedies or sue the people who caused them harm because they were worried it would cost them their careers. We had/have one messed up system. Knowing about how harmful the materials they used during production in 1939 makes me wonder how many similar cases there were in the decades before or even the decades after. It is important that in today’s day, we reflect on how few safety regulations there were in place in general, this story makes me grateful for the progress we have made. It is sad, however, that it took a new 145 million dollar movie to be made for most people to even learn about this tragic history attached to one of the most famous movies of all time.
I have briefly learned in the past about incidents that occurred during the filming of the original “The Wizard of Oz”, but reading about the heinous mistreatment in this article that caused permanent injuries to the actors is heartbreaking. It is astonishing that from what I understand, no directors or producers who were in charge of this film ever faced judicial consequences for allowing these incidents to happen. The worst part is that if the correct safety precautions were made for the filming of these scenes then all foul play could have been prevented. I like to think that such incidents could not exist in a major film production today with the increased advancements of the internet and greater surveillance to make sure all is done safely. I agree with the statement that we should not forget what happened during the filming of the original film to ensure it never again repeats.