Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." Sid The final cost was $2,777,000. The Wizard of Oz | Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. This one twisted and careened wildly. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 79 years old group. The actual ball was about 8" in diameter and was not moved while being photographed. Some strange and weird props were used for the movie, including chocolate syrup for tears, a brown paper bag as a prosthetic, a cumbersome cowardly lion costume, bizarre stuff in Tin Man's oil, and several others. The Wizard of Oz | The men who were hired to play the winged monkeys were attached to ''bat wings'' and a small motor suited to power windshield-wipers. Feiner notes that advances in digital film conversion and image-processing technologies provides a powerful toolkit for restoration projects. ", There was a trap door on set that didn't open fast enough, so Hamilton got caught in the flames. And in the 2010 film Dahmer vs Gacy, he played a mime. This does not influence our choices. Luft said, "you couldn't lock them up for long because they were needed on the set. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion. The house has squashed the Wicked Witch of the East. The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US) Historical April 25, 2023 Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. He was 98. Judy Garland, 16, was under contract to MGM and was a stronger singer than Temple, but was at first thought to be too old for the part. 1961. In late October, Ebsen became seriously ill from breathing the powdered aluminum dusted over his Tin Man makeup. Hamilton suffered burns during the shoot. Did the Wicked Witch of the West have toxic makeup on? and Girl of the Golden West. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house, The Wizard of Oz | Aug. 15, 1939: The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles. Margaret Pellegrini, one of the last surviving Munchkin actors, said, "It was the first time I'd ever had anybody help me go to the bathroom. Among other injuries, there was a "two-inch-deep wound that nearly circled Danko's leg, which was full of bits of her costume." He was 98. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong. McDonalds retired the character when Billy died in 1988. If you liked our suggestions for Wizard of Oz facts, then why not take a look at bigfoot facts or Calculator facts. Dye fading is not inherent to the Technicolor three-strip process. The arrival of Glinda the Good Witch in Munchkinland is a deft bit of fantasy. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. Billy Curtis's net worth Then the individual objects that swirl past men rowing a boat, Hamilton riding her bicycle, Auntie Em in her rocking chair, etc. The farmhouse, which was about 3' high, was swept aloft on piano wires. Age information for actors in the movie The Wizard Of Oz, released on Tuesday, August 15 1939. In 1951, he was a mole-man in the dark George Reeves movie Superman and the Mole-Men. The next casualty was Margaret Hamilton, who was supposed to disappear from Munchkinland in a burst of smoke and fire. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. The actors of the film had to dress up in costumes that were tormenting. This last epic was one of the few instances that Curtis was cast as a good guy; many of his screen characters were ill-tempered and pugnacious, willing to bite a kneecap if unable to punch out an opponent. Though the film opened strong, it wouldn't earn its money back until 1948. Filming & Production Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later years, were more publicity than reality. The picture was produced in 1938-39, with the Great Depression slowly grinding to a close and the specter of global war looming on the horizon. While he was attending Northwestern University, he and his sister "For nearly 40 years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. Instead, the camera moved to make the ball appear to describe the path it was to follow. This is how the executive at MGM referred to Judy Garland. In such scenes, the live action was photographed on a section of the road and the masked scene was doubled into a matching blacked-out area of the painting. Scroll to Crew. WebThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz, childrens book written by L. Frank Baum and first published in 1900. Danko made only $35 for completing the broomstick stunt and $790 for everything else she did in the movie. After this incident, MGM hired attendees for them. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Upon alighting, it dissolves to reveal Glinda. Jack Young, one of the movie's makeup artists, revealed that the green paint that was used to cover Hamilton's body was actually toxic because it had copper in it: "Every night when I was taking off the Witch's makeup, I would make sure that her face was thoroughly clean. This was quite common during those times because asbestos was fireproof, and the use of cotton ceased because it was not fireproof. In 1984, a copy was struck from one of those intermediates. This was done in exchange for allowing Clark Gable and Jean Harlow to star in Fox's Old Chicago film. Louis B. Meyer hired people to constantly watch over Judy Garland to make sure she was following her diet. To make this happen, a pipe was attached to the bicycle seat saddle on the broomstick. When it crashes down, she emerges in Munchkinland, which is inhabited by little people, in the Land of Oz. Have you been quoting the line of the Witch of the West as" Fly, Fly, my pretties" when she sent her monkeys? WebThe Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Wizard of Oz | The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house records. Luft recalled one event in particular, saying, "The next day, on the set, hungover, they would make Judy's life miserable by putting their hands under her dress. Act now to receive 12 issues of the award-winning AC magazine the worlds finest cinematography resource. Ironically enough, today it is one of the most-watched films of all time. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Her performance as the Wicked Witch would frighten generations of children, who routinely, The Wizard of Oz | Victor Fleming consults with his actors. He was 98. She spent six weeks recuperating in the hospital and at home. "You have to be very careful that you don't lose fine details like highlights in people's eyes. However, another tall dancer, Ray Bolger, wanted the part so badly that he replaced Ebsen, who was then assigned to play the Tin Woodsman. But did we not see the color correctly? Diminutive American actor Billy Curtis avoided the usual onus of freak-show employment as a youth, opting for a mainstream job as a shoe clerk. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. The process was also used in other pictures of the era, such as Ziegfeld Girl, Tarzan Finds a Son! WebLearn more about the full cast of The Wizard of Oz with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide. People found the book so captivating that it sold out in the first two weeks of its distribution and remained a best-seller for two consecutive years. The Wizard of Oz | Margaret Hamilton was a character actress who played a lot of housemaids. The trio (plus Toto, whose real name was Terry) approaches the Cowardly Lion's hunting grounds. WebPlayed one of the Munchkins in the film "The Wizard of Oz" CREDITS Broadway; Every Man for Himself (Dec 09, 1940 - Dec 11, Curtis [Little Boy] PlayOriginal. That figure surprises those who only remember the black-and-white footage from the scene in which Dorothy opens the door of her Auntie Em's house to discover that a tornado has transported her to a Technicolor universe. Two effects units operated within Cedric Gibbons' art department. The most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. As the group passes through the Haunted Forest, Dorothy and Toto are seized by flying monkeys who carry them away to the Witch's castle. ", MGM Labs had set up a production line to copy the nitrate film onto CRIs, recording from the emulsion side rather than the base side. Is Pink Floyd's album a coincidence or not? I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks! Feiner speculates that MGM decided to rid its lot of nitrate-based film sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies. (A few children were used as a well.). Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. The renowned Ruby Slippers were taken for free. Encouraged by stock company actress Shirley Booth to take a little person role in a stage production, Curtis soon became a professional actor, with numerous Broadway musical productions to his credit. For that effect, they used, Betty Danko, Margaret Hamilton's stunt double, spent, Hal Roach Studios / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) / Everett Collection / MGM, Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man, but the aluminum dust in his makeup was so, The actors who played Munchkins were only paid, And Terry, the dog who played Toto, was paid nearly three times as much as the Munchkins. In the beginning, the author could not come up with the magical land that Dorothy is swept onto. The prop exploded, sending her to the hospital for 11 days and leaving her with permanent scars. The Wizard of Oz was highly successful in its New York run at the Capitol most of the New York critics hated it, but who cared? The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles. When Feiner inspected the Scarecrow scene, the image seemed slightly off. The Wizard of Oz | Margaret Hamilton, on the roof, awaits her cue while Jack Haley's Tin Man has a heart-to-heart with Dorothy and the Scarecrow. Edna Mae Oliver and Margaret Hamilton were interviewed, and the role went to Hamilton. It was hardly that simple. Billy Curtiss income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Young was always extra careful when taking off Hamilton's makeup "because you don't take chances with green." Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. The story begins when a tornado sweeps away the protagonist's house in Kansas, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), and her dog, Toto, whizzing them to the mystical city of Oz. The Night They Saved Christmas. In contrast to their choices for their actors, the studio chose a safer option to paint the horses. Seldom accepting a role which demeaned or patronized little people, Curtis played an obnoxious vaudeville performer compelled to sit on Gary Cooper's lap in Meet John Doe (1941), a suspicious circus star willing to turn Robert Cummings over to the cops in Saboteur (1942), and one of the many fair-weather friends of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). In 1936, he replaced James Basevi as special effects chief in charge of miniatures, projection process and mechanical effects. Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from 'The Wizard of Oz' who also appeared in Marx Brothers movies and on 'Seinfeld,' has died. Shirley Temple had signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. Billy Curtis may have been one of the most unusual heroes in any Western. They ended up using alcohol to remove it, and it was such a painful process for Hamilton that "I stood it as long as I could. Humbled, he gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Tin Woodsman a testimonial and the lion a medal, convincing them that they now have the virtuous qualities they previously lacked. WebActor Age Check - How old was Billy Curtis in The Wizard of Oz? Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US) Historical April 25, 2023 Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz A cadre of creative minds infused MGMs classic fantasy with a timeless supply of movie magic. The fine-grain intermediate provided by The Library of Congress showed no visible signs of vinegar syndrome or shrinkage, and it had a stable base. Later, Hamilton's stunt double, Betty Danko, was badly injured while riding (on wires) the witch's smoke-spitting broomstick. "Warner Bros. did a diligent search and found the original CRI. While filming the scene, the actor Judy Garland kept giggling, and, frustrated, the director Victor Flemming took Judy aside and slapped her for real. But Cukor left after a week to begin preparing Gone With the Wind. were photographed separately and double-printed onto the spinning background. Completely untrue. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The only way to do that is to compare the processed images on the computer screen to a matching frame of the source material. However, Toto jumps out of the gondola to chase a cat and Dorothy chases after him as the balloon is carried away. A musical adaptation also originated in 1902, which, a year later, was transformed to Broadway. ", Jack Young, one of the film's makeup artists, revealed that the green makeup contained copper oxide, which made it toxic. '", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses during the Emerald City scene. WebCurtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). Bert Lahr, the Broadway comic who hadn't quite caught on in movies, was hired as the Cowardly Lion and almost stole the show from everybody. So, how much is Billy Curtis worth at the age of 79 years old? Reporting on what you care about. He wanted to produce and direct Wizard, but was informed he was assigned to produce but not direct the high-budget project. According to Feiner, this process requires 4K x 3K of digital data with 10 bits of log space per pixel. He told her to take the scenes seriously and get it done. While cleaning the warehouses of MGM, they asked Warner to give them a hand and offered him whatever costume piece he wanted for free. ", In that time, the two makeup colors that studios had to be careful of were gold (because it was a concealer and closed the pores) and green (because of the copper). Did you know that it took more than a year for deep grooves to leave Ray Bolger's face from the prosthetics? The digital restoration work was executed on Silicon Graphics 02 platforms and several dual-processor Octanes running Matador Paint and Cineon applications software. Discover Billy Curtis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The three join up and travel to the Emerald City, where a terrifying apparition appears and finally agrees to help them all if they will bring him the Wicked Witch's magic broomstick. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto; June 27, 1909 November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry. The bulk of his work was in the western and science fiction genres, portraying a little person. The explosion blew me off the broomstick." The studio hired an assistant director and a lieutenant to keep an eye on everyone, but "many of them would wind up in jail and have to be bailed out." "I noticed that there were two frames, right before the pictures started, with clear lines outside the perforations," he says. Adjusted for inflation, that's just over $900 in today's world. (At press time, that decision had yet to be made.). Fleming with actors Billy Curtis (left) and Charlie Becker (right). Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Curtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where a powerful Wizard can help her get back to Kansas. Additionally, the book has 13 sequels. Buddy Esben was to play the role, but while nearing the end of the shoot for the role, his lungs failed, and he was rushed to the hospital. This proved to be a key advantage on the Oz undertaking, given the job's aggressive eight-month schedule. The tale begins in Kansas, where Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry and enjoys the friendship of three farmhands: Hunk, Zeke and Hickory. Phil Feiner, president of the optical division of Pacific Title/Mirage, reminds us that the first two reels of Oz, as well as the last, are black-and-white. The main camera, mounted on a huge crane, was kept moving, tracking with the subjects in most shots. Ultimately, they sponged colorful Jell-O powders onto the horses to get the right color and effect. Release Date: Tuesday, August 15 1939 83 years ago . When Jack Haley replaced him, the studio started using a safer aluminum paste as makeup. The Wizard of Oz 1939 movie based on the book by L. Frank Baum Billy Curtis; Heritage designation: Memory of the World (2007) Publication date: 25 August 1939; Part of the series: Family Classics; Duration: 98 min; Cost: 2,777,000 United States dollar (estimation) Different from: The Wizard of Oz; US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Some of the best remembered 'beauty shots' in Oz are Newcombe composites, such as scenes in which the towering buildings of the Emerald City loom in the distance as Dorothy and her friends follow the yellow brick road. What made it look pink was the idiosyncrasies of technicolor, a process that consists of the dye-transfer technique. Did Dorothy wear a pink shirt or a white one? Jimmy the Crow (uncredited) Jimmy the Crow was: 5. Movie studios used asbestos because it was fireproof, unlike cotton, which they previously used. There was a lot of drama about casting over the next few years, and the part ultimately went to Judy Garland. Aug. 15, 1939: The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles. Pacific Title/Mirage was selected by Warner Bros. to restore the black-and-white segments of The Wizard of Oz, plus the additional Scarecrow sequence, which was filmed in Technicolor. Maren, now 94, is the last surviving Munchkin actor. Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen.. Soon after, the press stated that Temple not being cast as Dorothy was the greatest disappointment of her brief and eminently griefless career. A few decades after that, Shirley Temple commented on the fact that Judy Garland had been picked for the movie and graciously said, Sometimes the gods know best., Throughout the next few years, MGM started prescribing her even more pills to "control both her weight and her energy levels. While shooting for an iconic scene where the wicked of the west, Margaret Hamilton, had to make a grand entrance, which involved fire. A.I. He replaced Buddy Ebsen two weeks into filming after the original Tin Man fell ill. Billy Curtis. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return and to the Young in Heart we dedicate this picture.". The bottom of the funnel was anchored in a hidden slot that ran the length of the stage. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy "It took an aesthetic eye," he explains. The Wizard of Oz | Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich, who became the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland. If one scans a full-aperture anamorphic frame in full color, the file size would run about 45 megabytes. In a last-minute decision, MGM finally took the three-color plunge for a 12-reel feature, Sweethearts, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. She was small, however, and careful costuming and a bust-flattening undergarment made her appear much younger. One would think it to be Judy Garland, but she only made $500 per week. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. I. E. Chadwick produced a silent Wizard in 1925 which also flopped, despite featuring Larry Semon as the Scarecrow, Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodsman, and Charlie Murray as the Wizard. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion. 1966. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. The Harold Arlen/E. 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However, scanning from a black-and-white element at full film resolution yields about 13 megabytes per frame a rate that allows for more efficient data management at faster speeds. "Our goal was simple," Feiner says. (Cinetech handled this portion of the restoration project. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan played him as a frightened little humbug. But green makeup was toxic. ", Sid Luft also wrote in his memoir that the older male Munchkin actors "thought they could get away with anything because they were so small." After several takes, the pyrotechnics ignited too soon and she was seriously burned on the face and hand. There was a trap door on set that didn't open fast enough, so Hamilton got caught in the flames. Others who were considered included Victor Moore, Hugh Herbert, Robert Benchley and Charles Winninger. Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz, an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. The images themselves were recorded simultaneously onto three strips of a special black-and-white film custom-made by Kodak: one strip was sensitized to record the density of cyan colors, another was sensitized to yellow and a third to magenta. The only reason she didn't sue the studio was because "I know how this business works, and I would never work again. In one memorable scene, Hamilton's face appears in a large crystal ball. While it is true that they used to visit Culver City in their free time, anything else, says Time, is gossip. One day, Dorothy's dog, Toto, bites the vicious Miss Gulch, who obtains an order for the pet's destruction. The final method that worked was Jell-O powders. ", She did her hair and makeup one final time, put on her nicest outfit, and took an overdose of sleeping pills. Most producers were reluctant to go forward with color films even after the much-improved three-color process was introduced in 1934. He also appeared as Little Oscar in Oscar Mayer ads and as Buster Brown for the shoe company. ", Sidney Luft, Judy's ex-husband, wrote in his memoir that Garland, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. In Oz, frames were hand-painted in order to create the transition to color. Ebsen claimed to have breathing problems for the rest of his life because of "that damned movie. The slap scene between Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion has a story behind it. Other writers involved were Herman J. Mankiewicz, Irving Brecher, Robert Pirosh, George Seaton, Herbert Fields, Jack Mintz and Ogden Nash. Jungle Moon Men. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Judy Garland Dorothy Gale. WebTHE WIZARD of Oz Review Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A Victor Fleming Production with: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Buddy Ebsen, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, Charley Grapewin and the Munchkins Spotlessly clean. "Countless millions have seen it on TV. The previously photo-graphed, which was projected from the side onto a mirror set at a 45-degree angle, relaying the image onto a small translucent screen inside the hollow ball. The book 'Amazing Wizard of Oz' was published in July 1900, and the film was released in 1939. Gillespie was also called in to photograph scenes in the poison poppy field, for which it was necessary to have the camera move along the ground surrounded by flowers. The vivid colors came from dyes added during this process. A silent version of the book was made in 1910 by Selig Polyscope Company, which, if you want to have a look at it, is available on the internet. This film was previously released on home video in a very truncated version with all the naughty bits removed. The original look involved a blonde wig and makeup, but this was soon changed.
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