On a recent visit with our grandkids, we did a lot of fun stuff: swimming, tie-dying and games. Lots of games. But probably the most fun for me was watching a 5-year-old watch "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time.
The film may look a little creaky — it is after all 87 years old — but it was magical for the little one, who spent most of the movie on the edge of her seat, holding her mother's hand.
The amazing change from black-and-white to Technicolor. The Munchkins, the scary witch, flying monkeys, talking apple trees and wonderful songs.
They sure don't make movies like that anymore.
Which may not be such a bad thing.
The six months of filmmaking were a horror show of serious hazards for the actors. Wicked Witch actress Margaret Hamilton suffered severe burns made worse by her flammable copper-green makeup. She spent five weeks in the hospital. Cowardly Lion actor Bert Lahr's costume was made from a real lion pelt, weighed 90 pounds and was unbearably hot and smelly in the 100-degree temperatures on the set.
Buddy Ebsen, the first actor cast as the Tin Woodman, suffered lung damage after a few days wearing makeup made from aluminum dust. He never fully recovered.
Oh, yes, that snow falling on the poppy fields? Asbestos.
"The Wizard of Oz" is still a dream of a movie to watch, with its messages of home, hope and courage. But for the actors, it must have been a six-month nightmare.
I’m Deborah Booth, and that’s my perspective.
Copy Edited by Eryn Lent
