Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. Dorothy and her friends take the broomstick and return to face the Mighty Oz. Due to this hazardous effect, the actor, Hamilton, could not consume anything while she had her green makeup on. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion. Upon alighting, it dissolves to reveal Glinda. When Jack Haley replaced him, they started using a safer aluminum paste as makeup. 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. The giant floating head of the Wizard was front-projected onto heavy clouds of white steam piped in from outside the stage. Louis B. Meyer, the co-founder of MGM, often referred to Judy Garland as "my little hunchback." A strange sequence follows in which Dorothy and her house are inside the twister and she sees various things picked up by the cone go hurtling by. One of his most unusual roles was as the smaller version of "The Thing" (replacing James Arness) in the creature's final scene in The Thing from Another World (1951). I would guess that the original negative was probably used to make more than 10 and perhaps as many as 200 release prints. Warren Newcombe headed the matte painting section, where he and his assistants produced what the studio called "Newcombe Shots.". "We assembled and trained a staff with the appropriate skills and film sensibilities, plus the dedication needed to do the job properly," Feiner says. Margaret Hamilton was a character actress who played a lot of housemaids. Gillespie, a husky Texan from El Paso, began his career as a set designer at Paramount in 1922, then joined MGM as an art director when the studio opened in 1925 and stayed for 41 years. Ultimately, they sponged colorful Jell-O powders onto the horses: "a decision complicated by the fact that the horses invariably managed to lick off most of the Jell-O between shots.". Fuller's earth was fed into the muslin funnel from above, and enough of it escaped through the porous muslin to blur the edges of the sock realistically. In the beginning, the author could not come up with the magical land that Dorothy is swept onto. The set and actors were photographed separately, and the two films were then printed together as a simple double exposure without protection mattes, which lent the ball an ethereal quality. She previously played the role of Dorothy in the The workstations were networked to an SGI Origin 2000 file server that provided high-density image storage and rapid transfer rates. Company Credits He was paid $50 a week; the dog that playedToto, meanwhile, got $125. Did one of the Munchkins hang himself on the film's set? Portrayed by rapper Master P. After Vern Schillinger's daughter-in-law Carrie gave While cleaning the warehouses of MGM, they asked Warner to give them a hand and offered him whatever costume piece he wanted for free. Is Pink Floyd's album a coincidence or not? It would be a crime to cut corners and do anything in a sub-standard manner.". Because it was initially given the title of 'The Emerald City.'. 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. In 1984, a copy was struck from one of those intermediates. Each model required two wires for the bodies and two for flapping the wings. Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! The artisans also compensated for yellow dye fading. "We test scanned the original fine-grain and the dupe to see if there were discernible differences in resolution, sharpness and overall image quality," he says. To make this happen, a pipe was attached to the bicycle seat saddle on the broomstick, but during one of the practice runs the pipe exploded: "I felt as though my scalp was coming off. The book 'Amazing Wizard of Oz' was published in July 1900, and the film was released in 1939. While he was attending Northwestern University, he and his sister Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. Casting of the Wizard was more complicated. There's no magic bullet with digital technology you can only scan in the image quality on the source material. Shirley Temple had signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. He was 98. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. The only way to do that is to compare the processed images on the computer screen to a matching frame of the source material. They were flown on piano wires and their wings were made to flap by means of small hidden motors. 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 We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 27 June. When a Los Angeles city councilman proclaimed Feb. 12, 2013, as Jerry Maren Day, the actor was asked to reveal his secret for longevity. Then again, his first Oater wasdifferent. However, they were immediately bailed out so production wouldn't be stalled: "You couldn't lock them up for long because they were needed on the set. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Apparently they spent most of their time after work at bars and "were disorderly as hell, yelling and screaming." But by the end of 1938, with 25 Technicolor features in release, color had become a selling point instead of a liability. ", The images were stored on the high-speed disk array for display at 2K resolution. Although he won Oscars in 1944 (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo) and 1947 (Green Dolphin Street), his most celebrated achievement is the tornado in Wizard. Feiner speculates that MGM decided to rid its lot of nitrate-based film sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies. 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. Ebsen was hospitalized and forced out of The Wizard of Oz's production because of the costuming and makeup. She was small, however, and careful costuming and a bust-flattening undergarment made her appear much younger. In commercials, Maren picked up a paycheck as Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar for McDonalds. 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. Billy Curtis retired in the 1980s, except for the occasional interview or Wizard of Oz cast reunion. In fact, the costumes were so unbearable for all three men on set that Judy Garland remembered how "each one was making bets as to which makeup was the most difficult all the way through the picture.". This last epic was one of the few instances that Curtis was cast as a good guy; many of his ( more) Lanky, loose-jointed dancer Buddy Ebsen was signed to play the Scarecrow, a part for which he was ideally suited. Adjusted for inflation, that's $898 by 2021's standards. In 1951, he was a mole-man in the dark George Reeves movie Superman and the Mole-Men. While it is true that they used to visit Culver City in their free time, anything else, says Time, is gossip. and Girl of the Golden West. ), The original black-and-white negative photographed by Hal Rosson was lost in a 1970s fire at The George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. We all know that the film Wizard of Oz is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book titled 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, its illustrator was W.W Denslow. Aug. 15, 1939: The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles. To do this, she had to step on a certain part of the road and descend on an elevator. Note: Submissions include topics of sexual assault. Webscottbdoug. He had a regular gig throwing confetti at the end of each Gong Show; had recurring roles on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Sid and Marty Kroffts Lidsville; and guest-starred on such series as The Odd Couple, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West and Seinfeld (in the 1997 The Yada Yada episode). Chances are that no film has been seen by more people than The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz | Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. ", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. Also that year, the Boston native played the villainous Light-Fingered Lester in an Our Gang short film and appeared as Little Professor Atom in The Marx Brothers At the Circus. And if you're curious, one of the costumes for the Cowardly Lion sold for over $3 million at a New York auction a few years ago. 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 resulting composite was back-projected outside Dorothy and the window. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, The final cost was $2,777,000. Here are some creepy facts about the Wizard of Oz. The trio (plus Toto, whose real name was Terry) approaches the Cowardly Lion's hunting grounds. The final method that worked was Jell-O powders. But the costumes were so unhandy. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. For instance, the cowardly Lion costume worn by Bert Lahr was authentic, meaning it was made from a real lion and weighed approximately 90 lbs (40.8 kg). 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. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action. He had tracks made of half-tubing and designed a special dolly equipped with half-tube runners that fitted over the tracks. The digital restoration work was executed on Silicon Graphics 02 platforms and several dual-processor Octanes running Matador Paint and Cineon applications software. Danko made only $35 for completing the broomstick stunt and $790 for everything else she did in the movie. Obsessed with travel? Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later years, were more publicity than reality. Principal photography wrapped on March 16, 1939, after five months of production. Let's disclose the ones surrounding the episodic book. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, arrives and slides the evil witch's magic ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet. WebThe Wizard of Oz Minor Cast Members View source This partial list of the minor cast in the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz includes extras and stand-ins and stunt players. ", Sidney Luft also wrote in his memoir that the older male Munchkin actors apparently "thought they could get away with anything because they were so small." Ken Darby. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. When the movie was hit, 1939, the makeup industry was far behind where it is today, especially in the quality of makeup. ", After scanning, the image quality was cleaned up by the digital artists, who removed dust and dirt spots and painted out the wires used to help actor Ray Bolger to fly in the Scarecrow dance number. 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. Fields begged off because he was preparing You Can't Cheat an Honest Man at Universal. The digital artists were then able to flip the display between the source material and the processed images. 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." Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Billy Curtiss income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. 1961. ", The restoration team at Pacific Title/Mirage tackled the task of restoring Oz with missionary zeal, which Feiner attributes to the company's deep roots in the industry. The only reason she didn't sue the studio was because "I know how this business works, and I would never work again. 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. In 1913, Baum founded the Oz Film Company in Hollywood and made three Land of Oz features, all of which failed. Judy Garland Dorothy Gale. It would have been next to impossible except that Technicolor had just introduced its new, "faster" film, which today would have an ASA rating of about 50. Gillespie, a long-time pilot, decided that a tornado funnel was shaped something like the wind socks seen at airports. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. 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. The walls of the spout consisted of a circle of painted muslin, 35' in diameter. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. A look at, say, The Adventures of Robin Hood was sufficient to convert many naysayers. A dozen monkeys seen in the foreground and in scenes where they harass the heroes were men in costume, all selected because of their slight physiques. McDonalds retired the character when Billy died in 1988. With a final cost of $2,777,000, it was one of the most expensive pictures ever made. The Wizard of Oz | Bolger mugs with Mickey Rooney, the MGM star of the Andy Hardy movies who was Garland's frequent costar. 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). The camera was placed in the center and spun rapidly while the muslin remained stationary. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Sid Luft, Judy's third husband, wrote in his memoir that Judy, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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). Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. Munchkin Father. ", Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." It sort of closed the pores in my face, and when the lights got real hot and ate up all the oxygen I couldn't breathe." The green makeup used for Margaret Hamilton's costume was so, MGM hired attendants to help the little people on and off studio toilets because one of the Munchkin actors got, Clara Blandick, who played Auntie Em, committed, Margaret Hamilton, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered second-degree burns on her face and third-degree burns on her hand after a stunt, The male actors who played Munchkins would often, In fact, a lot of the Munchkin actors were so bad that an MGM employee was literally assigned to watch over them, and a lot of the actors ended up getting, Buddy Ebsen was the original Tin Man, but the aluminum dust from the makeup, Figuring out how to color the horses in Emerald City was an extremely difficult task, and the studio ultimately decided to paint them with, 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. This proved to be a key advantage on the Oz undertaking, given the job's aggressive eight-month schedule. ", 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." Victor Fleming consults with his actors. I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks! WebCurtis "The Pimp" Bennett (Prisoner #01B624) is an African American inmate featured in Oz. The Wizard of Oz | Ray Bolger was initially approached to play the Tin Man, but he lobbied hard to play the rubber-legged Scarecrow. She made, The "snowstorm" that took place in the poppy field scene was actually, Betty Danko, the Wicked Witch's stunt double, spent, Hal Roach Studios / Wikipedia/ Public Domain /, Shirley Temple was originally promised the role of Dorothy, but the deal ultimately, According to Judy Garland's biographer, her, The studio executives at MGM treated Judy Garland so terribly that they often, And the head of the studio forced Judy on a, 23 Shocking And Unexpected Movie Facts You Didn't Know Until Now, 23 Shocking And Unexpected Christmas Movie Facts You Didn't Know Until Now. Jungle Moon Men. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. WebActor Age Check - How old was Billy Curtis in The Wizard of Oz? 1957. 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. Cast. That was then considered to be the archival master.
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