Wizard Wednesday, Part 2

Today’s post has more questions/answers from William Stillman, author of The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece

1. Your book covers the multitude of initial cast choices/changes that occurred with the filming of “The Wizard of Oz.” Shown above is the original casting choice for the witch, Gale Sondergaard. What would YOUR ideal backup cast be if you weren't allowed to choose from anyone that ended up in the film: Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow, Lion, Wizard, Witch, Glinda, Aunt Em, and Uncle Henry?

A: What an intriguing question! Hmmmm…Well, I’ve always thought Virginia Weidler was a very competent little actress who could have played Dorothy quite well (and would’ve been much closer to the age of the character than Judy Garland). Despite costarring with Garland and Mickey Rooney in “Babes on Broadway,” Weidler was not a prime vocalist, however, and her would-be musical numbers for “Oz” would have to have been dubbed. Fun fact: Weidler starred in 1939’s “Bad Little Angel” with Terry, the Cairn terrier who portrayed Toto, as her pet. In one scene, she even carries the basket used by Judy Garland throughout “The Wizard of Oz”!

For the Tin Man and Scarecrow—from MGM’s roster—I could see Allan Jones (primarily a singer) or George Murphy (an actor/dancer). An interesting choice for the Tin Man might’ve been Nelson Eddy from the perspective of someone who could sing and dance, and was associated with romance in the public eye. For the Cowardly Lion, perhaps Cliff Edwards (aka “Ukulele Ike”), a Broadway comedian and singer then under contract to Metro; Ted Healy; or maybe Eddie Collins who played a similar part with Shirley Temple in “The Blue Bird.”

For the Wizard, I think Mervyn LeRoy’s original selection of Ed Wynn would’ve been an interesting choice for his befuddled schtick. If not Wynn, then maybe Guy Kibbee might’ve filled the role ably.

For the Wicked Witch I could see Renie Riano who, like Margaret Hamilton, was known as a stage and screen comedienne. Both actresses played similar movie roles as sarcastic maids and housekeepers.

Billie Burke brought a sense of quiet wisdom and spiritual tranquility to the part of Glinda, perhaps owing to her maturity—watch carefully how she deals with the Wicked Witch, smiling at her theatrics, dismissing her threats, and being firm when warranted. As is true of an ethereal being, it’s difficult to pinpoint her age. Outside of Burke, probably a starlet on the MGM roster would’ve been chosen to project youth and sweetness, such as Rita Johnson, Virginia Bruce or Virginia Grey.

For Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, how about Jessie Ralph and Lionel Barrymore!



2. You mention Jack Haley's adopted/unadopted child who is pictured above, wearing his uniform from the Black-Foxe Military Institute while Haley reads “The Wizard of Oz.” Looks like there is no information about what happened to him after he left Haley’s guardianship. Seems baffling as to why the adoption occurred in the first place...as if some other piece of information is missing. Any thoughts?

A: Jay Scarfone and I did our darndest to trace the whereabouts of Haley’s adopted son but to no avail. As we intimate in “The Road to Oz,” outside of any insider information between Haley and his wife, it’s possible that the adoption was arranged because it was the trendy, philanthropic thing to do in Hollywood at that time. It doesn’t make sense, though, that Haley would’ve added an historically “unplaceable” child to his brood on top of his taxing professional commitments and, as it happened, the adoption was short-lived.



3. Under Richard Thorpe’s direction, Dorothy/Judy was blonde and glamorous. It doesn't appear that the transformation/beauty shop Dorothy at the Wash & Brush up was in the script for that version, or was it? At what point was that added?

A: There was always intended to be a sequence in which Dorothy and her friends are primped and refurbished before their audience with the Wizard. Dorothy’s hair was to be brushed and curled, and she was to change into a green dress as she does in the book, and as she does in the recent Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of MGM’s “Oz.”



4. In the Professor Marvel trailer, he finds a picture of Dorothy and Aunt Em. It always fascinated me to see Dorothy in a different dress. I also notice that she is wearing Mary Janes. Any idea what happened to that dress? I am also guessing those are the Mary Janes that you mention Judy wearing originally before Cukor changed things.

A: Yes, the patent-leather Mary Jane shoes we see Dorothy wearing in the portrait with Aunt Em are the shoes Judy Garland would have worn in Kansas originally, and did wear in preliminary tests. There’s no telling what became of the dress, and we can only speculate that if it wasn’t worn in other pictures, it was sold during the 1970 liquidation of MGM’s property. Perhaps it was inked with Judy Garland’s name in the lining and is floating around out there to the unawares of its owner. Stranger things have happened!



5. What do you think the fate of the movie would have been if Richard Thorpe had been allowed to complete direction of it?

A: If Richard Thorpe had been the director of record for "The Wizard of Oz," I think its legacy would be similar to that of the 1933 "Alice in Wonderland" or Shirley Temple's "The Blue Bird." That is, it probably would be remembered as a quaint fantasy film very much of its era and primarily recalled by movie buffs and film historians but otherwise considered unremarkable. It might have also been a bit of a career setback for Judy Garland in terms of public popularity but under the old contract system, that would've readily been rectified with her next picture.



6. You talk about Bobbie Koshay wearing the blonde Thorpe wig in the Rose Parade. In photos, it does have more of a brown color. I also ask because the supposed blonde test wig came up for auction recently. Are these all one and the same?

Koshay wears a blonde wig as we own color footage of the float. There were likely two wigs. They will look light or dark depending upon lighting (as Judy's blonde wig looks dark/light in various Thorpe stills). The float can be seen here:



and here:



7. It seems like both Jitterbug and the bees sequence at the Tinman's cottage were filmed, animated, and completely finished. Have ANY of the animation drawings survived, or any kind of test shot surfaced showing either the jitterbug or the bees?

A: So far we have not heard of or seen any animations for WOZ.

See more “Wizard of Oz” photos at my main website.