As I delve into the captivating lives of these remarkable individuals, I find myself utterly spellbound by their stories. Judy Garland, the enchanting Dorothy of Oz, was undeniably a star whose brilliance shone brighter than any ruby slipper. Yet, her life was not a fairytale, as Munchkinland seemed to be, but rather a labyrinth of challenges and trials.
There’s no place like home for Judy Garland’s slippers.
Despite being famously associated with the late actress in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” from 1939, the ruby red sequined kitten heels are no longer housed in her museum located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. These iconic shoes were unfortunately stolen from the tourist attraction back in 2005, but were eventually recovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2018. Now, they’re up for auction, with the current bid standing at a staggering $812,500.
At present, the Judy Garland Museum is making an effort to place a bid on the famous heels prior to their auction, which is organized by Michael Shaw, owner of the slippers, and Heritage Auctions. The auction will conclude next month. The individual who has currently placed a bid remains unidentified, but the minimum possible next bid amounts to $825,000.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has already secured a $100,000 legacy funding bill for purchasing the shoes, but there are still 31 days left for other potential buyers to submit their bids. As stated on the Judy Garland Museum’s website, the FBI values these slippers at an impressive $3.5 million.
Before the shoes were stolen around the 2000s, Shaw, a collector of Hollywood memorabilia, had lent them to the museum on multiple occasions for display. The fifth time they were displayed at the museum, they inexplicably disappeared – leaving behind only a solitary sequin as evidence, according to the Judy Garland Museum’s website.
In the year 2018, when my slippers were found, the FBI took up an investigation which eventually led them to name me as a suspect in the year 2023. This was a role I had to face that same year, and in October of that very year, I was arrested. Subsequently, I admitted to the theft of significant artwork, modifying my initial not guilty plea made in June 2023, as reported by CBS News.
In the courtroom, Martin openly confessed that he had smashed a small sledgehammer to break open the display case for slippers in 2005 and stole the shoes inside. He later attempted to sell them that same year, only to discover that the jewels adorning the shoes were not real rubies but imitations made of glass.
In January 2024, Martin received a sentence that required him to serve the time he had already served, along with one year of supervision and a $23,000 payment to the Judy Garland Museum. As reported by CBS News, Martin is currently receiving hospice care due to advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
And if this saga comes as a surprise, keep reading for more secrets from the 1939 film.
Simplifying movie-making has never been achievable, as even productions like “The Wizard of Oz” were complex and challenging from the very beginning.
Arthur Freed and Mervyn LeRoy both claimed the initiative for suggesting a musical film adaptation of Frank L. Baum’s timeless children’s story, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” to MGM executive Louis B. Mayer.
The production process involved switching four main directors, over a dozen scriptwriters like Herman J. Mankiewicz (the writer of Citizen Kane) and Ogden Nash (a poet), and numerous cast alterations, until finally, the team settled for the long-term project.
It was Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf who ultimately received recognition for adapting Baum’s tale into a screenplay.
Initially, when MGM acquired Baum’s tale, Mayer imagined 9-year-old Shirley Temple for the role of Dorothy (her last name, Gale, was only disclosed in the third book of the series, “Ozma of Oz”). Additionally, he envisioned W.C. Fields as The Wizard.
Meanwhile, MGM cofounder Samuel Goldwyn wanted Eddie Cantor for the part of Scarecrow.
Judy Garland, on the other hand, had been bound to MGM since her signing in 1935 when she was just 13 years old.
In most cases, it was the studio contracts that held sway: 20th Century Fox declined to lend Temple to MGM, and unfortunately, Deanna Durbin, who was Mayer’s second choice for Dorothy, was already unreachable.
Initially, Freed and LeRoy desired Judy Garland for the role, who until then was predominantly recognized for her collaborations with Mickey Rooney in films like “Love Finds Andy Hardy”. Eventually, a 16-year-old Garland secured the part of Dorothy in 1938.
The part of the Scarecrow was given to Ray Bolger, a well-known vaudeville performer known for his gracefulness that made it convincing as if he were actually made out of straw.
Indeed, Joaquin Phoenix drew inspiration from the dance moves of Robert De Niro’s character in “Raging Bull” when preparing for his award-winning portrayal of mental turmoil and dance scenes in the film “Joker” (2019).
Dorothy’s beloved terrier Toto was played by a Brindle Cairn Terrier named Terry.
She earned $125 per week, which was higher than what the Munchkin actors received. After her captivating performance in Oz, she started being known as Toto to leverage her newfound fame.
In her lifetime, she acted in a total of 13 films before she sadly died in 1945 at just 11 years old. A tribute to this remarkable dog can be found at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Director Victor Fleming departed from the set of The Wizard of Oz before it was fully completed, as David O. Selznick, a formidable producer, took him away to take over the directorial duties from George Cukor on Gone With the Wind.
Cukor was famed for his ability to connect deeply with actresses in leading roles. While Vivian Leigh and Olivia de Havilland were having a delightful time, Clark Gable was simmering with frustration.
King Vidor was brought on board to capture the opening and closing sequences, as well as the black-and-white scenes depicting Kansas, for the movie.
At first, he didn’t receive any credit, but if you look up his name on IMDb, you’ll find that a multitude of cast and crew members, including all those who portrayed the Munchkins, were initially unacknowledged for their contributions to this movie.
Frequently seen in old films as well as modern ones with script revisions, it’s an error that should have been addressed: a common mistake nonetheless.
In the past, film studios tended to prefer shorter films. When the initial edit of “Oz” ran for two hours, it was asked to be shortened.
One suggestion was to cut Dorothy singing “Over the Rainbow,” but they wisely left one of the most iconic movie songs ever intact and trimmed elsewhere, ultimately clocking in at 101 minutes.
Although they didn’t choose to film in exotic locations or Kansas, the production of The Wizard of Oz took place between October 1938 and March 1939. To bring this classic movie to life, they used a total of 29 sound stages and 65 sets, making it one of the most expensive productions of its time.
That year, nothing else could compare in terms of grandeur except for Gone With the Wind, another film from 1939 that was one of the first to utilize the most advanced Technicolor technology.
As a lifestyle expert looking back at cinematic history, I’d like to share an interesting tidbit: Nearly six decades before the infamous Twister hit our screens, the tornado in The Wizard of Oz was a real show-stopper. And it wasn’t just scary, it was downright terrifying!
As an over-the-moon fan, I couldn’t help but take matters into my own hands when that 35-foot rubber cone didn’t quite capture the impending cyclone’s ominous approach for Dorothy’s house. So, inspired by those wind socks you see at airports today, I crafted a colossal one of my own—a massive windsock, if you will, fashioned from muslin and chicken wire, open at both ends to catch every gust.
Using high-pressure air, he destroyed it, and lo and behold, a whirlwind emerged, lifting our heroine gracefully above the rainbow.
On stage 29 at MGM, an area equivalent to an acre was adorned with artificial poppies and securely fastened to the floor. This setup was used for the scene where the Wicked Witch of the West casts a sleeping spell on distant poppies, aiming to prevent Dorothy from reaching the Emerald City.
Six sets of shoes adorned with hand-applied rhinestones and beads were the ones that symbolized Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers. These sparkling embellishments were skillfully sewn by workers from the movie’s costume and wardrobe team, under the leadership of head designer Adrian.
Four pairs of shoes worn by Garland in the movie have managed to endure, including one purchased at auction from MGM for $15,000 back in 1979 and later donated to the Smithsonian. This very pair, meticulously restored, can now be seen in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, located in Washington D.C., as part of an exhibit that also showcases other iconic items like Scarecrow’s hat and Glinda’s wand.
9 years prior to its opening in 2021, a pair of items worth $2 million were bought in 2012 to be showcased at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, which had been under construction for several years.
Back in 2011, the actress who starred in “Singin’ in the Rain,” Debbie Reynolds, purchased a pair of shoes that were exclusively utilized during screen tests. These shoes later fetched an astonishing sum of $627,300 from an unknown buyer, making them quite the valuable collector’s item.
One of the movie pairs disappeared from the Judy Garland Museum (converted from her childhood home) in Grand Rapids, Minn., in 2005, the thieves leaving a single sequin behind. The owner who donated them received an $800,000 insurance payout.
During a 200-hour conservation, the Smithsonian’s matching pair of slippers was being restored. In a 2018 undercover operation, the FBI retrieved the stolen pair and contacted museum experts to verify their authenticity. Remarkably, the recovered pair – dubbed the “traveling pair” – turned out to be the long-lost siblings of the Smithsonian slippers.
Margaret Hamilton endured quite a challenging experience while portraying both Miss Gulch on her bicycle and the flying witch on a broomstick.
In the scene where the witch mysteriously vanishes from Munchkinland in a puff of red smoke, both the actress and her stunt double, Betty Danko, sustained injuries during filming.
According to Aljean Harmetz’s “The Making of The Wizard of Oz,” Danko felt distressed when a team member accidentally fell through an aluminum-covered hole in the stage, where Danko was stationed for her upward catapult with smoke. Unfortunately, she landed on Danko’s shoulder.
In that situation, Hamilton was tasked with performing the scene solo. To capture the shot, they set up an elevator instead of using a catapult to position her. However, Fleming requested additional takes.
Hamilton remembered Fleming saying, “I need this scene executed perfectly, and I need it done immediately,” when speaking to Harmetz. In his book, he characterized the actress as a very kind witch. (Paraphrased version)
In the fourth attempt, it didn’t go as planned. During the fifth try, there was an unexpected explosion of smoke and fire just as Hamilton was being securely hidden beneath the stage, resulting in her sustaining second-degree facial burns and third-degree hand burns.
For six weeks, she couldn’t work. On the set, they had to use acetone, which is found in nail polish removers, to take off the green copper-based makeup she wore.
She assured Harmetz, “There will never be anything, for as long as I exist, that could steal my breath away quite like that pain did.
At just 17 years old, Garland received the Academy’s Juvenile Award for her outstanding performance in “The Wizard of Oz.” Here’s a snapshot from the 1940 award ceremony showing her being congratulated by her dear friend and frequent costar Mickey Rooney.
In five different categories, Oz was nominated for the Oscars – Best Picture, Art Direction, Special Effects (which covered visuals and sound), Original Song, and Score. However, it only managed to win in two: for the unforgettable song “Over the Rainbow” by composers Harold Arlen and lyricist E.Y. Harburg, and for Herbert Stothart’s score.
The year just happened to be stacked and Oz ran into the juggernaut that was Gone With the Wind‘s 10 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for the man who directed most of The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming.
Eventually, the Academy adjusted the age restriction, enabling Tatum O’Neal to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1974 for her role in “Paper Moon” at the young age of 10, making her the youngest competitive-Oscar winner in history.
Play Pink Floyd’s 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon” at the exact moment when MGM’s Leo the Lion roars for the third time before “The Wizard of Oz” starts, and voila, you’re creating your own unique experience known as “The Dark Side of the Rainbow”.
Dorothy fleeing home synchronizes with Roger Waters’ song, “No one warned you when to run away.” The twister whirling and spinning corresponds to the tune “The Great Gig in the Sky.” The rhythmic thumping echoes as Dorothy listens to her own heartbeat by placing her ear against the Tinman’s sadly empty chest cavity.
We don’t know how the music and lyrics synced up to the action in the movie, they just do.
In 2023, Waters shared on The Joe Rogan Experience that he once experienced The Wizard of Oz and The Dark Side of the Moon simultaneously, under the influence of marijuana. He stated that if this wasn’t intentional, it was a remarkable cosmic coincidence because the combination seemed almost perfectly harmonious. He found it fascinating how well they fit together.
Charles Savage initially brought attention to this connection in a 1995 article for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. In his piece, he shared that he stumbled upon the idea while browsing a Pink Floyd-related online discussion forum, which resembled Reddit. He then watched the movie on VHS and found the experience to be incredibly surprising.
Despite venturing into the more unconventional shades of the rainbow, it’s important to clarify that none of the cast members ended their lives on set while filming The Wizard of Oz.
As a devoted enthusiast, I’d like to share a persistent tale about an actor who portrayed a Munchkin, allegedly taking his life on set. Some claim this incident was captured on film, and if one knows the right moment to glance, it is said that you can catch a glimpse of it.
Though it may cause curiosity for all of us, MGM claimed that the mysterious motion behind Dorothy, Tinman, and Scarecrow as they skipped along the Yellow Brick Road was a bird named a crane. They had this avian actor, plus some other animals from the Los Angeles Zoo, to bring the forest to life more vividly. (The movie features many painted backdrops.)
To add fuel to the fire, whispers suggesting a falsehood about the Munchkin actors have been squashed. It turns out they didn’t even step onto the set before the scene where the Tin Man links up with Dorothy and the Scarecrow unfolded on our favorite yellow brick road!
As a die-hard enthusiast, I’ve heard some intriguing whispers – straight from the lips of the film’s stars – that when the camera wasn’t rolling, the diminutive actors portraying the Munchkins took their fun off-set!
In a 1967 interview with Jack Paar, Garland remarked, “They were quite tipsy individuals,” he said. “Every evening they would get intoxicated, and the police would gather them up using large butterfly nets.
Jerry Maren, known for portraying the green plaid-donning member of the Lollipop Guild, and who was the last surviving Munchkin from “The Wizard of Oz” when he passed away in 2018, rejected the depiction of himself and his co-stars.
In my 2006 memoir, “Short and Sweet: The Life and Times of the Lollipop Munchkin,” co-authored with Stephen Cox, I penned down that Judy was sharing her story, but it seemed to be colored by her experiences with medications and alcohol that particular day. Regrettably, she left behind a tarnished legacy filled with untruths about us.
In the movie, out of approximately 120 small characters, there were two youngsters from Germany who enjoyed drinking beer extensively. They consumed beer not just during the daytime but also in the mornings, and occasionally found themselves in a bit of trouble. Their desire was to interact with girls, yet they seemed to be the only ones around.
Margaret Pellegrini, who portrayed a Munchkin villager, cherished those times. “My father worked at a hotel and made around $5 per week,” she reminisced. “I earned $50 per week myself. Filming the Munchkinland scenes took eight weeks, followed by a month-long stay in Hollywood for sightseeing.
As Dorothy, she became one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, but even with her early success in show business (singing and dancing since childhood), Judy Garland’s life was starting to spiral towards tragedy.
1935 saw MGM, who initially contracted the prodigiously talented actress at the age of 13, pushing for weight loss in her. To maintain her energy levels and curb her hunger, she was prescribed amphetamines. Additionally, she was given sedatives to help her sleep peacefully at night.
In her conversation with Vincente Minnelli during the filming of ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ in 1944, Judy Garland confided that she felt pressure to always perform at her best for the camera. She admitted to Vincente that he expected it from her as well, but there were times when she didn’t feel her best. She mentioned that she fought through each day with the help of certain pills, which sustained her energy levels. This information comes from Gerald Clarke’s 2000 biography ‘Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland’.
In his memoir published posthumously in 2017 titled “Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland“, Judy Garland’s third husband, Sid Luft, recounted that Judy confessed she felt taller by inches when she used Benzedrine. The additional ‘bennie’ boosted her courage to walk as if she were 10 feet tall.
Garland died of an accidental overdose of barbiturates in 1969. She was 47.
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2024-11-06 20:25