Between hospital visits, lifelong breathing problems, and a diet of cigarettes,
it's amazing anyone survived The Wizard of Oz set. Keep watching for the most
dangerous things that happened during the film's production!
Workplace health and safety standards were pretty much nonexistent in the early 20th century,
especially in Hollywood. And there are few films where this was more apparent than during the
filming of The Wizard of Oz. The movie's director, Victor Fleming, was known for being a stickler,
as well as a bit of a bully, and he didn't seem to be concerned about letting a minor thing like
safety stop him from making the movie he envisioned. From the very beginning of filming,
The Wizard of Oz was a site for all kinds of dangerous accidents and unsafe working conditions.
"Help! Help!"
"It's no use screaming at a time like this, nobody will hear you!"
For starters, the white snow that fell on the actors during the famous poppy field
scene was actually pure asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos fibers were commonly used by film
studios to simulate falling snow, despite the fact that people had been aware of its health
risks since the early 20th century. The Wicked Witch's broom was also made up of asbestos,
as well as the Scarecrow costume that Ray Bolger wore nearly every single day of filming.
That wasn't the only costume that might have led to significant health issues, either. The Tin
Man's costume also caused quite a few problems. Buddy Ebsen, who was the initial actor cast as
the Tin Man, turned out to be dangerously allergic to the aluminum dust that was used to give him his
metallic shine. Ebsen had to be hospitalized due to that allergic reaction and ultimately
bowed out of the film entirely. As a result of his time as the Tin Man, he experienced lifelong
health effects and breathing problems, and he never even got the chance to appear in the film.
Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley, and the dust was replaced with an aluminum paste that could
be painted on. The paint wasn't without its own problems, though — it gave Haley an eye
infection and filming had to be delayed while he recovered. Luckily, Haley was able to keep
the job, and he did not appear to have any long-lasting effects from the Tin Man's makeup.
The Oz costume woes don't stop there, unfortunately.
Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion costume had been fashioned out of genuine lion hide which,
unsurprisingly, made it very heavy and hot inside. Coupled with the heat generated by
the overhead studio lights, Lahr overheating while in character became a legitimate concern.
Even more dramatic incidents occurred during filming. When the Wicked Witch leaves Munchkinland
in a pyrotechnic display of fire and smoke, Margaret Hamilton was supposed to drop through
a trapdoor — but it malfunctioned, and Hamilton suffered second- and third-degree burns on her
face and hands. To make matters worse, her role as the Wicked Witch required her to be painted green,
and the only way to remove the paint was with alcohol, which exacerbated
her wounds. Hamilton had to take six weeks off to recover before she returned
to set — on the condition that she would not do any more scenes involving fireworks.
Betty Danko, Hamilton's stunt double, was tasked with filming the next scene that
required fire — and that scene also went horribly wrong. While filming the moment in which the
Wicked Witch writes "Surrender Dorothy" across the sky with her broom, Danko was required to
sit on an actual metal pipe that was filled with combustible materials. The pipe exploded, and
Danko suffered extreme burns on her legs. She had to be hospitalized for 11 days. The studio still
decided to go forward with the skywriting scene, hiring another stunt actress to finish the take.
And then there's Judy Garland. The now-iconic star hadn't been the top choice to play Dorothy.
Instead, studio heads wanted Shirley Temple, who was six years younger than Garland.
Upon auditioning, however, Temple was found to be lacking in vocal range. Garland was 16
years old when she shot the film, and she was required to take extreme measures to make her
body appear younger, including having her breasts taped down and squeezing into a tight corset.
The studio also put her on a weight control diet. This consisted of only chicken soup,
black coffee, and cigarettes — supplemented with diet pills for good measure. Additionally,
the studio administered adrenaline shots to keep her energy up, but at night she was given the
sleep aid Seconal to help her rest. Sadly, this wasn't a new thing for Garland, as her mother was
known to give her what she called "pep pills" even when she had performed as a young child.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Grunge videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.