THIS is just a fun piece on a great American classic, from HuffPost. Click the link to watch the video, it worth it.....
Nearly everyone loves
The Wizard of Oz, and most of us
have seen it enough times to quote certain lines verbatim ("I'll get you
my pretty, and your little dog too!") or break into an a cappella
version of 'We're Off to See the Wizard" at a moment's notice. Since
Oz
is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, here's a fun peek
at a few details that may have escaped the attention of even the most
ardent Ozophiles.
1. Dorothy's Cruller. Just before singing "Over the
Rainbow," Dorothy takes one of the "just fried" crullers Aunt Em offers
the farmhands. She takes a small bite, tosses a piece to Toto and from
there it seems to vanish. But watch closely, she's still holding it as
she begins to sing and at the beginning of the second verse, she tosses
the remainder into the barnyard (hopefully Toto saw it!).
2. Miss Gulch's Umbrella. As Miss Gulch pulls up to
the Gale farmhouse, you can see an umbrella strapped to the front of her
bicycle. This is an "insider" allusion to the water allergy of her
Ozian alter ego, the Wicked Witch of the West. In the original L. Frank
Baum book, the Witch carries an umbrella, not a broom.
3. Dorothy's Dresses. Here's a question sure to
stump family and friends: How many dresses is Dorothy seen wearing? The
answer is two, not one. When Dorothy meets Professor Marvel, he glances
at a portrait of Dorothy and Aunt Em in their Sunday best -- both are
wearing wardrobe only seen for this brief moment. (Look closely: the
professor never returns the photo either!)
4. The Coroner's Death Certificate. When the
Munchkin coroner pronounces the Wicked Witch of the East "really most
sincerely dead," he displays the official death certificate which is
dated May 6, 1938 -- exactly 19 years after L. Frank Baum, author of the
original
Wizard of Oz book, passed away.
5. Toto's Deleted Dance? When dance director Bobby
Connolly was interviewed in 1939, he discussed the challenges of
teaching the Munchkins how to dance in unison but he also mentioned that
Toto's trainer was tone deaf, so Connolly had to give the trainer the
music cue a couple beats ahead so the trainer could translate the signal
to the dog. When "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" is reprised, Toto trips
down the steps of the city hall and falls in line behind the Munchkin
soldiers with no further explanation -- was this the "Toto Trot" to
which Connolly was referring?
6. The Wooden Sawhorse. Another reference to the Oz
book series may be the inclusion of a wooden sawhorse in the background
of the Tin Man scenes. In Baum's
The Land of Oz book, a similar sawhorse is brought magically to life and becomes a permanent resident of the Emerald City thereafter.
7. The Munchkin Suicide. The Wizard of Oz was
never envisioned to play on a screen as small as a TV set, so confusion
has arisen about the unusual motion in the background as Dorothy skips
away with the Scarecrow and Tin Man. One silly urban legend says it is a
Munchkin suicide-hanging caught on film. In actuality, the movement is
that of a large stork reacting to the dancing by rising up and unfolding
its wings defensively.
8. Dorothy's Giggles. When filming the scene where
Dorothy slaps the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland kept flubbing each take
for laughing at Bert Lahr's ridiculous blubbering. Even in the
final-version scene, she is composed until the Lion reaches for his
airborne tail -- and misses -- at which Judy breaks character and cracks
a small smile!
9. The Witch's Hourglass. Remember when time ran out
and the Witch shattered her hourglass in a rage? The sand was made of
pulverized red sequins (like those on the Ruby Slippers) to give it that
Technicolor sparkle. And the hourglass the Witch throws had holes
drilled into it so it could glide the length of a wire and hit the same
mark for each take.
10. Dorothy's Time Warp. It seems as though
The Wizard of Oz all
takes place in the span of one day. Indeed at the conclusion, Dorothy's
family and friends are all wearing the same clothes they had on at the
beginning. But in the parallel universe of Oz, time functions
differently. Listen carefully and you'll hear Dorothy say she tried to
get home "for days and days."
For more
Wizard of Oz fun facts and fascinating trivia, check out the new book
The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-scarfone/10-things-you-never-noticed-about-wizard-of-oz_b_4350772.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
