Everything that could have gone wrong during the making of this movie DID go wrong. | Curtis' 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). is 4 2 . The explosion blew me off the broomstick." Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later years, were more publicity than reality. This last epic was one of the few instances that Curtis was cast as a good guy; many of his ( more) Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. The film's director slapped Judy Garland. Encouraged by stock company actress Shirley Booth to take a little person role in a stage production, Curtis soon became a professional actor, with numerous Broadway musical productions to his credit. With a final cost of $2,777,000, it was one of the most expensive pictures ever made. | 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 1939; Part of the series: Family Classics; Duration: 98 min; Cost: 2,777,000 United States dollar (estimation) Different from: The Wizard of Oz; In 1913, Baum founded the Oz Film Company in Hollywood and made three Land of Oz features, all of which failed. Feiner joined the company in 1977 as an optical camera operator on the night shift. In his palace, Toto pulls aside a curtain, revealing a man operating levers that create the illusion of the Wizard. This does not influence our choices. Pacific Title/Mirage was selected by Warner Bros. to restore the black-and-white segments of The Wizard of Oz, plus the additional Scarecrow sequence, which was filmed in Technicolor. Shirley Temple had signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. WebHeck, even midget Billy Curtis (THE WIZARD OF OZ, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER) shows up to give his thoughts on pot. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. Some of the best remembered 'beauty shots' in Oz are Newcombe composites, such as scenes in which the towering buildings of the Emerald City loom in the distance as Dorothy and her friends follow the yellow brick road. After several takes, the pyrotechnics ignited too soon and she was seriously burned on the face and hand. The last of these books is Glinda of Oz, published in 1920. The expensive gantry and its perambulating car saw further service in getting the witch's flying monkeys airborne. The picture's timeless appeal has since made it a cherished tradition in theaters and on television the world over. Billy Curtis (Luigi Curto) was born on 27 June, 1909 in Springfield, MA, is an American film actor. That was important, because we wanted to be as close as possible to the original image quality. "The supervisor, Mark Freund, has been a great optical camera operator for us for years.". Are you also in awe of the blue and white combination gingham Dorothy wore in the Wizard of oz? The actual ball was about 8" in diameter and was not moved while being photographed. Its worldwide fame is applaudable, and the film has gone down the history pages as one of the amazing classic films by MGM studios of all time. 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. "I noticed that there were two frames, right before the pictures started, with clear lines outside the perforations," he says. WebLollipop Guild Members - Billy Bletcher, Lorraine Bridges, Jon Dodson, Jackie Gerlich, Bud Linn, Jerry Maren Mayor - Billy Bletcher Winged Monkies - Buster Brodie, Harry Cogg, Sid Dawson, Sig Frohlich, Harry Monty, Lee Murray, George Noisom, Jack Paul MGM, then the world's richest motion picture company, stepped gingerly into the realm of "natural color." Toto was paid much more than the three munchkins. Feiner notes that advances in digital film conversion and image-processing technologies provides a powerful toolkit for restoration projects. Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from 'The Wizard of Oz' who also appeared in Marx Brothers movies and on 'Seinfeld,' has died. After reciting this magical mantra, Dorothy awakens in her bed, surrounded by her aunt and uncle, the three farmhands who bear an uncanny resemblance to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion and Professor Marvel, whom we realize is the Wizard. Shirley Temple, Twentieth Century Foxs child superstar, was originally sought for the lead role of Dorothy, but for various reasons, the deal was never consummated. ", The images were stored on the high-speed disk array for display at 2K resolution. Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US) Historical April 25, 2023 Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of The camera was placed in the center and spun rapidly while the muslin remained stationary. Universals singing star Deanna Durbin was also considered, but her childish contours were blossoming. Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, where a powerful Wizard can help her get back to Kansas. The previously photo-graphed, which was projected from the side onto a mirror set at a 45-degree angle, relaying the image onto a small translucent screen inside the hollow ball. Reporting on what you care about. But this was the 9th adaptation of the book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' 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. Gillespie had a 35' wind sock cast in thin rubber and ordered a steel gantry specially built and suspended from the ceiling. Figuring out how to color the horses in Emerald City was an extremely difficult task, and the The studio's next choice was W.C. Fields a mind-boggling concept! 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WebActor Age Check - How old was Billy Curtis in The Wizard of Oz? To those of you who have been faithful to it in return and to the Young in Heart we dedicate this picture.". Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. The only remaining copies were protection fine-grain intermediates made by MGM Labs in 1960. 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). A preponderance of shiny surfaces, such as the Tin Man's metallic suit, the big prop emeralds, and even the sequined red slippers, caused problems by creating distracting reflections. 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. We have estimated This was back in the 1930s, so the only reason Hamilton returned to the production and didn't sue MGM's entire studio after the incident was because she knew it would ruin her acting career: "I know how this business works, and I would never work again. At age 19, Maren (at 3-foot-4) appeared as one of the three Lollipop Guild Munchkins (the green one in the middle) in the classic 1939 movie. What follows is a long journey in search of a wizard who grants wishes, accompanied by a Scarecrow in need of a brain, the Tin Woodman who wishes for a heart and a Cowardly Lion, longing for courage. There's no magic bullet with digital technology you can only scan in the image quality on the source material. 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. It was hardly that simple. At 79 years old, Billy Curtis height Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz , but he left before it finished to take over, The Wizard of Oz | Fleming with actors Billy Curtis (left) and Charlie Becker (right). ", Garland told biographer Paul Donnelly that they'd give her and Mickey Rooney, with whom she made several movies, the pills to "keep us on our feet long after we were exhaustedthen knock us out with sleeping pillsthen after four hours theyd wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Bolger mugs with Mickey Rooney, the MGM star of the Andy Hardy movies who was Garland's frequent costar. Did you know Baum had visited Kansas only once in his life but probably picked the place because of the storm that took away Dorothy? The picture was produced in 1938-39, with the Great Depression slowly grinding to a close and the specter of global war looming on the horizon. Did the Wicked Witch of the West have toxic makeup on? 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.