Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy Curtis was: 30. Due to this hazardous effect, the actor, Hamilton, could not consume anything while she had her green makeup on. Ironically enough, today it is one of the most-watched films of all time. However, they were immediately bailed out so production wouldn't be stalled: "You couldn't lock them up for long because they were needed on the set. Judy Garland was: 17. and the Hollywood premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater was lavish. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. WebThe Wizard of Oz. Initially, he wanted to stop after the sixth book itself, but he had to continue writing due to financial issues. Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place! Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Sid Luft, Judy's third husband, wrote in his memoir that Judy, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. The Night They Saved Christmas. All Rights Reserved. Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from 'The Wizard of Oz' who also appeared in Marx Brothers movies and on 'Seinfeld,' has died. Dye fading is not inherent to the Technicolor three-strip process. He started writing this book in 1898, but he was the author of two other books before this. Throughout the next few years, MGM started prescribing Garland even more pills to "control both her weight and her energy levels. 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. Cast. 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? 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The arrival of Glinda the Good Witch in Munchkinland is a deft bit of fantasy. 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. In 1973, Maren played as a child ape in the sequel Battle for the Planet of the Apes and starred in the comedy film Little Cigars opposite another former Munchkin, Billy Curtis. At 79 years old, Billy Curtis height Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, , money, salary, income, and assets. And in the 2010 film Dahmer vs Gacy, he played a mime. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. We all know that the film Wizard of Oz is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's book titled 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, its illustrator was W.W Then the individual objects that swirl past men rowing a boat, Hamilton riding her bicycle, Auntie Em in her rocking chair, etc. There's no magic bullet with digital technology you can only scan in the image quality on the source material. The top of the sock was attached to a small car on the bottom of the gantry. 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). Because it was initially given the title of 'The Emerald City.'. He was replaced by Victor Fleming, a hard-boiled former cinematographer. Principal photography of this fantastic adventure story began on October 13 with Richard Thorpe directing. She made, The "snowstorm" that took place in the poppy field scene was actually, Betty Danko, the Wicked Witch's stunt double, spent, Hal Roach Studios / Wikipedia/ Public Domain /, Shirley Temple was originally promised the role of Dorothy, but the deal ultimately, According to Judy Garland's biographer, her, The studio executives at MGM treated Judy Garland so terribly that they often, And the head of the studio forced Judy on a, 23 Shocking And Unexpected Movie Facts You Didn't Know Until Now, 23 Shocking And Unexpected Christmas Movie Facts You Didn't Know Until Now. It would be a crime to cut corners and do anything in a sub-standard manner.". The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles. Seldom accepting a role which demeaned or patronized little people, Curtis played an obnoxious vaudeville performer compelled to sit on Gary Cooper's lap in Meet John Doe (1941), a suspicious circus star willing to turn Robert Cummings over to the cops in Saboteur (1942), and one of the many fair-weather friends of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Luft recalled one event in particular, saying, "The next day, on the set, hungover, they would make Judy's life miserable by putting their hands under her dress. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Billy Curtis (born Luigi Curto; June 27, 1909 November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry. The bulk of his work was in the western and science fiction genres, portraying a little person. The giant floating head of the Wizard was front-projected onto heavy clouds of white steam piped in from outside the stage. It is basically a morality film that teaches if you have hope, anything is possible. There's a moment in the movie where smoke comes out of the Wicked Witches' broomstick. The huge camera moved smoothly and quietly over the well-lubricated tracks. You have subscribed to: Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter. Did Dorothy wear a pink shirt or a white one? George E. Turner American Cinematographer This article originally ran in AC, ", Sid Luft also wrote in his memoir that the older male Munchkin actors "thought they could get away with anything because they were so small." The script was based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which sold over a million copies and launched a long series of Oz books. The Technicolor photography for Oz was difficult because of the vastness of the sets. Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen.. So, how much is Billy Curtis worth at the age of 79 years old? He was paid $50 a week; the dog that playedToto, meanwhile, got $125. Billy Curtis on his work in High Plains Drifter (1973). Curtis became an advocate for equality, working with Billy Barty to pressure the Screen Actors Guild in the early 1970s to allow little people to have full union membership and voting privileges. Prior to that time, little people operated on waivers. It's safe to assume that most moviegoers have experienced The Wizard of Oz through the narrow perspective of a television screen. Gillespie, a husky Texan from El Paso, began his career as a set designer at Paramount in 1922, then joined MGM as an art director when the studio opened in 1925 and stayed for 41 years. "Some people say 3K, or even 2K, and 8-bit log space per pixel is sufficient, but this film is an important part of our heritage and culture," he says. ", Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." Billy Curtis's net worth - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous Family (1) Spouse Curtis, Joann (1948 - 1988) (his death) (2 children) Trivia (7) Billy Curtis was the main reason for Judy Garland 's comment that the Munchkins were "little drunks." Later, Hamilton's stunt double, Betty Danko, was badly injured while riding (on wires) the witch's smoke-spitting broomstick. Principal photography wrapped on March 16, 1939, after five months of production. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. Seldom accepting a role which demeaned or patronized little people, Curtis played an obnoxious vaudeville performer compelled to sit on Gary Cooper's lap in Meet John Doe (1941), a suspicious circus star willing to turn Robert Cummings over to the cops in Saboteur (1942), and one of the many fair-weather friends of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later years, were more publicity than reality. When it crashes down, she emerges in Munchkinland, which is inhabited by little people, in the Land of Oz. 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. Feiner opted to make a contact liquid-gate dupe negative of the fine-grain IP, which eliminated the worst of the abrasions and emulsion digs. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, creative tips and more. She had to go through a lot of physical and verbal abuse on set. After 11 days, production was halted and George Cukor assumed directorial duties. When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Judy Garland, 16, was under contract to MGM and was a stronger singer than Temple, but was at first thought to be too old for the part. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy Ebsen was hospitalized and forced out of The Wizard of Oz's production because of the costuming and makeup. While that film was still in production, it was announced that The Wizard of Oz would also be filmed in Technicolor. If we had scanned from the original fine-grain, we would have copied the abrasion and emulsion digs and that would have required extensive digital paintwork. is 4 2 . 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). Jerry Maren, the last surviving adult Munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died. 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. Have you been quoting the line of the Witch of the West as" Fly, Fly, my pretties" when she sent her monkeys? Bert Lahr, the Broadway comic who hadn't quite caught on in movies, was hired as the Cowardly Lion and almost stole the show from everybody. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan. Though the film opened strong, it wouldn't earn its money back until 1948. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! A silver ball floats like a giant bubble into the scene, looming larger and larger as it moves into the foreground of the set. Additionally, the book has 13 sequels. On the way she meets a Scarecrow who says he has no brain, a Tin Woodsman who claims to have no heart, and a lion who is a coward. The Wizard of Oz | Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich, who became the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland. The resulting composite was back-projected outside Dorothy and the window. The digital restoration work was executed on Silicon Graphics 02 platforms and several dual-processor Octanes running Matador Paint and Cineon applications software. While he was attending Northwestern University, he and his sister Wizard also presented many problems not previously encountered in three-strip photography because of its numerous special effects scenes. Did you know that it took more than a year for deep grooves to leave Ray Bolger's face from the prosthetics? All of the original three-strip Technicolor film from that period was recorded on a potentially flammable nitrate-based emulsion. Finally, one of the producers and an assistant producer said they would quit if the song were not added, and so it was made the film's part, a famous one. '", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses during the Emerald City scene. ", The digital files for both the Technicolor and black-and-white sequences were converted to intermediate film with a Kodak laser film recorder. ", Judy told biographer Paul Donnelly that they'd give her and Mickey Rooney, whom she made several pictures with, the pills "to keep us on our feet long after we were exhausted then knock us out with sleeping pills then after four hours theyd wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Among other injuries, there was a "two-inch-deep wound that nearly circled Danko's leg, which was full of bits of her costume." Note: Submissions include topics of sexual assault. In such scenes, the live action was photographed on a section of the road and the masked scene was doubled into a matching blacked-out area of the painting. If one scans a full-aperture anamorphic frame in full color, the file size would run about 45 megabytes. Given the possible inclusion of the extra sequence, Pacific Title/Mirage was responsible for scanning some 44,500 frames (of the approximately 85,000 in the original 101-minute movie) for image processing, and then recording them back onto film. This is how the executive at MGM referred to Judy Garland. 12 of 19 12 Credit: Digitized by the Margaret A look at, say, The Adventures of Robin Hood was sufficient to convert many naysayers. As the group passes through the Haunted Forest, Dorothy and Toto are seized by flying monkeys who carry them away to the Witch's castle. "We wanted to provide a pristine internegative which accurately emulates the original Wizard of Oz, and provide an enduring film record for future generations to enjoy.". Louis B. Mayer, the top man at MGM, bought the rights from Goldwyn for $75,000 in June of 1938. I believe we bring a unique film aesthetic to the use of digital tools for restoration.". Y. Harburg songs, especially "Over the Rainbow," were well-received. The workstations were networked to an SGI Origin 2000 file server that provided high-density image storage and rapid transfer rates. 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). After this incident, MGM hired attendees for them. Additionally, The production company was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Model monkeys in various scales, of sizes down to six inches, flying on wires hanging from the tornado gantry, were used in the backgrounds and miniature landscapes. It has been claimed that the actors playing the three munchkins harassed Judy Garland after visiting Culver City. And if you're curious, one of the costumes for the Cowardly Lion sold for over $3 million at a New York auction a few years ago. "We elected to use Cineon software for automated dust-busting, with one important provision," says Feiner. Born June 27, 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, arrives and slides the evil witch's magic ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet. He wanted to produce and direct Wizard, but was informed he was assigned to produce but not direct the high-budget project. The Kidadl Team is made up of people from different walks of life, from different families and backgrounds, each with unique experiences and nuggets of wisdom to share with you. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. After reading about some interesting Wizard of Oz facts, including the story around the Tin Man dance, also check out wind vane facts and world bank facts. The walls of the spout consisted of a circle of painted muslin, 35' in diameter. The main camera, mounted on a huge crane, was kept moving, tracking with the subjects in most shots. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? The only reason she didn't sue the studio was because "I know how this business works, and I would never work again. With those words, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer introduced what became the most popular Technicolor fantasy ever made, The Wizard of Oz. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly American setting, a delightfully levelheaded and assertive heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and became a classic of childrens literature. 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. He was 98. 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. The prop exploded, sending her to the hospital for 11 days and leaving her with permanent scars. When a Los Angeles city councilman proclaimed Feb. 12, 2013, as Jerry Maren Day, the actor was asked to reveal his secret for longevity. Toto was paid much more than the three munchkins. WebThe Wizard of Oz (1939) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by While cleaning the warehouses of MGM, they asked Warner to give them a hand and offered him whatever costume piece he wanted for free. The renowned Ruby Slippers were taken for free. ", The restoration team at Pacific Title/Mirage tackled the task of restoring Oz with missionary zeal, which Feiner attributes to the company's deep roots in the industry. A tornado whisks young Kansas native Dorothy and her dog Toto away to the magical land of Oz, where they befriend a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion on their journey to visit the wonderful Wizard of Oz in this beloved classic. All Rights Reserved. The picture's fine-grain master was stored at the Library of Congress. Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice was first considered for the Good Witch, but the final choice was Billie Burke, Ziegfeld's widow. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. The face mask that Ray Bolger wore for his Scarecrow costume was made of rubber, and it was so heavy and tight that it nearly, The studio executives at MGM treated Judy Garland so terribly that they often, In fact, Louis B. Meyer apparently had Judy Garland on a, 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 several of the actors ended up getting, Margaret Hamilton suffered such severe burns on her face and hand after a stunt, And the green makeup that was used for the Wicked Witch of the West's costume was so, Although the studio used toxic paint on its actors, they decided to go for a safer route when it came to painting the colorful horses in Emerald City. Universals singing star Deanna Durbin was also considered, but her childish contours were blossoming. It included cornfields, the house, the barn, and fences. Feiner speculates that MGM decided to rid its lot of nitrate-based film sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies. She made, According to Judy Garland's biographer, her, And the "snowstorm" that took place in the poppy field scene was actually. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. For that effect, they used, Betty Danko, Margaret Hamilton's stunt double, spent, Hal Roach Studios / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) / Everett Collection / MGM, Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man, but the aluminum dust in his makeup was so, 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. --Billy Curtis, Lord High Mayor of Munchkinland Judy Garland starred in The Wizard of Oz when she was 16. Victor Fleming A cyclone actually came and killed 31 people in 1893 and destroyed two towns. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so its important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. (Cinetech handled this portion of the restoration project. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. Temple was signed to 20th Century Fox, and for years she was expected to star in some type of Oz film series. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! Then, MGM Studios managed to cut a deal to borrow Shirley Temple for The Wizard of Oz, the silent film. Edna Mae Oliver and Margaret Hamilton were interviewed, and the role went to Hamilton. Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich, who became the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland. By manipulating the car, the effects experts could make the tornado twist and perform erratic moves. We have estimated ", 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. The green makeup contained copper, which, if ingested, could prove to be fatal. Upon alighting, it dissolves to reveal Glinda. The Wizard of Oz | Producer Mervyn LeRoy helped persuade MGM's Louis B. Mayer to acquire the rights to L. Frank Baum's book and played a crucial role in the, The Wizard of Oz | The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. It was hardly that simple. Curiously, her signature song, ''Somewhere Over the Rainbow,'' was nearly cut from the. Gillespie was also called in to photograph scenes in the poison poppy field, for which it was necessary to have the camera move along the ground surrounded by flowers. They were flown on piano wires and their wings were made to flap by means of small hidden motors. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content. The final cost was $2,777,000. Thorpe had made four great Tarzan films and the remarkable Night Must Fall, but the rushes soon convinced producer LeRoy that the director was not capturing the desired fairytale quality. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

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