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. Lanky, loose-jointed dancer Buddy Ebsen was signed to play the Scarecrow, a part for which he was ideally suited. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. ", Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." The studio hired an assistant director and a lieutenant to keep an eye on everyone, but "many of them would wind up in jail and have to be bailed out." This one twisted and careened wildly. Billy Curtiss income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. The Beverly Hillbillies was initially cast as the Scarecrow, but he swapped roles with Ray Bolger. You have subscribed to: Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter. A miniature of the Kansas farm, scaled at 3/4" to 1', was built on Stage 14. The Night They Saved Christmas. Dye fading is not inherent to the Technicolor three-strip process. There's no magic bullet with digital technology you can only scan in the image quality on the source material. Bert Lahr was a vaudeville star famous for playing anxious and neurotic comic characters. Victor Fleming consults with his actors. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. Shirley Temple had signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. Let's disclose the ones surrounding the episodic book. In case she did not follow her diet, Judy was made to have diet pills to speed up the process of reducing her appetite. 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. Although he won Oscars in 1944 (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo) and 1947 (Green Dolphin Street), his most celebrated achievement is the tornado in Wizard. I pray the Lord my soul to take. With a final cost of $2,777,000, it was one of the most expensive pictures ever made. Then, MGM Studios managed to cut a deal to borrow Shirley Temple for The Wizard of Oz, the silent film. The trio (plus Toto, whose real name was Terry) approaches the Cowardly Lion's hunting grounds. 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. "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. After 11 days, production was halted and George Cukor assumed directorial duties. Still, it took me about a day to discover what had happened. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. The story begins when a tornado sweeps away the protagonist's house in Kansas, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), and her dog, Toto, whizzing them to the mystical city of Oz. A strange sequence follows in which Dorothy and her house are inside the twister and she sees various things picked up by the cone go hurtling by. Danko made only $35 for completing the broomstick stunt and $790 for everything else she did in the movie. Jungle Moon Men. There's a moment in the movie where smoke comes out of the Wicked Witches' broomstick. When Jack Haley replaced him, the studio started using a safer aluminum paste as makeup. FAQ. ", 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. Adjusted for inflation, that's $898 by 2021's standards. While shooting for an iconic scene where the wicked of the west, Margaret Hamilton, had to make a grand entrance, which involved fire. Finally, they can now see it in a cinema the way it is meant to be seen. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, makeup artist: Margaret Hamilton (uncredited), executive in charge of production (uncredited), supervising re-recording mixer (uncredited), senior special effects technician (uncredited), stereoscopic production manager (3D version 2013), managing director: stereoscopic conversion (3D version 2013), stereoscopic compositor (3D version 2013), stereo conversion producer: Prime Focus (as Scott Farrar) (3D Version 2013), stereo conversion supervisor (3D version 2013), technical support (1998 release, credited on theatrical prints only), director of global development: Prime Focus (3D version 2013), lead digital film restoration artist (2009 restoration), digital paint artist (1998 restoration) (uncredited), digital compositor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), digital paint artist: 1998 restoration (uncredited), camera operator: digital restoration (uncredited), digital production coordinator (1998 restoration) (uncredited), director of photography: visual effects unit (uncredited) / special photographic effects (uncredited), visual effects supervisor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), assistant visual effects supervisor (uncredited), lead digital compositor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), director of matte painting staff (uncredited), director of global development at prime focus (uncredited), senior stereoscopic supervisor: Prime Focus (uncredited), camera operator: visual effects unit (uncredited), roto supervisor: 3D version 2013 (uncredited), stunt double: Margaret Hamilton (uncredited), associate: Technicolor photography (as Allen Davey), still photographer: Kodachrome stills (uncredited), camera technician: Technicolor (uncredited), assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited), orchestrator: Munchkinland musical sequence (uncredited), music pre-recording supervisor (uncredited), singing voice: Lollipop Guild (uncredited), composer: original incidental music (uncredited) / conductor (uncredited), orchestral and vocal arrangments (uncredited), choreographer: scarecrow's dance (scenes deleted) (uncredited), dance stand-in: Judy Garland (uncredited), agent: Leo Feist Music Publishing (uncredited), assistant choreographer (uncredited) / assistant: Mr. Connolly (uncredited), handler: Cowardly Lion's tail (uncredited), dog owner and trainer: Terry (uncredited). The actors of the film had to dress up in costumes that were tormenting. This was a very common practice on movie sets back in the day, as asbestos was fireproof (unlike cotton, which was previously used) and looked close enough to the real thing. The Wizard of Oz | Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. When Jack Haley replaced him, they started using a safer aluminum paste as makeup. Buddy Esben was to play the role, but while nearing the end of the shoot for the role, his lungs failed, and he was rushed to the hospital. The only way to do that is to compare the processed images on the computer screen to a matching frame of the source material. They also made several complete Technicolor features and shorts in the late 1920s and early '30s. However, by the late 20th century the 1939 film Munchkinland Mayor. Safety nets and pads usually saved the day, although several "monkeys" landed in the hospital. These structures strongly resemble Alex Raymond's 1934 drawings of Ming's Diamond City in the newspaper cartoon Flash Gordon. Portrayed by rapper Master P. After Vern Schillinger's daughter-in-law Carrie gave 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). LeRoy wanted Gale Sondergaard to play the Wicked Witch as a glamorous villainess, but the studio chiefs overruled him, demanding a traditional witch. 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. It is basically a morality film that teaches if you have hope, anything is possible. Feiner notes that the original Technicolor imagery can be re-created by making separate passes with each of the three strips directly onto an answer print. Additionally, the book has 13 sequels. Ultimately, they sponged colorful Jell-O powders onto the horses to get the right color and effect. 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. WebLearn more about the full cast of The Wizard of Oz with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide. Young was always extra careful when taking off Hamilton's makeup "because you don't take chances with green." In commercials, Maren picked up a paycheck as Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar for McDonalds. Billy Curtis. One of his early roles was uncredited as a Munchkin city father in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He had a featured role as part of the circus troupe in Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942). He also appeared in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), a B-Picture intended as the pilot for the Adventures of Superman TV series. Pacific Title/Mirage converted it to digital format with a Kodak digital film scanner at full film resolution. With Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater, it set house, The Wizard of Oz | Aug. 15, 1939: The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles. He recovered after six weeks in the hospital, but MGM had already borrowed Jack Haley from Fox to replace him. Check your inbox for your latest news from us. Figuring out how to color the horses in Emerald City was an extremely difficult task, and the A patented imbibition process was used to transfer the image information onto release prints for theaters. This last epic was one of the few instances that Curtis was cast as a good guy; many of his ( more) Anything at the Wyndham's Theatre. MGM wanted 10-year-old Shirley Temple instead. While he was attending Northwestern University, he and his sister Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. He was 98. But this was the 9th adaptation of the book 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.' 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. Throughout the next few years, MGM started prescribing Garland even more pills to "control both her weight and her energy levels. If you liked our suggestions for Wizard of Oz facts, then why not take a look at bigfoot facts or Calculator facts. 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 Sid Filming & Production Updated February 28, 2014 at 05:00 PM EST. Hal Rosson, ASC was director of photography, with Allen B. Davey, ASC serving as Technicolor cinematographer. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Billy Curtis, one of the Munchkin actors, remembered the event, saying, "They had to clean him off like he was a baby." Fuller's earth was fed into the muslin funnel from above, and enough of it escaped through the porous muslin to blur the edges of the sock realistically. Universals singing star Deanna Durbin was also considered, but her childish contours were blossoming. Feiner notes that advances in digital film conversion and image-processing technologies provides a powerful toolkit for restoration projects. If one scans a full-aperture anamorphic frame in full color, the file size would run about 45 megabytes. He told her to take the scenes seriously and get it done. In the 1930s, Samuel Goldwyn paid Baum $40,000 for film rights. (At press time, that decision had yet to be made.). In 1984, a copy was struck from one of those intermediates. That was then considered to be the archival master. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Cast. 1966. In 1951, he was a mole-man in the dark George Reeves movie Superman and the Mole-Men. Then again, his first Oater wasdifferent. The film's director slapped Judy Garland. The Wizard of Oz | Jack Haley was the last one to join the cast. An ambitious restoration project by Warner Bros. has returned the film to its original splendor, with the possible addition of a special effects dance sequence involving the Scarecrow. But much to the disappointment of its makers, the film did not do very well at the box office. During the process, one of the trap doors was stuck; consequently, Hamilton received second-degree burns on her face and third-degree burns on her hands. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. By manipulating the car, the effects experts could make the tornado twist and perform erratic moves. When it crashes down, she emerges in Munchkinland, which is inhabited by little people, in the Land of Oz. Chances are that no film has been seen by more people than The 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. Act now to receive 12 issues of the award-winning AC magazine the worlds finest cinematography resource. Tornado shots were used alone and as process plates to be projected behind Dorothy during her attempt to elude the funnel. Billy, all 42 of him, played the good guy sheriff (who finally arrests the bad guy and gets the girl) in 1938s Terror in Tiny Town. Impulse Pictures is proud to present APHRODISIAC! Everything that could have gone wrong during the making of this movie DID go wrong. Seconds after the mishap, she looked down at her hand and saw the damage: "From the wrist to the fingernails, there was no skin on the hand. The most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. A look at, say, The Adventures of Robin Hood was sufficient to convert many naysayers. To make this happen, a pipe was attached to the bicycle seat saddle on the broomstick, but during one of the practice runs the pipe exploded: "I felt as though my scalp was coming off. Two effects units operated within Cedric Gibbons' art department. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! LeRoy wanted Ed Wynn, who felt that the part was too small. , money, salary, income, and assets. But green makeup was toxic. The last of these books is Glinda of Oz, published in 1920. Mervyn LeRoy, a long-time Warner Bros. director, was lured away to MGM with a lucrative contract offer. The Wizard of Oz | Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz , an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. They tried using food coloring, "but the colors were not subtle enough." Additionally, The production company was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The toxicity of her makeup actually prevented Hamilton from getting faster medical attention during the fiery stunt gone wrong: "It would have been another matter if she had not been wearing green makeup: makeup man Jack Young would have gently blotted off the greasepaint, and Dr. Jones, the MGM doctor, would have covered the burns with salve. The expensive gantry and its perambulating car saw further service in getting the witch's flying monkeys airborne. While that film was still in production, it was announced that The Wizard of Oz would also be filmed in Technicolor. A silent version of the book was made in 1910 by Selig Polyscope Company, which, if you want to have a look at it, is available on the internet. To do this, she had to step on a certain part of the road and descend on an elevator. One would think it to be Judy Garland, but she only made $500 per week. Spotlessly clean. The prop exploded, sending her to the hospital for 11 days and leaving her with permanent scars. Release Date: Tuesday, August 15 1939 83 years ago . MGM, then the world's richest motion picture company, stepped gingerly into the realm of "natural color." Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan. The picture's timeless appeal has since made it a cherished tradition in theaters and on television the world over. And I dont smoke and I dont drink. Each model required two wires for the bodies and two for flapping the wings. Admitting that he is just a balloonist from Kansas, the Wizard offers to take Dorothy home. THE SEXUAL SECRET OF MARIJUANA in the much longer sexually If he ever found out that she ventured from what he wanted (like when he'd catch her sneaking in a milkshake), he'd give her "diet pills to speed her up and reduce her appetite. Humbled, he gives the Scarecrow a diploma, the Tin Woodsman a testimonial and the lion a medal, convincing them that they now have the virtuous qualities they previously lacked. He wanted to produce and direct Wizard, but was informed he was assigned to produce but not direct the high-budget project. In that time, the 1970s, to be more precise, Kurt Warner was the set designer, and he also assisted in wardrobe management in Hollywood during the 1970s. Billy Curtis (Luigi Curto) was born on 27 June, 1909 in Springfield, MA, is an American film actor. The actor, who stayed active in show business long after Dorothy had returned to her home in Kansas, died May 24 at an assisted-care facility in the San Diego area, his nephew Lloyd Decker confirmed toThe Hollywood Reporter. ", She spent six weeks recuperating in the hospital and at home. ", Jack Young, one of the film's makeup artists, revealed that the green makeup contained copper oxide, which made it toxic. However, in 1960, the fine-grain film stocks and the techniques employed for making optical and contact copies were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are today. Temple was signed to 20th Century Fox, and for years she was expected to star in some type of Oz film series. Ironically enough, today it is one of the most-watched films of all time. Among other injuries, there was a "two-inch-deep wound that nearly circled Danko's leg, which was full of bits of her costume.". ", This particular incident occurred when the Wicked Witch of the West was supposed to make her dramatic, fiery exit from Munchkinland. This was because the producers thought the song to be too slow and not interesting enough for the children, and also, the studio head Louis B was of the view that the song was depressing. 1939 was the magical year when this classical film was released. Maren, now 94, is the last surviving Munchkin actor. Ray Bolger was initially approached to play the Tin Man, but he lobbied hard to play the rubber-legged Scarecrow. Knocked unconscious, Dorothy awakes to find the house spinning through the air. 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. Bolger mugs with Mickey Rooney, the MGM star of the Andy Hardy movies who was Garland's frequent costar. Casting of the Wizard was more complicated. Trailer Mimicking Filmmakers Style Divides Social Media, Italys Far East Film Festival: Malaysian Drama Abang Adik Sweeps Top Prizes, Channel Your Inner Queen Charlotte with This Star-Loved British Brands Exclusive Skincare Kit, Naomi Watts Just Wore These Under-$100 PJs from Two Star-Loved Brands And Theyre the Perfect Mothers Day Gift for Stylish Travelers, The Best Signet Rings for Adding a Red Carpet-Ready Touch to Your Jewelry Stack, The Best Gifts New Moms Really Want, From Cozy Robes to Virtual Escapes, Succession Director on Filming That Surprise Cameo and Tying Up Her Kendall Trilogy, James Gunns Guardians: How Chris Pratt and His Marvel Castmates Rescued Their Directors Career, Diane Keaton: Youre Gonna Pray to Get Off This Call, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. He had been spotted by an MGM scout while performing in a show at the Bond Hotel in Connecticut and was the youngest of the 124 adult actors to suit up as a Munchkin. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy 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). The bottom of the funnel was anchored in a hidden slot that ran the length of the stage. It had been dramatized on the stage and was filmed by the Selig Polyscope Company in 1910. The film opened in New York on Aug. 17, 1939. Sun, Jun 27 1909 Wed, Nov 09 1988. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. It's easy to imagine any of these actors performing the role beautifully, but the final choice, Frank Morgan, proved to be the perfect Wizard. The green makeup contained copper, which, if ingested, could prove to be fatal. 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. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion. Dorothy and her friends take the broomstick and return to face the Mighty Oz. A subsequent version made of muslin whipped around satisfactorily, but it quickly tore loose at the bottom. His wife, actress Elizabeth Barrington, died in 2011. Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen.. It included cornfields, the house, the barn, and fences. "For nearly 40 years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. So, how much is Billy Curtis worth at the age of 79 years old? 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. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) American Society of Cinematographers. TelevisaUnivision Taps Becky G for Upfront Performance (Exclusive), Former ABC News/Disney Exec Marie Nelson Named Hot Docs Fest President, James Gunn Created 600 Unique Versions of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 For Various Types of Cinemas (Exclusive), Sylvester Stallone Sets Cliffhanger Reboot With Angel Has Fallen Director, GKIDS Acquires North American Rights to The First Slam Dunk, Wes Anderson Directing Star Wars? Victor Fleming This proved to be a key advantage on the Oz undertaking, given the job's aggressive eight-month schedule. Cast. 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 Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. He was paid $50 a week; the dog that playedToto, meanwhile, got $125. No, you have no eye vision issues. and Girl of the Golden West. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, arrives and slides the evil witch's magic ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet. A musical adaptation also originated in 1902, which, a year later, was transformed to Broadway. One day, Dorothy's dog, Toto, bites the vicious Miss Gulch, who obtains an order for the pet's destruction. The Wizard of Oz | Ray Bolger was initially approached to play the Tin Man, but he lobbied hard to play the rubber-legged Scarecrow. They had to work fast between each take, though, because "the horses invariably managed to lick off most of the Jell-O between shots.". We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Also learn how He earned most of Billy Curtis networth? Ironically, Fleming later replaced Cukor on GWTW as well. Aside from the added expense, many patrons claimed that color films gave them headaches the same complaint they had lodged against talkies a decade earlier. In the beginning, the author could not come up with the magical land that Dorothy is swept onto. Phil Feiner, president of the optical division of Pacific Title/Mirage, reminds us that the first two reels of Oz, as well as the last, are black-and-white. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Feiner speculates that MGM decided to rid its lot of nitrate-based film sometime in the late Sixties or early Seventies. "That eliminates the major source of cell abrasions and emulsion digs, which can occur during the duping or printing process.
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