Wizard of Oz Rumors and Terror

[PrettySquareGal]

My husband and I watched the Wizard of Oz last night. We've both watched it countless times over the years, naturally. My husband brought up the rumor about the hanging munchkin which was new to me. What are your thoughts about this:

Unless the "proof" is doctored somehow, that's eerie. It seems that there were multiple versions of the movie released to cover up the death. Yes, I saw the Snopes article refuting it but I didn't see this specific (but possibly altered by a fan) version mentioned. Still, I'm not totally convinced but would like to be because if it's true it's awful.

(If anyone will know the answer to this it's Lizzie!)

I also didn't know until now that the snow scene was filmed using asbestos! More disturbing rumors or facts:

https://lwlies.com/articles/the-wizard-of-oz-munchkin-hanging-scene/

What are your thoughts? Also, has anyone watched The Dark Side of the Rainbow?

 

[Fading Fast]

...(If anyone will know, the answer to this it's Lizzie!)...

This calls for the @LizzieMaine Signal:

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have a friend who's an accredited Oz expert -- he actually Wrote The Book on the film, and knew many of the Munchkins personally -- he says there's no truth to it.

There *were* bits cut from the film before it went into general release, most notably a musical number with a "jitterbug" theme that they thought would end up dating the film, but nothing to cover an unexpected death.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I have a friend who's an accredited Oz expert -- he actually Wrote The Book on the film, and knew many of the Munchkins personally -- he says there's no truth to it.

There *were* bits cut from the film before it went into general release, most notably a musical number with a "jitterbug" theme that they thought would end up dating the film, but nothing to cover an unexpected death.

Thanks. I did see the part about the jitterbug dance being cut, but would you (or your friend) say that the clip of the "hanging munchkin" I posted above was doctored?

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's actually one of the exotic birds put on the set for background atmosphere, probably a crane. The scene was actually shot *before* any of the Munchkin scenes, and none of them had even been on the set at that point.

I've actually projected "Oz" several times from pristine 35mm film, and when you see that scene on the big screen it's pretty obviously one of the birds -- you can see the wings.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

It's actually one of the exotic birds put on the set for background atmosphere, probably a crane. The scene was actually shot *before* any of the Munchkin scenes, and none of them had even been on the set at that point.

I also saw that part about it being shot before the Munchkin scenes, but it's not implausible that one of the actors was present prior to the filming, is it? I saw the footage which is clearly a bird, but in the clip I posted above it shows the same scene, one which clearly depicts the silhouette of a small body. I'm not arguing that the rumor is true, but I am skeptical of some of the reasons why it couldn't have occurred. Even so I'm doubtful it happened, but until someone can definitively say that video footage of the silhouette of the body was altered by a bored conspiracy theorist (which is probably what happened) I'm not totally sold.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The video clip is not what I've seen when I've projected the original film, so there is that.

The print I've run -- three times, so far -- was struck from the original, restored Technicolor negatives, and there's no trace of a splice in the negatives at that point. If a cut had been made there in the negatives, you would be able to see evidence of it on the print -- there wasn't one.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

The video clip is not what I've seen when I've projected the original film, so there is that.

That is some hard evidence right there!

 

[Frunobulax]

I have a friend who's an accredited Oz expert -- he actually Wrote The Book on the film, and knew many of the Munchkins personally -- he says there's no truth to it.

There *were* bits cut from the film before it went into general release, most notably a musical number with a "jitterbug" theme that they thought would end up dating the film, but nothing to cover an unexpected death.

I'm interested in what entity accredits WoO experts!

Seriously, if anybody really wanted to solve the"mystery," it would be easy. Check the death certificates in LA County for the time period of filming. Any little people? No? Mystery solved. Yes? Was it ruled suicide and were they in the cast?

Or, you could just get a good print like Lizzie and look at it, apparently.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Oz community is hard core. I've hung out with them, and they are more rigorous than some academic disciplines.

 

[Harp]

I have a friend who's an accredited Oz expert -- he actually Wrote The Book on the film, and knew many of the Munchkins personally -- he says there's no truth to it.

Title and author please.
Oz is my favorite flick. A munchkin couple owned a bar around 60th Cicero Avenue here, featuring small furniture for occasional little people visits.

 

[Fanny]

What are your thoughts? Also, has anyone watched The Dark Side of the Rainbow?

I'm assuming you're referring to the Wizard of Oz with The Dark Side of the Moon album dubbed over it. If so, I've seen it once. My house hosted and outdoor movie night last Summer where we projected it onto a sheet in the yard. It was interesting and the music does sync up pretty well to what's happening. When the film turns to color is right when "Money" starts playing which makes a pretty cool transition. I think I remember the song that played during the storm was very fitting as well.

I've seen the clip with the supposed hanging munchkin before and have also seen clearer versions where is very undeniably a bird. I've heard rumors that the bird was edited in later to cover it up, but I always highly doubted that. It's nice to have a more solid answer rooted in evidence now to put that rumor to rest.

 

[Tiki Tom]

This calls for the @LizzieMaine Signal:
View attachment 199824

What? Nobody is going to comment? FF made me laugh so hard I almost snorted my egg nog.

I'm assuming you're referring to the Wizard of Oz with The Dark Side of the Moon album dubbed over it. If so, I've seen it once. .

Holy smokes. I seriously have never heard that one before. I’ll have to look for it. The next time Cheech and Chong come over, we’ll watch it.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

What? Nobody is going to comment? FF made me laugh so hard I almost snorted my egg nog.



Holy smokes. I seriously have never heard that one before. I’ll have to look for it. The next time Cheech and Chong come over, we’ll watch it.

No need. It's trippy as is.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I'm assuming you're referring to the Wizard of Oz with The Dark Side of the Moon album dubbed over it. If so, I've seen it once. My house hosted and outdoor movie night last Summer where we projected it onto a sheet in the yard. It was interesting and the music does sync up pretty well to what's happening. When the film turns to color is right when "Money" starts playing which makes a pretty cool transition. I think I remember the song that played during the storm was very fitting as well.

I've seen the clip with the supposed hanging munchkin before and have also seen clearer versions where is very undeniably a bird. I've heard rumors that the bird was edited in later to cover it up, but I always highly doubted that. It's nice to have a more solid answer rooted in evidence now to put that rumor to rest.

Yes, that's the one to which I'm referring. Must have been something to watch it at your outdoor movie night!

 

[Zombie_61]

Hello all! Silly question about the 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz. The part of the story that takes place in Oz is bookended by black-and-white scenes of Dorothy's life in Kansas before and after she's transported to Oz. Were these scenes always tinted in "Sepiatone", or were they actually black-and-white at one point?

 

[LizzieMaine]

THe original 1939 release had the Kansas scenes printed on Kodak "Sonochrome" sepia-tinted film stock, but subsequent reissues printed these scenes only in black-and-white. The sepia was restored for the 50th Anniversary reissue in 1989, but was recreated using regular color film stock printed thru a filter rather than chemically-tinted black and white stock.

Interesting technical side fact: "Oz" was shot entirely on black and white negative stock. There was no "color film" used at any point in the process -- the Technicolor system used a special camera that exposed three strips of black and white film thru a series of three color filters, and those negatives were used to form, basically, lithographic matrices that used special dyes to print the final image on blank film.

 

[Zombie_61]

Thank you Miss Lizzie! I suspected I could count on you not only for the correct answer, but for a bit of history behind it as well which I always appreciate. We had only a black-and-white television in the house until the early 70s, so re-watching almost everything in color was a bit of a different experience. That said, I'm not one of those people who believes "everything is so much better in color"; I appreciate the beauty of a properly filmed black-and-white production.

 

[Harp]

I love the flick, and will plug Aljean Harmetz's splendid The Making of The Wizard of Oz.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've run Oz several times from a real 35mm Technicolor print, and if you ever get the chance to see one screened, don't miss it. The moment when Kansas gives way to Technicolor -- *real* projected Technicolor, not video/digital approximations of it, always produces an "OOOOOOOH!" from the audience.