Trailer
Plot summary
Dorothy Gale stays with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on their Kansas farm. Her neighbor, Almira Gulch, gets a sheriff's order to take the dog Toto away, but Toto slips free and comes back to Dorothy, who runs off to protect him. Professor Marvel, a fortune teller, convinces her that Aunt Em is heartbroken, and she hurries back as a tornado nears the farm. The cellar is locked, so she shelters in the house, which the wind lifts and sets down in Oz. There a good witch, Glinda, tells her the Wizard in the Emerald City may be able to send her home, and Dorothy starts along the yellow brick road. She joins a Scarecrow in search of a brain, a Tin Man in search of a heart, and a Cowardly Lion in search of courage.
Cast
- Pat Walsheas Nikko
Show all 20 cast
- Parnell St. Aubinas Munchkin (uncredited)
- Charles Beckeras Munchkin Mayor (uncredited)
- The Singer Midgetsas The Munchkins (as The Munchkins)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In Hamilton's exit from Munchkinland, the burst of fire came too soon on the second take and set light to her green, copper-based face paint, causing third-degree burns to her hands and face; she spent three months recuperating before returning to work.
- Dorothy's famous ruby slippers were silver in the original book; screenwriter Noel Langley changed the color to ruby in pre-production to take advantage of the new three-strip Technicolor process.
- Despite its lavish production, the film was not a financial success on its initial release, losing the studio $1,145,000, and would not break even until its 1949 re-release.
