Skip to main content

Ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz were once silver!

Did you know the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz were once silver? However, the boss from MGM studios, Louis B. Meyer, had made the suggestion to change the color to ruby red! The vivid red color had produced a glittery effect for Dorothy to model on screen; silver would have been lackluster to the eyes.

According to Wizard of Oz producer, Mervyn LeRoy, there were 5-10 pairs of Ruby red slippers produced, but only 4 pairs were accounted for.  One of these pairs were the ones that Judy Garland wore in the 1939 film, and have been proudly displayed in Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Museum over the years.  However, the shoes have deteriorated over time and would have to undergo a major restoration, with a cost of over $300,000! 

As of October 2016, a Kickstarter campaign was started, with close to 6,500 people contributing towards the shoes' restoration project.  At the end of February in 2017, more than $373,000 was collected! In 1989, in remembrance of the 1939 iconic film, a pair of Ruby red slippers with real ruby gemstones were created at a cost of 3 million dollars!

Wizard of Oz Ruby slipppers
Some other interesting Wizard of Oz trivia facts:
  • The scary looking tornado in the background of the Kansas prairie was actually a 35-foot muslin fabric drape, blowing around with the use of fans.
  • Green Jell-O crystals were attached all over the Emerald City horses; the production crew had to quickly film the horses before they licked off the tasty green powder.
  • L. Frank Baum created the word Oz from an office filing cabinet, which was organized from A-N to   O-Z.
  • The Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, developed severe burns when an explosion depicting her vanishing in a cloud of smoke went horribly wrong.  As a result, she had to be   hospitalized.
  • Actor Buddy Ebsen, who portrayed the role of the Tin Man, developed a terrible reaction to the aluminum dust which covered his face.  Nine days into production, he was severely short of breath and had severe cramping; even his lungs had collapsed. Jack Haley was Ebsen's replacement for the Tin Man.  This time, the makeup was recreated and painted on his body.
  • In one Wizard of Oz scene, Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, and The Tin Man were all performing the hip dance craze from 1939, the Jitterbug!
  • The Tin Man's tears were not mechanical oil, but chocolate syrup!  Mechanical oil did not show up well on the television screen, so producers used a darker substance.  The result was effective.
  • While the Munchkins made $50 a week from acting in the Wizard of Oz, Toto, a female Cairn Terrier, made $125 a week!  She was injured on the set when a guard had accidentally stepped on her, breaking her foot!
  • Auntie Em, also known as Clara Blandick, had committed suicide in 1962 due to painful arthritis and blindness.
  • Most of the Wizard of Oz cast members would show up to the studio at 4 or 5 in the morning and leave around 7 or 8 pm, making for a very tiring day!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

There are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos!

Did you know that there are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos?  The reason is that the casinos want the gamblers to lose track of time.  The casino windows are heavily tinted and the bright lights, noise, plus alcohol all add to the excitement and confusion. All the numbers in roulette add up to 666, which is associated with sin and the devil; hence the popular Las Vegas nickname, Sin City! Las Vegas' first casino on the famous strip was El Rancho Vegas in 1941; one of Las Vegas' most iconic casinos, The Flamingo, was opened by mobster Bugsy Siegel and his associates, on December 26, 1946, at a cost of 6 million dollars.  It was rumored that the casino was named after Siegel's girlfriend, Virginia Hill, because of her long legs! At one of Las Vegas, largest casinos, Caesar's Palace, 2.8 million eggs are eaten at the breakfast buffet each year; 427 pounds of coffee are consumed daily!  By the way, Las Vegas is Spanish for The Meadows. Las Vegas Casinos decked o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sesame Street was almost called 123 Avenue B!

Did you know that Sesame Street was almost called 123 Avenue B?  Producers could not use 123 Avenue B, since this was a real New York City street, so the famous Sesame Street name took its place. Sesame Street was able to broadcast on November 10, 1969 on the PBS channel, due to a series of grants totalling eight million dollars.  At first the actors and puppets acted separately, but producers had noticed this and had everyone interacting together.  As a result, there was a lot of positive feedback from families across the world. Some of the show's famous muppets, such as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, the Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog, and The Count, have entertained millions of people over the years. An adorable photo of various Sesame Street characters, such as Big Bird and Grover! Some interesting Sesame Street Facts: Ernie's Rubber Duckie 1970 song had reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Big Bird is an incredible 8 feet ...
Post a Comment
Read more

There are turquoise McDonald's arches in Sedona, Arizona!

Did you know that there are turquoise McDonald's arches in Sedona, Arizona? The reason that the arches are blue instead of yellow is because the town did not want to ruin the surrounding desert landscape with a ostentatious yellow logo. The turquoise McArches blend in perfectly with the adobe restaurant; tourists from all over the world come to Sedona to take photos next this fascinating logo. Sedona became an incorporated city in 1988, and a McDonald's franchise owner wanted to open up a McDonald's there a few years later.  He met with the Community Development Department and together they decided for the McArches to be turquoise. McDonald's had opened for business in May of 1993 and the rest is history! Beautiful turquoise McDonalds Arches in Sedona, Arizona!                               Some more interesting McDonald's restaurant facts: The first food item on the McDonald's menu was no...
Post a Comment
Read more