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Listen, for years and years, I've always heard a crazy rumor about one of my favorite movies of all time, the wizard of Oz. I mean, it's one of the most iconic movies ever made, right? You've seen it, most likely. Maybe you've cried. You've probably had maybe a little gay awakening because of the whole Glinda Elphaba thing, the shoes maybe even did it. I don't know. I don't know. Your life. Now, some people online were saying that in the original release of the movie, just as Dorothy is about to skip down the yellow brick road, there's a scene where you can see someone in the background that looks to be hanging from a tree, dead. Oh, you probably heard this rumor. Listen, after I did some digging, I concluded that this rumor was a total lie. I'm so sorry. I know you're already out. Listen, it opened the door for like a ton of behind the scenes drama I had no idea about because the wizard of Oz might look like a, you know, a sparkly, just beautiful fantasy. But behind the scenes, when they were like making the movie, things got dark. People were getting rushed to the hospital, there were near death accidents, starvation diets, physical abuse, and poisonous snow. Now, this movie came out in the 30s and to this day we still hear rumors about the wizard of Oz. I mean, they just like have never stopped. And you know what that means. There's gotta be some kind of truth within the rumors, right? So today we're following the Yellow Brick road all the way backstage to set the record straight about the actors, the makeup, and the learning lessons, shall we say, behind the movie that changed Hollywood forever. So grab your oil can because this one's gonna get pretty wet, pretty wild. Welcome to the dark history of the wizard of Oz. Hi friends. I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe history does not have to be boring. It might be tragic. Sometimes it's Happy. But either way, it's our dark history. Before we get into it, don't forget to like and subscribe. I'm always posting new content. And let me know what you think down in the comment section down below. I read comments at the end. Yes, I do. Now, let's get into it, shall we? Obviously, if you're watching on YouTube, you can see that we dressed up Dorothy, of course. Wicked Witch Paul. I mean. Oh, I'm sorry, what's your name? Joan. Wicked Witch Joan. And then we have Paul as Glinda. Is it Glinda or just, like, Toddlers and Tiaras? But either way, I love it. We look great, don't we? I know. I love the wizard of Oz. Growing up, if you have kids at home, you know how kids like to watch the same movie over and over and over again? When I was visiting my nephews, it was Trolls 2. I watched it five times in one day with them, and I was going mental. Well, for me, growing up, it was the wizard of Oz. When I was a kid, I watched it all day, every day. I was Dorothy. You can't tell me otherwise. So I love this movie. Okay, I just had to let you know. Anyhoo, listen, we found some secrets, though. Here's the thing. When the wizard of Oz came out in 1939 and it actually didn't perform very well. Oh, yeah, I know. I was like, what? Not because it was a bad movie. Obviously, it had decent reviews, but it was not set up for success for a few reasons. First of all, the budget. So the studio that made the movie was MGM. And MGM had a budget of about $2.8 million to make this movie, which in 1939, $2.8 million was like buying. You could buy a small country for that price in today's money would be over 60 million. And listen, this was, like, for what they were considering, like, a children's fantasy musical, which was a very niche genre. Now, when it opened in theaters, audiences were mostly kids, right? But back then, children's tickets were affordable. It was like 10 to 25 cents to go see a movie. Could you imagine? What that means is that they were never gonna make, you know, the money back on kids tickets alone. So MGM dumped money into, like, a huge promotional campaign to get adults to go and see it. You know, now they were thinking, okay, listen, like, maybe we'll make up a lot of the money in international sales. But, you know, that was not the case because someone stopped the wizard of Oz from premiering in Europe. Any guesses? Joan? No, not Charlie Chaplin. Similar mustache, though. It was Hitler. Yeah, I know. He ruins everything, man. So, talk about bad timing. Germany invaded Poland In September of 1939, and literally days after the movie's US premiere, World War II started up. So. So, yeah, you know, Europe was on fire. Movie theaters across the continent either shut down or stopped showing American movies completely. Obviously they were focused on something else. So the movie didn't turn a real profit until it was re released in 1949. Ten years later, this worked out okay. Cause now people were ready and people became obsessed. Then, starting in 1959, the wizard of Oz aired on television once a year. Now, this was like a new concept. And studios were nervous about TV when it first came to be a thing because it was brand new. And they were thinking that, you know, TV's probably going to kill the movie business. So MGM, giving props for this, kind of like thinking ahead of the game here, they licensed the wizard of Oz to cbs. And they were like, let's just try this out and see how it does. Like, could a movie work on TV? So the first airing on television happened on November 3, 1959, and once again, like, it was a hit. Some sources claim that 45 million people tuned in just to watch it. So that's a lot of people. And CBS was like, let's do that again. Run it back. And they made it a yearly tradition for millions of people. This made the wizard of Oz, like, their favorite movie. Now, when the wizard of Oz was on tv, this was like a special occasion. Families planned their whole evening around the show coming onto tv. Kids, you know, got to stay up late, you popped popcorn, you gathered around in the living room, you know, from tv, and you would watch the wizard of Oz and enter the little magical world of Oz. I mean, it wasn't just a movie, it was the movie. Now listen, great, we love the movie, but the wizard of Oz was also, like, pretty revolutionary from a movie perspective. First of all, I've got two words for you. Or it might be one word. Technicolor. Oh, what's that? I don't know. Okay, well, Technicolor was the first major color film process in Hollywood. Now, before that, most movies were black and white. A few were in color, but nothing was like Technicolor because Technicolor used three separate film strips. Red, green and blue. And then they combined them into one full color image. Essentially, this gave movies like a hyper saturated, dreamy, almost painted look like Dorothy's ruby slippers, the yellow brick road, the poppies Everything looked vivid and surreal because it was Technicolor wasn't realistic. It was highly saturated and vibrant. I mean, this is like the first time people are seeing something like this. It was incredible. So not only did Technicolor make the wizard of Oz legendary, but also the drama, the theories, the chaos, all of that. Listen, you've probably heard a lot of, like, different rumors about what went down on set, but the truth is actually much crazier than any of the rumors. So let's be real. Shopping is not as easy or fun as it sounds. I wanna look put together, but every time I go to the store, I end up leaving with nothing. Nothing. I get overwhelmed every. I'm like, I don't know. And then I get home and I spend hours online, scrolling, zooming in on product photos, trying just to find an outfit. 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So you can just order a box whenever you need, like, a little refresh. Plus, your first try on is free. Before Stitch Fix, I didn't like shopping, but now my stylist sends me pieces that actually feel like me. Yeah, I mean, everything fits, everything works. I don't have to, like, waste hours scrolling or guessing or returning. You know, save time. And best of all, you just kind of enjoy, like, shopping again. Get started today@stitch fix.com darkhistory to get $20 off your first order and they'll waive your styling fee. That's stitchfix.com darkhistory so part of the lore around the wizard of Oz was that it had memorable everything. The music, the costumes, the Set. Incredible. The quotes. Auntie M. Auntie M. Love that part. Every time I'm in front of a door and it's locked, I'm always like, auntie M, Auntie M. I quote the wizard of Oz a lot in my life, but, you know, there seemed to be, like, a cursed production. Now, let's start with my favorite subject, the makeup. Because the makeup on the wizard of Oz, you know, it was incredible. From the Tin man to the Scarecrow, the lion, the Wicked Witch of the east or West. I'm not sure what location. It was incredible. But what we don't know was that a lot of this makeup was trial and error, okay? It was one big learning lesson. So starting with the first Tin Man, I'm oiling myself like the Tin Man. Okay, I know you might be thinking, like, wait, what do you mean, the first Tin Man? Listen, originally, the role was supposed to be played by this guy named Buddy Ebsen, who, fun fact, became famous later on on the Beverly Hillbillies. Did you ever watch that? I watched that too, yeah. Didn't age well. So for the Tin man, the makeup department used face paint. Clown white face paint, the type of makeup used by circus clowns. And then what they would do is dust aluminum particles on top of that, and it would, like, stick to, you know, the face paint. And this gave Buddy that aluminum look. So they're doing that right, and it's working. It looks great. But over the course of filming, you know, touch ups have to happen. So Buddy was dusted many times, and after about 10 days of this, he literally seized up at home like the Tin Man. I know his hands and his arms, legs, feet, I guess, were all cramping, and he was having difficulty breathing. Method acting, I thought. No reaction. Yeah, so listen, he was having some kind of a reaction to that aluminum situation. So he was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that he. The aluminum dust was not good for him. All that makeup, you know, when he was applying it, it was being inhaled, and it had coated, like, his lungs, like glue. Buddy ended up in an iron lung for weeks and almost died over makeup. Oopsie. That fine metallic dust used, like, in application, it can. It can. And it did, in this case, coat the lungs, and it led to, like, inflammation, fluid buildup, and a condition known as chemical pneumonitis. Basically, like, the lungs start to drown themselves trying to, like, fight this intruder. It wasn't good. It wasn't good. So poor Buddy's medical costs, they weren't even covered by mgm and he reportedly suffered from breathing issues for the rest of his life. I mean, we take it for granted now. Cause back then, they didn't know, like, this would happen. They're just, like, making it work. But now it's like we have all these, you know, rules and regulations when it comes to makeup, and thank God we do, because you don't want something like this happening with a loose powder. You know what I'm saying? Anyways, MGM was kind of like, oopsie, sorry about that. And they replaced the original Tin man with a man named Jack Haley. And thankfully, they, like, changed the formula, the makeup formula a bit. So instead of using loose powder, they used an aluminum paste. It still wasn't great because it ended up giving Jack a serious eye infection. Yeah. So if you actually watch the movie, now that they got, like, all this 4K and stuff, you can see if you look in his eyes, one of his eyes is, like, irritated and red. He's like Tin Man. But listen, like, that's not that bad compared to everyone else. Well, is it? That other guy ended up in an iron lung, so I recant that statement. But the Tin man, that was just the beginning. Okay? Now, the Wicked Witch was played by the absolute icon, Margaret Hamilton. And her green skin was not CGI or anything like that. It was a green grease paint that was copper based. Again, they didn't know. Trial and error. Okay. Turns out it was toxic. Okay. So it was hard for her to eat safely on set because even if she got a little bit of that paint in her mouth, it could cause severe internal damage. Margaret was a professional. She took all the precautions she needed to. That is, until the fire. The fire. There's a scene early in the movie. It takes place in Munchkin Land where the Wicked Witch disappears in a puff of, like, flame and smoke. To make this happen, there was, like, a trap door that Hamilton would stand on. Then, like, on set, you know, they would release, like, a cloud of smoke, and the trapdoor would, like, open up or drop, and Margaret would kind of, like fall below stage or whatever, and then flames would go off on top, and it was like, wham. Magic. Right? So they try it, it goes fine, and then they do a second take. And then things went wrong. On the second take, the smoke came out on cue, the elevator dropped, but the flame was released a second too quickly. So Margaret, she was on stage when the fricking flames went off. When those sparks hit Margaret, her broom, her hat, and her face went up in flames. Okay? Now, obviously, Margaret is on set. She's frantic. Okay, she's on fire. Hi. So people are like trying to put blankets on her to get the flames out, but there was a problem. Even after the flames were put out, the heat from the copper in her green makeup continued to burn her skin off slowly and painfully. That's because this grease paint, the copper all and all that, it locked in heat. So even though the flames were out, it was still heating up and like just locked in her. In her skin. Margaret suffered severe second degree burns to her face and a third degree burn on her right hand. I mean, anything but the face. Come on. So after six weeks, Margaret returns to the movie set. Her hands, they were still bandaged and her skin was still healing. So she ended up wearing like a green glove on her burned hand instead of makeup. Poor thing. Now, her first day back was a scene where she's supposed to be like riding her broom in the air. It's the scene in the movie where she spells out with her broom, surrender Dorothy. And she's like, okay, great. You know, that morning a production assistant comes up to her and was like, hey, so do you want your regular costume or your fireproof costume? And Margaret was like, uh, why would I want a fireproof costume? I'm just like riding a broom. Right, right. So he explains that, yeah, you're gonna ride a broom, but the broom's gonna have smoke come out of it. So just wanna let you know. So again, Margaret is in full, like, flammable, toxic, green makeup near fire once again. So she puts her foot down, she tells him what? I do not want to be near fire. Did you not just see what happened? Like, what are you thinking now? Of course, you know how it goes. Anytime you try to speak up for yourself, people are like, don't wor. No, no, no, no, no. Don't worry. It's a very simple shot. Everything's going to be fine. The flames are coming out behind you. Like, don't worry, don't worry. All you have to do is sit on a broom. That's all we're asking. You know, she's like, I don't know, I don't know. So for the scene, she would be like 10 or 15ft in the air and she'd be sitting on like a steel saddle. Okay. And you, in the movie, you can't see it because her costume is covering it. There's wires that are kind of holding, holding the whole thing up. And then there was going to be like wind machines, you know, blowing obviously, so it looks like she's flipping Flying through the air, and there was going to be smoke coming out behind her. And they told her, don't worry, it's totally safe. We haven't tried it yet, but it's safe. Now, Margaret, good for her. She was like, nope, I'm not buying it. She's like, if it's so safe, then why am I wearing a fireproof costume? Hmm. You know? And they were like, we just want you to be extra safe. Yeah. But Margaret, she's like, I'm not doing it. No, I'm out. And good for her. She just got burned. Jesus. So, obviously, production, they were very upset, and they even threatened to tell the head of the studio that Margaret was refusing to cooperate. And then Margaret tells them if they were in her shoes, the studio would be in the biggest lawsuit of their life. I imagine her being like Faye Dunaway and Mommie Dearest. Don't fuck with me, fellas. This ain't my first time. Don't fuck with me, fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo. Something like that. So the director, Victor Fleming, who, fun fact, won an Oscar for directing Gone with the Wind, he tried to convince Margaret to get on the broom. Just get on the broom, Margaret. Margaret, just get on the broom. It's safe. Again, Margaret said, doll, fuck, whack back. She said, no, thank you. I've had all the fire I want at your hands. I have a little boy. I'm his sole support, and I do not intend to jeopardize my life further. Very professional. So finally, they convince her to ride the broom for close ups without the smoke pipe that was connected. So she's strapped in, raised up, wind machine, broom rocking and rolling. She does her performance, the cackles, all that stuff. They get their footage. Great. Boom. But mgm, they still wanted someone in the air riding the smoke broom. So they decided to get a stunt double for Margaret named Betty Danko. So Margaret sees Betty getting into her costume, and she goes up to her and she's like, are you doing the broom shot? And Betty was like, well, yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm getting paid for it. And Margaret said, quote, I hope it's worth it, dear. So Margaret goes home, she's sitting there, poor thing probably has some creams on to help with the burns. And less than an hour after she gets home, the phone rings. Hello? There's been an accident. An accident on the set of the wizard of Oz. After a long day researching, writing, filming. You know, sometimes I get home. A lot of the times I get home exhausted. Then I open the fridge and I look inside and it's like, oh, great. I have ketchup and an onion. Cool. Love that. You know, And I don't want to order delivery because then I feel lazy and it's super expensive. 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Varies by plan. That's hellofresh.com darkhistory10fm to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life. So Margaret gets a call from the set. Turns out Betty Danko, she's in the hospital. Margaret's Like I fucking told you, Betty's experience on the broom that day was almost an exact replica of what happened to Margaret earlier. I guess the first two takes worked perfectly. Perfectly. But then the director, Victor Fleming, he didn't like how Betty's cape was pinned down to, like, hide the smoke pipe. So they moved the pipe and had it remounted kind of like more directly beneath Betty's body. And then they covered it, the contraption, with asbestos just to be safe. Now, we all know asbestos. What are you doing? But they didn't know back then, okay? But asbestos provided insulation, meaning it was not flammable, and it kept things cool, which is why they put it over the smoke pipe to keep anything from catching on fire. So they thought, you know. But on the very next take, the pipe exploded under the saddle. Betty was thrown off the broom, and she not only was badly burned, she was injured. Victor, the director, was probably like, well, you know, you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette. Am I right? Good thing she's just a stunt devil. So Betty ends up in the hospital just like Margaret Hamilton. Deja broom, Deja V Room. So, oopsie. You know, we've mentioned four people who were badly injured by makeup, mainly makeup, but also, obviously, the stunts. And you would hope that the studio would maybe, at this point, you know, take some extra measures to make sure that moving forward, everything would be safe. But choices were made. So after the explosions, the fire, the hospitalizations, you think they might, like, calm things down on set, but of course not. So now we're entering the scene in the movie where everyone is in the magical poppy field and they get really sleepy and they, you know, pass out. It's so dreamy, beautiful, cinematic, but oopsie. So I guess back in the 1920s, people were using cotton to recreate fake snow on Christmas trees and, like, on movie sets. But then in 1928, firefighters made an announcement that putting cotton and stuff like, on the trees made them extremely flammable. So Hollywood panicked. And they were like, oh, no, what are we gonna do? And decided, you know, they needed to figure out a different way to do snow. So they tested salt, flour, they painted corn flakes, Tried that. Salt. You can't see flour. I don't know what happened there. Probably just looked powdery and weird. And then the corn flakes were too loud. Literally. You know, the actors would be talking and walking, and all you would hear was like, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. If anyone was moving on set, it wasn't working. So instead, they Went with chrysotile asbestos. So, you know, the asbestos was soft, it was white, and it looked just like real snow. The best part about it, it didn't burn, it wasn't loud, and it just worked. Yay, you know, Yay. We. We did it. Asbestos snow was actually so popular in the 30s and 40s that people, everyday people, were buying it in bulk to decorate their Christmas trees at home with it. You know, he'd be like, let's add snow to the tree. But at the time when they were selling it to the everyday person, they kind of had some interesting names that sound like low key. Something you would buy off the street. It was called, like, snowdrift and pure white. You buy it and then you would, like, you know, add it onto your tree or wherever. It was exciting, it was fun and it looked good. Who doesn't like a pretty tree anyways? In the poppy scene, you see all the characters laying down in the poppies and that's when, you know, production, however they did it, they dropped the snow, AKA asbestos. So everyone's just like doing their part acting, and they're inhaling and breathing in this chemical. Yeah, not great. And we don't know how many takes they shot of that scene, but I imagine it wasn't just one. Here's the thing. That beautiful, magical asbestos is now known to cause a horrible cancer called mesothelioma. So they didn't know that yet. They just thought it was cute snow. Basically, when you breathe it in, it's like tiny shards of glass. It shreds your lungs slowly and it never leaves your body. And asbestos wasn't just in the snow. I mean, it was all over the set. The man who played the scarecrow, his name was Ray Bulger, and his suit was actually made from asbestos, specifically for the scene where the wicked witch sets him on fire, you know, and his arm catches on fire and he's like, they just used it for everything. They didn't know. They didn't know it was bad. Not yet. And I know some of you at home might be thinking, well, you know, I hope they got paid well, at least, you know, hopefully they got that. Well, Toto was. But for everyone else, honestly, I don't know if it was worth it, you know, especially if you were cast as a munchkin. I don't know about you guys, but I was very curious about those who were cast as a munchkin. And based off my quick research, I read about how the actors cast as Munchkins were. The rumors were that they were wild. They were a horny group who liked to get drunk, throw crazy parties have sexual relations in stairwells and needed to be wrangled by the police with literal butterfly nets. And I was like, this can't be. This can't be real. Just. No. And if you haven't heard those rumors, well, now you have. I mean, that's what people said. The truth was that MGM brought in about 124 little people to play the munchkins. Most of them came through a guy named Leo Singer who had a troupe of dancers and actors called, quote, unquote, Singer's Midgets. That's what he called their group. He was like their manager, essentially. But it was more. It was controlling. It was very much like, hey, you guys belong to me. I own you. I'm gonna, like, rent you out, and then you give me the money. Okay, that's the deal. I'll give you some money, but I get most of the money. Okay, great. So most of these performers, they were from Germany and Austria, so almost none of them spoke English. So a lot of them were already at a disadvantage because this Singer guy, he was doing all the negotiations, you know, like, through manager, on their behalf. And they were just told, like, don't worry, you'll get your cut. You know. Now they were promised money, a hotel, a few weeks of work on, like, a big movie. So to them, this sounded great. I mean, a lot of these performers had never been in a movie before. They'd only been on stage. Hollywood, who would say no? Well, you know, it turns out a lot of them never actually saw their full paychecks because that Singer guy kept a portion of it. A good portion. Of course he did. Each actor was paid about 35 to $50 a week. If they complained, like, hey, where's my money? You know, they were told, hey, you should be grateful. You should be grateful that you're working on this large movie and working at all. Like, shut up. I saw online that Toto the dog was making $125 a week. And I was like, damn. Really? The dog was making more than the people playing the munchkins. Like, what? I got clarification. Toto the dog didn't make $125 a week. Instead, it was the dog trainer that got $125 a week. But still, you know, to be fair, though, like, trying to get a dog to, like, you know, do the right thing on a. On a set, kind of hard, right? So, okay, fine. Sure. Okay. When they were filming, the actors who played, the munchkins were packed into old hotels around Culver City, which was, like, where the studio was located. And when I say packed, I mean they were like. They were packed in there. Like, multiple actors were expected to share a single hotel room. On top of that, the costumes were said to be very heavy, itchy, and almost impossible to get in and out of without someone helping them. And they weren't getting much assistance because at one point, one of the actors fell into a toilet and they could not get out. Sorry, you wanna. We're not gonna laugh because that's not. Have you ever fell into the toilet in the middle of the night because your partner left the toilet seat up? And then you go. Like, middle of the night, you don't wanna turn on the lights because, you know. And then you sit down and you fall into the toilet when your butt hits that water. There's something about that that's just not right. Anyway, so this actor, he falls into the toilet and he gets stuck. And no one found him until 45 minutes later. They're like, hey, where's that one guy? He's been gone for a while. So finally someone finds him. Now, after this incident, the studio finally hired, like, attendants to assist them during production. Apparently, people started buying these actors drinks. Imagine, I mean, you've had a long day and now some producers trying to be funny, handing you, like, six cocktails at once. You know, it's a long day, someone's handing you cocktails to keep you happy. Come on, keep it up. Your energy needs to be up. You need to be exciting. You're in Munchkin Land. So imagine, like, you're drinking, you're drinking, you're drinking. Next thing you know, you're six cocktails in. So, yes, apparently some of them did indeed get drunk. I mean, who. I don't wanna say who wouldn't? Cause I know a lot of you would be like, I wouldn't. But back then, I mean, even now, if someone's handing you drink after drink and you're not. I don't know, whatever. And that's where, like, the rumors really started. Like, oh, the people playing the munchkins are just out of control. They're trashing the hotel, they're fighting over women. Like, I guess they were just a wild group of actors. Now, years later, Judy Garland referred to them as drunks. She jokingly said that the studio had to send security guards out with butterfly nets to wrangle the actors. But honestly, Judy had a lot going on and maybe wasn't, like, the Most reliable narrator. When it came to what was going on on set, part of the reason they were having so much fun was because some of the actors who were cast as, you know, the Munchkins, some of them were not part of Leo Singer's group. So a lot of them had never met another little person before. So, you know, this is the first time they felt like they were surrounded by someone like them. So of course they're having a little fun. Give me a cigar. The lollipopkins. The lollipopkins, you know, hell yeah, I'll do that. So, yes, maybe they were a little rowdy, but can you blame them? No, I don't know. Now, of course, while we're here in Munchkin land, I know you want me to talk about the Melissa Jones notorious rumor of all the Munchkin suicide myth. You know, after a long day when you get home and you just like put on your PJs and you just wanna crawl into bed and just watch trash tv, not be judged, be lazy, you know, Oh, I love, that's my favorite hobby. But the other day I went to go do that and I was like, my pajamas are, you know, they're not great. They're falling apart. They got holes all over them. They're really old. I really wore em down. And listen, if you're feeling the same, thankfully Skims is here to save the night. Skims has completely redefined what comfortable feels like. Their sleep set is next level. It's so soft, the moment I touched the fabric, I thought, ooh, this is different. You know, it's cozy. This is the definition of cozy. It drapes just perfectly. It's cool. It's not too hot. It's just right. I've been wearing the sleep set nonstop, lounging around the house, sipping my evening tea while I watch, you know, true crime documentaries. Yeah. They even have matching sets for men, kids and your pets. Yeah. Which makes holiday shopping super easy. So if you're tired of tossing and turning in pajamas that feel like sandpaper or cling in all the wrong places or just like way too hot, Skims is the upgrade you've been missing. Once you slip into their sleep set, you'll understand what exactly I'm talking about about. Shop my favorite pajamas@skims.com after you place your order. Be sure to let them know we sent you select podcasts in the survey and be sure to select our show in the drop down menu that follows. And if you're looking for perfect gifts for everyone on your list, the Skims Holiday Shop is now open@skims.com. listen, if you haven't heard this before, there is this, like, long running urban legend where people say that during the. We're off to see the Wizard. You know that scene, it's right after Dorothy and the Scarecrow meet the Tin man, and then they're skipping down the yellow brick road. Now, allegedly, in the background, you can see hanging from a tree what looks to be a body. Some claim it's a. It's someone who was playing a munchkin. Yes, allegedly. The rumor is that an actual cast member took their own life, hanged themselves from a tree, and it was caught on film and, like, no one saw it in the final edit or whatever. And it's just been left in. Or it was left in. Now, I love a good creepy Hollywood rumor. So when I first read this, like, years ago, I was all in and I was like, oh, yeah, I see. Yeah. Oh, my God, I was so, like, a believer. But this one's actually okay. It's actually complicated. What actually happened was that. And you're not gonna believe me, I know you. But listen, this is what actually happened, okay? We dug, we asked questions and we got answers. And what actually happened was that MGM wanted the set to feel more alive and outdoorsy, so they brought in actual birds from the Los Angeles Zoo. And then they let them loose on set. So it kind of felt, again, more like whimsical and. Ooh. And if you pay attention, in some scenes you can see, like, there's a peacock wandering around and other birds. Yep. You can see animals. But listen, so in this specific shot, what you're actually seeing in the background, believe me, it's a crane flapping its wings off in the distance. I know. You're like, no, no, it's not. I know it sounds. It's not as exciting. Years ago, someone on the Internet tried to revive the whole thing by posting a clip they claimed was the original wizard of Oz VHS cut. And in this video, the thing in the background is much larger and more dingly. The person who uploaded this, whatever, claimed it was the real footage before MGM edited out the truth. And of course, again, like I was telling you, I saw it and I was like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Yeah. But turns out it was. It is 100% doctored. It's not real. It's a fan edit that was made to look very convincing, stir up a crazy rumor. And we all believed it. It blew up like crazy. Of course we believed it because there are so many like Creepy theories out there about all of your favorite childhood movies, right? Like the penises on the COVID of the Little Mermaid. Or in the Little Mermaid, the Pope with the boner. You know that scene. Dearly beloved. Dearly beloved. Someone drew in a boner on the pope. When the Little Mermaid and Eric are getting married, the pope has a boner. The pope had a boner. Don't make excuses for it. Someone drew it in. You had to draw it in. It's not an accident. The pope had a boner. Do you understand? Anyways, so of course, like, it's easy to believe anything. The pope had a boner. But then sometimes I think about it and, like, if I was drawing all day, I might. I'd be like, I'm gonna put a boner and see if anyone catches it. And then, like, let's say you did do that. And then I would tell all my friends, like, watch, I drew in a boner. No one caught it. And you know, the Lion King has that when the leaves are blowing and it spells out sex. I know you know what I'm talking about. So of course, like, oh, my God, a guy who killed himself on set. Oh, yeah. That's just another thing. Now, to this day, people swear they remember seeing, like, a person hanging in the background in the original version when they were kids, but apparently it's a crane. I don't know why I'm still not convinced. Like, I know. It's okay. Whatever. Bailey, let's say for a second it did happen. This situation did happen. The person was hanging from a tree. Realistically, when they were filming, they would have stopped, cut the person down, and shot the scene all over again. And you're thinking, but, Bailey, it was hidden all the way way back there. No one saw it. I think you underestimate how small movie sets can be. Have you ever been in the audience of the Price Is Right? Oh, it will crush your dreams because it looks like such a big show. And you get in there and it's like a small, tiny set. So the movie is made to look like there's so much depth and it's this forest. But realistically, it's a smaller set. Someone would have seen it. And then on top of that, the trees, they were props. And a lot of them back in the day. Oh, I am back in the day. With classic movies, they would hand paint the backdrops, so a lot of them are just painted in. But most of all, the trees, they were made of foam wire and paint. So even if you did try to hang Yourself from the tree, it would fall apart. It wouldn't even be able to hold anything up. I know. I'm sorry. Debunked. Stamp of debunk, Debunker, debunk of approval. I don't know. So the official explanation was that it's a bird? Yes. And most likely the version that you've seen with, like, the person allegedly hanging from the tree is the doctored version. I know, I know you wanna believe. I'm so sorry. It's a bird now. Of course. Of course. You know, the most notorious rumors that came from the wizard of Oz centered around their star Judy Garland, AKA Dorothy. Oh, poor Judy. You know when you have an amazing idea for a business in the middle of the night and you're like, yeah, I'm gonna do that. That's such a good idea. But then you realize, like, where do I start? What's step one? You know, these days you have to have a strong online presence, especially when it comes to your business website. But DIYing a website can be intimidating. You know, it's not that easy sometimes. I don't know. I know, I remember, like MySpace coding, but it doesn't help. But thankfully, Squarespace is here to save the day. Today's episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace gives you everything you need to bring your business or your creative chaos to life. With Squarespace's cutting edge design tools, you can create a website that actually feels like you. 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So if you've been putting off creating your website because it feels very overwhelming, don't check out squarespace.com darkhistory for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use Offer code Dark history to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Apparently, Judy was not their first Choice to play Dorothy. They originally wanted Shirley Temple, but Shirley Temple had other obligations. So they brought on Judy Garland. And when they brought her on, they reminded her that she was like their second or third choice. Like, they told her this, put her in her place a bit. So, you know, poor Judy, she shows up and they're like, ugh, fine, we'll take Judy. She's so gross. Whatever. And then they immediately tried to like turn her into Shirley Temple anyway, at least in the first version of the movie. I say the first version because there were five different directors who worked on this movie. I know Victor did most of the directing work, so he's the one who got like the official credit. But the first director put Ms. Judy Garland in a blonde wig. And you know, they wanted her to look like Shirley Temple. They put caps on her teeth because they didn't like how her teeth looked. They put nose discs in her nose. And what that would do is give her a more like really rounded, youthful nose. You can still buy them today. Nose discs. I looked into them. Cause I was like, what is that? And you insert them into your nose and it gives you more of like a little button nose. So they put caps on her teeth, the thing up her nose. Now Judy, she was 16 at the time and you know, developing, so she was a little bit more curvy, she had round cheeks. She looked like a normal fricking teenager. But in the book the wizard of Oz, Dorothy was supposed to be 12 years old. 12 and 16 don't sound that far apart in age. But you know, some develop more than others. So they should have maybe hired a 12 year old. Instead they picked Judy, who was 16 and she looked different. So the studio, they really decide to blame everything on Judy. It's her weight, it's her nose, it's her teeth, it's her boobs, it's her everything, everything, everything. So all day, every day, she is reminded that she was second choice. Her nose is wrong, her teeth are gross, her hair is wrong, she's too old, she has chest, she's too fat, her cheeks are puffy. They were so cruel to her. Okay. And I was thinking like, could you imagine at 16 hearing every single day how you are not good enough at 16 you're always told to listen to the adults that are around you, right? And you don't question them. So could you imagine just every day like, wow, like, how would that not mess you up? Yeah. Okay. So I don't know why they picked on her so much. Why didn't they just Hire someone else then, you assholes. But at a certain point, it was decided that Judy, she was too fat. And if you look at her, you're like, bitch. Where? But they're like, she's too fat. So they put her in a corset and they, like, you know, try to, like, snatch in her waist. They tried to flatten her chest because she was growing breasts and they wanted her to look more like she was a 12 year old. Listen, it was said that all anyone could talk about was how fat Judy was. Studio executives literally called her the, quote, fat little pig with pigtails. End quote. It's just. It's so sad. So mgm, they put Judy on a mandated diet. She was only allowed to have black coffee, chicken broth, lettuce and cigarettes at 16. And because she was filming for crazy long hours every single day, they needed Judy to have energy. Now, to you and I, we're like, yeah, great. So just give her some protein, feed her correctly, she'll have energy. No, of course. No, they're not gonna do that. This is where it gets controversial. Now, the rumor was that Judy was given pep pills, AKA amphetamines. These were given to her to help, you know, keep her up and awake on set. Some people say the studio gave her these pills, which was very common in Hollywood at the time. And, you know, just like casually passing them out like Tic Tacs. You're tired here, you yawn. Here, you're hungry. Have another one. You're, you know, I'm bored. Here, have another. The same year Judy worked on the wizard of Oz, she was also filming another movie called Babes in Arms. Babes in Arms. And apparently both Judy and her co star, Mickey Rooney, were pushed to, like, the breaking point on set. Now, other people say Judy's dependence on amphetamines and barbiturates started even earlier in her career. Wizard of Oz wasn't her first film. She had been acting for quite some time. So, you know, some say that her mom was actually the one giving them to her. According to a Judy Garland biography called Get Happy, Judy's mom was the first person to provide pills, quote, both for energy and sleep. And the craziest part, according to this book, Judy was only nine years old when this started. Apparently, Judy and her mom did not have, like, a great relationship. And she actually called her mom the real Wicked Witch of the West. That's so sad. So she doesn't have anyone around her who's actually supporting her and, like, there for her. Honestly, this is like, next level stage mom, right? You watch Toddlers in Tiaras, you know, when the moms give, like, the kids the Pixie sticks. Yeah, it's like that, but like, way worse. Right, Paul. Paul has been in many pageants. And yes, maybe when I do his hair, makeup, tanning, dress him, I do maybe give him the Pixy stick a little bit. Cause he's gotta get it together, Paul. We'll do anything for the crown. Honestly though, I have thought about it. Like, the only reason I would wait want to have a kid is so I could put them in pageants. I would be a stage mom. Not like, to this extent, but I love the idea of, like, the makeup, the hair, the dresses. I would, like, help them do the dances. And then you would see me in the back like, honey, honey. Yeah, I would love that. But not to this extent. No pills, just Pixie sticks. Anyways, don't do that. It's bad for the kids. Now, to be fair, to be fair, to be fair, some people do not believe Judy was, like, ever taking drugs while shooting the wizard of Oz. But the sad truth is, is that it must have started pretty soon after if it wasn't happening already. Because she gave us that direct quote when she was filming that other movie which happened, like, when she was filming the wizard of Oz, like the. I don't know. So Judy's third husband, his name was Sid Luft, said, quote, most of her teen and adult life, she had been on either Benzedrine or a diet or both. Poor thing. Again, I can't imagine how, like, fucked up she got from all of these adults around her telling her that she wasn't good enough. Now, Benzadrine, it isn't sold anymore. It was an amphetamine that you can inhale or take as a pill. It was an upper. So between the pills, the crash diets, and being told she wasn't good enough, every single day, I mean, something had to give. And one day on set, I mean, it finally did when things between Judy and the director got physical. So Judy's on set one day, she's sleep deprived, hungry, squeezed into a corset, wearing discs in her nose, caps on her teeth. But, you know, for 16, she's a good sport and professional. So on this particular day, they were filming a scene where she was supposed to get angry with the Cowardly lion and, like, bop him on the nose. But the actor playing the lion, his name was Bert Layer, would do this, like, whimpering noise. I'm trying to recreate it, but I forget. And I guess it gave Judy, the giggles when they were filming. And you know when you get the giggles and it's always at, like, the worst time, and then it's hard because sometimes you just keep giggling and you can't stop. I love when that happens. But she was giggling and she couldn't, like, she couldn't stop. So she. She tried to, like, you know, pull it together, but she kept giggling. And after a few takes, the director, Victor, he was getting annoyed. They were wasting film. God damn it. So Victor goes directly up to Judy in front of everyone. He does not yell at her. He does not pull her aside. Instead, he just slapped her across the face, thinking it would snap her out of it, and then apparently told her, like, go back to your dressing room. So she goes. She disappears. She comes back a few minutes later, and she does the scene, this time without laughing. So the director's like, see, that's why I slap people. It works. Now, they say the wizard of Oz really made Judy Garland a star and really, like, launched her career. And I think we can all agree. But it was like, at what price? You know? And I was thinking, once again, being like, well, I hope she at least got paid well. You know, not that it makes it better, but, like, I hope she at least got paid well. She had to. She was the star of the wizard of Oz. So I'm guessing, like, she probably made millions, right? No, no, no, no, no. Judy Garland was paid $9,600 in total. Period. Yep, $9,600. I'm just processing. Cause it's like, what? Hey, at least it's more than Toto, you know, now. Okay. I was like, okay, it's $9,600. That's back then money. So hopefully, at least she was the highest paid actor in the movie, right? She's the star. No, no, no, no. I kept looking for, like, something to hold onto here. No, it turns out pretty much all the other main characters, like the Scarecrow, the Tin man, the lion, everyone got paid more than she did. The Scarecrow and the Tin man each got paid eight times the amount of what she did. And then poor Judy Garland. I mean, she had a wonderful, amazing crowd, but we all, you know, she really struggled. And I think when you look at how the studio and these people around her were treating her, how it's like, how could she not turn out the way she did? Where was her support system and all this? Oh, it's just so sad. So, yes, the wizard of Oz, a movie that gave us beauty, glamour, fantasy, ruby slippers, flying monkeys, Amazing costumes and makeup and sets. Oh, you know, some of the most iconic moments in cinema history. And behind the scenes, you know, at the end of the day, it was a big learning lesson, you know, as far as, like, what not to do with the makeup and asbestos. Oops, sorry about that. The fireballs, the malfunctioning trap doors, the pills, the paint, the poppies, the powder, the slapping, the body shaming. I mean, honestly, it's kind of a miracle this movie ever made it. They even finished it, really. Let alone become, like, one of the most beloved films of all time. And yet somehow, out of all that chaos, we got this movie that just really completely changed the film industry and Hollywood forever. It set the bar real high for what movies could look like and what they could feel like. And on top of that, it showed people in the middle of the Great Depression a beautiful, colorful world where good triumphed over evil. And people held onto that vision and that feeling this movie gave them for decades still to this day. So, I mean, was it all worth it? Yes. Great movie. I'm sorry. I mean, we know. Don't do that. But, like, it was such a great movie. It's such a great movie. I love that movie. Every time I watch it, I get emotional. It's just so touching. At the end of the day, there's no movie like it and there's no place like home. Somewhere over the rainbow Asbestos sky the Tin man is in an iron lung but thank God that no one died it was a bird. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I nailed that. Thank you. Now, listen, next episode, we are talking about one of my kind of, ooh, favorite topics, cults. Oh, yes. Fascinating. Interesting. Why? Who joins them? How come? What is it? Why? Listen, the other day I was, you know, googling and goggling as I do, and I came across of a cult I had never heard of, and that's rare. It was a cult dedicated to the teachings of a man named Father Divine, a very controversial figure who was just as famous as Martin Luther King Jr. Back in the day. Now, he was a hero to millions of people across the world, but I never really heard about him or his cult. And the most fascinating part of all, Father Divine inspired Jim Jones of Jonestown. It's wild. I can't wait to hear your reactions to it. So join me next episode as we talk about the strange, important and wild life of Father Divine. By the way, we're dark next week, so there won't be a new upload, but our next episode about Father Divine will be be back on November 26th, which is my birthday. So you better wish me a happy birthday in the comment section. Thank you so much. Now, I would love to hear your guys reactions to today's story, so make sure to leave a comment down below so I can see what you guys are saying. And your comment might even be featured in a future episode. Now let's read a couple of comments that you guys have left me. Athena Callahan5136 left us a comment on YouTube saying, quote, I just realized you remind me of Fran from the nanny, but make her have a dark aesthetic. End quote. Thank you so much. That means a lot. I was going to try and do a Fran impression, but I can't seem to do it. Hi. Wait. Hi. I'm not confident in my ability to do this. Okay. She's miss. It's a hard one for me. She's an icon. She's a legend. I've always loved her hair and her outfits. I'll take it. Thank you so much. That means a lot. Sorry. My impression game for Ms. Fran. It's probably as good as it's gonna get. Kylie commented on our earthquakes episode on Spotify saying, quote, when Fukushima happened, my mom started prepping for end of days and made me and my sister take iodine drops and said if we didn't, our kids would be deformed from the radiation. And now I am a prepper. End quote. So were you in the area when it happened or you just saw your mom saw it happening and then she started prepping Iodine, Iodine, iodine, iodine. Should you be taking that? Is that okay? Do you have kids? Are they okay? And now you're a prepper? Okay, listen, I don't judge. If you want to be a doomsday prepper and you want to prep, go for it. As long as you're not hurting anybody else. Okay. Or force. Do you have kids? I'm kind of concerned. Okay. But here's the thing. I thought. I think of it like this. We're all afraid of the end of the world, but the end of the world is coming regardless, because when you die, that is the end of the world. So whether it's an apocalypse or you just die of, I don't know, a heart attack or whatever, it's just the end of the world. So you can prep all you want, but either way, you're still gonna die, and that's going to be the end of the world. So you might as well just, like, live your life. Because either way, the end of the world will happen. Do you get what I'm saying? Either way, you're gonna die. So just. It's okay. Don't prep too much. Eat a chicken McNugget. Ooh, stock up on Twinkies because those last forever. You're welcome for that little tidbit. Ephemeral style left us an episode suggestion over on Spotify. Would you consider doing an episode on multi level marketing companies if you haven't already? Like from Avon ladies up to Lularoe? I find it really interesting. For sure. Oh, did you watch that documentary about Lularoe? I know you did. I know you did. If you didn't, you need to watch it. It was so good. They had this little group chat called like the skinny girls group chat. It was very cool. Culty. It was very culty. I don't like MLMs. They're very predatory. They take advantage of people and it's a trap. And I don't like them. But they're kind of very similar to cults in a way. They won't say that, but like the mentality, the way it's structured, it gives culty. Right. And remember when Lularoe was like first popular and everyone was hitting up, hitting you up on Facebook trying to get you to buy freaking leggings and it was like, I don't need leggings. Please, please stop. Please stop. Thank you for the suggestion. I will get right on it. And if you haven't, you should watch that documentary about Lularo. That was really good. Thank you so much for watching and hanging out with me and engaging. Keep on commenting because maybe your comment will be featured in a future episode. Hey, did you know that you can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes? Yeah. On Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can catch my murder mystery and makeup. Don't forget to subscribe because I'm always here for you. And if you didn't know, Dark History is an Audioboom original and I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good day today. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you real soon. Goodbye.