Inside Wizard of Oz’s ‘cursed’ set – cast on fire, poisoned make-up, and asbestos

It’s been more than 80 years since the release of The Wizard of Oz hit the big screen which cemented Judy Garland in the Hollywood Hall of Fame.

The best-selling movie – which was released in the same year that World War II broke out – earned numerous awards including two Oscars including one for Best Original Score and its classic song ‘Over the Rainbow’.

It’s fair to say the beloved film has become known as one of the earliest major Technicolour pictures to hit the screens thanks to the staggering budget for the film.

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But the production was anything other than easy, with many branding the film set “cursed” which has sent fans wild with conspiracy theories online.

As Arianna Grande and Jonathan Bailey take on the leading roles in the upcoming 2024 film adaptation of Wicked, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside the haunted production set.

Asbestos on set

The children’s classic was filmed way before computer-generated special effects like we see in blockbusters today.

This meant filmmakers needed to get creative in order to capture the beautiful scene of the group falling asleep amongst the poppies as it snowed in the height of summer.

Instead of using real snow, executives reportedly decided to use chrysotile asbestos, otherwise known as carcinogens – cancer-causing substances.

The deadly substances surrounded the cast that, if inhaled, could increase the risk of several serious diseases including lung cancer.

Cast on fire

But the dangers didn’t end there, after Margaret Hamilton – who played the Wicked Witch of the West – suffered some devastating injuries while shooting.

In the film, the witch disappears in a flash of smoke which the crew had practiced repeatedly with real flames before she exited the stage via the stage door.

But when they filmed the scene, the trapdoor’s drop got delayed and allowed the flames to catch onto her dress before she had time to exit safely.

Hamilton is said to have suffered severe burns on her face and hand with her eyelashes and eyebrows on her right eye completely burnt off and the skin completely burnt off her hand.

The studio reportedly refused to send her home early, leaving her with no option but to call her friend to pick her up after they finished filming.

But their make-do and mend attitude didn’t end there when the director allegedly called the actress the next day to ask her when she would be returning to set.

It took Hamilton six weeks to recover from her injuries and even after she returned to the studio, the actress was forced to wear green gloves instead of make-up because the nerves in her hands were still exposed due to the burns.

Her bad fortune didn’t end there, when Hamilton’s stunt double Betty Danko also caught on fire while filming a scene on the witch’s broomstick.

This time, the pipe generating smoke from the broomstick exploded while Danko was on it, and she suffered severe burns and permanent scarring from the incident.

Poisoned by make-up

The Wicked Witch of the West wasn’t the only actor who was forced to wear a lot of makeup on the filmset, who also faced their own battles with the costume.

Loyal fans will remember the eccentric tin man who was looking for a heart on his journey down the yellow brick road.

But in order to achieve the silver, metallic look actor Buddy Ebsen was painted with pure aluminium who played the original Tin Man.

It didn’t take long before the actor was hospitalised after frequently ingesting the make-up after waking up one night with severe cramping in his hands, arms and legs as well as difficulty breathing.

The star had only been filming the Wizard of Oz for nine days when he was hospitalised and had to spend two weeks in an oxygen tent due to the aluminium dust in his makeup.

Similarly to Margaret Hamilton, movie bosses reportedly demanded that he return to work.

When he was unable to return to set, producers replaced him with actor Jack Haley making sure to use different make-up that didn’t contain pure aluminium.

Despite the changes, Jack also suffered from a severe eye infection due to the products they used to paint him bright silver each day.

Director ‘slapped movie star’

Things weren’t quite so peachy for lead Judy Garland either, who was only 16 years old at the time of filming.

Throughout her time shooting, the starlet was reportedly forced to go on a strict diet and take “pep pills” to control her appetite in order to stay slim and stay in shape during the shoot.

But that wasn’t the only horrible experience she had while filming, after the director of the film Victor Fleming is said to have slapped her on set.

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It is reported that the assault happened because of her inability to complete a scene without giggling with her co-stars.

Fans may also not know that despite being the lead in the film, Judy reportedly made the second lowest salary out of the cast, earning only slightly more than than her canine co-star who played Toto.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk