was billy curtis in the wizard of oz
The highest paying actor from the cast seems to be Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow, and Jack Haley, the Tin Man, earning $3,000 per week. Apparently they spent most of their time after work at bars and "were disorderly as hell, yelling and screaming." The Wizard of Oz | Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz , an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. A strange sequence follows in which Dorothy and her house are inside the twister and she sees various things picked up by the cone go hurtling by. Movie studios used asbestos because it was fireproof, unlike cotton, which they previously used. But you will be surprised to know Frank Morgan played five characters in the movie, including the wizard's guard. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. Ebsen claimed to have breathing problems for the rest of his life because of "that damned movie. Throughout the next few years, MGM started prescribing Garland even more pills to "control both her weight and her energy levels. All of the original three-strip Technicolor film from that period was recorded on a potentially flammable nitrate-based emulsion. A dozen monkeys seen in the foreground and in scenes where they harass the heroes were men in costume, all selected because of their slight physiques. As the group passes through the Haunted Forest, Dorothy and Toto are seized by flying monkeys who carry them away to the Witch's castle. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Judy Garland told frequently in her later. Due to this hazardous effect, the actor, Hamilton, could not consume anything while she had her green makeup on. ", In that time, the two makeup colors that studios had to be careful of were gold (because it was a concealer and closed the pores) and green (because of the copper). Sid This was back in the 1930s, so the only reason Hamilton returned to the production and didn't sue MGM's entire studio after the incident was because she knew it would ruin her acting career: "I know how this business works, and I would never work again. Born June 27, 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. (A few children were used as a well.). Billy Curtis' career thrived into the 1970s, notably with solid parts in the Clint Eastwood western High Plains Drifter (1973) and the crime-caper melodrama Little Cigars (1973), in which he had second billing as a diminutive criminal mastermind. Discover Billy Curtis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Curtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The Terror of Tiny Town (1938). Gillespie was also called in to photograph scenes in the poison poppy field, for which it was necessary to have the camera move along the ground surrounded by flowers. Sat, Jun 10 1922 Billy '", The studio rightfully ruled that it would be unacceptable to use real paint on the horses during the Emerald City scene. WebCurtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The ", She did her hair and makeup one final time, put on her nicest outfit, and took an overdose of sleeping pills. Soon after, the press stated that Temple not being cast as Dorothy was the greatest disappointment of her brief and eminently griefless career. A few decades after that, Shirley Temple commented on the fact that Judy Garland had been picked for the movie and graciously said, Sometimes the gods know best., Throughout the next few years, MGM started prescribing her even more pills to "control both her weight and her energy levels. This film was previously released on home video in a very truncated version with all the naughty bits removed. This was quite common during those times because asbestos was fireproof, and the use of cotton ceased because it was not fireproof. Others who were considered included Victor Moore, Hugh Herbert, Robert Benchley and Charles Winninger. The green makeup contained copper, which, if ingested, could prove to be fatal. What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. There's a moment in the movie where smoke comes out of the Wicked Witches' broomstick. Munchkinland Mayor. According to Danko, it "felt as though my scalp was coming off. He also appeared as Little Oscar in Oscar Mayer ads and as Buster Brown for the shoe company. Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. Maren, now 94, is the last surviving Munchkin actor. Like the silver makeup of the Tin Man, Margaret Hamilton's (The Witch of the West) green makeup was poisonous. WebThe Wizard of Oz. Dorothy flees with Toto but runs for home after talking to Professor Marvel, a fortune-teller and balloonist. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. The film's director slapped Judy Garland. To do this, she had to step on a certain part of the road and descend on an elevator. Her weight was consistently monitored too. A silent version of the book was made in 1910 by Selig Polyscope Company, which, if you want to have a look at it, is available on the internet. They tried using food coloring, "but the colors were not subtle enough." They also made several complete Technicolor features and shorts in the late 1920s and early '30s. To make this happen, a pipe was attached to the bicycle seat saddle on the broomstick, but during one of the practice runs the pipe exploded: "I felt as though my scalp was coming off. There was a lot of drama about casting over the next few years, and the part ultimately went to Judy Garland. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, makeup artist: Margaret Hamilton (uncredited), executive in charge of production (uncredited), supervising re-recording mixer (uncredited), senior special effects technician (uncredited), stereoscopic production manager (3D version 2013), managing director: stereoscopic conversion (3D version 2013), stereoscopic compositor (3D version 2013), stereo conversion producer: Prime Focus (as Scott Farrar) (3D Version 2013), stereo conversion supervisor (3D version 2013), technical support (1998 release, credited on theatrical prints only), director of global development: Prime Focus (3D version 2013), lead digital film restoration artist (2009 restoration), digital paint artist (1998 restoration) (uncredited), digital compositor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), digital paint artist: 1998 restoration (uncredited), camera operator: digital restoration (uncredited), digital production coordinator (1998 restoration) (uncredited), director of photography: visual effects unit (uncredited) / special photographic effects (uncredited), visual effects supervisor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), assistant visual effects supervisor (uncredited), lead digital compositor (1998 restoration) (uncredited), director of matte painting staff (uncredited), director of global development at prime focus (uncredited), senior stereoscopic supervisor: Prime Focus (uncredited), camera operator: visual effects unit (uncredited), roto supervisor: 3D version 2013 (uncredited), stunt double: Margaret Hamilton (uncredited), associate: Technicolor photography (as Allen Davey), still photographer: Kodachrome stills (uncredited), camera technician: Technicolor (uncredited), assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited), orchestrator: Munchkinland musical sequence (uncredited), music pre-recording supervisor (uncredited), singing voice: Lollipop Guild (uncredited), composer: original incidental music (uncredited) / conductor (uncredited), orchestral and vocal arrangments (uncredited), choreographer: scarecrow's dance (scenes deleted) (uncredited), dance stand-in: Judy Garland (uncredited), agent: Leo Feist Music Publishing (uncredited), assistant choreographer (uncredited) / assistant: Mr. Connolly (uncredited), handler: Cowardly Lion's tail (uncredited), dog owner and trainer: Terry (uncredited). Completely untrue. This proved to be a key advantage on the Oz undertaking, given the job's aggressive eight-month schedule. This article contains incorrect information, This article doesnt have the information Im looking for. The Wizard of Oz | Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. MGM wanted 10-year-old Shirley Temple instead. He stumbled upon the marking of his filing cabinet, and the last drawer was marked 'O to Z,' hence the name Oz came into being. ", After scanning, the image quality was cleaned up by the digital artists, who removed dust and dirt spots and painted out the wires used to help actor Ray Bolger to fly in the Scarecrow dance number. Subscribe for virtual tools, STEM-inspired play, The only way to do that is to compare the processed images on the computer screen to a matching frame of the source material. He was 98. "It took an aesthetic eye," he explains. Billy Curtis (Luigi Curto) was born on 27 June, 1909 in Springfield, MA, is an American film actor. Fantasy was still a hard sell in the Thirties, but it became easier in 1937 following the immense success of Walt Disney's first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The famous song 'Over the Rainbow' almost did not make it to the final cut. He told her to take the scenes seriously and get it done. Fleming was one five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz - The American Society of Cinematographers (en-US) Historical April 25, 2023 Behind the Curtain: The Wizard of Oz A cadre of creative minds infused MGMs classic fantasy with a timeless supply of movie magic. WebCurtis' big movie season was 1938-39: he was cast in The Wizard of Oz (1939) (albeit with voice dubbed by Pinto Colvig) and as the cowboy hero of the all-dwarf western The McDonalds retired the character when Billy died in 1988. After reciting this magical mantra, Dorothy awakens in her bed, surrounded by her aunt and uncle, the three farmhands who bear an uncanny resemblance to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion and Professor Marvel, whom we realize is the Wizard. Warren Newcombe headed the matte painting section, where he and his assistants produced what the studio called "Newcombe Shots.". ", Sidney Luft, Judy's ex-husband, wrote in his memoir that Garland, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. As she arrives, a tornado hits the house. Here are some creepy facts about the Wizard of Oz. ", Judy told biographer Paul Donnelly that they'd give her and Mickey Rooney, whom she made several pictures with, the pills "to keep us on our feet long after we were exhausted then knock us out with sleeping pills then after four hours theyd wake us up and give us the pep pills again so we could work 72 hours in a row. Other writers involved were Herman J. Mankiewicz, Irving Brecher, Robert Pirosh, George Seaton, Herbert Fields, Jack Mintz and Ogden Nash. Everything that could have gone wrong during the making of this movie DID go wrong. Upon alighting, it dissolves to reveal Glinda. Billy, all 42 of him, played the good guy sheriff (who finally arrests the bad guy and gets the girl) in 1938s Terror in Tiny Town. (At press time, that decision had yet to be made.). Your privacy is important to us. A miniature of the Kansas farm, scaled at 3/4" to 1', was built on Stage 14. Did the Wicked Witch of the West have toxic makeup on? The process was also used in other pictures of the era, such as Ziegfeld Girl, Tarzan Finds a Son! He was 98. Initially, he wanted to stop after the sixth book itself, but he had to continue writing due to financial issues. Updated February 28, 2014 at 05:00 PM EST. In the beginning, the author could not come up with the magical land that Dorothy is swept onto. Jack Young, one of the movie's makeup artists, revealed that the green paint that was used to cover Hamilton's body was actually toxic because it had copper in it: "Every night when I was taking off the Witch's makeup, I would make sure that her face was thoroughly clean. Half of the time we were hanging from the ceiling, but it was a way of life for us., Sid Luft, Judy's third husband, wrote in his memoir that Judy, "unlike other actresses, could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan. The actors of the film had to dress up in costumes that were tormenting. One of our people [Vince Roth] had worked in the MGM Labs optical department for 27 years, and he remembered an optical camera operator who had worked on those conversions. Then, MGM Studios managed to cut a deal to borrow Shirley Temple for The Wizard of Oz, the silent film. But, the things that happened behind the curtains to make all the wonderful effects come to life are surrounded by myths and speculations, some true and some false. "We wanted to provide a pristine internegative which accurately emulates the original Wizard of Oz, and provide an enduring film record for future generations to enjoy.". This was because the producers thought the song to be too slow and not interesting enough for the children, and also, the studio head Louis B was of the view that the song was depressing. The renowned Ruby Slippers were taken for free. He recovered after six weeks in the hospital, but MGM had already borrowed Jack Haley from Fox to replace him. Pacific Title/Mirage was selected by Warner Bros. to restore the black-and-white segments of The Wizard of Oz, plus the additional Scarecrow sequence, which was filmed in Technicolor. The most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. LeRoy wanted Gale Sondergaard to play the Wicked Witch as a glamorous villainess, but the studio chiefs overruled him, demanding a traditional witch. The physical and verbal abuse that Garland went through on and off set was absolutely wild. Interesting, isn't it? Feiner opted to make a contact liquid-gate dupe negative of the fine-grain IP, which eliminated the worst of the abrasions and emulsion digs. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Encouraged by stock company actress Shirley Booth to take a little person role in a stage production, Curtis soon became a professional actor, with numerous Broadway musical productions to his credit. Just 4 feet 11.5 inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen., In the memoir Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland, Sidney Luft revealed that a lot of the older male Munchkin actors were "naughty." Scroll to Crew. The most interesting fact is he framed the pencil that L. Frank Baum used to write the book. Amen. ", She spent six weeks recuperating in the hospital and at home. The only remaining copies were protection fine-grain intermediates made by MGM Labs in 1960. But the costumes were so unhandy.". I will return to work on one condition no more fireworks! During the process, one of the trap doors was stuck; consequently, Hamilton received second-degree burns on her face and third-degree burns on her hands. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. The Harold Arlen/E. A commercial artist from Massachusetts, Newcombe entered the movie field in 1922 by producing an art film entitled The Enchanted City. At 79 years old, Billy Curtis height , money, salary, income, and assets. After reading about some interesting Wizard of Oz facts, including the story around the Tin Man dance, also check out wind vane facts and world bank facts. The front-projection process used today had not been developed at that time, but the close-up registered effectively on the steam in one of the larger projected images that had been attempted in color. Jungle Moon Men. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. A tornado whisks young Kansas native Dorothy and her dog Toto away to the magical land of Oz, where they befriend a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion on their journey to visit the wonderful Wizard of Oz in this beloved classic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reporting on what you care about. In 1913, Baum founded the Oz Film Company in Hollywood and made three Land of Oz features, all of which failed. But green makeup was toxic. What follows is a long journey in search of a wizard who grants wishes, accompanied by a Scarecrow in need of a brain, the Tin Woodman who wishes for a heart and a Cowardly Lion, longing for courage. ", The images were stored on the high-speed disk array for display at 2K resolution. WebLearn more about the full cast of The Wizard of Oz with news, photos, videos and more at TV Guide. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing. ", The restoration team at Pacific Title/Mirage tackled the task of restoring Oz with missionary zeal, which Feiner attributes to the company's deep roots in the industry. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. The Wizard of Oz | Casting Garland was a risk, but no one ever doubted her voice. Chances are that no film has been seen by more people than The Wizard of Oz. When Jack Haley replaced him, they started using a safer aluminum paste as makeup. The Wizard of Oz | Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich, who became the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland. Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, it tells of Dorothy and her fantasy trip to the land of Oz where witches, scarecrows, lions and talking trees all exist. The wires had to be kept taut because kinks caused them to break. WebThe Wizard of Oz Minor Cast Members View source This partial list of the minor cast in the 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz includes extras and stand-ins and stunt players. Wizard also presented many problems not previously encountered in three-strip photography because of its numerous special effects scenes. FAQ. Hal Rosson, ASC was director of photography, with Allen B. Davey, ASC serving as Technicolor cinematographer. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages.
