Today marks the 71st anniversary of the classic film The Wizard of Oz. And to celebrate, Google made a Google doodle in the movie's honor. While the film had its big Hollywood premiere on August 15, 1939, it actually debuted on Aug. 12 in one theater in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
In honor of the Google doodle, Guardian UK (H/T MTV Movies Blog) has a list of 71 facts about the film. Here are some of the highlights:
3) Judy Garland's white dress was actually pink as it was easier to shoot in Technicolor.
27) Judy Garland won an Oscar Juvenile Award in 1939 for her role; a gong she would later refer to as the Munchkin award.
31) The fire that engulfs the Witch's hands as she's trying to remove the ruby slippers is actually apple juice spewing out of the shoes – the film was then sped up to make it look more like fire.
37) The head winged monkey is called Nikko – also the name of the Japanese town home to the shrine featuring the Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil monkeys.
55) When George Cukor started as the director, Garland wore a blond wig and heavy, "baby-doll" makeup. Cukor changed Judy Garland's and Margaret Hamilton's makeup and costumes and instructed Garland to act more naturally, necessitating wholescale reshoots.
Also from the list: four lines from the movie made Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Lines: "There's no place like home" (No 11), "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" (No 24), "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" (No 62), and "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" (No 99).
The visually striking film starred Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley, and was based on the children's novel by L. Frank Baum. The Wizard of Oz was nominated for several Academy Awards in 1939, including Best Picture, but lost in that category to Gone with the Wind. The film did, however, win Best Song for Over the Rainbow.
On a more serious note, we here at Poster Revolution lost a great man today. Double H, you will be missed.
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