The Biggest ‘Wizard of Oz’ Rumor That Isn’t True
What To Know
- Victoria Calamito, a leading Wizard of Oz historian, debunks persistent rumors about the 1939 film, including the false claim that someone died on set, clarifying that the supposed incident was actually a bird in the background.
- Calamito also refutes the myth that Judy Garland had a miserable experience making the film, emphasizing that it was a joyful and pivotal moment in Garland’s early career.
- Through her collection, online content, and TV appearances, Calamito aims to preserve the film’s legacy and inspire new generations to embrace The Wizard of Oz as an American tradition.
Host of “The Oz Vlog,” Victoria Calamito, is one of the leading authorities on all things The Wizard of Oz. She talks to ReMIND Magazine about her road to becoming an Oz authority and corrects the biggest rumors on the 1939 movie and more.
Growing up in Poughkeepsie, New York, Calamito was first introduced to the 1939 classic starring Judy Garland by her grandmother when was a tot. She was told, as it’s hard to remember anything when you are just 2, that she sat watching the film completely mesmerized, so it was no surprise that she soon started her Oz collection at just 9.
“I just became absolutely enamored and then started creating online content 20 years ago when YouTube was new and found out that there’s a whole bunch of people all over the world who are just as fascinated as I am,” she shares.
Her first collectible was — a Dave Grossman Snow Globe, which has a little figure of Glinda and Dorothy inside and plays “Over the Rainbow” — was given to her on her ninth birthday. She also received what cash she got from her birthday to buy “even more Oz merch from the Franklin Mint Magazine. … I found that being surrounded by this film gave me so much comfort and delight that I wanted as much as possible.”
Calamito will share her vast collection of memorabilia and knowledge on the Oz universe on Collector’s Call (Sunday, Sept. 27 at 6:30pm on MeTV).
MeTV
She is beyond enthusiastic about MeTV bringing back The Wizard of Oz to broadcast TV, as well. “Broadcast television is one of the things that solidified The Wizard of Oz as an American tradition back in 1956 when it started airing on TV,” she adds. “It was a neighborhood event, and everyone would find the one person in the neighborhood with a color television and gather around to watch. So, bringing this tradition back in this way is really special. … My hope is that we’ll get some brand-new Oz fans who will start gathering around the television with their families and re-kickstart, reignite this American tradition.
We asked the historian what’s the biggest thing that people get wrong about 1939’s The Wizard of Oz and the following is what she shared.
Everett Collection
The death rumor about The Wizard of Oz is wrong!
“The biggest thing that people get wrong is that someone took their own life on the set of The Wizard of Oz,” Calamito tells. “In the VHS tape era, when the first tape came out in 1980, it was confusing. There’s a moment as Dorothy and the Tin Man and Scarecrow are skipping off into the forest. It looks like there’s something in the background. And on those blurry televisions with those old tapes, it’s hard to make out what it is. But it’s actually a sarus crane [exotic birds were brought on the set] … that poor crane has been miscast as someone taking their own life for decades.”
Calamito shares that there are photographs of the director with the bird, where you can see the bird in every single version of the film, despite the rumor that on the first VHS tape it’s there and they removed it. “I have the first one and it’s definitely still a bird,” she defends.
Everett Collection
The rumors about Judy Garland are wrong!
“The other pervasive rumor is that Judy Garland had a miserable time making The Wizard of Oz and that this was the beginning of her downfall. I feel like it’s really important to correct the record because this was one of her first major films,” Calamito adds. “This was her breakout role. She had been in a couple of things on the radio, but this was her star turn, and she was thrilled to be a part of it. And it was a happy time in her life.”
“These rumors that she was pulling 72 hour days at this point in her career and that she was living on cigarettes are absolute nonsense. … I would like folks to remember that she was still a kid, and she was still really excited to be where she was. That’s not to say that she did not suffer atrocities under the patriarchal system of the studio system, but this was still a moment of real bliss and awe at what she was going through.”
Everett Collection
Everything was shot indoors!
So those poppies weren’t real?
“Those poppies were made by the studio [and spanned more than an acre and a half on one of MGM’s largest soundstages]. All of the sets were indoors on soundstages, despite the fact that it looks like those sets go on and on forever. They shot absolutely every shot of The Wizard of Oz indoors, including Kansas. They did consider going to Kansas to film a real tornado, but they decided to use movie magic instead. And I think the effects are still incredible. When I watch it even now, I’m still in awe of how brilliant it still looks and how effective the special effects still are. Those poppies look real, like they grew straight out of the studio floor. And that just speaks to the craftsmanship and a callback to an age before CGI and before AI.”
Where to watch The Wizard of Oz?
MeTV’s Oz spectacular kicks off Sunday, Sept. 27 with a magical episode of Collector’s Call at 6:30/5:30c, followed by an Angela Lansbury-hosted special on the making of The Wizard of Oz!
The Wizard of Oz premieres on Friday, MeTV Oct. 2 at 7/6p, and is presented by Facts of Life star and Collector’s Call host Lisa Whelchel. Encore presentations will air Monday, Oct. 12 at 7/6c and Sunday, Oct. 25 at 11a/10am and 5:30/4:30c.
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April 2024
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