Podcast Episode Details

Even the magical slippers, a major plot device in both the novel and film are changed from silver to ruby, to take advantage of the Technicolor film process used for the Wizard of Oz.

Judy Garland faced challenges of a different kind.  Playing the part of a twelve year old required that any appearance of breasts were eliminated by a constrictive corset that forcibly flattened her chest.  Between her mother and the studio, every aspect of Judy’s life was choreographed especially when it came to diet.  She was encouraged to smoke tobacco and drink coffee, practices that inhibited appetite.  Her mother had already exposed her to amphetamines at a young age, again as a diet inhibitor and energy booster. 

Another production challenge was the preparation and choreography of the Munschkinland scenes, frequently involving over a hundred individuals.  One blessing was that besides Judy Garland and Billie Burke who played Glinda, all of the other voices were lip synched and ultimately recorded by several voiceover artists associated with Disney productions. Their voices were then sped up to varying degrees to get the appropriate sound for a tiny person.