Show notes
According to the Library of Congress, The Wizard of Oz is the most viewed film in the history of motion pictures. Still photo with the Wizard of Oz' major characters Most of the other roles were plugged in with various MGM contract players or veteran character actors who got salaries lasting only a few weeks. Ray Bolger was initially asked to play the Tin Man although he had his heart set on the Scarecrow. Buddy Ebsen didn’t really care who he played and his agreement to swap roles with Bolger and play the Tin Man had dire consequences. A second tier actor Bert Lahr, better known for his Broadway comedic ability was cast as the Cowardly Lion. Publicity photo of Toto (Terry) and Judy Garland The dog, Toto, depicted by Denslow seemed a straightforward small terrier but finding such an animal able to function in a soundstage environment amidst the typical commotion, lighting and sound effects became a formidable project in itself. Dozens of visually suitable dogs were auditioned by LeRoy personally, none were even close to what the role technically required. This process grew so unproductive that consideration was even given to dressing up an actor in a dog costume. Finally, a professional dog trainer with previous experience providing animals to the motion picture industry heard about this unique talent search. Carl Spitz was a German immigrant operating a ten acre kennel, dog boarding and training facility in the San Fernando Valley who occasionally padded his income with a movie role for one of his own trained pets. The St. Bernard used in Clark Gable’s 1933 Call of the Wild was to date Spitz’ most famous canine movie star. Upon hearing about MGM’s difficulty in finding just the right animal, Spitz took a gamble on a small female Cairn terrier he owned named Terry. Initially a dog dropped off by a customer for traditional training, Spitz kept the dog when the patron couldn’t afford to pay the bill and never came back to retrieve the animal. Terry was so shy that Spitz figured he could never train it to work in films but, in 1934, an MGM director familiar with Spitz’ kennel was desperate enough to try and use Terry in a Shirley Temple film. The dog performed beautifully and appeared in several subsequent movies but Spitz wasn’t sure the small, still somewhat timid animal could handle such a massive production. Upon entering MGM studios with the dog, Spitz was immediately escorted to the Thalberg building, where the entire pre-production crew was attempting to get the Wizard of Oz into filming as quickly as possible. Terry was practically cast on sight, with Spitz using non-verbal commands to get what became America’s most famous Cairn terrier through its usual tricks. Spitz’ only regret was that he did not realize how desperate MGM was, agreeing to a weekly salary of a mere $125 a week. Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow Bolger’s wrinkled burlap face was provided by a specially molded rubber mask that covered his head and neck with the exception of his nose, mouth and eyes. The mask had to be glued on daily, makeup then manually added to his visible nose and mouth. This process took two hours, necessitating Bolger’s studio arrival at 6:15 AM. Bert Lahr as The Cowardly Lion Lahr’s lion costume and makeup was even worse. The padded body suit he wore weighed ninety pounds, prosthetic devices were glued to his face that prevented him from eating anything that...