The Wizard of Oz (1939): The Deleted Scene That Explains the Witch's Strangest Line

20 Surprising Stories Behind The Wizard of Oz

The video explores behind-the-scenes stories and loose ends from The Wizard of Oz, including the explanation for one of the Witch’s puzzling lines: “I’ve sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them.”

The insect was the Jitterbug, a magical bug whose bite made Dorothy and her friends dance until they were exhausted. The song-and-dance sequence took five weeks to rehearse and film and cost about $80,000, but it was cut after the first preview. The footage is lost, though a recording and a short silent rehearsal film survive. The Witch’s line remained in the movie even after the Jitterbug was removed.

Production Stories and Film Oddities

• Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers were silver in L. Frank Baum’s book. The script changed them to red for the Technicolor film.
• MGM considered Shirley Temple for Dorothy, but Judy Garland got the part. Garland’s first filming days even featured a blonde wig, until George Cukor advised her to play Dorothy as a simple Kansas girl.
• Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, was hospitalized after inhaling aluminum powder from his makeup. Jack Haley replaced him, though Ebsen’s voice can still be heard in a song recording.
• Margaret Hamilton was badly burned during a fiery Witch scene. Her stunt double was later injured when a smoking broomstick exploded.
• Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion costume was made from real lion skins and weighed between 60 and 100 pounds. It eventually sold at auction for more than $3 million.
• The story that the “snow” in the poppy-field scene was made from asbestos may be wrong: a makeup artist recalled that it was crushed gypsum. Asbestos was used elsewhere, including in Ray Bolger’s Scarecrow costume.
• The color-changing Emerald City horse was sponged with powdered dessert jelly, which the horses kept licking off.
• The tornado was a long muslin funnel moved across the stage. The flying farmhouse was a model filmed against a sky-painted floor.
• The sepia-to-color doorway effect was achieved without a cut. A stand-in in a brown dress opened the door, then Garland stepped into view wearing blue.
• Toto’s trainer earned $125 a week, reportedly more than the Munchkin performers. The supposed “hanging Munchkin” in the forest is actually a zoo bird spreading its wings.
• The Wizard’s coat supposedly had Baum’s name sewn inside. MGM promoted the story, and people who worked on the film maintained that it was true.
• The film initially lost money but later became a television favorite. One stolen pair of ruby slippers was recovered after 13 years and sold at auction in 2024 for $32.5 million, including fees.

Scenes Removed After Previews

“Over the Rainbow” was nearly cut because it slowed down the opening. Dorothy’s tearful reprise survives only as an audio recording. Other material removed from the film included:

• More of the Scarecrow’s dance
• A scene in which the Witch turns the Tin Man into a beehive
• A lengthy Emerald City parade

A cut scene also explained Dorothy’s otherwise puzzling goodbye to the Scarecrow. An early version of the story had her romantically attached to the farmhand who became the Scarecrow; the sentiment remained after that storyline was dropped.

Changes to Baum’s Story

The film changed Baum’s story by presenting Oz as a dream and inventing Kansas characters for Dorothy to encounter again. An early script also resolved the Toto subplot involving Miss Gulch and her son, but that ending never made it into the film.

Personalities Mentioned

Judy Garland, L. Frank Baum, Shirley Temple, Richard Thorpe, George Cukor, Victor Fleming, King Vidor, Ray Bolger, Buddy Ebsen, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton, Gale Sondergaard, Bert Lahr, Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Noel Langley, Mervyn LeRoy, and Frank Morgan.