The Cowardly Lion’s costume was made of real lion skin [38]. The Tin Man’s makeup originally caused actor Jack Haley a severe eye infection [20]. Themes & Lessons
The production was notoriously difficult, involving five different directors and numerous on-set accidents [3, 43].
A central theme is that the qualities the characters sought (brains, heart, courage) were already within them [1, 12, 27].
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is widely considered one of the most influential and watched movies in history [31]. It is famous for its transition from sepia-toned Kansas to the vibrant Technicolor land of Oz [30, 39].
After a tornado hits Kansas, farm girl and her dog Toto are transported to the magical Land of Oz [28, 30]. To return home, Dorothy must follow the Yellow Brick Road to find the Wizard in the Emerald City [28]. Along the way, she befriends a Scarecrow (seeking a brain), a Tin Man (seeking a heart), and a Cowardly Lion (seeking courage) while evading the Wicked Witch of the West [28, 30]. Production & Technical Achievements
The film's popularity exploded after its first television broadcast in 1956, becoming a cherished family tradition [26, 31, 42]. Director Victor Fleming (among others) Budget $2.8 million Box Office $25.6 million Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr
The film is celebrated for its deep psychological and societal layers [1, 17, 32].
Though not the first color film, it is iconic for its "three-strip" Technicolor process [10, 39]. The transition from sepia to color was a groundbreaking visual spectacle at the time [26, 35].