The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved films in Hollywood history. It is also one of the most cursed. Behind the Technicolor magic and the yellow brick road lies a production so nightmarish that it nearly killed its cast. Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West, suffered third-degree burns when a fire effect went wrong during her exit scene—her copper-based green makeup melted into her skin, and she was hospitalized for six weeks. Her stunt double, Betty Danko, was permanently scarred when the pipe she was sitting on exploded, leaving her legs disfigured for life. Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, was hospitalized for two weeks after the aluminum dust in his makeup coated his lungs, nearly killing him. Jack Haley, his replacement, spent every day with his face covered in silver paste and his body trapped in a stiff costume he couldn't sit or lie down in. Bert Lahr, the Cowardly Lion, wore a suit made of real lion skin and padding so heavy it was "like carrying a mattress around," and the rubber face glued to his head prevented him from eating solid food—he sipped lunch through a straw. Judy Garland, just 16, was forced into a binding corset to flatten her bust and make her look 12, subjected to a diet of chicken soup and black coffee, and allegedly sexually harassed by studio executives during production. The set was so hot—over 38°C (100°F)—that actors fainted regularly, and the "snow" in the poppy field scene was made of asbestos. The Exorcist, released 34 years later, would earn a similar reputation. The production was plagued by accidents, fires, and a string of deaths that convinced cast and crew the film was cursed. Ellen Burstyn suffered a permanent spinal injury when a harness jerked her violently during the scene where her possessed daughter throws her across the room—her genuine scream of pain was kept in the final cut. Linda Blair injured her back when a mechanical bed malfunctioned during the levitation scenes. The set burned down—completely destroying Regan's bedroom—and the cause was never determined. Jack MacGowran, who played Burke Dennings, died of pneumonia a week after finishing his scenes. Vasiliki Maliaros, who played Father Karras's mother, died shortly after filming. Max von Sydow's brother died on the first day of shooting. Linda Blair's grandfather died during production. Jason Miller's young son was struck by a speeding motorbike and briefly hospitalized. A night watchman was shot to death. A cameraman's wife lost her baby. A carpenter severed his thumb. Another crew member lost a toe. At least nine deaths were connected to the film, and the cast and crew began to believe the devil himself was fighting back. Mercedes McCambridge, who voiced the demon, swallowed raw eggs, chain-smoked, and was tied to a chair with torn sheets around her neck and limbs to achieve the sound of a demon in torment. Whether you call it a curse or simply the brutal reality of 1930s and 1970s Hollywood, one thing is certain: both films demanded a price from the people who made them. And both remain, decades later, the most chilling examples of what happens when art demands everything from those who create it. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beauty-and-the-beasts--7264220/support.
