The pipe on the broom exploded on the third take and caught fire.Ī final cast member who suffered great pain was the leading girl Judy Garland, who played Dorothy. However, she was severely burned during the sequence. Of course, she refused, and so a stunt double, Betty Danko, performed the scene. However, on her first day back on set, Hamilton was asked to film the “Surrender Dorothy” scene, which would involve her sitting on a broom with smoke-based fireworks pouring out from the back. I will return to work on one condition – no more fireworks!”. The fire used for effects caught onto Hamilton, who was hospitalised for six weeks.Īfter recovery, the actress stated, “I won’t sue, because I know how this business works, and I would never work again. This was due to the trap door used for the entrance and exit, having a delayed drop to eliminate the brief glimpse of it seen in the final edit. During her iconic first scene, which shows her having a fiery exit from Munchkinland, Hamilton suffered a second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand. Margaret Hamilton - who played the Wicked Witch of the West- experienced two serious harmful incidents during her time on set. However, this attempt didn’t run completely smoothly as Harley developed an infection in his right eye that needed medical attention, but it ended up being treatable.Įbsen and Harley were not the only cast members who suffered injuries during filming. Fortunately, the studio learned from the terrible case of Ebsen and instead of using straight aluminium powder, the makeup artists mixed it into a paste. The filmmakers then replaced Ebsen with Jack Haley for the role of the Tin Man. It wasn’t until he was ordered back to the set and was intercepted by an angry nurse that the studio took his health seriously. The actor claimed that the MGM studio heads ignored his claims he was ill as they refused to believe him. To make matters worse, Ebsen revealed a shocking detail in an interview included on the 2005 DVD release of The Wizard of Oz. This was revealed to be due to the makeup being made of pure aluminium dust. He soon became so ill he had to drop out and be hospitalised. However, upon applying the character’s makeup, he was essentially poisoned by it and started to experience body aches, muscle cramps, and shortness of breath. Buddy Ebsen, known for his musical appearance in Captain January, was originally cast in the role of the Tin Man. The first technical issues surrounding the shooting involved makeup and character design. The alleged curses surrounding The Wizard of Oz have negotiated its status in film history since they demonstrate how studios of the time mistreated their cast and crew for the sake of achieving art. However, its history and success cannot conceal the damaging and dangerous incidents on set while filming.

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