The Making of the Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power in the Prime of MGM
by Aljean Harmetz
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Description
Released in conjunction with the 75th-anniversary DVD release of The Wizard of Oz, this book is the definitive story of how one of America's most beloved movies was made and a marvelous, unprecedented examination of how Hollywood used to make movies. This updated edition includes numerous photos and shares hundreds of interviews with cameramen, screenwriters, costume designers, directors, producers, light technicians, actors, and more to reveal how the factory-like Hollywood system of show more moviemaking miraculously produced one of the most enduring films ever made. From the scandalous headlines of Munchkin orgies at the Culver City Hotel and the Witch's (accidental) burning to the building of the Emerald City and the sewing of nearly 1,000 costumes, The Making of The Wizard of Oz provides a richly detailed re-creation of MGMs production No. 1060 and a detail-by-detail, department-by-department look at the most powerful and flamboyant studio Hollywood has ever known. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I'm obsessed with this movie. If you are as well, this is a MUST READ. Great fin. Lots of great insights from the actual stars of the movie. It was written in 1977, so many of the stars were stil alive to provide stories, comments and inside details about the behind the scenes goings on.
A fun, fun read.
A fun, fun read.
Who am I, Erin Zona? Jk. I only read three chapters but they were great chapters: munchkins, special effects, and accidents. No mention of that munchkin suicide, must be a coverup.
GREAT CONDITION!
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Author Information
6 Works 746 Members
Aljean Harmetz is the author of The Making of The Wizard of Oz, as well as numerous other film-related books. A former journalist for the New York Times, she lives in Los Angeles
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1977
- People/Characters
- Harold Arlen; Ray Bolger; Victor Fleming; Arthur Freed; Clark Gable; Judy Garland (show all 16); Jack Haley; Margaret Hamilton; E. Y. "Yip" Harburg; Bert Lahr; Noel Langley; Mervyn LeRoy; Louis B. Mayer; Frank Morgan; Irving Thalberg; Toto
- Related movies
- The Wizard of Oz (1939 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To
Richard S Harmetz - First words
- Preface [not in all editions]
It has been fifty years since The Wizard of Oz reached theaters and nearly fifteen years since I took my first frightened steps down the Yellow Brick Road.
Chapter 1.
The Studio, 1938
In the fall of 1937, either Mervyn LeRoy or Arthur Freed persuaded Louis B. Mayer to buy The Wizard of Oz. That much, and only that much, is certain.
Introduction [by Margaret Hamilton]
I opened the package with keen anticipation and there it was, page upon page, the book I had been waiting and longing for -- The Making of THE WIZARD OF OZ. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Chapter Eleven, After Oz - Yet perhaps in the end the movies are less emphemeral than the men and women who made them. Nominated for Best Picture of 1939 were Dark Victory; Gone With the Wind; Goodbye Mr. Chips; Love Affair; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Ninotchka; Of Mice and Men; Stagecoach; Wuthering Heights -- and The Wizard of Oz.
- Blurbers
- Champlin, Charles; Reed, Rex
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 791.4372
- Canonical LCC
- PN1997.W593
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 791.4372 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Movies, TV, Video Motion pictures, radio, television, podcasting Motion pictures Films; screenplays Single films
- LCC
- PN1997 .W593 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Drama Motion pictures Plays, scenarios, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 314
- Popularity
- 101,192
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.16)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 4
