19 rare photos from 'The Wizard of Oz'

Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, and Bert Lahr in 'The Wizard of Oz'. Photo:
Courtesy Everett Collection

There's nothing quite like seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time. Adapted from L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film's vivid characters, earworm musical numbers, and stunning transition from black and white to color have captured the imaginations of generations of viewers.

The making of the classic fantasy musical has been well-documented, from the frequently changing directors to the revelation that "Over the Rainbow" was almost cut. The behind-the-scenes stories can sometimes be as fascinating as the film itself.

EW has gathered 19 rare images from The Wizard of Oz, from the casting process to production to the film's blockbuster release in 1939.

Margaret Hamilton on the roof

Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, Jack Haley, and Margaret Hamilton behind the scenes of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Margaret Hamilton, on the roof, awaits her cue while Jack Haley's Tin Man has a heart-to-heart with Dorothy and the Scarecrow.

Meeting the Cowardly Lion

Jack Haley, Judy Garland, and Ray Bolger filming 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The trio (plus Toto, whose real name was Terry) approaches the Cowardly Lion's hunting grounds.

Judy Garland's screen test

Judy Garland, 16, was initially considered too old and too tall for Dorothy. MGM wanted 10-year-old Shirley Temple instead.

Ray Bolger's screen test

Ray Bolger was initially approached to play the Tin Man, but he lobbied hard to play the rubber-legged Scarecrow.

Jack Haley's screen test

Jack Haley was the last one to join the cast. He replaced Buddy Ebsen two weeks into filming after the original Tin Man fell ill from the character's aluminum dust makeup.

Bert Lahr's screen test

Bert Lahr was a vaudeville star famous for playing anxious and neurotic comic characters. He was perfect for the Cowardly Lion.

Frank Morgan's screen test

Frank Morgan got the role of the Wizard after W.C. Fields demanded too much money. Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan played him as a frightened little humbug.

Flying monkeys

Winged monkey screen test. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

The men who were hired to play the winged monkeys were attached to "bat wings" and a small motor suited to power windshield-wipers.

Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich's screen test

Harry Earles, Jerry Maren, and Jackie Gerlich were cast as the Lollipop Guild kids in Munchkinland.

Margaret Hamilton's screen test

Margaret Hamilton was a character actress who played a lot of housemaids. Her performance as the Wicked Witch would frighten generations of children, who routinely cowered when they met her in person.

Victor Fleming directing Judy Garland and Ray Bolger

Victor Fleming, shown here consulting with Garland and Bolger on set, was one of five directors who worked on Oz, but he left before it finished to take over Gone With the Wind. The other directors who worked on The Wizard of Oz were Norman Taurog (during pre-production and Technicolor tests), Richard Thorpe (two weeks of production), George Cukor (who didn't shoot anything, but made some creative choices that stayed in the film), and King Vidor (who finished the movie after Fleming left to shoot Gone With the Wind).

Victor Fleming directing Billy Curtis, Judy Garland, and Charlie Becker

Victor Fleming directing Billy Curtis and Charlie Becker behind the scenes on 'The Wizard of Oz' — Victor Fleming working with actors Billy Curtis, Judy Garland, and Charlie Becker on 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Fleming is shown here with actors Billy Curtis (left), Judy Garland, and Charlie Becker (right) on the Munchkinland set. Stories of randy Munchkinland behavior, like the anecdotes Garland told frequently in her later years, were more publicity than reality.

Ray Bolger with Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney with Ray Bolger. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Bolger mugs with Mickey Rooney, the MGM star of the Andy Hardy movies who was Garland's frequent costar.

Filming the opening credits

The MGM Optical Department photographing the opening credits of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

The MGM Optical Department photographed the film's titles.

Judy Garland in the studio

Judy Garland in the recording studio for 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Casting Garland was a risk, but no one ever doubted her voice. Curiously, her signature song, "Over the Rainbow," was nearly cut from the film.

Editor Blanche Sewell

Blanche Sewell, editor of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

Blanche Sewell edited The Wizard of Oz, an enormous responsibility considering all the scenes that were ultimately discarded. Sewell edited a number of films from the 1920s through the 1940s with her last project being 1949’s Take Me Out to the Ball Game before her death at age 50 on Feb. 2 that same year.

Producer Mervyn LeRoy

Producer Mervyn LeRoy helped persuade MGM's Louis B. Mayer to acquire the rights to L. Frank Baum's book and played a crucial role in the casting of the characters.

The first public showing at Loew's Capitol Theater

'The Wizard of Oz' opening day at Loew's Capitol Theater in New York. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

The film opened in New York City on Aug. 17, 1939. With Garland and Rooney hosting screenings at Loew's Capitol Theater — a movie palace on Broadway and 51st Street above Times Square — it set house records.

The Los Angeles premiere at Grauman's Theater

'The Wizard of Oz' Grauman's Theater premiere in Los Angeles. Digitized by the Margaret Herrick Library Digital Studio

The west-coast premiere of The Wizard of Oz was at Grauman's Theater in Los Angeles on Aug. 15, 1939. Though the film opened strong, it wouldn't earn its money back until 1948.

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