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PHOTO GALLERIES
Here are some Ozzy galleries that include studio portraits, photos taken during production, outtakes, and more. Of course, there are many other photos throughout all of the pages so be sure to check those out, too.
The first photos to appear in the newspapers are these two which appeared within days of each other in mid-February 1939. The production was just finishing principal filming, and these photos were the first given exclusively to columnists to give the public a peek at how the characters looked.
The second photo ended up being an outtake. It shows the Tin Man upset over hurting one of the bees that the Wicked Witch created when she made him a beehive. It was planned to have animated bees added in post-production. The scene ended up with just the fireball thrown at the Scarecrow.
Rare photos from The Wizard of Oz are quite collectible and sometimes sell for high prices in the collector’s market.
In 2022, the ultra-rate photo shown below left was was shared with The Judy Room by Carol H. We shared it on social media and it spread like wildfire. That’s not surprising. It’s one of very few really good photos of Judy on the set while Dorothy was still a blonde, wearing a different dress and different Ruby Slippers.
Below right: A great example of a perfectly wonderful photo that for some reason is hard to find in 8×10 format, even though it was used in the MGM Records gatefold edition of the soundtrack album in the 1960s & 70s. For unknown reasons, MGM simply didn’t send out many copies of it.
The fact that such excitement is generated for things like this is a great example of the enduring popularity of the film and the enduring love that people still have for it. Hopefully more selfless collectors will come forward and share what they have for everyone to enjoy.
The Story of The Wizard of Oz as Told With MGM Promotional Photos
Not every scene in the film has a matching MGM promotional photo(s). The studio usually took promotional photos during dress rehearsals, and many times from angles not seen in the film. It’s unknown why certain scenes have many corresponding promotional photos while others have just a few or none at all.
The following gallery is not complete. Maybe one day it will be. There are some promotional photos that are very rare and little if ever seen, while others are simply hard to find in high quality versions. I’ll keep adding to this gallery as I obtain more.
Note that the color photos here are not colorized, they’re true color Kodachrome photos. The Kodachrome process (first available in 1935), was not used often, due to the expense and difficulty of use, but it was the best color format for stills and was also used for some cinematography.
Enjoy!
Natalie and Dorothy
December 2, 1939: Judy and her sister Sue visited a young girl in the hospital in Santa Ana, California. According to the papers, the girl, Natalie Norris, was recuperating from “a major operation.” The details of the operation were not given. Her condition was critical for several days and at one point she had a “nightmare of delirium” in which she thought she was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Her doctor thought a call from Judy would help her recovery.
A visit was arranged by MGM, with Judy gifting the girl a set of photos (two signed by Judy as “Dorothy”), a doll, some books, and a special performance of “Over the Rainbow” by Judy to the girl. The story was picked up by several columnists and was mentioned as late as early 1940.
The photos given to the girl have recently been discovered. These are the only known surviving Oz promotional photos that Judy signed as “Dorothy.”
A huge thank you to Chris in Los Angeles for discovering these photos and bringing them to The Judy Room. Thanks Chris!
MGM Promotional Portraits
On November 5, 1938, Judy Garland and Terry (Toto) posed for the first studio portrait session for the film. The photos were taken by MGM photo gallery chief Clarence Sinclair. Garland was sporting her newly revamped look as Dorothy with the braids. You can see they’re a tad longer than they would look later when she posed with Toto again in. The second, third, and fourth photos below show an un-retouched image, the retouched version, and a version that shows how newspapers of the time would mark directly on photos for printing (cropping, removing backgrounds with what looks like whiteout, etc). No Photoshop back then!
On January 20, 1939, Bert Lahr posed for some portraits. On January 28, 1939, Garland posed for a few pics with Toto and holding the blank board as well as the pic of her reading the original Baum book. On February 25, 1939, the main cast had an extensive session posing in various combinations of solo and group shots. These photos were used for a wide variety of promotions ranging from magazine and newspaper ads to posters, lobby cards, cigarette cards, and much more from 1939 all the way up to the 80th anniversary of the film, and no doubt beyond.
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