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THE MARVELOUS SETS OF OZ
One of the greatest achievements of The Wizard of Oz is its marvelous sets. Let’s face it. Every set in the film is brilliantly executed and a mini-masterpiece (even though most of the sets weren’t “mini”).
The Wizard of Oz was the MGM’s first big Technicolor film. It helped that most of it took place in a fantasy world. This allowed the studio’s artisans and craftspeople to experiment. The result is that now the sets have become icons of Hollywood and icons of fantasy. The upside down test-tube look of the Emerald City, the Witch’s Castle, the talking trees, the poppy field, Munchkinland, a Kansas farm – it all started in the minds of the magicians at MGM. Their ideas morphed into sketches that morphed into blueprints then into sets and finally into our collective memories.
Below are screenshots, set stills, videos, and more that show just how marvelous these sets are.
Our friend, the super-talented, Kurt Raymond has created quite a lot of Ozzy art that he has shared with us. Much of what he has shared are also widescreen images culled from multiple screenshots, enhanced screenshots, and some are fun items such as the image here showing how the story of Oz could have ended a little sooner!
You’ll see his creations in the sections below. Immediately below is a fantastic panorama that he created in 2015.
Thanks, Kurt!
It’s hard to believe when watching the film, especially for the first time, that the Kansas scenes were all filmed on soundstages. The enormous Gale Farm set was most likely built on MGM’s soundstage #15, which was the largest of all the studio’s soundstages (Munchkinland was on the second largest, Stage 27). Stage 14 was the process shot stage, which was usually used for scenes involving rear projection. For The Wizard of Oz this included the tornado sweeping across the miniature Kansas landscape, the Witch’s skywriting, plus an unused effect of the film title on a glass ball.
Over the years an urban legend has sprung up that some of the Kansas scenes were filmed outdoors, on location. This is probably due to the fact that early in the film’s production it was reported that MGM planned to film some of the Kansas scenes on location, either in Kansas itself or at a location outside of Los Angeles. This was not feasible, especially considering the special effects needed for the tornado scenes. The two short articles shown here, published on October 30, 1938, and November 20, 1938, claim that the plans were scrapped due to logistics. When these were published, production in-house at the studio was well under way. It’s safe to assume that these stories are more fiction dreamed up by MGM’s always-busy publicity department.
Even though the Gale Farm set was one of the largest in the film, the opening shot is a combination of a part of the set and a matte painting, as seen in the triptych above. Also shown here is the set as it was readied to film that opening shot.
Below: The front of the Gale farm house was used for both the arrival of Miss Gulch and later for Dorothy’s running away from home (as seen below). Below is a set still (the Gale Farm was Set No. 01); Dorothy leaving home; Miss Gulch arriving; and a combo shot showing the use of the set for Miss Gulch arriving and Dorothy leaving.
The screenshot here gives an idea of the size of the set. Below are set design still for: The dirt mount/storm cellar with the barn and pen in the background; the barn; the back of the house; Dorothy’s bedroom; the interior of the house; the spot where Judy sings “Over the Rainbow”; and a widescreen composite showing a part of the set with the barn at the far left & the house at the far right.
The creek-side gulley where Dorothy meets Professor Marvel. The set was alter used for the paddock scene in Gone With The Wind.
Here is the wonderful blueprint for Professor Marvel’s wagon, provided by Robert Welch. Thanks, Robert!
Judy Garland and Clara Blandick posed in front of the Gale farm house. Both are in costumes not seen in the final film. The photo was used in the scene in which Professor Marvel looks in Dorothy’s basket for clues about her life.
The watercolor is a rendering by Jack Martin Smith, showing the Gale farm house being carried by two cloud cherubs. Smith created many elaborate pieces of artwork that aided in the final design of the sets. He was the Lead Sketch Artist on the film and went on to be a three-time Oscar-winning art director and production designer.
Probably the most famous set in the film, the Munchkinland set took up most of MGM’s Soundstage #27, which was the second largest soundstage on the lot. Shown here is Jack Martin Smith’s rendering of the set, which is basically what we seen on screen.
Below is a gallery that includes: An overhead shot showing some of the filming; set design stills; and screen shots that show off sections of the set as they appeared in the film.
Here is the very detailed blueprint of the Gale farm house on the Yellow Brick Road. Provided by Robert Welch. Thanks again, Robert!
Here’s another video provided by Robert Welch. The video shows the use of a gorgeous matte painting created by MGM’s Matte Painting Magician, Warren Newcombe. This was the only matte shot used in the entire Munchkinland sequence.
The Cornfield set, which was built on MGM’s soundstage 26, was the first set to be filmed. Because of this, it’s the only set built that featured the original look of the Yellow Brick Road which consisted of oval “bricks” and no curb. That’s how it looked for the “Thorpe Era” filming that was scrapped. When filming resumed after that famous short break, the look of the road was changed.
Shown here is Jack Martin Smith’s rendering of the set, which is basically what we seen on screen.
Below are a few set stills and screenshots that show the differences between the original and revised looks of the Cornfield set.
Here we see the before and after look of the set. The middle image shows director Victor Fleming with Judy and Ray.
The Tin Man’s Forest was a bit more extensive than the Cornfield set, mainly because it also included the apple orchard and those pesky talking trees. It’s unknown what soundstage it was built in, but since both the Cornfield and later the Lion’s Forest sets were on soundstage 26, it’s save to assume this was probably also the case here.
The Lion’s Forest set was built on MGM’s soundstage 26. It’s one of the best sets in the film thanks to how lush it is with all of the overgrown bushes and huge trees. As you can see from the images below, the right side of the set (per this blueprint) was the area in which the set was darkened to achieve the matte effect seen in the images and video below.
This is the first matte effect in the film after Dorothy left Munchkinland. It’s very effective. Most viewers don’t realize it’s a matte effect. Coming after the previous two sets, the casual viewer assumes it’s also a full-size practical set.
Below is another video courtesy of Robert Welch. This shows how the matte effect was achieved. The end of the video shows us how the Lion’s tail was manipulated, which is barely visible when watching the film. Eagle-eyed Oz fans who have seen the film dozens of times might have noticed this little “effect.”
The incredible and immense Poppy Field took up an entire soundstage (probably #15). It was populated with thousands of handmade fake poppies across some rolling hills with a beautiful backdrop to match. The effect made it appear as if the field went on forever. It’s probably the most breathtaking shot in the whole film.
Our first look at the fabulous Emerald City. It’s probably the most famous matte painting effect in movie history. The video below, again provided by Robert Welch, shows how this simple yet highly effective effect was accomplished.
There aren’t many set stills of the Poppy Field, but these screenshots give us an idea of its size and beauty including more of that matte painting magic.
No footage exists of this deleted scene except this set still, color test frame, and fuzzy B&W photo. They’re the only known photos of this scene. It was planned to bridge the Poppy Field and the Emerald City with Dorothy and companions skipping down this section of the Yellow Brick Road to the gates of the Emerald City.
The Emerald City
The Emerald City set (located on soundstage 15) was another enormous, beautiful set. Almost everything was hued green, including the shiny glass floor, and wrapped in a modern Art Deco design. As with the other sets in the film, it’s brilliantly designed and executed. Immediately below are three of Jack Martin Smith’s wonderful production designs, including one for the Wizard’s Throne Room.
Here is an early unsigned sketch idea for the Emerald City set.
Screenshot of the final look of the Gates of the Emerald City.
This wonderful shot of the Gates of the Emerald City is another example of the time and care that MGM took in making sure each shot, no matter how brief, was perfect. On the left is the matte painting, followed by the darkened set, and a screenshot of the final effect.
This series of screenshots show the detail of the set as well as the entryway to the Emerald City. That was one huge set! Note: The first image is a reference frame. The studio staff member is holding a card called a “lily.” A few seconds of film was exposed with the man holding the lily to verify correct color composition in the film lab. If the lily stayed white, then the rest of the colors were correct. There is a second similar shot with the Horse of a Different Color.
Included are a couple of behind the scenes shots that show the stars’ stand-ins and Frank Morgan as the Cabby.
The “Wizard’s Throne Room” sets remains a masterpiece of design. It’s a brilliant blend of lighting, practical effects, and double exposure. It’s one of the highlights of the film and also one of the most memorable. It makes quite the indelible impact.
These screenshots show off how fabulous this set is. It’s obvious that the money spent on the film wound up on the screen. Included here is a studio shot and screenshot of Bert Lahr’s (well, actually his double’s) famous flee, and the final frame of that scene that shows a bit more detail of the corridor.
The Haunted Forest
The Haunted Forest and Jitter Bug Forest were two sections of the same set. As shown in the film, we don’t get to see a lot of the set because director Victor Fleming wisely kept the focus on Dorothy and her companions.
Judging from these set stills, the Jitter Bug forest looks as though it was a dark tree lined grove on the side where the Jitter Bugs wore out our heroes by making them dance. All we have to go on are these set stills, a few promotional photos, and composer Harold Arlen’s home movies filmed during a dress rehearsal of the deleted song and dance, “The Jitterbug.” The only shot of the Jitter Bug forest in the film is the short reaction shot of the cast reacting to seeing the Flying Monkeys approach. You can see one of the moving trees in the background as the foursome turns around. They then run out of the Jitter Bug Forest grove to the Haunted Forest section.
Included below is a color reference frame taken just before filming the “Jitterbug” number.
The Witch’s Castle
The Witch’s Castle sets are deceptively simple in their design and execution. It was a wise choice to make the sets stark with little to no real decorations. The exception is the Witch’s Tower Room which is the most elaborate of the castle sets. This is one of the few sets built to be filmed at almost every angle due to the nature of the scenes. There are many wonderful touches such as the zodiac symbols on the floor. The various items on display add just the right touch being not too many and not too few.
Our first glimpse of the Witch’s Castle is the Witch’s Tower Room, when the Witch creates the poppy field attempting to stop Dorothy and her companions. We then see her again as she decides to fly off to the Emerald City to threaten Dorothy. Shown here is a preliminary sketch idea for the Tower Room.
Mixed in with the screen shots below is a set design still of the Tower Room during Director Richard Thorpe’s time; Margaret Hamilton’s stand-in Betty Danko poses for a color test; a shot of Danko flying out the window; a color test frame of the model of the castle; and a black and white photo of the effect from a different angle not seen in the film.
We next see the Witch’s Tower Room again when the Witch sends her Flying Monkeys to capture Dorothy. The third image is a black and white photo of the effect.
The wonderful digital art below was created by Dwayne Burgess.
The focus of the film shifts to the Witch’s Castle with Dorothy’s rescue and the melting (liquidation) of the Witch.
Below is the matte painting of the Witch’s Castle and a screenshot of how it looks on screen. That’s followed by the Tower Room blueprint, set stills, and a color reference frame of the Winkie Guards and NIkko (the Flying Monkey) chasing Toto. This is thought to be from the time director Richard Thorpe worked on the film.
“Toto Brings News” – The following images feature a preliminary sketch of the rocks below the Witch’s Castle; how it looked on film; the top of the rocks; a matte painting for an unused overhead shot of the Witch’s Castle; a matte painting shot and a model shot; set still of the rocks overlooking the entrance; another unused matte painting; screenshots of the entrance; a set still of the broken door plus a screenshot; some set reference stills; screenshots; and a production photo taken during director Richard Thorpe’s time on the film; director Victor Fleming looking at the set; another screenshot.
The chase around the Courtyard is a perfect blend of practical effects, a huge set, and a fantastic matte painting. The melting of the Witch was achieved by nailing her dress (oversized to look billowy) to the floor, lowering Hamilton down with dry ice added. Simple yet perfect!
Below: A storyboard sketch of the chase; an overhead shot of the enormous Courtyard set; part of the Courtyard set; screenshot of the final effect; screenshot; set still of the battlement (with that fateful bucket); preparing to melt the Witch; screenshot.
Deleted Sequence – Triumphal Return
The Triumphal Return is the second most famous outtake from the film (“The Jitterbug” being the first), and apparently was deleted later rather than sooner since a production photo made it into the set of lobby cards as well as in the story panels published in newsprint. There is also a sort clip of it in the film’s trailer (see the screenshot here).
Attention to detail that may or may not be noticed is an aspect of the film that helps to make it so great. An excellent example is the placement of this random green crystal ball in the background during the “Presentation Awards” scene. It’s a nice touch that goes by in a flash!
Here is another video courtesy of Robert Welch, this time showing the juxtaposition of the set with the matte painting, balloon, and Glinda’s bubble.
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