The Making of The Wizard of Oz

This book covers all aspects of the making of the classic 1939 MGM film and is a must for fans. The first chapter, “The Studio,” lays out the setting of MGM and its place as the premiere studio in Hollywood in the 1930s. Subsequent chapters focus on the writers, music composers, directors, actors, Munchkins, behind-the-scenes workers, costumes, special effects, accidents, and the movie’s public reception and legacy. The book has info about the smart little Cairn terrier who played Toto too. There is a delightful introduction written by “Wicked Witch” actress Margaret Hamilton for the original 1977 edition, and an appendix that supplies background on L. Frank Baum, author of the bestselling Oz books, who was pretty much a failure at everything else he did.For most of the actors, working on “The Wizard of Oz” was just a job and a paycheck. There are many first person accounts of the artistry and business plans behind the movie. Actors’ personality quirks and rumors about the production are all discussed. The book points out that MGM did not break even financially until the movie was sold to TV networks for repeated airings in the 1950s-80s. It was because of these broadcasts, which were big annual events drawing millions of viewers, that “The Wizard of Oz” became such a huge cultural phenomenon and lodged itself into the hearts and minds of generations of Americans. This is a wonderful book for "Oz" fans and movie lovers in general.

My copy of the 75th Anniversary Edition of "The Making of the Wizard of Oz" arrived last week. I am enjoying the information in each chapter. Many of the people who worked on the film were interviewed for the first edition of this book and it is fascinating to read their rememberances and hear their stories. Some incidences are remembered differently depending on the person interviewed. It contains lots of tidbits just up the alley of trivia buffs and movie lovers.My only criticism is the quality of the color photos used on the cover and throughout the book. These color images are fuzzy and not up to par to be included in a 75th anniversary edition. I understand that they are from the original Technicolor strips and the quality is the best it can be considering the source.

I picked up this book after letting my two-year old daughter watch a few selected parts (mainly Dorothy's arrival into Oz). As I watched her take in these images for the first time, I was struck by the look of wonder and awe on her face. It got me to wondering how this 75 year old film, which holds such timeless appeal generation after generation, was put together. Aljean Harmetz answered that for me, and in far greater detail than I ever thought I'd want, but I read this book in record time. Margaret Hamilton turns out to be an actress who's demeanor is anything but witchy. Sadly, I was disappointed to read Jack Haley's curmudgeonly view on the movie and it's appeal (Jesus, Jack you should be grateful... if not for the Wizard of Oz, why would anyone have heard of you?). I don't want to give away much, but there really is a lot of fascinating facts about how this classic was produced.I'm a lifelong diehard Star Wars fan and I doubt even my favorite movie of all time will hold quite the same appeal as the Wizard of Oz does now in 2052 when it turns 75 (but I hope so, of course).

Easy and interesting read. Interested me enough that I’m now reading about and researching Judy Garland aka Frances Gumm

I love learning the backstory behind movies and this book was not a disappointment at all. It was also interesting to learn the author's connection to movies as well. I recommend this book to anyone hungry for more information on the movie "The Wizard of Oz" and the people responsible for making it come alive. Nobody is left out in covering how the movie was made and learning more about the filming. It was very informative and entertaining.

While the book itself is full of every detail you could imagine that went into the production of this legendary film, I was disappointed that it had grainy black & white photos. This book would have been so much better if it had more photos (preferably in full color).

So much has been written about THE WIZARD OF OZ since its release in 1939 that one would wonder what could be written that wasn't just a rehash. Author Aljean Harmetz has a way of researching and finding new insights into classics. This along with her excellent book ON THE ROAD TO TARA dealing with GONE WITH THE WIND are among my favorite books dealing with film. If you love the film and desire to appreciate what it took to make it come alive on a Technicolor screen then you will find this work very fun to read and worth spending time with. Highly Recommended.

Nothing better to be sick from school and get to lay on the couch and watch this movie recording at grandma's from her VCR. This book itself was good. Spent many pages filling up the book with dry material though, such as about the directors and studio, the stuff that is kind of boring to me because, first they are long gone and second, they are behind the scenes. I enjoyed reading about the actors and the little munchkins. It goes to show that people are just people, stars or not and how truly hard these ones had to perform and how much talent they truly had because back in those days they had not much computer animation or any photo shop. They had to use old school methods to fix the actors blemishes and had to think of creative ways to achieve results. Very much appreciated by grateful generations. One thing I didn't like was how the author tried to 'get' Judy Garland. They sprinkled in a few controversial things which I looked up online and Judy Garland herself refuted. All in all an interesting read.

Superb and informative, a must have mine of information my daughter lives it!! 10/10

My daughter was very happy with the book.she loved anything about Wizard of Oz

A fascinating read for anyone interest in this classic, as well as the film-making porocess.There is just about everything you could ask for in one tomb of a book, and some stuff you didn't.Buy this, you will not regret it....

perfect condition. very thorough and informative.

An interesting book for fans of the film.An oddity is that the book was written in the 1970s, with a few more recent updates. So it's an odd mix of 1930s sensibilities viewed from the 1970s, e.g. the language used to describe the munchkins is very prejudiced to a 2022 reader.This shouldn't put people off though.