It's one of the greatest internet mysteries! Join us as we revisit the classic movie musical “The Wizard of Oz” to search for some of the most notorious deleted and censored scenes. Tall tales have long surrounded the now mythical Hollywood set, but these scrapped bits were actually recorded and then cut for surprising reasons. So grab your ruby red slippers, because we’re taking you to the land of lost media where expensive dance sequences and iconic songs were archived forever.
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00:00It's one of the greatest internet mysteries.
00:02Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're revisiting the classic movie musical The Wizard of Oz
00:12to search for some of the most notorious deleted and censored scenes.
00:16Tall tales have long surrounded the now-mythical Hollywood set.
00:19Very mysterious.
00:21But these scrapped bits were actually recorded and then cut for surprising reasons.
00:25So grab your ruby red slippers, because we're taking you to the land of lost media,
00:30where expensive dance sequences, iconic songs, and some truly disturbing moments were archived forever.
00:36It's going to be so hard to say goodbye.
00:41Jitterbug.
00:42The Wizard of Oz is full of timeless song and dance numbers,
00:46standing out as a contender for the best film score of all time.
00:49You're out to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!
00:55Yet one massive scene was completely removed from the 1939 film early on.
01:00Let's set the stage.
01:01Dorothy and co. are traveling to the witch's castle to vanquish her.
01:06I'd turn back if I were you.
01:13To halt their efforts, the witch devises an evil plan and delivers this line.
01:18They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that.
01:21I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them.
01:24The insect she's referring to was meant to be the Jitterbug,
01:29a mosquito-like insect that attacks the crew and causes them to spontaneously break out in song and dance.
01:34The scene was choreographed and the track was recorded,
01:38costing $80,000, or almost $2 million when adjusted for inflation.
01:43So why would this mammoth sequence be cut?
01:45Well, there's a number of reasons.
01:47For one, several producers felt it stuck out in an odd way.
01:51The Jitterbug was a period swing dance, so there was a serious concern that it would cause the film to age poorly.
01:57So with the Jitterbugs of the so-called blinded areas.
02:00Give them some floor space and free music, and you've got a fair bet they'll turn out to be good citizens.
02:06There was also dated trepidation about the reference dance's association with alcohol consumption
02:12and its origins in mixed-race Harlem establishments.
02:15Keep that rhythm heat.
02:17One more rhythm like that and I'll be gone.
02:20Oh man, don't stop now, we're jumping.
02:22The biggest factor for removal comes from producer Mervyn Leroy's initiative to trim at least 20 minutes off of the original runtime.
02:31The recording of the song does still exist, but only amateur footage of it being filmed has ever appeared online.
02:37The Jitterbug.
02:41Oh, the Jitter.
02:43Oh, the bug.
02:45Oh, the Jitterbug.
02:46The much-sought-after lost scene was added back into several theater productions later.
02:53Keep away from the Jitterbug.
02:57The Jitterbug.
02:59As well as the animated film Tom and Jerry Back to Oz.
03:04Keep away from the Jitterbug.
03:07Oh, the joint is jumping now.
03:09The Wicked Witch.
03:11The Technicolor masterpiece was a magical adventure created with young audiences in mind,
03:15but during test screenings, there were a number of claims that the Wicked Witch of the West was far too scary.
03:21I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too.
03:27This is backed by reports of terrified children being carried out of the theater after she appeared on screen.
03:33While the witch originally had an even bigger part, at least a dozen of her lines were trimmed or removed entirely.
03:50This shortened her screen time to only 12 minutes.
03:53You cursed rat! Look what you've done!
03:55Take this studio shot of her twisting her gnarled fingers through Dorothy's hair.
03:59It's unclear if this moment was promotional or actually intended to be in the film,
04:04though it's easy to see how the witch's menacing presence was a little too much for the young munchkins to handle.
04:14One of the most famous special effects in the film is the scrawling of Surrender Dorothy,
04:19created by the witch's broomstick.
04:21At one point, this included the additional threat, or die.
04:24Do you see that? That's how much longer you've got to be alive.
04:29And it isn't long, my pretty. It isn't long.
04:33Margaret Hamilton, the actress who portrayed the famed witch,
04:36was devastated to learn that kids everywhere were suddenly horrified by the sight of her.
04:40She'd been a longtime sponsor for PBS broadcasting,
04:43and deeply loved working with children.
04:45Children are absolutely marvelous.
04:47Hamilton went on TV numerous times to attempt to demystify her wicked creation,
04:52including an appearance on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
04:55There's your old friend, the Wicked Witch of the West.
04:58How did she talk?
05:00Well, she talked like this. It's very nice to see you.
05:05Oh, that would be fun to be able to talk like that.
05:09You can. They all can. You can do it, too.
05:12Unfortunately, her cameo on Sesame Street didn't go so well,
05:16traumatizing children all over again and causing that episode to be outright banned.
05:21Why? What do you think you're doing with my room?
05:24Give it back!
05:26Deleted songs.
05:27For such an incredible soundtrack, so much was left on the cutting room floor.
05:32Judy Garland actually reprised Over the Rainbow during the scene
05:35where she's trapped in the witch's castle and calling out for Auntie Em.
05:38I'm here in Oz, Auntie Em.
05:41I'm locked up in the witch's castle, and I'm trying to get home to you, Auntie Em.
05:46The decision was made to have her sing this live, rather than lip-sync,
05:50in order to truly sell the emotional impact.
05:53It was shot twice, but ultimately scrapped and deleted,
05:56though an on-set recording does exist.
05:59Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
06:11I'm frightened, Auntie Em. I'm frightened.
06:172029, take three. 1060.
06:21An even more controversial cut comes after the witch is defeated.
06:25Earlier in the film, after Dorothy's house squashes the Wicked Witch of the East,
06:30the munchkin sing,
06:31Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead.
06:37Later, after the Wicked Witch of the West melts,
06:39the head guard, known as a Winky, sings,
06:42Hail, Hail, the Witch is Dead.
06:43At least, that was the original idea.
06:46This grand number would call back to the earlier scene,
06:49and the singing would be picked up by the townspeople.
06:51The spectacle can be seen for a few seconds in the original trailer.
06:54No one has dared the towering task of giving life and reality
06:58to the land of ours and its people.
07:01And the audio recording has made its way to a deluxe CD.
07:04Hail, hail, the witch is dead.
07:06Witch, all rich, the wicked.
07:08Hail, hail, the wicked, wicked, wicked, wicked.
07:12It was ultimately trimmed for unknown reasons,
07:15marking another rather expensive sequence to be deleted.
07:18The scene's absence causes a rather abrupt shift in the third act,
07:22leaving many fans yearning for this climactic medley.
07:25Now we can go back to the wizard and tell him the wicked witch is dead.
07:28The wicked witch is dead.
07:30And I believe my eyes.
07:33Why have you come back?
07:35Sadly, the footage has never been located,
07:37and may have even been destroyed in an MGM vault fire.
07:41Book bans.
07:42The 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
07:46served as the source material for the iconic film.
07:48One day, he was sitting at his desk and looking at his filing cabinet,
07:53and the first drawer was A to N,
07:57and the second drawer was O to Z, which would be Oz.
08:01Despite groundbreaking success,
08:03the book was actually censored and completely banned numerous times.
08:07The Chicago Public Library banished the book in 1928,
08:10citing the egregious offense of depicting women in leadership roles.
08:14In later decades, the conversation would once again focus on the supposedly controversial children's story.
08:20Concerns that the tale was an allegory for communism
08:23led to further pressure to pull the book from shelves.
08:26In 1957, public libraries in Detroit, Michigan banned it for having, quote,
08:30no value.
08:32Several fundamentalist Christian families in Tennessee created a stink
08:35that the story promoted, quote,
08:37ungodly magic and witchcraft,
08:38leading to a 1986 ruling that parents could have children leave the classroom
08:42when it was discussed in school.
08:44Today, it's hard to imagine that the celebrated novel was once deemed smut.
08:49As the times changed,
08:50it became increasingly obvious that this treasure
08:53is one of the most vital fairy tales to become a cultural landmark.
08:56The Wizard of Oz has captivated the children of four generations
08:59and fired the imaginations of those youthful adults.
09:03Major alterations.
09:05The film went through a number of major cast and crew changes during production.
09:09A total of five different directors rotated in and out to complete the film.
09:13Victor Fleming was a good friend and took me around all the sets
09:17and went through the thing.
09:19And one day, he left and I took over.
09:22It was about, as I remember, it was about two and a half weeks,
09:25three weeks possibly.
09:27Several major actors were swapped as well.
09:30Gail Sundergaard backed out of the witch role
09:31when the character's appearance changed from a demure femme fatale
09:34to a haggard old gremlin.
09:36Witches are old and ugly.
09:38A more major shake-up occurred when the original Tin Man actor, Buddy Epson,
09:45suffered a toxic reaction to the aluminum powder in his makeup.
09:49He left the set ten days into filming,
09:51with no footage of his appearance ever seeing the light of day.
09:54All that exists are a few backstage stills,
09:57but his voice can be heard in some group vocals.
10:00We have seen the wonderfulness in our city.
10:04Test footage shot by directors Norman Tarug and Richard Thorpe is deemed gone forever,
10:09but some photos from this era have found their way online.
10:12Interestingly, this image highlights the differences in wardrobe from director to director.
10:17Originally, the witch was meant to wear her hair down.
10:20More striking, though, is Dorothy's previous look.
10:23With long, blonde hair and baby doll makeup,
10:25she actually captured more of a Lolita appearance.
10:28Under New Direction, director George Cukor reimagined her with a natural look
10:32to appeal to the sense that she was just a little girl from Kansas.
10:36Toto?
10:37I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
10:45Surprisingly, The Wizard of Oz was not a smash hit straight out of the gate.
10:49It struggled to break even during its original theatrical release,
10:52only garnering meteoric levels of success amidst subsequent re-releases and television broadcasts.
10:58Here are six good reasons to watch The Wizard of Oz.
11:01Because, because, because, because, because, because of the wonderful things he does.
11:06Tonight on CBS.
11:08When altered for home entertainment, the film had to account for commercial interruption.
11:13As a result, a number of cuts were made to the movie's runtime,
11:16with more in the pipeline whenever additional slots were sold.
11:19The Wizard of Oz.
11:21Brought to you in part by Campbell Soup Company.
11:24No other automaker sells more wagons than Ford.
11:27While not outright censored or deleted like our other entries,
11:30it's interesting to note exactly what filmmakers chose to ditch.
11:33In a sense, this was the way millions first saw and remembered the film.
11:38We now return to The Wizard of Oz.
11:41Sponsored by McDonald's.
11:44These edits were made largely between the 60s and 80s.
11:47They primarily included the removal of long tracking shots,
11:50establishing shots,
11:51and the MGM written forward.
11:53Fortunately, no dialogue or singing was removed.
12:02However, on a few occasions, the movie was actually time compressed or sped up.
12:07There's Emble City.
12:08Oh, we're almost there.
12:10And there's the...
12:11Today, The Wizard of Oz is only shown at its original speed,
12:16without the additional trims.
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12:36Beehive Animation
12:37Since we've already concluded that the witch's most unsettling bits
12:41were spliced from the final cut,
12:43it's no wonder this next scene was never even animated.
12:46In the movie, the witch tells the Tin Man,
12:48I use you for a beehive.
12:51and in a rather disturbing arrangement,
12:53she actually follows through with it.
12:55Beehive bad.
12:57Let her try and make a beehive out of me.
13:00The plan was to have her quite literally turn the Tin Man into a beehive,
13:04with animated bees flying out of him and swarming the group.
13:08They'd eventually bend their stingers on his metal frame
13:10and fly off in defeat.
13:12In terms of keeping the film child-friendly,
13:14creators decided not to even start work on this crazy body horror concept.
13:21However, some fascinating dialogue has leaked.
13:24Apparently, the Tin Man would squash one of the bees
13:26and have a strong emotional reaction.
13:29It's only a man without a heart who could do a thing like that, he'd say.
13:32It's interesting to imagine how the moment would have further developed the Tin Man's character.
13:37If I only had a heart.
13:41The scene was filmed, but never completed.
13:45Savvy viewers noted that the cut was covered up by mirroring the following shot,
13:49so it would only appear they were all in the same positions.
13:52Which pieces of Wizard of Oz lost media do you hope resurface?
13:56Follow the yellow brick road down to the comments below.
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