Vale Middle School Reading Article
Wonderful (and Not-So-Wonderful) Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1180L)
Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES using the CLOSE reading
strategies practiced in class. This requires reading of the article three times.
Step 1: Skim the article using these symbols as you read:
(+) agree, (-) disagree, (*) important, (!) surprising, (?) wondering
Step 2: Number the paragraphs. Read the article carefully and make notes in the margin.
Notes should include:
o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main
idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)
o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
support) and choices affect the article.
Step 3: A final quick read noting anything you may have missed during the first two reads.
Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment. Answer the questions carefully in complete
sentences unless otherwise instructed.
Student ____________________________Class Period__________________
Wonderful (and Not-So-Wonderful) Facts About 'The Wizard of Oz'
The Wizard of Oz has its share of triumphs, tragedies, and trivia. Read on for some of
our insights into this Hollywood masterpiece.
Notes on my thoughts,
reactions and questions as I
read:
YOU CAN THANK THE POWER OF TECHNICOLOR FOR DOROTHY’S
RUBY SLIPPERS.
More so than the braids, the toy Toto, or even the blue-and-white gingham dress, those
sparkly ruby-red shoes are the key to any Dorothy Gale costume. But one of the most
important images of the enduring Wizard of Oz mythos did not come from the mind of
author L. Frank Baum, but instead from Oz screenwriter Noel Langley. In The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz book series, Dorothy’s shoes were made of silver.
However, Langley recommended the slippers be changed to ruby for the film due to the
fact that the bright red hue would show up much better against the Technicolor yellow
brick road.
ORIGINAL TIN MAN BUDDY EBSEN SUFFERED A SEVERE ALLERGIC
REACTION TO THE ALUMINUM-POWDER MAKEUP, AND HAD TO BE
REPLACED.
Nine days into production on The Wizard of Oz, Ebsen found himself in the hospital,
unable to breathe from the aluminum-powder makeup he wore as the Tin Man. “My
lungs were coated with that aluminum dust they had been powdering on my face,”
Ebsen explained in the book The Making of The Wizard of Oz. The actor, who would go
on to star in The Beverly Hillbillies TV show in the 1960s, was subsequently replaced
by Jack Haley (whose Tin Man makeup was tweaked from a powder to a paste).
FRANK MORGAN PLAYED NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT FIVE
CHARACTERS IN OZ.
Most of the main actors in The Wizard of Oz played two roles: A Kansas character and
Leeds, S. Wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) facts about ‘The Wizard of Oz’. mentalfloss.com. September 3, 2015.
Vale Middle School Reading Article
Wonderful (and Not-So-Wonderful) Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1180L)
his or her Oz counterpart. This meant Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man),
and Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion) doubled as farmhands, and Margaret Hamilton got
wicked in both Kansas (Miss Gulch) and Oz (the Witch). But Frank Morgan, who
portrayed the shady Professor Marvel in the Kansas scenes (and was only billed for that
role in the credits), not only showed up in Oz as the Wizard, but also as the uppity
Doorman to the Emerald City, the Horse-of-a-Different-Color-owning Cabbie, and the
snippy (later, sobbing) Wizard’s Guard.
Notes on my thoughts,
reactions and questions as I
read:
MARGARET HAMILTON ONCE APPEARED ON MISTER ROGERS’
NEIGHBORHOOD TO TALK ABOUT HER MOST FAMOUS ROLE.
In 1975, former kindergarten teacher Margaret Hamilton was a guest on Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood. On this episode, Hamilton spoke with Fred Rogers at length about her
celebrated—albeit frightening—role, as a way to help children watching at home
understand that her playing the Wicked Witch, in the words of a
familiar Neighborhood term, was all “make-believe.”
THE CLASSIC 1939 MGM FILM WAS NOT THE FIRST CINEMATIC
ADAPTATION OF L. FRANK BAUM’S NOVEL.
Click on the
illustration or
QR code to
access the 13minute silent
film.
Back in 1910, a 13-minute silent film called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was produced.
By today’s standards, it’s delightfully creepy, but 105 years ago, it was probably a
revelation for audiences. The movie also took a lot of liberties with Baum’s original
story, which can be discombobulating for modern viewers. In this version, Dorothy and
the Scarecrow are already pals by the time they’re both swept up in the (very primitivelooking) cyclone for their journey to Oz. The movie also ends with Dorothy ditching
Kansas and opting instead to stick around this far more exciting magical land.
TOTO THE DOG MADE MORE THAN THE MUNCHKIN ACTORS.
Margaret Pellegrini, who portrayed one of the Munchkins in the film, said that she was
paid $50 a week to work on Oz. In 1939, that was a decent wage for a working actor.
Trouble was, Dorothy’s canine companion was pulling in a whopping $125 a week.
That had to make things awkward on set.
JELL-O WAS THE SECRET INGREDIENT BEHIND THE HORSE OF A
DIFFERENT COLOR.
When Dorothy and her friends arrive in the Emerald City, they take a scenic tour around
the fun-filled town courtesy of a cabbie and his Horse of a Different Color. In order to
achieve the horse’s purple, then red, then yellow hue, the production team created a JellO-based tint that wouldn’t be harmful to the animals on set (yep, the ASPCA was
involved). The gelatin powder worked wonders, except for the fact that the horses
couldn’t stop licking its sugary sweetness off their coats!
Leeds, S. Wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) facts about ‘The Wizard of Oz’. mentalfloss.com. September 3, 2015.
Vale Middle School Reading Article
Wonderful (and Not-So-Wonderful) Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1180L)
Comprehension questions – answers may be in phrases.
1. In what year was the classic Wizard of Oz movie filmed?
2. List two locations in the text that support the publish date of 2015.
3. Define albeit as used in the article.
4. List eight Wizard of Oz characters mentioned in the text.
5. Define counterpart as used in the text.
7/8.RI.1,2,3,4
Answer each question in one or more complete sentences and by providing complete explanations.
1. What
ing is a silent movie? Why would a silent movie have been used in this time period?
7/8.RI.1,2,3,4,5
2. Explain the issue movie producers were faced with when using sugary coloring on horses? What
alternative may have resolved this issue?
Of the
Rachel Feltman September 18 Rachel Feltman September 18
7/8.RI.2
Leeds, S. Wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) facts about ‘The Wizard of Oz’. mentalfloss.com. September 3, 2015.
Vale Middle School Reading Article
Wonderful (and Not-So-Wonderful) Facts About ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1180L)
3. Should movie producers have been allowed to change the color of Dorothy’s shoes in the movie? Is it
acceptable for movie versions of books to make changes to a story? Use evidence from the text to support
your claim in a well-developed paragraph.
(
7/8.RI.7
4. According to several Wizard of Oz articles, it took nearly 10 months to film the movie. If the actors who
portrayed Munchkins worked the entire time, how much would one actor have made? How much would
Toto have made given the same circumstances? One dollar in 1939 is the equivalent of $17.05 today.
Based on that information, how much would each actor have made today? Show your math and provide a
one-sentence explanation for each answer.
7/8.RI.10
Leeds, S. Wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) facts about ‘The Wizard of Oz’. mentalfloss.com. September 3, 2015.