Overview

Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the most-watched movie of all time

Released in conjunction with the 75th-anniversary DVD release of The Wizard of Oz, this book is the definitive story of how one of America’s most beloved movies was made and a marvelous, unprecedented examination of how Hollywood used to make movies. This updated edition includes numerous photos and shares hundreds of interviews with cameramen, screenwriters, costume designers, directors, producers, light technicians, actors, and more to reveal how the factory-like Hollywood system of moviemaking miraculously produced one of the most enduring films ever made. From the scandalous headlines of Munchkin orgies at the Culver City Hotel and the Witch’s (accidental) burning to the building of the Emerald City and the sewing of nearly 1,000 costumes, The Making of The Wizard of Oz provides a richly detailed re-creation of MGM’s production No. 1060 and a detail-by-detail, department-by-department look at the most powerful and flamboyant studio Hollywood has ever known.

Reviews

“Fantastic.” —Gore Vidal, New York Review of Books

“There has been a lot written about the making of this remarkable film, but this must stand as the most exhaustive and well-researched to date….An entertaining and fact-filled book.” —Houston Post

“Harmetz is not to be taken lightly, and her enjoyable, very informative book is much more than a paean to the 1939 movie.  It is an important work, assembled by a meticulous and accomplished writer….Harmetz’ book is perhaps the definitive story of how a movie was made under the studio system.” —Stanley Eichelbaum, San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

“The Harmetz book is lively and meticulous, comprehensive, important and touching for the Oz faithful, and for all who want to know more about the Hollywood that was.” —Charles Champlin, Times Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times

“Harmetz’s …is a book that is a good read about a movie that is a good see, both getting their weight from chaotic, fertile worlds around them.” —Boston Globe

“All the marvelous excitement, the craziness, and the miracles that went into making this film classic emerge in a book which creates at the same time a picture of how Hollywood worked.  The author, whose mother worked at MGM in those great old days, writes with the ease of the insider who sees all the faults yet loves the industry for its wonders.” —HB, Books of the Southwest

“It is difficult to imagine anyone with an interest in moviemaking special effects, Oz or fantasy in general who would not be avidly engrossed in The Making of the Wizard of Oz.” —Leslie Burleson, El Paso Times

“If you find The Wizard of Oz a continuing marvel, this behind-the-scenes account of a Hollywood studio at work isn’t to be missed.” —Seventeen

“A complete joy...I'd definitely recommend The Making of The Wizard of Oz to both the casual fan and true Oz devotee.” —Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

Author Biography