wizard of oz deaths on set

While the production of The Wizard of Oz (1939) was notoriously difficult and involved multiple serious injuries, no one died on the set during filming.

However, the production was plagued by numerous dangerous incidents and health crises:

• The Tin Man’s Poisoning: The actor originally cast as the Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, was hospitalized and nearly died after inhaling the aluminum dust used in his makeup. He suffered a severe allergic reaction and was placed in an oxygen tent. He was replaced by Jack Haley, whose modified paste-based makeup caused him a severe eye infection.

• The Wicked Witch’s Burns: Actress Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West) suffered second- and third-degree burns on her face and hand during the scene where her character disappears in a puff of smoke and fire. The special effect’s trap door malfunctioned, causing the fire to ignite before she was fully lowered. She was out of filming for six weeks.

• Stunt Double Injury: Margaret Hamilton’s stunt double, Betty Danko, was also severely injured. She was hospitalized for 11 days with severe burns after a smoke-emitting mechanism on a broomstick exploded while filming a separate flying scene.

• Winged Monkey Crash: Wires holding actors playing the Winged Monkeys broke during a flying sequence, causing them to fall and sustain injuries.

• The “Dead Munchkin” Rumor: A persistent urban legend claims that a Munchkin actor died by suicide on the set and can be seen hanging from a tree in the background of a scene. This has been widely debunked; the object is likely one of the exotic birds that were borrowed from the zoo to create a wilderness setting.

The production was clearly hazardous, but thankfully, no deaths occurred during the shooting of the film.