Pop Culture Flashback: 'The Wizard of Oz' Premieres (August 15)

Arguably, The Wizard of Oz is pretty much a favorite movie of many. However, the film, which premiered on this day in Hollywood, wasn’t so wonderful at the time. Many of the cast members got hurt and the movie was a flop initially.

1939 – We’re Off to See the Wizard of Oz … Premiere. In Hollywood.

The Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Cowardly Lion from MGM's "The Wizard of Oz" movie — Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland and Bert Lahr in *The Wizard of Oz. (MGM via Wikimedia Commons)*

It was on this day in 1939 that one of America’s most beloved movies premiered at Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood. The Wizard of Oz starred Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, Frank Morgan as the Wizard, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Billie Burke as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Based on L. Frank Baum’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the making of the movie wasn’t so wonderful. Garland had to wear false teeth over her real teeth to improve her look. As for her nose, rubber discs were fitted for her nostrils. The Cowardly Lion’s costume was made from real lion skin and fur. It was heavy and very warm to wear. Both his and the Scarecrow’s masks were made of foam latex. It took an hour every day to remove Bolger’s mask. Hamilton suffered third degree burns on her hands and face when her green copper makeup got set on fire. It took three months of recuperation before she could return to work. And while the Asbestos didn’t bother the actors during the filming, (it was used to produce the special effect of snow in the poppy field) it’s possible that it made them ill years later.

Despite the popularity of the film today, at the time, The Wizard of Oz initially recorded a loss of $1,145,000 for MGM. The studio didn’t see a profit on the film until it was re-released in 1949.

The film has been recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) numerous times. Oz has been placed as the #6 best movie of all time, #4 for worst villain, and #1 for best song.

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

In recent years, the 1939 movie made headlines again for appearing as a 4D film presentation at Sphere in Los Vegas. The premiere for the event was held on August 28, 2025. In order for the movie to be screened on the venue’s 160,000-square-foot video screen and at a 16K resolution, the classic had to be altered. Numerous visuals have been deleted or replaced with AI (artificial intelligence) visuals.

While this manipulation has been criticized by many, other special effect elements within the theatre have been praised. These include sensations of wind, fog and even the famous tornado. Foam apples have dropped from the “sky”, leaves and butterflies have flown around and snow falls during the poppy field scene.

As of June 2026, over 3 million tickets have been sold and over $400 million has been made in ticket sales.

OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY:

1969 – Three Days of Peace and Music and Chaos

Woodstock images — *(Wikimedia Commons)*

Though expecting “no more than 50,000 people”, about 400,000 people attended the Woodstock Music Art Fair which began on this day in 1969. After numerous changes in venues, Woodstock finally landed at Max Yasgur’s 600 acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Local townspeople were unhappy about the concert and posted “Buy No Milk. Stop Max’s Hippy Music Festival.”

Due to the recent rains, the grounds were muddy and the sanitation was poor. Newspaper headlines read, “Hippies Mired in a Sea of Mud.”

Despite the conditions, it is reported that the festival was reasonably peaceful, but two deaths did occur (one from a heroin overdose and another from an accident that involved a tractor and an attendee sleeping in hay field nearby – yikes). During the festival, two babies were born and sadly, four miscarriages occurred.

It was a weird time. One of the oddest things was that Roy Rogers was asked to sing “Happy Trails” at the end of the festival, but he declined. Can you imagine?