Wizard of Oz Timeline

1939halfsheet — The Wizard of Oz 1939 poster

This Wizard of Oz Timeline charts the making of the MGM film through 1938 and 1939.

1938[]

January: MGM personnel begin planning for the studio's film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, even before the property is officially theirs. In a 31 January memo, Arthur Freed's initial casting suggestions include Judy Garland and Frank Morgan, plus Buddy Ebsen as the Scarecrow and Ray Bolger as the Tin Woodman.
February 3rd: Mervyn LeRoy's MGM contract takes effect. He is announced as the film's producer on 24 February.
February 18th 1938: the date of the contract by which Samuel Goldwyn sells the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to MGM.
February 26th: William H. Cannon submits his four-page treatment of the story.
28 February 28th: Herman Mankiewicz is the first screenwriter assigned to the job of writing an Oz script. Soon Noel Langley and Ogden Nash are also assigned, separately and in ignorance of each other.
March 3rd: Mankiewicz turns in a 17-page treatment of the Kansas portion of the story.
March 7th: Mankiewicz submits a 56-page partial script. Separately, Ogden Nash is assigned to write a treatment of the story.
March 11th: Noel Langley is assigned to work on the Oz script, separate from Mankiewicz and Nash.
March: 22nd Langley turns in a 43-page treatment. Mankiewicz is taken off the film the next day.
April 5th: The date on Langley's first finished script.
April 16th: Ogden Nash submits a four-page treatment.
May 4th: The date on Langley's second script which is now in the National Museum of American History.
May 9th: E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen report the the MGM studio to begin writing songs for the film.
May 13th: Director Norman Taurog signs a longterm contract with MGM.
May 14th: The date on Langley's fourth script referred to as "Do not make changes"
June 3rd: The screenwriting team of Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf is hired to work on the script. They work on the project through July.
June 4th: Langley turns in what he then believes is the final script for the film.
June 13th: Ryerson and Woolf's first script.
June 29th: the songs for the film are done.
July 5th: Ryerson and Woolf's second script.
Summer: Bolger convinces Louis B. Mayer to switch his role, from the Tin Man to the Scarecrow.
July 27th: Ryerson and Woolf finish their work of the screenplay. Langley resumes work on the script three days later.
August 2nd: A file/vault copy of Langley's "Do not make changes" script is created.
9 September: The date of Bert Lahr's MGM contract to play the Cowardly Lion.
17 September: Richard Thorpe is assigned to direct the movie, replacing Norman Taurog.
22 September: Gale Sondergaard does screen tests for the beautiful-but-evil version of the Wicked Witch of the West. Buddy Ebsen tests the Tin Woodman costume for the first time. Frank Morgan wins the role of the Wizard of Oz.
30 September to 11 October: Bolger, Ebsen, Garland and Lahr report to Herbert Stothart and his assistant George Stoll to pre-record musical numbers.
October and December: Tests on the flying monkeys.
3 October: Sondergaard re-tests for an ugly version of the Wicked Witch. She and the producers agree she is wrong for the part.
10 October: The casting of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch is announced.
12 October: Principal photography on the film officially begins.
21 October: Richard Thorpe completes filming in the entrance hall of the Witch's castle. His footage will later be discarded and re-shot by Victor Fleming. Buddy Ebsen is hospitalized from breathing in the aluminum dust in his Tin Man makeup.
24 October: Richard Thorpe is fired as director.
26 to 31 October: George Cukor serves as interim director.
1 November: Victor Fleming is announced as director. He and his screenwriter John Lee Mahin begin revising the script, and continue during the film's shooting.
November 4th: Jack Haley replaces Buddy Ebsen. the Scarecrow's cornfield scene is being filmed on Stage 26.
November 8th: Haley records the Tin Woodman's solo song, "If I Only Had a Heart."
November 11th: Publicity photos record the arrival of little people to play the Munchkins.
November 16th: Frank Morgan begins costume and makeup tests for his multiple roles.
November 19th: Garland, Bolger, and Haley film their chorus of "We're Off to See the Wizard."
November 22nd: Munchkins rehearse their dance numbers under choreographer Bobby Connolly and his assistant Dona Massin.
Early December: construction begins on the Munchkinland set during the first week.
December 9th: Ken Darby begins music rehearsals and pre-recordings for the Munchkins through the 22nd.
December 22nd: recording of the "Jitterbug" song begins.
December 23rd: Margaret Hamilton suffers her fire accident.
25th-26th December: The production shuts down for 2 days for Christmas.
December 30th: Munchkinland shooting is finished.

1939[]

January: Rehearsal and filming of the "Jitterbug" production number fills five weeks in late 1938 and early 1939.
January 14th: Protagonists reach the Emerald City and begin work with Frank Morgan ("Who rang that bell?").
February 1st: Clara Blandick's casting as Aunt Em is announced.
February 9th: Charley Grapewin is cast as Uncle Henry.
February 10th: Margaret Hamilton returns to work after her burns have mostly healed.
February: Betty Danko has her accident.
February 17th: Fleming is given an on-set goodbye party as he leaves to direct Gone With the Wind.
February 19th: King Vidor films the Kansas scenes over the space of a week.
March 16th: Principal photography on the film officially ends.
March 17th: The film's Kansas set is dismantled.
March-May: Blanche Sewell and Victor Fleming edit the film.
Late March: Sewell and Fleming complete the rough-cut print.
April: Buddy Gillespie and his team add special effects shots.
April 11th: Herbert Stothart, George Stoll and their staff begin recording sessions for the background musical score and song arrangements. (Songs were previously recorded as vocals and piano accompaniment only.) Ten recording sessions follow in the next three months.
April 12-13th: final vocal tracks for the Munchkins are recorded.
June: Audience previews.
June 16th: First test screening of the film at the Pomona Fox Theater.
June 27th: Another test screening, possibly in San Luis Obispo. The film ran 112 minutes, but is eventually cut to 101 minutes.
July 5th: Editing is complete.
July 9th: Stothart and associates complete the film's music track.
7 August: MGM copyrights the film.
August 9th: MGM screens the film for the press; reviews are highly positive.
August 15th: The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
August 17th: the film opens in New York City.
September 14th: the film opens in Canada.
November 17th: the film opens in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

References[]

John Fricke, Jay Scarfone, William Stillman. The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History. Warner Books, 1989.
Aljean Harmetz. The Making of the Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power in the Prime of MGM and the Miracle of Production #1060. New York, Knopf, 1977.