Now that's a horse of a different color. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most wonderful and wicked details in “The Wizard of Oz,” that we missed on our first few trips down the cinematic yellow brick road.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the most wonderful and
00:11wicked details in The Wizard of Oz that we missed on our first few trips down the cinematic
00:15yellow brick road, but became as unmissable as a horse of a different color as we grew
00:20up.
00:21There they are, and there they'll stay.
00:24Number 20.
00:25Professor Marvel tricks Dorothy into going home.
00:28Dorothy and Toto run off before Ms. Gulch realizes Toto's escaped, and they soon stumble
00:33upon Professor Marvel, where Toto wastes no time making himself at home.
00:45It doesn't take long for the professor to figure out that Dorothy's on the run.
00:49At first, you might have thought that he was just a charlatan trying to trick a sweet,
00:53naive girl, or maybe you, like Dorothy, believed he was a real fortune teller.
01:10But in truth, he uses his gift to convince her to go back home.
01:13Clearly, this isn't the first time dealing with a runaway teen.
01:16Sure, he could have kept her safe from the storm, but at least he checks in on her later.
01:30Number 19.
01:32Scarecrow recites Pythagorean theorem.
01:34Well, not exactly.
01:35After the wizard gives the scarecrow his diploma, he proudly shows off his newfound brains by
01:40quoting the Pythagorean theorem.
01:53But the math whizzes among us, we'll know he doesn't get it quite right.
01:56The scarecrow specifically mentions isosceles triangles, whereas the theorem actually applies
02:01to right-angled ones.
02:03But hey, it's his first day with a brain, so we'll cut him some slack.
02:09We could have spent every math lesson at school covering the subject and probably still
02:13couldn't tell you what it meant.
02:14While his newfound intelligence is impressive, his geometry skills could use some work.
02:19Then again, how often does the Pythagorean theorem come up in a scarecrow's line of work?
02:35Number 18.
02:37Dorothy's dress has pockets.
02:38The perfect dress isn't just pretty and comfortable, it has pockets.
02:42While it seems like a rare find these days, Dorothy seems to have lucked out.
02:46When the cowardly lion bursts into tears after Dorothy defends Toto, she reaches into her
02:51dress pocket for a tissue.
03:03As kids, we probably focused on the hilarity of this grand beast having a little cry, but
03:08as adults, we're captivated by this unexpected detail.
03:12Also who designed those ruby slippers?
03:14We can't imagine taking on an epic adventure with so much walking and skipping in heels.
03:32And while we're at it, does Oz's magic also let your hair unexpectedly change length?
03:36That would save a fortune on haircuts.
03:42Number 17.
03:44Where does the red brick road lead?
03:46Before Glinda and Dorothy part ways in Munchkin Land, the good witch advises Dorothy to follow
03:50the yellow brick road to reach the Emerald City and find the wizard.
04:02However you probably noticed that, at least at first, it's paired with a red brick road.
04:07Only before we have a chance to properly question it, we're distracted by the Munchkin's fun
04:11little ditty.
04:19Only now that we think about it, where does it lead?
04:22L. Frank Baum's stories don't mention a red path, though in several illustrations the
04:26map of Oz marks quaddling country in red.
04:29Is it a warning sign, like peril ahead?
04:31It's not like Dorothy's trip down the yellow brick road was a breezy stroll in the park.
04:46Number 16.
04:47A Disney connection.
04:49What do the Wizard of Oz and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs have in common?
04:52If you said both feature Adriana Casalotti's voice, you're correct.
04:56You might not know her by name or face, but you'll definitely recognize her voice.
05:03Yes, Snow White herself voices Juliet during the Tin Man song.
05:20The story goes that Walt Disney was so determined
05:29to keep his first full-length feature film's princess feel real that he didn't want her
05:33distinctive voice traced back to an actual person.
05:36Sadly, this stunted Casalotti's career.
05:39In a beautiful twist though, without Snow White, The Wizard of Oz might have never been
05:43made.
05:44It's one of the studios that audiences craved family-friendly fantastical tales.
05:49Number 15.
05:51Did Dorothy dream at all?
05:52We've all had those incredibly vivid dreams that feel real until we wake up.
05:56However, even our most lifelike dreams probably aren't as intricate or as filled with life
06:01lessons as Dorothy's.
06:04Even when she wakes up surrounded by loved ones, she's still not entirely sure Oz isn't
06:20real.
06:21Maybe she read the books.
06:22One Reddit user theorized that Oz might be an alternate reality rather than just a dream,
06:27Imagine how several people from Dorothy's real life appear there.
06:42They suggest that Dorothy had to crush the Wicked Witch of the East, her alter ego in
06:46this realm, to avoid paradoxes.
06:49Perhaps this was Dorothy's way of confronting her less desirable traits.
06:52Now that's one powerful imagination.
07:06Number 14.
07:07There are loads of very quotable life lessons.
07:10As we said, Dorothy learned some valuable lessons in Oz, but as you grow up, you realize
07:14the movie offers even more profound moments for the audience to learn from too.
07:19For example, hits especially hard with age.
07:25The Wizard of Oz did try to warn us.
07:27You might also find yourself agreeing that he even gave us a great message for life's
07:38darker periods.
07:39As the gang wanders through the dark and creepy forest, Scarecrow notes that, which is often
07:47a true reflection of reality.
07:49Decades later, there's still no place like the Wizard of Oz for those timeless takeaways.
07:56Number 13.
07:57Couldn't Glinda tell if Dorothy is a good witch or a bad witch?
08:01When Glinda first meets Dorothy, she explains that she was summoned by the Munchkins to
08:05determine whether Dorothy is a good witch or a bad one.
08:08After some confusion, Dorothy seems a little offended by the question since she grew up
08:12learning that all witches are old and ugly.
08:15Which is a whole other issue for another time.
08:17And so what the Munchkins want to know is are you a good witch or a bad witch?
08:22But I've already told you, I'm not a witch at all.
08:25Witches are old and ugly.
08:26Anyway, Glinda gently corrects her.
08:29But wait a minute, if only bad witches are ugly, wasn't her question to Dorothy kind
08:33of pointless?
08:34I'm Glinda, the Witch of the North.
08:37You are?
08:38I beg your pardon, but I've never heard of a beautiful witch before.
08:44Only bad witches are ugly.
08:46Couldn't she just tell by looking at her?
08:48And what about Toto?
08:49What kind of witch did she think he was?
08:51She didn't exactly lay out the rules for adorable witches.
08:54I'm not a witch at all.
08:56I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas.
08:58Oh.
08:59Well is that the witch?
09:01Who, Toto?
09:02Toto's my dog.
09:03Number 12.
09:04The horse of a different color.
09:06After Dorothy and her friends arrive at the Emerald City, they ask a local cabbie to take
09:10them to see the wizard.
09:11Cabbie!
09:12Cabbie!
09:14Just what you're looking for.
09:15Take you any place in the city we does.
09:16Would you take us to see the wizard?
09:17The wizard?
09:18The wizard?
09:19I can't.
09:20Where?
09:21Yes, of course.
09:25As they hop on board, Dorothy notices something unusual about the horse pulling their carriage.
09:30It changes color.
09:31As kids, the idea of a magical color-changing horse was mind-blowing.
09:35I've never seen a horse like that before.
09:36No, and never will again, I fancy.
09:37There's only one of him, and he's it.
09:38He's the horse of a different color.
09:39What we probably didn't realize, though, is that a horse of a different color is also
09:49an idiom.
09:50That means something completely different or unrelated.
09:53While there might not be a direct connection, this horse definitely lives up to the phrase.
09:57Oh, and if you're wondering how they pulled off the effect, apparently, contrary to popular
10:02belief, it was vegetable dye.
10:14Number 11.
10:15The Jitterbug.
10:16Apparently, during initial previews, producers felt the movie was too long and made some
10:20cuts, including the jitterbug scene.
10:23In it, the witch sends bugs to make Dorothy and her friends dance until they drop.
10:26Spooks, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks,
10:31I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.
10:34You'll believe in more than that before I'm finished with you.
10:38Sadly, the footage wasn't preserved, but you can find rehearsal visuals and recordings
10:42of Garland singing the song.
10:44Hiding in the treetops is that brass guitar, the jitterbug.
10:52While the scene was cut for time, there's still a reference to those bugs in the movie.
10:57When the Wicked Witch sends her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy, she tells them not to
11:01expect much of a struggle.
11:02Hunt it for us and bring me that girl and her dog.
11:03Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed.
11:04They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that.
11:05I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them.
11:14Well, it seems those insects got lost somewhere in the forest because those flying minions
11:19faced more of a fight than promised.
11:21Number 10.
11:22The special effects are super impressive.
11:25Kids watching today, or even 30 years ago, wouldn't even flinch as Dorothy leaves her
11:30sepia home and enters the technicolor munchkin land.
11:33Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
11:38They might have even thought the initial lack of color was just a glitch.
11:41But imagine seeing it for the first time in 1939.
11:44That moment Dorothy steps out of her front door would have blown your mind.
11:48It's beautiful, isn't it?
11:49Just like I knew it would be.
11:50He really must be a wonderful wizard to live in a city like that.
11:56The movie was one of the frontrunners in special effects innovation, using cutting-edge technology
12:01to bring L. Frank Baum's fantastic world to life.
12:04Apparently, it was a long process that posed plenty of challenges.
12:08However, it played a crucial role in making The Wizard of Oz an iconic piece of cinema
12:12history.
12:13She brings you good news, or haven't you heard?
12:14When she fell out of Kansas, a miracle occurred.
12:25Number 9.
12:26Where are Dorothy's parents?
12:28When we first meet Dorothy Gale, she's pretty happy living on a farm with her Uncle Henry
12:32and Aunt Em.
12:33Come on, we'll go tell Uncle Henry and Aunt Em.
12:35Still, we can't help but wonder where her parents are.
12:39They're never mentioned in the film, so for all we know, they could be anywhere from chasing
12:43their own rainbows to no longer around.
12:45If you've read the books, you might remember that at one point, it's briefly mentioned
12:49that Dorothy's mother passed away.
12:51Still, neither the book nor the movie truly delves into how Dorothy came to live with
12:55her aunt and uncle.
12:58Also, are they biologically related or does she just call them auntie and uncle as a term
13:10of affection?
13:19Number 8.
13:20The Wicked Witch of the West's hygiene habits.
13:23If it takes a mere bucket of water to melt this witch, how does she keep up with her
13:26personal cleanliness?
13:34If she's not bathing or washing her hands, what is she doing?
13:38Has she conjured up some liquidless alternatives like the hand sanitizer gels we've all become
13:43dependent on these days?
13:45Or did she ask the wizard to think up some solution?
13:47Perhaps the real reason the munchkins fear her is because they can always smell her before
13:51they see her.
13:53Also, is she cranky because she's always dehydrated?
13:55We admit we've fallen down the rabbit hole with this one, but once you think about it,
13:59it's kind of hard to stop.
14:01I'm melting!
14:02Melting!
14:03Oh, what a world!
14:04What a world!
14:05Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness?
14:12Number 7.
14:13Is Glinda really all that good?
14:15In Wicked, we learn that the wizard bestowed the title of good on Glinda.
14:18When you bowed before his throne, he decreed you'd hence be known as Glinda the Good,
14:26officially!
14:27However, who gave her 1939 MGM counterpart that name?
14:32We'd like to have a word.
14:33Firstly, she seems to enjoy the munchkins' celebratory march more than anyone else.
14:38Also, let's not forget who put the target on Dorothy's back.
14:41Or more correctly, those shoes on her feet.
14:44Keep tight inside of them.
14:45Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly.
14:48You stay out of this, Glinda, or I'll fix you as well!
14:51Oh, rubbish!
14:52You have no power here!
14:53Be gone, before somebody drops a house on you too!
14:56She probably made Dorothy's trip to the Emerald City that much harder.
15:00Also, if she could help Dorothy get home, was that whole she-had-to-learn-it-for-herself
15:04thing really necessary?
15:06You've always had the power to go back to Kansas.
15:09I have!
15:10Then why didn't you tell her before?
15:13Because she wouldn't have believed me.
15:15She had to learn it for herself.
15:16If anything, Dorothy's reaction in MADtv's alternate ending makes far more sense.
15:22Perhaps Glinda, Mistress of Chaos, is more appropriate.
15:24Flick your heels and say, there's no place like home.
15:29There's no place like home.
15:32And you would have been home in two seconds.
15:35I could have been home two seconds after I got here?!
15:39Number 6.
15:40Frank Morgan was kept very busy on set.
15:43We first see Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel, whom Dorothy meets when she runs away from
15:47home.
15:48They don't understand you at home.
15:49They don't appreciate you.
15:51You want to see other lands, big cities, big mountains, big oceans.
15:54Why, it's just like you could read what was inside of me.
15:58Now, pop quiz.
15:59Who is his Oz counterpart?
16:01A. The Wizard, B. Two different Emerald City guards, or C. The coachman of the horse of
16:06a different color?
16:07If you said, surprise D. All of the above, gold star for you.
16:11Some folks think there's more to it than just the studio trying to save money, or show
16:15off Morgan's acting skills.
16:17I'll get you into the Wizard somehow.
16:21I haven't had him myself once.
16:27In Baum's books, the Emerald City residents seemingly wore green lens glasses that created
16:32the illusion of the spectacular city.
16:35Likewise, Morgan's wizard may have embodied the various characters to keep up his charade.
16:40Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
16:43The great Oz has spoken.
16:50Remember that scene where the Wicked Witch sends her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy?
16:54Take your army to the haunted forest and bring me that girl and her dog.
16:57Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed.
17:00They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that.
17:03Of course you do.
17:04Those flying monkeys have fueled kids' nightmares for generations.
17:08Now do you remember what she says as they fly by her window?
17:11Did you say, fly my pretties?
17:13Sorry to break it to you, but you've been had by the Mandela Effect.
17:16Don't believe us?
17:18Listen again.
17:26Why have so many of us misremembered it?
17:28Well, the Witch tends to call Dorothy my pretty, so it seems we collectively just melded the
17:33two quotes together.
17:36It's not the only misremembered line either.
17:38Next time you watch, see if you can hear any others.
17:40Here, we'll get you started.
17:54Does Miss Gulch ever come back for Toto?
17:56The movie opens with Dorothy and Toto catching the ire of the local shrew, Miss Gulch.
18:06Come on.
18:07We'll go tell Uncle Henry and Auntie Em.
18:09Come on.
18:10However, Toto manages to escape.
18:12Then there's the twister and so on.
18:14Fast forward to the end, Dorothy wakes up, thinking she's been away for days.
18:18Only it seems not even one day has passed.
18:21That's one powerful subconscious.
18:23But I did leave you, Uncle Henry.
18:25That's just the trouble.
18:26And I tried to get back for days and days.
18:28There, there.
18:29Lie quiet now.
18:30You just had a bad dream.
18:32Anyway, given how things were left with Miss Gulch,
18:34wouldn't she come back for Toto when she realized he'd escaped?
18:37Dorothy's guardians had obeyed the sheriff's order the first time.
18:41We can't go against the law, Dorothy.
18:43I'm afraid poor Toto will have to go.
18:45Now you're seeing reason.
18:46Here's why I'm taking him in.
18:48So he can't attack me again.
18:49No, no.
18:50I won't let you take him.
18:51You go away or I'll bite you myself.
18:54Dorothy.
18:55Imagine if Dorothy woke up from her dream to find her beloved pet gone.
18:59Perhaps Miss Gulch did return.
19:02And Em really let her have it.
19:04Just because you own half the county
19:06doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us.
19:08For 23 years I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you.
19:11And now, well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it.
19:19Balm's fans might spot nods to the books throughout the movie.
19:22For example, see the umbrella on Miss Gulch's bicycle?
19:25In the books, the witch, Gulch's Aussie and alter ego,
19:28uses an umbrella, not a broomstick,
19:31which makes sense given her water aversion.
19:33The wooden sawhorse is also a nod to a book character.
19:36And readers will recognize the golden gap
19:38as the tool the witch uses to control her flying monkeys.
19:41Somebody always helps that girl.
19:45But shoes are no shoes.
19:47I'm still brave enough to conquer her.
19:49And woe to those who try to stop me.
19:51However, one significant change stands out.
19:54Dorothy's shoes.
19:56In the books, they're silver.
19:58But this famous pair clearly aren't.
20:01Well, if you'd invested in the latest technicolor movie tech,
20:04wouldn't you want to make those shoes shine?
20:11There's no denying that ruby really pops.
20:17As we've seen, almost everyone Dorothy meets in Oz
20:20has a Kansas counterpart.
20:22Indeed.
20:23This is teased in one of the earliest scenes
20:25where two of the farmhands advise Dorothy
20:27about her brains and courage.
20:29There was reportedly also meant to be a line
20:31about a machine with real heart.
20:33But it got cut.
20:34Still, one mystery remains.
20:36Who's Dorothy's real world Glinda?
20:39We certainly don't meet anyone who fits the bill,
20:41except maybe Anne M.
20:42But then wouldn't she be played by the same actress
20:45like all the others?
20:46Perhaps she represents Dorothy's mother.
20:48Glinda was apparently inspired by Baum's mother-in-law,
20:51author and advocate, Matilda.
20:53It's not clear how exactly, but it's likely.
21:00In the first scene,
21:01Glinda's mother appears to be a witch
21:03who's been possessed by a demon.
21:05But it's not clear who the demon is.
21:08There's definitely some motherly connection there.
21:25Before we unveil our top pick,
21:27here are a few honorable mentions.
21:29Dorothy's daughter hearts the Tin Man's son.
21:31Jack Haley's Tin Man found his heart,
21:33so his son, Jack Haley Jr.,
21:35could give it, for a brief time at least,
21:38to Liza Minnelli.
21:39I think I'll miss you most of all.
21:41The Tin Man may have found his heart,
21:43but it looks like the Scarecrow stole Dorothy's.
21:45I think I'll miss you most of all.
21:50Oil can what?
21:51So simple.
21:52So funny.
21:53He said oil can.
21:54Oil can what?
21:55Why was there even a bucket of water
21:57laying about the witch's castle?
21:59Didn't she know what water could do to her?
22:01Was someone just careless?
22:02Or perhaps it was no accident.
22:04You cursed rat!
22:05Look what you've done!
22:06I'm melding!
22:07Melding!
22:08Dorothy looks pretty clean for someone
22:10who's just fallen into a pig's die.
22:12We guess Oz isn't the only land with magic.
22:14Are you alright, Dorothy?
22:16Yes, I'm alright.
22:17Oh, I fell in and I'm sick.
22:21Why sick?
22:22You're just as scared as I am.
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22:43Number 1.
22:44Wouldn't you be mad if you were
22:46in the Wicked Witch's shoes?
22:48Or weren't in them to be more accurate?
22:50Think about it.
22:51She's just found out that her sister
22:53had been flattened by a falling house.
22:55She thinks about those ruby shoes
22:57and how she'll fondly remember
22:59her late sister every time she clicks
23:02her heels together.
23:03No, it was an accident.
23:05I didn't mean to kill anybody.
23:06Well, my little pretty,
23:08I can cause accidents too.
23:10Aren't you forgetting the ruby slippers?
23:12Slippers?
23:13Yes, the slippers.
23:16Only what happens?
23:17Some meddling witch who audaciously
23:19calls herself good decides to take them.
23:21And who does she give them to?
23:23That's right, the very girl who's
23:25responsible for your sister's demise.
23:28They're gone!
23:29The ruby slippers!
23:31What have you done with them?
23:32Give them back to me or I'll...
23:34It's too late.
23:35There they are and there they'll stay.
23:37Sure, it wasn't deliberate,
23:39but that's neither here nor there right now.
23:41We're not denying that this witch truly is wicked,
23:43but come on.
23:44Don't tell us you wouldn't be mad too.
23:47Take special care of those ruby slippers.
23:49I want those most of all.
23:51Did you catch any Wizard of Oz details
23:53that only stood out once you were older?
23:55Drop down into the comment section
23:56like a house in Munchkinland
23:57and share them with us.
23:58No, she had to find it out
24:00Do you agree with our picks?
24:02Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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