Facts

When Dorothy becomes appalled at the Lion's behavior and slaps him, examine her facial expression. She snuggles Toto close to her in an attempt to cover her own giggles at the Lions blubbering.

"She's really most sincerely dead." It is interesting to note that the date inscribed on the certificate for the demise of the Wicked Witch of the East is the death date of L. Frank Baum (the author of the original novel)- May 6.

After the Wicked Witch has blown out of Munchkinland in a fiery billow, Glinda takes Dorothy by the arm and warns her never to let those Ruby Slippers off her feet for a moment. Watch closely as Glinda raises her wand and knocks it into her crown, you can even hear the 'clink' as it strikes.

Dorothy was the name of Baum's infant niece. She died at the age of 5 months in 1898.

The Hanging Man Rumor!

Watch closely as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodsman head down the road on their way to the Emerald City. To give the indoor set used in this sequence a more "outdoors" feel, several birds of various sizes were borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo and allowed to roam the set.

A stork can be seen wandering around just outside the Tin Woodsman's shack while Dorothy and the Scarecrow attempt to revive him with oil.

At the very end of this sequence, as the three main characters move down the road and away from the camera, one of the larger birds (often said to be an emu, a crane, or a stork) standing at the back of the set moves around and spreads its wings. No munchkin, no hanging -- just a big bird.

Notice Dorothy's wavering pigtails when she encounters the Scarecrow. Her hair length varies from short to long and back again.