M-G-M MEETS L. FRANK BAUM! (Part Five)

by John Fricke

[Above: Due to time constraints and various production considerations, not all the episodes in L. Frank Baum’s THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ could be shown in MGM’s movie adaptation of his story. Metro’s filmmakers, however, found it essential to include the adventure that Dorothy & Company encountered in the Deadly Poppy Field – even though the manner in which the characters escaped from the flowers in Baum’s account was much different than the way MGM presented it; please keep reading to enjoy the surprising changes! Also: Take note, if you will, of the striking art (just above) from the first edition of Baum’s OZ novel. With both humor and honesty, gifted artist W. W. Denslow depicts the moment the poisonous blossoms begin to affect the Kansas girl and the Cowardly Lion.]

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Note: This is the fifth installment of our 2024-2025 blog series, celebrating the 85^th anniversary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s classic 1939 film version of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Each month -- through next June, and sequence by sequence -- we’ll compare the content of the motion picture with author L. Frank Baum’s original story of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (first published in 1900). The entry presented here continues Dorothy Gale’s ongoing journey to the Emerald City, and her “traveling party” has just been completed; the Kansas girl and her dog Toto now proceed down the Yellow Brick Road together with the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion. They’ve emerged from the Great Munchkin Forest – or the “Lion Forest,” as it was termed by MGM – and here Baum’s text and the studio’s screenwriters diverge in their storytelling. Regardless, there are challenges awaiting our friends, both on the printed page and on the movie screen; just below you’ll discover what MGM left in, crossed out, or added to Baum’s plot and characterizations! (Pictures from the motion picture herewith are recognizable; all the others are among those drawn by W. W. Denslow for the first edition of Baum’s book.)

Let’s begin by picking up on Frank Baum’s text:

Having come out from under the dark and dangerous forest, our company is delighted to see the Yellow Brick Road continuing ahead of them -- “through a lovely, sunny country that seemed to beckon them on to the Emerald City.” A rushing river precludes the immediate continuation of their journey, however, so the Tin Woodman employs his trusty ax to make them a raft, so that they might float to the other side. He also provides long poles, so that he and the Scarecrow might propel their conveyance across the torrent by pushing along on the river bottom:

The current proves too strong, however, and the raft is swept further and further downstream, in deeper and deeper water. Endeavoring to touch bottom with his pole to steer them to calmer waters, the Scarecrow pushes so hard that his stick gets stuck in the mud, and before he can pull it loose or let go, he is hoisted from the raft, which continues on without him.

Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion lament the loss of their straw companion, and the Lion finally decides to jump into the river, while the Woodman holds onto his tail. With herculean strength and courage, the large animal eventually manages to swim the raft out of the current, and the party finally reaches the opposite riverbank. They then waste no time in resuming their walk back in the direction from which they’d floated so far off course. In time, they come upon the spot where the Scarecrow – mid-river – still clings to his pole, and they stop and ponder what might be done to save him. A new encounter provides an unexpected but happy solution; this Denslow drawing was intended for the first page of text for chapter eight of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ:

This friendly Stork has stopped to rest at water’s edge, and when she discovers the party’s destination – and their reason for being so far off-track – she agrees to fly out over the river and attempt to rescue the Scarecrow. Dorothy reassures the bird, “He isn’t heavy a bit . . . for he is stuffed with straw.” The Stork is then triumphant: “With her great claws,” she grabs the Scarecrow “by his arm” and carries him “up into the air and back to the bank” where his friends wait in anticipation.

Joyously reunited, the five continue to walk back toward the Yellow Brick Road. The beautiful countryside is rampant with singing birds, and the ground is “carpeted” with “big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies . . . so brilliant in color they almost dazzled Dorothy’s eyes.”

A reminder here: The Wicked Witch of the West has yet to make any appearance in Baum’s original book, but the accumulating poppies are about to do their worst – even without Margaret Hamilton’s movie attempt to provide “something with poison in it – but attractive to the eye and soothing to the smell.” Alternatively, Baum segues to a textual description of his own, all the while presenting equal danger: “Soon [the travelers] found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. Now it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together, their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep. And if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy did not know this.”

“So presently, her eyes grew heavy” and despite her friends’ urging to keep walking, Dorothy “could stand no longer . . . she forgot where she was and fell among the poppies fast asleep” . . . [and] Toto had fallen down beside his little mistress.” (This specific Denslow art introduced chapter eight of the Baum book:)

The Lion quickly observes, “If we leave her here, she will die . . . I myself can scarcely keep my eyes open.” The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman urge the Lion to run ahead to “Get out of this deadly flower bed as soon as you can. We will bring the little girl with us, but if you should fall asleep, you are too big to be carried.” With that, the Lion bounds away, and the non-flesh and non-breathing straw and metal man are able to withstand the aroma of the poppies and carry Dorothy and Toto to safety. (They consider doing this in the film but are unable to lift the child; the poppies that poison her there are not just flowers but actual enchantments of the Wicked Witch.)

They are just about to clear the field when they find the Lion sound asleep; his strength has given out at the last moment. Regretfully and tenderly, the Tin Woodman observes, “We must leave him here to sleep on forever, and perhaps he will dream that he has found courage at last.” The Woodman and Scarecrow then carry “the sleeping Dorothy to a pretty spot beside the river, far enough from the poppy field to prevent her breathing any more of the poison of the flowers. Here they laid her gently on the soft grass and waited for the fresh breeze to waken her.”

Of course, Baum’s storytelling now leaves behind one of our heroes, but the author has a most ingenious means of again bringing the Fabulous Five together. While waiting for Dorothy to come out of her sleep, the Tin Woodman suddenly notices “a great yellow wildcat” chasing “a little gray field mouse” across the meadow toward him. (This is Denslow’s design for the first text page of chapter nine, which begins with the appearance of the wildcat and mouse:)

According to Baum, “Although the Woodman had no heart, he knew it was wrong for the wildcat to try to kill such a pretty, harmless creature.” So, he raises his ax and cuts off the head of the wildcat (!), winning the appreciation of the tiny mouse – who happens to be wearing a crown and turns out to be (by her own admission), “a Queen – the Queen of all the Field Mice.” Thus, Denslow’s introductory page for chapter nine:

Many of her subjects then come rushing through the grass to confirm the safety of their monarch; in turn, the Tin Woodman must hold Toto to keep him from chasing them:

The swarming mice then ask what they might do to repay the Tin Woodman for saving their Queen, and the Scarecrow – brainless though he felt himself – quickly suggests that they might be of major assist in rescuing the Cowardly. Once assured that the Lion is harmless, the Queen follows the Scarecrow’s idea that she summon “thousands” of her subjects, directing each of them to bring along a long piece of string. Meanwhile, the Tin Woodman -- ax ever at the ready -- cuts down riverbank trees and makes a huge cart, working so quickly that the mini-truck is prepared by the time the mice are gathering. There’s a brief moment of largesse before the mice are strung together and tied to each other and the cart, and the Scarecrow uses it to present the now stirring Dorothy to their royal guest. (The text says the Scarecrow does these honors, but Denslow depicts the Tin Woodman as conducting this ceremony:)

The Scarecrow’s latest scheme is a glorious success – both in terms of saving the fifth member of the troupe and in giving Denslow another two-page spread in which to detail the situation:

The mice then go back to their own lives, although the Queen offers Dorothy the parting gift of a tiny whistle and promises, “If you ever need us again, come out into the field and call, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance.”

In short order, Baum rouses the Lion back to life, and the quintet continues along the river to quickly regain a (once again) smooth and well-paved Yellow Brick Road. They pass through beautiful countryside where the inhabitants wear green garb – much as the Munchkins had one and all worn blue – and Dorothy delightedly deduces, “We are surely getting near the Emerald City.”

At nightfall, she stops to ask a farmwife if it’s possible to obtain dinner and lodging at her home; the Kansas girl’s companions wait a distance away so as not to startle the woman. (Another example of Denslow’s concept art is brought into play here, and this reproduction shows how the actual text of the book once again accompanies and compliments his drawing:)

Once acclimated to such uncommon visitors, the farm family makes them feel at home. The farmer himself offers helpful (if questionably accurate) counsel about the Wizard: “Oz . . . can take on any form he wishes [and] has more brains than he needs . . . Oz has a large collection of hearts of all shapes and sizes . . . Oz keeps a great pot of courage, covered with a golden plate to keep it from running over . . . Oz can do anything; so I suppose he will find Kansas for you.” Then Dorothy and her compatriots dine with the man, woman, and their children before all retire for the night.

And “the next morning, as soon as the sun was up,” our intrepid friends “started on their way and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them.” 😊

Journey’s end?

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Of course, MGM didn’t have read-aloud time to cover all of this. Nor -- despite their roster of stars, featured players, and ready access to hundreds of extras -- could they summon thousands of trained and talking mice. Thus, in their OZ scripting, the studio handily eliminated the need for a raft; a rushing river; the Scarecrow’s pole problem; the Stork; the protagonists’ long walk along the riverside; the creation of a cart large enough to transport the King of the Forest; the necessity for thousands of pieces of string; and the overnight stop for dinner and sleep.

All of these were supplanted, however, with Technicolor, a glorious matte painting of the long-sought (if still distant) Emerald City, and excitement, danger, and drama in the reappearance of both “Glinda, the Witch of the North” and the Wicked Witch of the West. (At this point in the film, the latter is shown for the first time in her own castle, with her “familiar” Winged Monkey, Nikko, at her side.) In keeping close to the Oz book, Metro also opted to bedeck one of their massive soundstages with --according to contemporary publicity – somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 artificial flowers . . . :

Once out of the Lion’s Forest via MGM, Dorothy and et al are blissfully confronted with the magnificent Emerald City in clear view across the stunningly beautiful field of poppies. The continuation of the Yellow Brick Road can also be seen on the far side of the blooms; understandably, the five principals take off on a run:

What they don’t know, of course, is that the Wicked Witch has been keeping track of their journey, and even before the travelers arrive at the outer edge of the Poppy Field, she’s taken no chances that the aroma of the flowers alone will be enough to decimate them. From afar, she poisons the entire meadow and stands back, using an oversized crystal ball to watch her evil take effect:

In no time at all, Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion have toppled, and their two loyal cohorts desperately call for aid. No one, of course, can hear them; there’s not another soul to be seen. Fortunately, someone else from afar has been keeping tabs, as well: Glinda herself sends a snowstorm to countermand the power of the flowers.

“That couldn’t help,” notes the discouraged Scarecrow, until he notices his three companions being roused. “It does help!” he exclaims in awe – at which the Lion blinks around and offers, “Unusual weather we’re having, ain’t it?”

That line of dialog was adlibbed by masterful Bert (Lion) Lahr, who suggested, on-set, to director Victor Fleming, “I’m sure it’s a laugh!” Here, in a seldom-seen, behind-the-scenes moment, Fleming (right) sits in the Poppy Field to advise his company as to the mechanics and interpretation of the sequence. At left, an adjunct to animal trainer Carl Spitz cradles Toto:

(Incidentally, it was Baum’s 1902 stage musical of THE WIZARD OF OZ that originated the concept of a snowstorm -- sent by the Good Witch -- as an antidote to the poppies. The theatrical blizzard effect therein “magically” replaced the red flower garb of numerous tights-clad chorus girls with white garments; it was a consistently show-stopping conclusion to act one of that record-breaking production.)

Back in the Winkie Country in her Tower Room, the Wicked Witch tosses a fit: “Curse it! Curse it! Somebody always helps that girl!” She mounts her broom, side-saddle, and flies out the window, en route to the Emerald City, where she plans to take matters into her own hands.

Our heroes are, meanwhile, unaware of this approaching airborne threat. They’re preoccupied in brushing the snow off -- and re-oiling -- the Tin Man, who’s “rusted again” in the (however briefly) cold and wet climate. Dorothy then delightedly finds that “Emerald City is closer and prettier than ever!” and she and the gang march out of the Poppy Field.

They even receive a joyous musical escort from an unseen heavenly choir of “Optimistic Voices”: “You’re out of the woods, you’re out of the dark, you’re out of the night! Step into the sun! Step into the light!” As a result, the wanderers scoot up the Yellow Brick Road and “march up to that gate and bid it open! Open!”

. . .  And what THEY find – onscreen or in chapters ten and eleven of Frank Baum’s immortal words – YOU’LL find here next month. 😊

Many thanks for being with us!

Article by John Fricke