Shirley Temple originally was slated to play the part of Dorothy, but Judy Garland got the role after Temple passed on it. Other role changes included Buddy Ebsen, who could not play the Tin Man because of a physical reaction to his costume, so Jack Haley took the part. Frank Morgan took over the Wizard of Oz role after W.C. Fields asked for more money. Morgan also appears in the movie as a doorman, carriage driver, gatekeeper and Professor Marvel.
The song "Over the Rainbow" won an Academy Award, but the production team nearly did not put it in the final version of the movie. The Cowardly Lion wears a flower pot as his crown, though you can tell it was a prop when it falls off and does not break. To simulate fire overtaking the Wicked Witch, the the movie makers used apple juice. Miniature replicas were used during the tornado scene near the beginning of the film. To give the appearance of a tornado, the film makers used a stocking that spun around.
"The Wizard of Oz" cost more than $2.7 million to create and netted around $3 million at the box office. All of the munchkin characters were paid $50 per week for their work, while Toto, Dorothy's pet dog that accompanies her to Oz, was given $125 per week. To make the book into a film, the author Frank Baum was paid $75,000. "The Wizard of Oz" was later re-released in theaters in the 1990s. This release boosted the film's overall money earned up to more than $14.7 million, though this does not count money earned from other products related to the film.