If you know anything about the movie classic the Wizard of Ozz, you know that one of most disturbing scenes is the Wicked Witch of the West catching on fire. It turns out that the way the special effects was filmed in 1939 is about as frightening as what the moviegoer sees on the screen. Elizabeth Letts is the author of a book titled “Finding Dorothy”, the 2023 O-Town Reads book, which tells the story behind the wonderful Wizard of Oz, through the eyes of Maud Baum, wife of L. Frank Baum, who wrote the original story. During a special program at Ottawa Memorial Auditorium, Letts told about the filming of the scene:
Letts says Margaret Hamilton, who played the wicked witch, spent several days in the hospital, and then recovered at home for six weeks before returning to the movie set. For some strange reason, she refused to have anything to do with fire for the rest of the filming.
