6. The Wizard of Oz nearly killed Buddy Ebsen
When shooting began for The Wizard of Oz, Buddy Ebsen and the other actors involved in the production spent long hours in makeup. Ebsen’s face and hands were treated to appear to be made of tin, using a mixture of creams and aluminum dust. By the end of the first day of shooting Ebsen suffered cramps in his extremities, and the following day he arose aching and sore. Within a few more days he was experiencing difficulty breathing. He went to a doctor, to discover that the makeup was toxic when he inhaled the dust.
MGM staff did not believe the performer’s claim of being ill, and demanded he return to the set. When it became apparent that he was going to be ill for some time, Ebsen was removed from the cast and replaced with Jack Haley. Ebsen said later in life that the studio did not admit that it was the makeup which led to his lengthy hospital stay (though it changed the formula) and that MGM did not pay for his treatment. For the rest of his life, he experienced occasional difficulty breathing, which he blamed on his brief association with the project, which he often referred to as “that damned movie”.