6. The legend of L. Frank Baum’s coat
During the filming of The Wizard of Oz in 1939, five separate roles were played by veteran Hollywood character actor Frank Morgan (Professor Marvel, the Doorman at Emerald City, the coachman, the Wizard’s palace guard, and the Wizard of Oz). As with most films, the various scenes were shot out of order in deference to the needs of set designers, actor’s schedules, and so forth. Morgan’s scenes as Professor Marvel encountering the runaway Dorothy (and Toto too) were shot near the end of filming which gave Morgan, disgruntled at the costume required of him, time to find something more suitable. The costume designer, director Victor Fleming, Morgan, and others combed second hand clothing stores around Los Angeles in search of the perfect coat, purchasing whole racks of old clothing. One particular coat caught Morgan’s eye and he used it in the film.
During filming it was discovered that the coat bore the name of L. Frank Baum (author of the Oz stories) stitched into the lining of one of the pockets. Though dismissed immediately as a publicity stunt by the newspapers, a curious Morgan confirmed the coat’s ownership by contacting the tailor who made it, providing photographs. The tailor confirmed that the coat had been made for the author of the Oz books, who relocated to Southern California in the early twentieth century. Baum died in 1919, and after his death his books were dissected for political and moral meanings, though in his lifetime he always insisted that they were meant only to please children. His coat, if the story be true, can be seen on the back of Professor Marvel with each televised showing of the film, an event still looked forward to by fans old and new of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Also Read: Hidden Symbolic Messages in The Wizard of Oz You May Have Missed.