Production #1060 page 8

Production #1060 page 8 by ric gustafson


After Margaret Hamilton was selected as the Wicked Witch of the West and Miss Gulch, the search started for casting of Glinda the Witch of the North. There were eight suitable candidates that were under contract. These included Fanny Brice, Gracie Fields, Una Merkel and Helen Troy. Everyone agreed that the best candidate for the role was Billy Burke.
Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke was the daughter of a Barnum and Bailey circus clown. She married Florenz Ziegfeld in 1914 and concentrated on her marriage. He died in 1932 and Burke began to play matron roles to pay off his debts.
Billy Burke won the part and the rest was history.
It was Yip Harburg who suggested that burlesque comedian Bert Lahr would be perfect to play the Cowardly Lion. Harburg had worked with Lahr and knew that he was a very funny man. MGM gave him five weeks guaranteed and he won the part. Actually, Lahr worked on the production for six months. Five weeks of that time was spent on ' The Jitter Bug' which was a musical number eventually cut from the finished film.


research help: ' The Making of the Wizard of Oz' by Aljean Harmetz


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric