Dorothy’s Slippers

It was 1974 when I began to research the 1939 MGM movie “The Wizard of Oz,” and Thanksgiving, 1977, when my book “The Making of the Wizard of Oz” was published.

During the nearly 40 years between movie and book, many of the participants died and the memories of the survivors understandably had faded.

In his fascinating article, Thomas suggests that Judy Garland’s ruby slippers were made at Western Costume Co. It is possible that MGM used Western Costume for the tedious job of sewing sequins on six or seven pairs of shoes. (Although the equally tedious task of creating peculiar shoes for more than 100 Munchkins was done at the studio.)

However, none of the women I interviewed who had worked in the MGM wardrobe department in 1938 mentioned Western Costume. And two, who had intimate knowledge of the shoes, said that the beading was done at the studio. They differed on whether the sequins were glued or sewn, and the wardrobe department obviously experimented during the creation of the shoes.

Vera Mordaunt, the head of the wardrobe department’s dye room, even described various early tests with patent leather shoes and shoes painted red and mentioned a particular woman who was given the job of customizing shoes during that period.

Marian Parker, a young seamstress who had the job of replacing the sleeves on Garland’s gingham dresses every day, described “the beaders frantically with their little needles pushing all those red sequins on the shoes” through what she thinks was a net of chiffon.

ALJEAN HARMETZ

Los Angeles

Harmetz is a film reporter for the New York Times.