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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe best-known stars of MGM’s 1939 The Wizard of Oz—Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Frank Morgan—went on to different careers, but their roles remained part of the film’s enduring legacy. Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, also continued acting for decades. Here’s what the record shows about the principal cast and the movie’s long life after its first release.
Who were the principal stars of The Wizard of Oz?
The five central performers were Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, and Frank Morgan as the Wizard, according to the Library of Congress. Margaret Hamilton, as the Wicked Witch of the West, is another defining member of the film’s cast. This account focuses on those familiar principal performers rather than attempting a complete biography of every actor in the ensemble.
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What happened to the stars after the film?
Judy Garland (Dorothy)
Garland’s career continued beyond Dorothy: she worked as both a film star and a singer, and the Library of Congress notes her later Academy Award nominations. She died in 1969, aged 47. The film made Dorothy central to her public image, but it was only one part of a career across film and music.
Ray Bolger (the Scarecrow)
Bolger remained closely associated with the Scarecrow in the public imagination. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 retrospective recounts that, in a Los Angeles Times interview, he said children would punch him to see whether he was “made of straw.” In the same passage, he reflected: “How many can say ‘I belong to a great American classic?’”
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- Runtime: 101 minutes
Jack Haley (the Tin Man)
Haley played the Tin Man in the finished film after Buddy Ebsen, originally cast in the role, became ill during production. TIME’s 2019 retrospective reports that Ebsen was hospitalized after illness associated with the aluminum-powder makeup; Haley replaced him, and the makeup was changed to a paste. TIME also reports that Haley developed a treatable eye infection. These are accounts reported by TIME, not independent medical findings presented here.
Bert Lahr (the Cowardly Lion)
Lahr’s heavy Lion costume became one of the production’s practical challenges. The Library of Congress describes the costume as hot and heavy, part of the broader difficulty of filming in Technicolor under intense lights. The available institutional accounts cited here document that production experience but do not provide a detailed account of Lahr’s later career.
Frank Morgan (the Wizard)
Morgan played the Wizard and also appeared in other roles in the film. The sources cited here establish his place among the principal stars, but do not provide a detailed post-1939 biography. It would be misleading to infer a complete account of his later life from that limited record.
What became of Margaret Hamilton and the Lollipop Guild performer?
Margaret Hamilton (the Wicked Witch of the West)
Hamilton continued acting until 1982, according to the Census Bureau. She also used the recognition she gained from playing the Witch to speak at schools and raise money for charity. In a 1975 episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, she acknowledged that some children were frightened of the character: “Sometimes, Mister Rogers, I’m a little unhappy because lots of children are quite scared by her.” Hamilton died in Salisbury, Connecticut, in 1985.
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Jerry Maren (the Lollipop Guild)
The Census Bureau identifies Maren as the central member of the Lollipop Guild trio. Its retrospective recounts a later remark from Bolger about Maren, but the cited account does not establish a full biography of Maren or the other Guild performers.
How did the film outlast its 1939 release?
The Wizard of Oz opened nationwide on August 25, 1939, following its Hollywood premiere on August 15 and New York debut on August 17. The Census Bureau’s 2023 retrospective reports about $3 million in earnings during the original release. Those figures describe the initial run, not the film’s total lifetime box office.
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- Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk has English audio.
The movie found new audiences through later releases and formats. The Library of Congress says MGM’s 1955 re-release added $465,000 to overall box-office earnings; that page does not state a publication date for the figure. The Census Bureau says the film first aired on television in 1956 and that home-video sales began in 1980. A 2019 theatrical release for the film’s 80th anniversary grossed more than $1.2 million, according to the same 2023 retrospective.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What production stories are supported—and which are disputed?
Heat, costumes and makeup
The Library of Congress describes how intense Technicolor lighting made the sets hot, especially for actors wearing heavy costumes. It notes that Lahr’s Lion outfit was particularly hot and heavy and documents roughly 1,000 costumes for 600 actors. TIME reports that Hamilton was burned during production and that her makeup was removed to keep it from reaching her wounds. The injury account is TIME’s reporting; it should not be treated as a newly verified medical record.
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The hanging-Munchkin rumor
The claim that a Munchkin performer hanged himself on set is false, according to TIME. The shape sometimes cited as evidence in the background is more likely an exotic bird borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo. TIME’s account does not support repeating the story as an event that happened.
Allegations involving Garland
Claims that Munchkin performers molested Garland are disputed, not established fact. TIME quotes historian Aljean Harmetz as saying that nobody involved saw or heard of an assault, and distinguishes that lack of corroboration from a later account by Garland’s former husband Sid Luft. The available reporting does not justify presenting the allegation as proven.
How did MGM’s film differ from Baum’s book?
One of the most recognizable differences is the footwear: L. Frank Baum’s original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, gives Dorothy silver shoes, while MGM’s film made them ruby slippers. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Library of Congress document the film’s ruby slippers. Reading Baum’s book offers a direct way to compare the source story with the 1939 adaptation.
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