Follow the Yellow Brick Road to This "Wizard of Oz" Quiz

It's difficult to imagine the ruby slippers as any other color but ruby red, unless perhaps you've read L. Frank Baum's 1900 book. In Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," the magical slippers are silver. Screenwriter Noel Langley switched the color to red for the 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland, reportedly because he believed the bright hue would look better in Technicolor. Several pairs of the sequined ruby slippers from the movie still exist, including one set at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Judy Garland was forever immortalized in the annals of Hollywood history when she was cast as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz,” but she wasn’t the only actress in contention for the role. Shirley Temple was also considered, but Garland's stronger singing voice ultimately tipped the scales in her favor.

Lightning struck twice in 1939 when Victor Fleming directed both "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone With the Wind," which are widely considered two of the greatest movies of all time. In each case, he was hired to replace another director and get a troubled production back on track. His efforts earned him a Best Director Oscar for "Gone With the Wind," which also won Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards — over, among other films, "The Wizard of Oz."

When the Wicked Witch of the West sends her army of winged monkeys to capture Dorothy and her friends, many people think she says, "Fly, my pretties, fly!" In reality, she says, "Now fly! Fly! Bring me that girl and her slippers! Fly! Fly! Fly!" The confusion may arise from the Wicked Witch's earlier line, where she says to Dorothy, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

When it was originally filmed, "The Wizard of Oz" contained a dance number called "The Jitterbug." Unfortunately for lovers of the old-timey dance, the scene, which cost $80,000 and took five weeks to shoot, was cut from the movie because it was simply too long and had little to do with the plot. Producers also worried that including such a popular dance would date the film.

Terry the Cairn Terrier was cast as Toto in "The Wizard of Oz," and became one of America's most famous dogs in the process. Terry had been an acting dog for a few years, first starring in the 1934 Paramount rom-com "Ready for Love," but "The Wizard of Oz" was the biggest role of her career. Terry was such a star, in fact, that she was paid $125 per week during the shoot — more than many of the human actors on set.

The Wizard of Oz awards the Lion the Triple Cross "for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against wicked witches," and inducts him into the Legion of Courage. During this ceremony, he also confers upon the Scarecrow an honorary degree of Th.D. (Dr. of Thinkology), and gives the Tin Man a heart-shaped clock.

Upon entering the Emerald City, a "horse of a different color" brings Dorothy and the gang to the Emerald City's Wash & Brush Up Co. to spruce up before meeting the Wizard. The Scarecrow gets restuffed, the Lion gets brushed and clipped, the Tin Man gets polished, and Dorothy gets pampered to the tune, "The Merry Old Land of Oz."

After Dorothy meets the Wizard and asks for courage for the Cowardly Lion, a brain for the Tin Man, and a heart for the Scarecrow, the Wizard declares, "The beneficent Oz has every intention of granting your requests. But first, you must prove yourselves worthy by performing a very small task. Bring me the broomstick of the Witch of the West!" Then his voice booms and pyrotechnics burst from the floor, scaring the group out of the room and on to a new phase of their quest.

In 1939, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) took a crack at adapting L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz” for the screen. It wasn't the first time his work had been tried on film, but it was by far the most successful. MGM's production decisions seem to have paid off historically, but during filming, the set had quite a few problems. The movie even had to change directors midway through shooting.

Before leaving the Land of Oz, the Wizard puts the Scarecrow in charge, saying, "I hereby decree that until what time — if any — that I return, the Scarecrow, by virtue of his highly superior brains, shall rule in my stead." He is to be assisted in his leadership position by the newly-heartened Tin Man and the courageous Lion.

After the opening credits roll, right before the movie begins, a message appears on screen. It reads, "For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return ... and to the Young in Heart — we dedicate this picture."

At the end of the movie, the Wizard is about to take Dorothy back to Kansas by way of his magic hot air balloon, when suddenly Toto jumps out of the basket right before takeoff. Dorothy chases him, but the balloon becomes airborne and she isn't able to make it back inside in time. The Wizard flies away, leaving Dorothy behind in Oz for the time being.

During the protagonists' final battle with the Wicked Witch of the West, the vile villain lights the Scarecrow on fire. To help put out the fire, Dorothy picks up a bucket of water and throws it on the Scarecrow's inflamed arm. However, some of the water misses and hits the Witch in the face, causing her to melt away.

Though the Technicolor Corporation had been in the business of movies since 1917, "The Wizard of Oz" is what put the company on the map. After beginning in the sepia-toned landscape of dusty Kansas, Dorothy suddenly finds herself in the Land of Oz, which is bright and beautiful, thanks to the DF-24 Beam Splitter camera by Technicolor.

"The Wizard of Oz" ends with Dorothy and Toto making it back home after what appears to have been a vivid dream. Upon making it back to her room, Dorothy exclaims, "I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And — Oh, Auntie Em — there's no place like home!"

"Over the Rainbow" was written for "The Wizard of Oz" with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg. The song went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became Judy Garland's trademark tune for the rest of her singing career. In 2004, the American Film Institute ranked "Over the Rainbow" as the best movie song of all time.

First released in 1900, L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was an immediate bestseller. Continuing on that success, Baum wrote 13 more Oz books, and following his death in 1919, the series continued with help from other writers. By the 1940s, though, his hit literary series had been overshadowed by the film it was based on, for which the studio paid him $75,000 for the rights.

After the tornado transports Dorothy to the magical land of Oz, she looks around and says to her dog, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Prior to her transport by cyclone, Dorothy had lived on a farm with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry in quiet, sepia-toned Kansas.

In the original book, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, and there is another Witch of the North. However, in the 1939 movie, Glinda is the Witch of the North. Played by actress Billie Burke, Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road, rescues her from the deadly poppy field, and teaches her that "there's no place like home."