When does the film burst into color?

When Dorothy opens the door to Oz

Why was the first Tin Man actor replaced?

Aluminum powder makeup made him ill

The Wizard of Oz Quiz: Sepia Kansas, Technicolor and Slippers

This The Wizard of Oz quiz steps through the door from sepia Kansas into the color of Oz in MGM's 1939 classic. Play 10 interactive questions on the Technicolor switch, ruby slippers that were silver in the book, L. Frank Baum, Judy Garland, Over the Rainbow, the Tin Man actor replaced over aluminum makeup and the stolen slippers found years later.

Start the Wizard of Oz Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Year
When was MGM's The Wizard of Oz released?
Kansas
How do the Kansas scenes look?
Switch
When does the film burst into color?
Process
Which color process did the film use?
Author
Who wrote the original book?
Shoes
What color were Dorothy's shoes in the book?
Song
Which song won the Oscar for Best Original Song?
Tin
Why was the first Tin Man actor replaced?
Witch
Who played the Wicked Witch of the West?
Stolen
What happened to a pair of ruby slippers in 2005?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: When was MGM's The Wizard of Oz released?
Answer: 1939
Judy Garland starred.
Q2: How do the Kansas scenes look?
Answer: Sepia-toned
They feel dusty and plain.
Q3: When does the film burst into color?
Answer: When Dorothy opens the door to Oz
The change thrilled audiences.
Q4: Which color process did the film use?
Answer: Technicolor
Three-strip cameras were huge.
Q5: Who wrote the original book?
Answer: L. Frank Baum
It was published in 1900.
Q6: What color were Dorothy's shoes in the book?
Answer: Silver
Red showed off Technicolor.
Q7: Which song won the Oscar for Best Original Song?
Answer: Over the Rainbow
Garland sings it in Kansas.
Q8: Why was the first Tin Man actor replaced?
Answer: Aluminum powder makeup made him ill
Buddy Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley.
Q9: Who played the Wicked Witch of the West?
Answer: Margaret Hamilton
She was burned during a stunt.
Q10: What happened to a pair of ruby slippers in 2005?
Answer: They were stolen from a museum
They were recovered in 2018.

From Sepia to Technicolor

MGM's The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939, adapts L. Frank Baum's 1900 book. Judy Garland plays Dorothy, whose Kansas world is filmed in sepia tones. When a tornado carries her house away and she opens the door, the film bursts into Technicolor, one of cinema's great moments.

Bulky three-strip Technicolor cameras needed bright light, making sets very hot. In Baum's book Dorothy's shoes were silver, but the filmmakers made them ruby red to show off the color. Over the Rainbow, sung in Kansas, won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Buddy Ebsen, first cast as the Tin Man, became ill from aluminum powder makeup and was replaced by Jack Haley. Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch, was burned during a fiery exit. A pair of ruby slippers stolen from a museum in 2005 was recovered in 2018.

What This Quiz Teaches

Classic movie fans will enjoy these questions.

How the colors change
Where the story came from
Why the slippers are red
What happened on set
Which song won an Oscar

Did You Know?

The yellow brick road leads to the Emerald City.
Toto is a Cairn terrier.
Frank Morgan plays the Wizard.
Munchkinland is the first color set.
Several pairs of slippers survive.