Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What famous dance was almost performed in “The Wizard of Oz”?

Lindy Hop
Conga
Jitterbug
Foxtrot

The correct answer is Jitterbug

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: What color are Dorothy’s slippers in the original “Wizard of Oz” book?

Blue
Silver
Gold
Green

The correct answer is Silver

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: Who directed both “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind”?

John Ford
Francis Ford Coppola
Alfred Hitchcock
Victor Fleming

The correct answer is Victor Fleming

So why is this answer correct? : 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.”

Trivia: “The Wizard of Oz” was one of the first movies made with what technology?

3D
Surround Sound
Technicolor
IMAX

The correct answer is Technicolor

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: Which line is NOT actually said in “The Wizard of Oz”?

Fly, my pretties, fly!
We’re not in Kansas anymore.
There’s no place like home
Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

The correct answer is Fly, my pretties, fly!

So why is this answer correct? : 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!”

Trivia: What breed of dog is Dorothy’s pet, Toto?

Cairn Terrier
Chihuahua
Shih Tzu
Papillon

The correct answer is Cairn Terrier

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: As the Wizard departs Oz, who does he leave in charge of Emerald City?

Lion
Glinda the Good Witch
Scarecrow
Tin Man

The correct answer is Scarecrow

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: What award does the Wizard bestow upon the Lion for “meritorious conduct”?

Medal of Courage
Daring Legion
Star of Bravery
Triple Cross

The correct answer is Triple Cross

So why is this answer correct? : 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.

Trivia: What Emerald City shop does Dorothy visit before seeing the Wizard?

Emerald Elegance
Oz Beauty Inc.
Wash & Brush Up Co.
Yellow Brick Outfitters

The correct answer is Wash & Brush Up Co.

So why is this answer correct? : 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.”

Trivia: According to the opening credits, to whom is “The Wizard of Oz” dedicated?

Viewers like you
The young in heart
L. Frank Baum
The children of the world

The correct answer is The young in heart

So why is this answer correct? : 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.”