You’ve probably heard that a disgruntled extra hanged himself on set, or that a Munchkin is rumored to have been spotted in the background. Most of that is nonsense—but the suicide myth is particularly persistent. Let me save you the trouble: it’s false. The only real drama on set was the heat (temperatures hit 100°F under the lights) and Margaret Hamilton’s burns from a faulty explosion during the Witch’s exit.
That fire stunt? It was filmed on a special stage with a trapdoor. Still, she was hospitalized, and the stand-in stepped in for later scenes. So, yes, the set was dangerous—but it wasn’t cursed. Just 1930s safety standards.
Twenty-seven original behind-the-scenes snapshots taken on the set of
