Dorothy's Silver Shoes?

Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

Everyone knows the 1939 movie Wizard of Oz, but did you know that Dorothy's famous ruby slippers were actually suppose to be silver? Just imagine -- these iconic shoes that are recognizable everywhere, that are even considered to be a icon of American entertainment, could have been something completely different! Written by Frank L. Baum in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz follows the same storyline of the movie except for one major costume change. The shoes in the book were silver rather than red! What made them change to color for the 1939 movie?

The Wizard of Oz, 1939 (Lahr).

The answer to this lies with technology rather than personal taste. Technicolor was changing the way movies were made ("Technicolor"). The intensity and vibrant colors brought new life to the movie industry in films such as Gone with the Wind and Singin' in the Rain. Against the yellow backdrop of the brick road in The Wizard of Oz, the silver shoes were deemed a poor color amongst producers of the film. The color changed to the famous ruby hue to be more dramatic in the Technicolor film ("Dorothy's Ruby Slippers").  As you can see in the image, the ruby color definitely shows up well against the golden tones of the yellow brick road. Even in the shadows, you can still see the gleam and glitter of those incredibly gorgeous shoes.

These size five shoes are still making headlines in recent news. In 2008, designers created a challenge against one another to remake the image of Dorothy's famous slippers for the then upcoming 70th Anniversary of the film's making--- "If Dorothy were living in the 21st century, what would she wear?" Here's some sketches by famous designers such as Betsey Johnson, Christian Louboutian, Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and many others in response to the challenge:
   

 Which design do you think is better? Perhaps the original ones are the best! (Although those Betsey Johnson ones are pretty rockin'!)

Garland's shoes are still making headlines today and not just back for the film's 70th Anniversary. I just typed into a search engine "Ruby Slippers", and under the News section there's the latest article on them. For her 25th birthday, pop artist Lady Gaga received a pair of the desirable slippers from her managers. What a birthday present! Estimated at over $40,000, this pair was one of five total shoes made for Judy Garland. Lady Gaga performed with the sparkly shoes on her birthday at a performance in Los Angeles' Staples Center on March 25th. Apparently when she was younger, Lady Gaga auditioned for the lead role in The Wizard of Oz but it went to someone else. She said on stage during the show:

Lady Gaga & Garland's shoes

"I wanted to be Dorothy so bad. I was in 8th grade and she was a senior. I definitely deserved to get it, but I didn’t get it. I was one of the people in the chorus, the worst role. On behalf of myself and all of those bullied around the world, now these ruby slippers are mine. When you don’t feel like Dorothy today, maybe you feel like someone on the chorus or the Scarecrow – just know you will have opportunities in your real life to change things and maybe someone will hand you a pair of ruby slippers.” (Molls)

It's really amazing that 72 years after the movie first debuted on the screen, it's still making news headlines! 

I picked this blog post to be about the famous Ruby Slippers because it is showcased in the Smithsonian's American History Museum. They represent a time in American history when the economy was in horrible conditions, much worse than they are considered to be today. The Wizard of Oz distracted people living during The Great Depression with its vibrant colors, whimsical plot and sense of being happy and there's a place "over the rainbow". Even if only for a few hours, people who went to the theaters to see Judy Garland took their minds off their worries, which is perhaps why the movie industry is so costly yet profitable today.

P.S. I also have video from the Smithsonian's website about the story of the Silver shoes. I can't upload onto this post, but I can upload it onto a separate post from the Smithsonian's website. If you get a chance to watch it, it shows just how beautiful the shoes really are. The red color that is!