Friends of the Friends of Dorothy ment. They were the first friends of Dorothy.
Faces from Our LGBT Past Dr. Bill Lipsky It had at least 14 writers, five directors, three production designers, numerous casting changes, and endless revisions of costumes, makeup, and hairstyles. So much for the auteur theory of film creation. But what about the “gay sensibility”? The Wizard of Oz, now 80 years old and the most beloved film of all time, was shaped by gay men—women then were rarely allowed to be decision makers behind the scenes—throughout its develop-
Friends have kind words for each other. Among the three writers to receive screen credit was Edgar Allan Woolf (1881–1943), described by MGM story editor Samuel Marx as “a wild red-headed homosexual.” While working on The Wizard of Oz, he and his frequent collaborator Florence Ryerson rewrote the script’s first draft, created the Professor Marvel character, suggested that the same actor play him and the Wizard, and also take the roles of the Emerald City’s gatekeeper, cabby, and palace guardsman. Friends often give each other advice. George Cukor (1899–1983), who directed The Wizard of Oz for only one week, transformed the entire production with his suggestions for Judy Garland’s appearance and performance. He simplified her original rouged, “baby doll” makeup, which she later said made her look “like a male Mary Pickford”; recommended Garland use her own hair, not the blond wig given her; and changed her costume to the simple, now iconic gingham dress. Dorothy became as we know her. Celebrated as “a woman’s director,” then code words for gay, Cukor made his greatest contribution to the film when he convinced Garland to be herself in the role. Her performance, he believed, would be much more credible if she stayed away from cutsie, even in the heightened, fairytale world of Oz. He was right. Her honest and sincere portrayal centered the film, gave the story its emotional
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intensity, and made her a star. Garland was forever grateful. Sydney Guilaroff (1907– 1997) was the hairstylist of Oz. He was 14 years old when he began his career in New York as a beautician’s assistant. Within a few years he was “Mr. Sydney” of Antoine’s, one of the city’s toniest salons. Soon he opened his own beauty parlor at Bonwit Teller. It was Joan Crawford who brought him to Hollywood and MGM, where became the studio’s chief hairstylist in 1934. In 1938, Guilaroff became the first single man in history to adopt a son, whom he named Jon, for Joan
Crawford. The state of California sued to stop the adoption, but a judge ruled not only that Guilaroff was fit to be a parent, but also that he was “more moral than most other people.” The next year, for his work on The Women, he again made history as the first hair stylist to receive a screen credit. (The salon in the film is named “Sydney.”)
ment and the most famous schemata maven of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It was he who was responsible for Glinda’s gossamer gown, accessorized with the latest in wands; the Munchkins’ fabulous wardrobe; the ruby slippers, which added a splash of The fabulous attire of Oz was the color to a farm girl’s everyday ensemble; work of Adrian (née Adrian Adolph and all the rest of the film’s clothing. Greenburg, 1903–1959), head of MGM’s costume depart(continued on page 30)