Scott and SadieLet’s pull back the glittery green curtain on Hollywood’s most iconic Technicolor fever dream, The Wizard of Oz, and take a peek at the cast’s paychecks. Spoiler alert: the salary breakdown is about as fair as Auntie Em letting Dorothy do all the tornado cleanup.
Dorothy’s Payday: A Cute Little Ripoff
Judy Garland, the star of the movie—the girl who carried the entire plot while singing, crying, skipping, and getting attacked by flying monkeys—earned a measly $9,600. Adjusted for inflation, that’s around $218,000 today. Sure, it sounds nice until you realize she was literally the face of the movie. Judy was 17 years old, working her ass off, and what did MGM do? They slapped her in a corset so tight she could barely breathe and handed her a paycheck that screamed, “You’re lucky we let you in the Emerald City at all.”
Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch Was Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Margaret Hamilton, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, took home $21,000 (about $476,000 today). That’s more than double Garland’s salary. Maybe melting into a puddle of green goo pays better than clicking your heels and carrying a dog around in a basket. To be fair, Hamilton did nearly die on set from pyrotechnic mishaps. But still, Dorothy’s the protagonist. Where’s the equity, MGM?
The Scarecrow Rakes It In
Ray Bolger, the Scarecrow who danced around whining about needing a brain, earned a whopping $72,000—around $1.63 million in today’s money. That’s right. While Judy was belting “Over the Rainbow” and carrying the entire film, Ray was out here securing the bag. The irony? Dorothy’s the one who needed to figure out how to ask for a raise.
Even Toto Had a Better Deal
Let’s not forget Terry, the terrier who played Toto, earning $125 a week. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $2,838 per week. The damn dog made more than most working-class Americans today. We love Toto, but he didn’t even have to remember lines—just show up, wag his tail, and bark on cue.
Lions, Tigers, and Wage Gaps, Oh My!
The Wizard of Oz may be a timeless classic, but the pay structure? A classic example of Hollywood treating its stars like trash. So next time you hum “Follow the Yellow Brick Road,” spare a thought for poor Judy Garland. She deserved a lot more than a tight corset and a couple of bucks.
