Trivia / The Wizard of Oz (1902)

• Cut Song: "The Guardian of the Gate" was cut after only a few performances.
• Executive Meddling: The director Julian P. Mitchell disliked the original script because it was too small-scale for him. He cut some of the songs, brought in new songwriters, cut some of the original Tietjens numbers, and rewrote the script. He added new Canon Foreigner characters, added new scenes, Demoted to Extra the Cowardly Lion's role, Adapted Out the appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West, and changed Dorothy's companion from Toto to Imogene. This left the play much less like the original book, but in the end the play was a success nevertheless.
• Older Than They Think: Ray Bolger was a huge fan of Fred Stone, and his loose-limb dancing was an Homage to Stone's uncanny work in the 1902 show; Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man in the 1939 film, but made a deal with then-Scarecrow Buddy Ebsen to switch roles with him due to his admiration of Stone. Stone's flexibility and athleticism could be seen in a few seconds of a vaudeville act with Dave Montgomery in 1907.
• Starmaking Role: For Fred Stone and Dave Montgomery. They became a sensation and started their famed vaudeville act "Montgomery & Stone".

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