Dark truth behind original Wizard of Oz film will make you think twice about Judy Garland

Following the eagerly-awaited cinematic release of Wicked, many musical theatre fans have been researching the Broadway hit's connection to it's sequel The Wizard of Oz - which was debuted almost a century earlier.

Sadly, in their Googling, many cinema-goers have come across a heartbreaking stream of horror stories describing the trauma endured by lead actress Judy Garland whilst she worked on the set of the 1939 production.

The Wizard of Oz was considered something of a ground-breaker upon its release, having been the first ever film released in full technicolour, with producers including vibrant symbols like ruby slippers, Emerald City and the famous Yellow Brick Road to highlight the achievement.

It also served as a 'big break' for several now Hollywood icons, particularly in the case of the late Judy Garland, who was just 16 when she was cast in the star-studded production.

A critical success, the movie earned a staggering five Oscars - including Best Picture - and saw Garland presented with an Academy Juvenile Award, being that she was only a teen at the time.

It wasn't until relatively recently, however, that fans of the film realised that what should have served as happy memories for Garland, however, actually served as nightmare material.

Much like other cases within the 21st century #MeToo movement, it took until decades later for allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse endured by the young star to come to light, and as such, The Wizard of Oz has since become a subject of mass controversy.

Garland was just 16 when cast as Dorothy (MGM Studios/MGM Studios/Getty Images)

Despite the movie sky-rocketing her into the spotlight, Garland paid the price of fame - beginning in the form of starvation.

According to several reports, one of Warner Bros' studio heads Louis B. Mayer had been concerned about the star gaining weight - and had voiced these concerns directly to her.

Speaking to press, Garland previously remarked: "I was frightful. I was fat – a fat little pig in pigtails."

Her third husband, Sid Luft, previously penned in his 2005 memoir Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland, that she'd also been kept on a strict diet of coffee, cigarettes and chicken soup.

"Unlike other actresses, she could not successfully camouflage extra weight, especially because she was dancing and singing in revealing costumes," Luft wrote.

"Just 4 feet 11 ½ inches, she could be underweight and still appear heavy or out of proportion on screen."

Aiming to trim down her already petite physique so she'd appear even more adolescent, the actress claimed prior to her 1969 death that she was forced to take growth-suppressing drugs while filming.

The actress reportedly took drugs to maintain a low weight during filming (MGM/Warner Bros)

Tragically, however, this wasn't out of the ordinary for Garland, whose pushy stage mother Ethel Gumm allegedly plied her with stimulants to keep her awake during lengthy photoshoots, and dosed her with sleeping pills when the cameras were off.

The actress' substance abuse would eventually be the death of her - following several suicide attempts - and aged just 47, she died of an accidental overdose.

Aljean Harmetz, a former New York Times Hollywood correspondent who wrote The Making of The Wizard of Oz, later told press: "If she was a normal kid, allowed to go to a normal school and not come into the industry until she was an adult.

"I doubt the tragedy that became her life in her last years would have happened."

It wasn't just drug abuse and harsh words that Garland was forced to endure at such a young age, but sexual harrassment.

As well as attempting to navigate the level of fame that was soon to be sent her way, the teen also had to navigate the advances of many of the movie's 'Munchkins', who reportedly groped her ceaselessly when the cameras were switched off.

Her former flame Luft also penned in his heartbreaking exposé: "They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.

Garland was reportedly abused by several of the 'munchkins' (MGM/Warner Bros)

"They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress. The men were 40 or more years old."

Garland, herself, alluded to something similar during a 1967 interview, after being asked by journalist Jack Parr about her relationship with the Munchkins.

Despite joking that she was asked to dinner by a 40-year-old man and adding that, as a group, they 'got up to a lot', she opted to keep her lips sealed about the gory details.

LADbible Group previously contacted Warner Bros for comment.