‘Secret lesbian relationship’ in Wizard of Oz film that nobody knew about
The hype surrounding Wicked doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon after the eagerly-awaited sequel, Wicked: For Good, dropped in cinemas last week (21 November).
Now, any fans of the beloved film franchise will no doubt know all about the decade-spanning history of its multiple adaptations.
Going from the most recent, there were the two Wicked movies, which came out in 2024 and 2025, respectively. These were based on the Tony Award-winning musical, which premiered in 2003 and is also titled Wicked, and loosely adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a revisionist prequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its famous 1939 film adaptation.
The Wicked fandom seems just as obsessed with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; however, not many know about the 'secret lesbian relationship' in the cult-classic flick.
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Yep, the original Glinda the Good Witch actress, Billie Burke, reportedly had a relationship with director Dorothy Arzner, Pink News reports.
Following her nearly two-decade marriage to theatrical producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., which ended with his death from pleurisy in 1932 at 65, Burke maintained her performing career on Broadway stages, in radio programs, and in silent cinema before eventually landing a role in the 1933 romantic drama, Christopher Strong.
The throwback film was directed by Arzner, who was an openly lesbian director working during an era when homosexuality was criminalised in America.
Homosexuality was only legalised nationwide in the US a whole 64 years after the 1939 film in 2003 with the Supreme Court's ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down laws criminalising private, consensual same-sex sexual activity.
Arzner later maintained a decades-long partnership with choreographer and writer Marion Morgan that lasted nearly 50 years until Morgan passed away in 1971.
Speculation suggests that Arzner and Burke became romantically involved during this period, with the two reportedly sharing a residence by 1936.
While either party never confirmed the relationship between the two, it has historically been considered an open secret in Hollywood.
Them further reports that though Arzner and Morgan were deeply committed, historian William J. Mann noted in his book Behind the Screen, 'that didn’t mean [their relationship] couldn’t be flexible,' with Morgan frequently travelling for work.
"Over the years, Arzner was rumoured to have had affairs with several women including Joan Crawford, [Katharine] Hepburne, and Burke, who was reportedly one of her favourite actors," the outlet adds.
Burke died of natural causes on 14 May 1970 at 85, while Arzner passed away in 1979 at the age of 82.
Topics: LGBTQ, Sex and Relationships, TV And Film, Wicked
Rhiannon Ingle