</OThis went on for years, until I was in college. Yes, COLLEGE. The thing that turned it around for me was a wonderful awesome book called “The Making of The Wizard of Oz” by Aljean Harmetz (http://www.amazon.com/Making-Wizard-...2502016&sr=1-1). The first edition of the book was written in 1977 (I discovered it in our college library in 1985), and by 1977, pretty much one of the few cast members who was still alive was Margaret Hamilton, who wound up being invaluable in the writing of this book. Literally half the book was ghost written by her, and you can tell by just her normal manner of speaking that she was actually very kind, very down to earth, and incredibly sharp. Through the stories she told, she looked out for everyone – her stand in, her wardrobe mistress, Judy Garland, etc. I mean, it’s hard to remain terrified of a woman who, after Judy Garland turned 16 on the set and received her first big present – her own dressing room with a giant bow on it – had to help Judy track down the key. Judy came to “Maggie” in tears, to which Maggie replied, “What’s the matter, honey?” Judy explained that after the birthday party, she went to actually go into her new dressing room, and found that no one had given her the key. So, off the two of them went, to find the wardrobe mistress who had gone to lunch with the key in her pocket. It’s hard to be scared of that visual – The Wicked Witch, with her arm around Dorothy, patting her gently on the shoulder as they set off together to find the key to her dressing room. Maggie said, “I just felt so horrible for that poor girl – her first really big present, and they didn’t even give her the key so that she could use it!” <O</O<OGoogle stuff about her on the internet – you’ll find even better stories about her kindness and hospitality through the years. She used to invite fans and struggling actors coming through NY to lunch at her apartment on Sutton Place, just so they’d feel like they had someone to connect to while they were in the big city.So even though this book really helped me get past 99% of my fear, there’s one scene that nothing can help me get past. Just isn’t going to happen. It’s the scene in the Witch’s castle where Dorothy sees Aunt Em in the crystal ball – and as she’s crying to Aunt Em to please help her, the image blurs, changes, and turns into the Witch, screaming and mocking her, tormenting her about wanting her Aunt to come rescue her. Then she looks directly at the camera, and as the camera moves in for a tight close up, she just screams the most terrifying laughter in the world. I'm getting goosebumps just typing this – I’ve watched that scene literally two times. Once the first time I ever saw it, and then again when I was a teenager, trying to force myself not to be scared of it, which didn’t work. <OBy the way, I’m also not alone in not being able to watch that scene. Many “Oz” fans have copped to that scene being pants-wettingly terrifying, which at least I never had that happen! But in case your curious, during an interview, they brought that up to Margaret Hamilton to ask her reaction. Her reply was, “Well, I’m not surprised. That must be a terrifying thing for a child, to see the person they love the most in the world gradually disappear, leave them, and turn into a monster.” Like I said, she was clearly a sharp lady.
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