Shirley Temple Was Almost Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz'

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Actress-singer Judy Garland paved her way into movie history at the age of 16 by skipping down the yellow brick road in a blue gingham dress and sparkling ruby red slippers as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 MGM movie musical, The Wizard of Oz .

But the role almost went to another multi-talented child star: 11-year-old Shirley Temple .

While various accounts of how the battle for the title role played out, Jay Scarfone and WIlliam Stillman , longtime historians of the film who have authored numerous books, including 2018’s The Road to Oz: The Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Legacy , explained that it came down to contracts and the studio system of the early days of the film industry.