Update: This article was published on April 15, 2021, but was updated January 6, 2023, with a source reporting that asbestos was also used as fake snow in the 1946 classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart.
In 1939, the United States was a couple of years shy of entering World War II. Asbestos hadn’t yet reached its peak for importation, mining, and industrial use.
However, the label of “magic mineral” was ramping up — and trust in asbestos went beyond industrial use and into cinema.
The 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz used asbestos in a unique way: fake snow. The production team dropped threads of asbestos from the ceiling onto the set for filming snow scenes. The final cut shows Judy Garland (Dorothy), the Lion, and the Scarecrow having asbestos fragments fall on their hair, skin, and costumes. The asbestos “woke them up” from a spell cast by the Wicked Witch of the West.
Nowadays, no movie would ever use asbestos in such a way. It’s proven to cause cancer — it’s the only known cause of mesothelioma — and has been almost entirely phased out of industrial and consumer applications.
Asbestos Dangers Unknown During Movie Production
In 1939, the only people who knew the truth about asbestos were the manufacturers profiting from it. Judy Garland, her fellow actors and actresses, and the production staff likely were unaware it could cause deadly diseases.
However, the sight of asbestos falling on those characters’ faces is still unsettling.
Asbestos was marketed in various ways, notably as a fireproof insulant. It protected industrial plants from fire damage, added a fire-resistant layer to protective suits, and guarded homes and other buildings from fire hazards.
In The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch’s broom included asbestos, and the Scarecrow’s costume also contained it. Both characters interacted with fire or were in close proximity to it.
Another Movie With Asbestos
Another movie from that era also reportedly used asbestos. Life Magazine reported that It’s a Wonderful Life — the 1946 holiday classic starring Jimmy Stewart — used asbestos as a stand-in for snow, just like The Wizard of Oz.
Fake snow was just one of many lesser-known uses for the mineral. Companies marketed it as a decorative item for Christmas trees, wreaths, and ornaments during the holiday season.
Sources & Author
- The Snow in The Wizard of Oz Was 100% Pure Asbestos. Movieweb. Retrieved from: https://movieweb.com/wizard-of-oz-snow-asbestos/. Accessed: 03/22/2021.
- Was Fake Snow Made from Asbestos Marketed as Christmas Decor? Snopes. Retrieved from: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fake-snow-asbestos/. Accessed: 03/22/2021.
- ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’: Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic. Life Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.life.com/arts-entertainment/its-a-wonderful-life-rare-photos-from-the-set-of-a-holiday-classic/. Accessed: 01/06/2023.
