Makeup in the thirties was dangerous. The original actor who was selected to play the Tin Man was rushed to the hospital when the aluminum powder that had been his makeup got into the air and coated his lungs. The actors were changed and the costume department changed the makeup from aluminum powder to aluminum paste. In the scenes where the Wicked Witch would disappear in a plume of smoke and fire, the copper ores in the makeup sometimes caught on fire. The actress ended up with second and third degree burns on her face and hands from it.