One of the finest performances in the history of motion picture. Margaret Hamilton is and always will be the Wicked Witch of the West. She should have been given an Academy award for her role and outstanding performance. God bless Margaret Hamilton
With all due respect, if you look at the nominees that year I dont think she was beating both women from GOWTW and so forth. Also look at how amazing that year was and who else didnt get nominated. I recently saw some clips from the Women and in my view both Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell should have been nominated too. Hamilton's performance is very good and YES should've gotten a nomination but her work is also hurt by several things.
Margaret Hamilton did her job well. My dad was 6 when he first saw this movie and when Dorothy was locked in the room with the hourglass he cried so hard that my grandparents had to take him out of the theatre. As kids we were genuinely terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
I actually read two of them when I was about 8 or 9. I know there was The Wizard of Oz, then I don't remember the title, but Dorothy does cross the deadly desert.
She crossed the desert on two occasions; one was on her return to Oz in the third book, "Ozma of Oz," and the second was in "The Road to Oz," which was the fifth book. I've actually read the whole Famous Forty.
I'm probably one of the only kids who was completely amazed and fascinated by the witch(and villains in general like the Disney movies) I always thought they were so mesmerizing and powerful
Absolutely no one could have made a better wicked witch than Margaret Hamilton! Her whole performance of the wicked witch is so iconic now! That voice, that cackle, that laugh is the standard that all other wicked witches will be held to. Truly a great performance and great actress!
She (and the script writers) had actually borrowed a few things from Martha Wentworth's portrayal of the Wintergreen Witch from the 1937 radio series "The Cinnamon Bear." She was green, had a distinctive cackle, and called the child heroes of the show "my pretties."
@Moon Beam LOL...Funny, but that was always a memorable line from the movie for me too. After all these decades I would never have thought of encountering another person who remembered that insignificant line as fondly as I do!
Most people don't know that Margaret Hamilton who played the Wicked Witch acted in 74 films, 27 of them before the Wizard of Oz. Margaret Hamilton also made numerous television appearances, acted in radio and in theatre. Ms. Hamilton was never without work.
JACK ANTHONY I remember how some little kids were so scared by her portrayal of the Witch, that they were scared even when she appeared in those coffee commercials. Of course, by the time I was 10 I thought her Witch Of The West was the funniest thing ever. In Chesterton Indiana they used to have an annual Oz fest, though if Margaret Hamilton ever came to it I missed my chance to meet her, and cut-up about the best screen villains.
There was also Martha Wentworth, who played the Wintergreen Witch in the radio series "The Cinnamon Bear" in 1937. She was green, had a distinctive cackle, and called the child heroes of the story "my pretties."
So...nobody’s gonna talk about “ring around the roses a pocket full of spears” or that face at 1:55?? One of the best movies and performances of all time.
That scene of Dorothy crying over the crystal ball, and Auntie Em turning into a cackling Witch is BRILLIANT!!! It's still just as evil, cruel and scary as it was when I was a kid. Wow.
@@MaskedMan66 Well it gives her a humane side so to speak. It is just a backstory between two witches. But in the context of wizard of oz it has no meaning
@@jmacjr101 What has no meaning, her death? It means the Winkies are free from their tyrant as the Munchkins are free from theirs. And indeed, it means that all of Oz is safe from her plan to conquer the whole place.
One of the best performances of all time, 11 minutes of screen time and she literally set the bar for every witch in the world to try and be slightly like her. Outstanding and the truly magnificent Margaret Hamilton 🙏♥️
Especially for a film marketed towards kids, she’s basically telling Dorothy you’re gonna watch all your friends die then you die. For a movie from the 30s that’s pretty edgy!
@@MaskedMan66 That's what I'm realizing about this performance this week after seeing it on the big screen at Cinespia in LA last weekend. Part of how she seems so perfectly evil is that she's also pretty comedic the whole time -- having SO much fun with it. She f'n inhabited that role so well.
Margaret Hamilton did an excellent job portraying this character! She should have won an Oscar for Wizard of Oz! It’s one of the greatest villain performances of all time!
0:34 is one of the most frightening scores ever composed. The Wicked Witch taunts and laughs in Dorothy's face, then ours, as she sits helpless, terrified and trapped.
I agree. The spastic movements of her hands with those rapidly curling and uncurling fingers and quivering hand gestures seen through that crystal ball, that accompany her shrill and sickening cackle, definitely accentuate her intimidation.
I remember her in Maxwell House Coffee commercials in the 1980s.I didn't recognize her at first, but there was something familiar about her. Then one time watching one of those one time it dawned on me, that's the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. I "said don't drink that coffee" like she said "don't throw that water" in the movie.
During that final confrontation I loved the way the witch lead her monkey army! Her cape was flowing perfectly behind her as she "glided" down the corridor holding her broom high in the air! This made me feel that at one time in her life she was a very good witch because she still had "her graceful walking and running" ability . Then she directed them to chase Dorothy and her friends in an organized manner. But my favorite part is when she tells Dorothy "Thought you would be pretty foxy didn't you!" LOL!!! God Bless Margaret Hamilton she was one GREAT actress!!!!
+Daniel Guizar what's even better is her commitment to still play the role after she was burned severely while descending in the trap door when she leaves munchkin land. They had to stop filming to get the burns treated and she still kept going.
Margaret Hamilton is a amazing actress. she does a great job in portraying a witch. there is something creepily charming about her, and I like it! too bad she isn't alive anymore!
+TotallyTrueToMyself She was a kindergarten teacher in real life, and a really kind person. Simply a great actress to be able to get into character like that.
Margaret Hamilton was ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT as the Wicked Witch of the West!!! She didn't look like she held back ANYTHING when it came to playing that role!
Holy shit, I didn't realise how much I love this film. After not watching it for over 10 years, all the childhood memories are rushing back and it feels great.
"SEIZE THEM SEIZE THEM. STOP THEM YOU FOOLS STOP THEM SEIZE THEMMMMMM." The cadence of her laugh was on point. She had it down and never deviated. Great control of her larynx. A true actor. A lot is going on when they chop that cord. Toto looks like here we go again and they're dragging me all over the place. The scarecrow is running and looking back so he could hit a wall at any moment. The tin man is looking at the hot mess under the Chandelier Candelabra. I just love it.
I can imagine her class tried one time to test her, and she got in full costume and started screaming at them as the Wicked Witch. None ever again dared to test her.
Well... don't know about that one. Margaret Hamilton was from Cleveland, Ohio, and taught Kindergarten. I don't think there were many homework assignments.
@@MaskedMan66 What other job? Was she already in acting by that time? Also, I thought Margaret Hamilton taught Kindergarten, and to my knowledge there are no homework assignments at that age!
When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with this movie. But I called it The Wicked Witch of Oz, not The Wizard of Oz. The Witch was my favorite character. Margaret Hamilton was brilliant.
@@josephclegg3562 Given how close they hewed to the MGM movie, I always wondered why the Wizard had a mustache... and also how he managed to eat and sleep and ... do other things while aloft in that balloon.
I never had any interest in being Dorothy growing up I was always obsessed with the Witch and always played her when I was playing make believe with my friends.
in line with all the comments, i've heard she was one of the nicest people in hollywood & Judy stated that it was hard to be afraid of Margaret because she was so nice a person. Also, glad Margaret survived the terrible burns she got on the set. Always good to see her perform!
She should have gotten the Oscar, but then again Hattie's was such a moment. I just wish the movie was released in 1938 or 1940. Would have gotten so many more wins and nominations.
Olivia deHavilland deserved the 1939 Oscar over McDaniel, her performance was much richer than Hattie's. Hattie was fantastic but she just doesn't achieve what Olivia did (having a better written character helps). But all three should have been nominees.
I wish I could thumbs up this comment a thousand times. My sentiments exactly. I watched this movie every year when it came on tv, then bought it when I was ten or eleven on VHS and watched it on a loop. Before age 9, I was scared of the witch, after that I revered her. As a grown woman now, I appreciate and understand her even more. Mainly this is due to Margaret Hamilton!
Her portrait and acting of the Witch is unreal!!! So great. So much energy. She’s bad and that’s all she wants to be. I love that about this role!!! So energetic
Exactly! That's why "Wicked" is such nonsense. A friend of mine in Toronto co-created a musical called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," based more closely on the book than the MGM movie, and the Wicked Witch has a number called "Wicked is What I Do," in which she declares, among, other things, "This old gal/Is evil, pal!"
@@chnalvr I am a retired linquist .The witch is mimicking urban tuff street wise comebacks which was a common street speech from the 1920's through the 1960's. In 1961 if you were in NE urban cities you'd hear,"Get Bent!" It means Get F__ked! Another was "I got debs on you!" It was common in white lower blue collar hoods. Loansharks and bookies used it. These hoods held much power for cash flow. State lotteries didnt exist!
Margaret had grandchildren later on. I wonder how many times they would bug her to do the witch's cackle or say that iconic line "I"ll get you my pretty and your little dog too!" ???
Margaret Hamilton played that wicked witch role EXTREMELY WELL; yet, in real life, she was a Kindergarten teacher before she became an actress. And she DEEPLY LOVED children -- which is one of the reasons she was a teacher in the first place.
Margaret was a really nice lady & it really conserned her she really did scare kids for yrs after it & she was so close to Judy Garland during filming & helped her alot & she put so much into playing the wicked witch & even became injured in the scene she disappeared in a fireball. Margaret was a warm kind loving lady who had time for everybody & had grandchildren of her own. R.i.p Margaret a great talent you were on screen & a loving kind warm lady.
Her granddaughter was named after her! RE: Space Travel: Margaret Hamilton, the Software Engineer who fixed the "fatal error"(near) of the computer, so the astronauts landed on the moon 1969!
She use to scare me too but after seeing Wicked I never looked at her the same way and took back all that I said about her again For Good, she is my favorite character now. Wicked is one of my favorite broadway shows because it brings awareness to racism, bullying, and animal testing. Elphaba is beautiful on the inside which makes beautiful on the outside to me and I cried when i thought she died and happy that it was a fake death. Dorothy had no idea that Elphaba was formerly best friends with Glinda, the Wizard of Oz being her biological father, she saved Cowardly Lion from being tested on, saved Boz from dying at the hands of her sister Nessarose, turning him into the Tin Man, and Fiyero loved her and saved him from dying and turned him into a Scarecrow becoming like her. Elphaba rocks 😘💚🌈
No actor will never come close playing that role as good as her she was the best really scared me as a kid what a great character may she REST IN PEACE. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
I love the Wicked Witch Of The West, she is sooo great, Margaret Hamilton was BRILLIANT! A part that I think is really funny is at 0:37 when the witch laughs then looks at the camera and laughs again lol I love her
I love this movie so much. My friend has a cat she loves a lot, and whenever she would make a smart remark about my favorite football player, I used to say to her, "I'll get you my love, AND your little cat too."
All the little touches she added, from her expressions, to her vocals, and hands, were amazing. She channeled something terrifying in this role. Like all the great villains, this one can’t be bargained with, reasoned with, or pleaded to. This one, moves lighting fast. A primal terror right out of a childhood dream. Evil, through and through. AFI’s #4 movie villain of all time, and the #1 female movie villain of all time. So evil she made the list twice. All hail, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Cool to know Margaret Hamilton was Judy Garland's only friend on that stressful set. She reached out to Judy from the get go & became kind of a mother figure to her during production. The other adult cast members snubbed Judy, like how dare this kid steal the thunder.
Actually, Judy and Ray Bolger (scarecrow) were also good friends. Look up interviews with his niece Christiana Rickard. He was also the only cast member to attend her funeral and was among the last in attendance to leave. The two of them also appeared on each others shows and seemed to share a great connection based on the footage i saw. I'm guessing that rumor came about due to the long hours of costuming in uncomfortable costume and makeup for Ray, Jack and Bert and the three of them were isolated in their trailers much of the time due to not only that but the fact that when they did emerge to eat lunch in partial costume and makeup, they actually frightened and grossed out a lot of crew members (I'm guessing the process of putting on the costumes wasn't very pretty?). So lunch in their trailers it was. Those things also combined with the fact that people love to speculate and assume the worst. Judy was treated badly onset but that scenario wasn't among those incidents. My sources are Christiana 's books along with various books and articles on the making of the film.
You are mistaken. Judy had friends among the cast already; she had previously worked with Billie Burke, Buddy Ebsen, and Jack Haley, and she quickly made friends with Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr. They were old pros and had no problem sharing the spotlight, especially considering how impressed they were with her abilities. Haley described her as "born to brilliance."
@@TiffanyApanMusic They didn't have individual trailers; MGM shelled out for the three of them to share a bungalow where they would relax and take their meals. Judy was not treated badly; I can't understand why people think she was.
One can only imagine how absolutely terrifying Margaret Hamilton's performance would be if the studio hadn't cut a lot of her scenes. They did that for fear of frightening children too much. She truly personifies the image of a wicked witch. It is kind of sad that she was so associated with that image, for in real life, Margaret Hamilton was a former school teacher, and loved children very much.
Just an AMAZING ROLE played by an AMAZING woman! My all time favorite ever! I truly think she was the STAR of this movie! I can not tell you how many times I watched this. Now I read her stunt double was in the movie? I dont think so , do you? I have been watching it over and over and can't tell now.
Margaret Hamilton was absolutely brilliant in this role. Her make up, gestures and acting defined the role of the wicked witch and there will never be another portrayal of any witch that will be as iconic as this one. She has defined the role of the wicked witch for all time. But the most amazing thing is her voice - her truly maniacal cackling is perfect and sends shivers down the spine. Yet she had an entire range of different expressions from taunting and threatening to soft-spoken wheedling - truly amazing. Yet in real life she was a gentle, soft-spoken very likeable woman. During the filming the three men who played the scarecrow, tin-woodman and cowardly lion and were Dorothy's best friends in the film were actually very nasty to Garland on the set, trying to constantly upstage her while Margaret Hamilton, her worst enemy in the film and bent on her destruction, was her best friend on the set, taking her under her wing in a motherly fashion and supporting her and protecting her from those three nasty men. The film lives from the battle between Dorothy and the wicked with and both actresses poortrayed their roles so magnificently in every detail that it still takes my breath away today, 83 years after this film was made.
The top three best and scariest Witches in filmmaking history: -Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. -Helen Behom Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange (my personal favorite) -Whomever it was who voiced the Queen Witch in the original "Snow White".
The best scene in the movie showing Aunt ‘Em then the witch in the crystal ball. Kind of a psychological analogy demonstrating how teenage girls sometimes view their mothers. Sometimes sweet and loving and sometimes like a wicked witch.
That scene where she appears in the crystal ball, used to scare me as a kid...now it gives me chills! Yes it was scarier than the flying monkey scenes (to me at least).
and to think, Margaret Hamilton was a school teacher who was encouraged by her class to participate in the film. She loved her school kids that she agreed and was chosen for the part.
no one could have played the wicked witch like Margaret she was genius playing this part when I was a kid I was scared when I first seen her, she is convincing the cast for this movie was brilliant picked all the right people
"The Wizard of Oz" is my all-time favorite movie. I've watched more than a hundred times, including with my own kids when they were growing up, and never tired of it. It is the only movie I've ever seen where the movie itself was far superior to the original novel.
Itravail...yes, for some reason 1939 was the pinnacle year for Hollywood films. Although Margaret Mitchell 's Gone With The Wind novel was very popular and widely read, the film personified those characters just like the Oz film did. Two magnificent films from 1939.
Margaret Hamilton played the most iconic villian in history. She had less than 12 minutes of stage time, but was the most memorable character in the film. For those of who you love witches, also check out the 1988 cult classic Pumpkinhead, with veteran character actress Florence Schauffler in the role of Haggis the witch. Like Hamilton, she has about 12 minutes of stage time, but her interpretation makes Haggis the most memorable and quoted character in the film.
I love the fact that in the face of the entire Winkie army Toto bravely growled at that them!!! 0:59. He was ready to attack and fight till his last breath. I hope the Lion was taking notes!!!! Lassie, Yukon King, and Pete (the Little Rascals' Pitt Bull) would have been proud!!!! They were all frightened except for Toto. Toto was pissed off!!!!! LOL!!!! You gotta love the little dog's courage!!!!
Kevin Beswick Not sure how to take that last sentence, considering what _Wicked_ as a musical did by pairing them up. At least in _Wicked_ as a novel, Ephaba does melt for real and Fiyero is NOT the Scarecrow.
Dude, seriously! Lay off Wicked! People are allowed to enjoy things that you don't enjoy. You know, I hate the radio show "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," but I don't go around telling fans of the show how obnoxious I find it. Because it's what they like. And Wicked is what we like.
I remember reading about Margaret Hamilton appearing on an episode of Mr. Rogers neighborhood. Children at that time where scared of her performance as the witch. She appeared on Mr. Rogers neighborhood to assure kids that she was only pretending to be a witch. I don't remember seeing that episode but she did a fantastic job playing the witch. Well done Mrs. Hamilton
RIP Margaret Hamilton! Your talent will never be forgotten!!
Only 12 minutes of screen time and she is the best thing about the movie, hands down. Margaret Hamilton=The best
Jojo717 yes its been years since i have seen the film after she melts!! decades
That and Judy singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
It’s a shame we’ll never get to see all of the deleted scenes she had that were originally deemed “too scary” for the time period!
True, with one reservation: the twister is just as scary. Both are death-bringers
The best witch ever!!!
One of the finest performances in the history of motion picture. Margaret Hamilton is and always will be the Wicked Witch of the West. She should have been given an Academy award for her role and outstanding performance. God bless Margaret Hamilton
With all due respect, if you look at the nominees that year I dont think she was beating both women from GOWTW and so forth. Also look at how amazing that year was and who else didnt get nominated. I recently saw some clips from the Women and in my view both Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell should have been nominated too. Hamilton's performance is very good and YES should've gotten a nomination but her work is also hurt by several things.
I love how her hands are always tense and claw-like... details like that make her scary as hell!
YES that little detail always gets me too. Perfection.
I agree
Finally someone notices how she clenched her hands
I always thought the widow's veil on the back of her hat was a nice touch, too. Great costume.
A crow or a Raven. I think more of a Raven, it's a darker bird.
Margaret Hamilton did her job well. My dad was 6 when he first saw this movie and when Dorothy was locked in the room with the hourglass he cried so hard that my grandparents had to take him out of the theatre. As kids we were genuinely terrified of the Wicked Witch of the West. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
At his age in the 90's I felt the same. Really says a lot about how well the movie still holds up.
Try reading the oz books.
I actually read two of them when I was about 8 or 9. I know there was The Wizard of Oz, then I don't remember the title, but Dorothy does cross the deadly desert.
She crossed the desert on two occasions; one was on her return to Oz in the third book, "Ozma of Oz," and the second was in "The Road to Oz," which was the fifth book.
I've actually read the whole Famous Forty.
I'm probably one of the only kids who was completely amazed and fascinated by the witch(and villains in general like the Disney movies) I always thought they were so mesmerizing and powerful
Absolutely no one could have made a better wicked witch than Margaret Hamilton! Her whole performance of the wicked witch is so iconic now! That voice, that cackle, that laugh is the standard that all other wicked witches will be held to. Truly a great performance and great actress!
The 99th most quoted line in Hollywood history is "I'll get you my pretty! AND YOUR LITTLE DOG TOO!"
She (and the script writers) had actually borrowed a few things from Martha Wentworth's portrayal of the Wintergreen Witch from the 1937 radio series "The Cinnamon Bear." She was green, had a distinctive cackle, and called the child heroes of the show "my pretties."
Margaret Hamilton is to the image of the wicked witch what Bela Lugosi is to the image of Count Dracula.
"Half of you go this way, half of you go that way!" The way she says that always cracks me up. Giving orders like a BOSS! Lol 😂
She IS a boss!
@Moon Beam
LOL...Funny, but that was always a memorable line from the movie for me too. After all these decades I would never have thought of encountering another person who remembered that insignificant line as fondly as I do!
Ha ha, totally.
Haha totally!
And she followed it up with further commands of, "HURRY! HURRY!!"
Most people don't know that Margaret Hamilton who played the Wicked Witch acted in 74 films, 27 of them before the Wizard of Oz. Margaret Hamilton also made numerous television appearances, acted in radio and in theatre. Ms. Hamilton was never without work.
JACK ANTHONY I remember how some little kids were so scared by her portrayal of the Witch, that they were scared even when she appeared in those coffee commercials. Of course, by the time I was 10 I thought her Witch Of The West was the funniest thing ever. In Chesterton Indiana they used to have an annual Oz fest, though if Margaret Hamilton ever came to it I missed my chance to meet her, and cut-up about the best screen villains.
JACK ANTHONY okyes
Outside of acting she also worked as a kindergarten teacher
I think Margaret Hamilton set a new standard for Witches for centuries to come.
Syncretic Views Totally agree!
Yep. She set it so high even Mila Kunis could play her.
@@bradredford4846 *couldn't
There was also Martha Wentworth, who played the Wintergreen Witch in the radio series "The Cinnamon Bear" in 1937. She was green, had a distinctive cackle, and called the child heroes of the story "my pretties."
Amadeus she could have been the first Harley Quinn
Wow, seeing Ms. Hamiltons performance condensed like this is mind blowing. 12 minutes and 50 seconds of pure perfection.
So...nobody’s gonna talk about “ring around the roses a pocket full of spears” or that face at 1:55?? One of the best movies and performances of all time.
"Ring around the rosie," actually. ;-)
OMG, yes, that face at 1:55 is priceless! What a sadist! LOL
@@rayarena879 Oh that pre cut speech was way worse how she was going to kill all of them... that's why it was cut.
That scene of Dorothy crying over the crystal ball, and Auntie Em turning into a cackling Witch is BRILLIANT!!! It's still just as evil, cruel and scary as it was when I was a kid. Wow.
Margaret Hamilton's character was given all the good stuff in the movie, and she took it and hit a home run with it!
Yea the whole film is a masterpiece
@@markedwards7721 What are you talking about? The good stuff permeates the entire movie, not just Miss Hamilton's 12 minutes of it.
Has there ever been a better death scene?! She's so evil, but somehow you feel sorry for her anyway. Immortal portrayal.
Thank Wicked.
@@frankseward7017 What for? It's rubbish.
@@MaskedMan66 Well it gives her a humane side so to speak. It is just a backstory between two witches. But in the context of wizard of oz it has no meaning
@@jmacjr101 What has no meaning, her death? It means the Winkies are free from their tyrant as the Munchkins are free from theirs. And indeed, it means that all of Oz is safe from her plan to conquer the whole place.
I love her hand gestures as she's melting. She was so perfect!
Best and scariest witch ever.. Hands down!!
I remember when I first saw this she had grey hair it was down and she was older and uglier
+Alex WAllar What are you talking about? This is how she's always looked.
MaskedMan66 tel:1-800-MY-APPLE is your birthday
Nope. All the women in the GOP and your mom Andy G. Melania is an illegal alien.
@Andy G You need to stop.🤣🤣🤣
One of the best performances of all time, 11 minutes of screen time and she literally set the bar for every witch in the world to try and be slightly like her. Outstanding and the truly magnificent Margaret Hamilton 🙏♥️
"The last to go will see the first three go before her"...what an incredibly dark line, and it is said with such joy.
Oh that pre cut speech was way worse how she was going to kill all of them... that's why it was cut.
Especially for a film marketed towards kids, she’s basically telling Dorothy you’re gonna watch all your friends die then you die. For a movie from the 30s that’s pretty edgy!
She’s like darth vader. The character isn’t the same with out the actor! She was truly a wonderful actor!
Which actor? At least four people have worn the suit and another has done the voice.
You mean Thanos?
Her performance is so diabolical! Margaret Hamilton truly made her character evil, dark, and absolutely terrifying!
And a bit funny as well.
@@MaskedMan66 That's what I'm realizing about this performance this week after seeing it on the big screen at Cinespia in LA last weekend. Part of how she seems so perfectly evil is that she's also pretty comedic the whole time -- having SO much fun with it. She f'n inhabited that role so well.
@@LXSeaV One of her funniest bits is when, after Glinda says, "Begone before somebody drops a house on you, too!" the WWW looks up in alarm!
@@MaskedMan66 Seriously! There's so much comedy in all of her evil.
@@LXSeaV Part of the secret of her success, no doubt!
Margaret Hamilton did an excellent job portraying this character! She should have won an Oscar for Wizard of Oz! It’s one of the greatest villain performances of all time!
0:34 is one of the most frightening scores ever composed.
The Wicked Witch taunts and laughs in Dorothy's face, then ours, as she sits helpless, terrified and trapped.
***** That as well, and also in the beginning when she was struck by the window during the tornado.
I always thought of that as the part where the Witch was the most menacing. To me anyway.
I agree. The spastic movements of her hands with those rapidly curling and uncurling fingers and quivering hand gestures seen through that crystal ball, that accompany her shrill and sickening cackle, definitely accentuate her intimidation.
I remember her in Maxwell House Coffee commercials in the 1980s.I didn't recognize her at first, but there was something familiar about her. Then one time watching one of those one time it dawned on me, that's the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. I "said don't drink that coffee" like she said "don't throw that water" in the movie.
YOU SAID A MOUTH FULL. lol
During that final confrontation I loved the way the witch lead her monkey army! Her cape was flowing perfectly behind her as she "glided" down the corridor holding her broom high in the air! This made me feel that at one time in her life she was a very good witch because she still had "her graceful walking and running" ability . Then she directed them to chase Dorothy and her friends in an organized manner. But my favorite part is when she tells Dorothy "Thought you would be pretty foxy didn't you!" LOL!!! God Bless Margaret Hamilton she was one GREAT actress!!!!
One can be graceful and evil at the same time; look at Grimhilde, Maleficent, Servalan, etc.
The wicked witch of the west is by far the best witch. Margarot Hamilton did an amazing job with this role.
+Daniel Guizar She NAILED it!
+carp566 Yep she did.
+Daniel Guizar PREACH
+Daniel Guizar what's even better is her commitment to still play the role after she was burned severely while descending in the trap door when she leaves munchkin land. They had to stop filming to get the burns treated and she still kept going.
Samuel Alaster Most definitely. That shows that she doesn't give up so easily.
Margaret Hamilton is a amazing actress. she does a great job in portraying a witch. there is something creepily charming about her, and I like it! too bad she isn't alive anymore!
+TotallyTrueToMyself She was a kindergarten teacher in real life, and a really kind person. Simply a great actress to be able to get into character like that.
+Red88Rex I think she is sexy as the witch, I don't care what anyone else says.
+Red88Rex Really? Wow, seeing your kindergarten teacher playing a witch must have been weird.
+TotallyTrueToMyself So true; same with Ms. Gultch!
Well, mostly everyone in that film is dead now.
You waited for her to appear as the witch in every scene!!! She was Brilliant !!!!!
Thank you so much for putting all of Hamilton’s time in the film together in these two videos for us.
I’m 58 and she still terrifies me!
Margaret Hamilton was ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT as the Wicked Witch of the West!!! She didn't look like she held back
ANYTHING
when it came to playing that role!
Danny Stanhope to
They say that bits of the scenery still survive, and that her teeth marks are still visible!
Holy shit, I didn't realise how much I love this film. After not watching it for over 10 years, all the childhood memories are rushing back and it feels great.
"SEIZE THEM SEIZE THEM. STOP THEM YOU FOOLS STOP THEM SEIZE THEMMMMMM." The cadence of her laugh was on point. She had it down and never deviated. Great control of her larynx. A true actor. A lot is going on when they chop that cord. Toto looks like here we go again and they're dragging me all over the place. The scarecrow is running and looking back so he could hit a wall at any moment. The tin man is looking at the hot mess under the Chandelier Candelabra. I just love it.
Let's just say in her day job as a teacher not one student was tardy, truant, back talked, or turned in a late homework assignment
I can imagine her class tried one time to test her, and she got in full costume and started screaming at them as the Wicked Witch. None ever again dared to test her.
@@undead890 lol
Well... don't know about that one. Margaret Hamilton was from Cleveland, Ohio, and taught Kindergarten. I don't think there were many homework assignments.
Her students loved her, and she never brought her other job to school.
@@MaskedMan66 What other job? Was she already in acting by that time? Also, I thought Margaret Hamilton taught Kindergarten, and to my knowledge there are no homework assignments at that age!
When I was a kid, I was absolutely obsessed with this movie. But I called it The Wicked Witch of Oz, not The Wizard of Oz. The Witch was my favorite character. Margaret Hamilton was brilliant.
Remember they had a Saturday morning cartoon in the early 90s. It was pretty good. I wished it lasted more than one season.
In the book she only appears in one chapter.
@@josephclegg3562 Given how close they hewed to the MGM movie, I always wondered why the Wizard had a mustache... and also how he managed to eat and sleep and ... do other things while aloft in that balloon.
I never had any interest in being Dorothy growing up I was always obsessed with the Witch and always played her when I was playing make believe with my friends.
Margaret is one of the best actresses of all time. No actress has played the role of a wicked witch like she did! RIP M.H
in line with all the comments, i've heard she was one of the nicest people in hollywood & Judy stated that it was hard to be afraid of Margaret because she was so nice a person. Also, glad Margaret survived the terrible burns she got on the set. Always good to see her perform!
She should have gotten the Oscar, but then again Hattie's was such a moment. I just wish the movie was released in 1938 or 1940. Would have gotten so many more wins and nominations.
Allen Quinn They both should have won, McDaniel and Hamilton. Iconic performances that are still talked about 80 years later.
Hey, if the WWW had won, it would still have been a triumph for "colored" people! *ducks*
Olivia deHavilland deserved the 1939 Oscar over McDaniel, her performance was much richer than Hattie's. Hattie was fantastic but she just doesn't achieve what Olivia did (having a better written character helps). But all three should have been nominees.
I think Hattie fully deserved her Oscar. What BAFFLES me beyond belief is that Hamilton wasn’t even nominated
@@calebcurtis2005 I think it's to do with screen time, and Miss Hamilton didn't have enough to qualify.
Hamilton should have gotten the Oscar for this role It is the most memorable performance by any actress most likely in Hollywood film History
I wish I could thumbs up this comment a thousand times. My sentiments exactly. I watched this movie every year when it came on tv, then bought it when I was ten or eleven on VHS and watched it on a loop. Before age 9, I was scared of the witch, after that I revered her. As a grown woman now, I appreciate and understand her even more. Mainly this is due to Margaret Hamilton!
Her portrait and acting of the Witch is unreal!!! So great. So much energy. She’s bad and that’s all she wants to be. I love that about this role!!! So energetic
Exactly! That's why "Wicked" is such nonsense. A friend of mine in Toronto co-created a musical called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," based more closely on the book than the MGM movie, and the Wicked Witch has a number called "Wicked is What I Do," in which she declares, among, other things, "This old gal/Is evil, pal!"
"Auntie Em! Auntie Em! Come back!! I'LL GIVE YOU AUNTIE EM MY PRETTY!! AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
That always makes me laugh...mocking Dorothy in her terror...ruthless. 😂😂😂
What's that line even supposed to mean? lol "I'll give you Auntie Em." Ok, great!
@@chnalvr I am a retired linquist .The witch is mimicking urban tuff street wise comebacks which was a common street speech from the 1920's through the 1960's. In 1961 if you were in NE urban cities you'd hear,"Get Bent!" It means Get F__ked! Another was "I got debs on you!" It was common in white lower blue collar hoods. Loansharks and bookies used it. These hoods held much power for cash flow. State lotteries didnt exist!
Hands down my favorite scene with her.
That cackle is EVERYTHING, what a boss ass witch😂😂😍😍👑👑👏🏻👏🏻
Margaret had grandchildren later on. I wonder how many times they would bug her to do the witch's cackle or say that iconic line "I"ll get you my pretty and your little dog too!" ???
Great selections. Hamilton and Garland both deserved full-fledged nominations.
Margaret Hamilton does an amazing job in that movie! Her character is scary and beautiful. I love her. She's my favorite character.
Margaret Hamilton played that wicked witch role EXTREMELY WELL; yet, in real life, she was a Kindergarten teacher before she became an actress. And she DEEPLY LOVED children -- which is one of the reasons she was a teacher in the first place.
Whoever casted Margaret Hamilton for this classic... I SOLUTE YOU.
Who throws an hour glass? I mean really!
Margaret Hamilton was an utter star, I will never forget this performance, as will everybody else.
Margaret was a really nice lady & it really conserned her she really did scare kids for yrs after it & she was so close to Judy Garland during filming & helped her alot & she put so much into playing the wicked witch & even became injured in the scene she disappeared in a fireball. Margaret was a warm kind loving lady who had time for everybody & had grandchildren of her own. R.i.p Margaret a great talent you were on screen & a loving kind warm lady.
Her granddaughter was named after her! RE: Space Travel: Margaret Hamilton, the Software Engineer who fixed the "fatal error"(near) of the computer, so the astronauts landed on the moon 1969!
My favorite movie when I was a little 👧girl and now my daughter loves the movie and we even got the DVD.
Margaret TRULY played her part such TALENT she had.. why the hell wasnt she at least Nominated OSCAR for this role!?!!
She terrified me when I was little and still a little know. Such a good actress
The part in ball scared me to where I had my head on my mom's shoulder when I was a kid
She use to scare me too but after seeing Wicked I never looked at her the same way and took back all that I said about her again For Good, she is my favorite character now.
Wicked is one of my favorite broadway shows because it brings awareness to racism, bullying, and animal testing. Elphaba is beautiful on the inside which makes beautiful on the outside to me and I cried when i thought she died and happy that it was a fake death.
Dorothy had no idea that Elphaba was formerly best friends with Glinda, the Wizard of Oz being her biological father, she saved Cowardly Lion from being tested on, saved Boz from dying at the hands of her sister Nessarose, turning him into the Tin Man, and Fiyero loved her and saved him from dying and turned him into a Scarecrow becoming like her.
Elphaba rocks 😘💚🌈
I was 12, she terrified me!
No actor will never come close playing that role as good as her she was the best really scared me as a kid what a great character may she REST IN PEACE. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
I love the Wicked Witch Of The West, she is sooo great, Margaret Hamilton was BRILLIANT!
A part that I think is really funny is at 0:37 when the witch laughs then looks at the camera and laughs again lol I love her
Is like she broke the fourth wall
@@MiXVoy And BOY did it work!
Scared the living daylights outta me for YEARS!!!😳😵
"Thought you'd be pretty foxy, didn't ya - WELL"
@@Sniper_Cat_71 🤭😳😱
I love this movie so much.
My friend has a cat she loves a lot, and whenever she would make a smart remark about my favorite football player, I used to say to her, "I'll get you my love, AND your little cat too."
Dorothy got a cat in a later Oz book, a little terror named Eureka.
IM MELTING MELTING!! lol was funny how she said it. Still a great classic
Absolute BRILLIANCE.... Margaret Hamilton RIP
All the little touches she added, from her expressions, to her vocals, and hands, were amazing. She channeled something terrifying in this role.
Like all the great villains, this one can’t be bargained with, reasoned with, or pleaded to.
This one, moves lighting fast. A primal terror right out of a childhood dream. Evil, through and through.
AFI’s #4 movie villain of all time, and the #1 female movie villain of all time. So evil she made the list twice.
All hail, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Always been my favorite movie, and favorite character!! Love her
the wicked witch is my favorite character.
Cool to know Margaret Hamilton was Judy Garland's only friend on that stressful set. She reached out to Judy from the get go & became kind of a mother figure to her during production. The other adult cast members snubbed Judy, like how dare this kid steal the thunder.
Actually, Judy and Ray Bolger (scarecrow) were also good friends. Look up interviews with his niece Christiana Rickard. He was also the only cast member to attend her funeral and was among the last in attendance to leave. The two of them also appeared on each others shows and seemed to share a great connection based on the footage i saw. I'm guessing that rumor came about due to the long hours of costuming in uncomfortable costume and makeup for Ray, Jack and Bert and the three of them were isolated in their trailers much of the time due to not only that but the fact that when they did emerge to eat lunch in partial costume and makeup, they actually frightened and grossed out a lot of crew members (I'm guessing the process of putting on the costumes wasn't very pretty?). So lunch in their trailers it was. Those things also combined with the fact that people love to speculate and assume the worst. Judy was treated badly onset but that scenario wasn't among those incidents. My sources are Christiana 's books along with various books and articles on the making of the film.
@@TiffanyApanMusic They befriended her after production. But on the set, it was Margaret that reached out to her.
You are mistaken. Judy had friends among the cast already; she had previously worked with Billie Burke, Buddy Ebsen, and Jack Haley, and she quickly made friends with Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr. They were old pros and had no problem sharing the spotlight, especially considering how impressed they were with her abilities. Haley described her as "born to brilliance."
@@TiffanyApanMusic They didn't have individual trailers; MGM shelled out for the three of them to share a bungalow where they would relax and take their meals. Judy was not treated badly; I can't understand why people think she was.
@MaskedMan66 That's not what I read in multiple source materials, including her own memoirs.
Trapped, trapped like mice, rats..
"what a world, what a world!" LOL! that line will ALWAYS make me chuckle!
Remember when they had a witch gremlin in Gremlins 2, and they reenact that scene when the witch melted. I could help, but laugh.🤣
You gotta admit she was absolutely right about that “What a world part”!! LOL she tried to warn us about what we were in for!
@@Tonabillity : don’t i know it! Especially THESE damn days. lol
One can only imagine how absolutely terrifying Margaret Hamilton's performance would be if the studio hadn't cut a lot of her scenes. They did that for fear of frightening children too much. She truly personifies the image of a wicked witch. It is kind of sad that she was so associated with that image, for in real life, Margaret Hamilton was a former school teacher, and loved children very much.
They only cut a few lines, not whole scenes.
Mt Rogers had her on his show for one episode to show kids that she's just an actress and very nice irl.
@@MaskedMan66 they did cut the rainbow bridge sequence
@@doyouknow8385 They never filmed that.
@@MaskedMan66 and?
Just an AMAZING ROLE played by an AMAZING woman! My all time favorite ever! I truly think she was the STAR of this movie! I can not tell you how many times I watched this. Now I read her stunt double was in the movie? I dont think so , do you? I have been watching it over and over and can't tell now.
"...What a world, what a world..."
"How could a good little girl like you destroy my beautiful wickedness?"
Joseph Clegg Oh the world. I'm going. I'm going. Oohhh...
Ohh-uhh. . .
Margaret Hamilton OWNED this role!
YES
She was an amazing witch, scared the hell out of all of us when we were kids !
I am going to be the witch for the play
Margaret Hamilton was absolutely brilliant in this role. Her make up, gestures and acting defined the role of the wicked witch and there will never be another portrayal of any witch that will be as iconic as this one. She has defined the role of the wicked witch for all time. But the most amazing thing is her voice - her truly maniacal cackling is perfect and sends shivers down the spine. Yet she had an entire range of different expressions from taunting and threatening to soft-spoken wheedling - truly amazing. Yet in real life she was a gentle, soft-spoken very likeable woman. During the filming the three men who played the scarecrow, tin-woodman and cowardly lion and were Dorothy's best friends in the film were actually very nasty to Garland on the set, trying to constantly upstage her while Margaret Hamilton, her worst enemy in the film and bent on her destruction, was her best friend on the set, taking her under her wing in a motherly fashion and supporting her and protecting her from those three nasty men. The film lives from the battle between Dorothy and the wicked with and both actresses poortrayed their roles so magnificently in every detail that it still takes my breath away today, 83 years after this film was made.
The top three best and scariest Witches in filmmaking history:
-Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West.
-Helen Behom Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange (my personal favorite)
-Whomever it was who voiced the Queen Witch in the original "Snow White".
The Queen Witch Was Voiced By Lucille La Verne
Helena Bonham Carter*
Hamilton is the absolute finest and most iconic witch without competition.
@@m.syauqiabdurahman2798 The character's name was Grimhilde.
Anjelica Huston As The Grand High Witch In The Witches
Margaret Hamilton was absolutely amazing in this film! Outstanding in this role!
The best witch ever!!! At 33, still a great movie to watch!!
33? This film would still be good even at 93.
That's how old Maggie was when she played the WWW!
The best scene in the movie showing Aunt ‘Em then the witch in the crystal ball. Kind of a psychological analogy demonstrating how teenage girls sometimes view their mothers. Sometimes sweet and loving and sometimes like a wicked witch.
That laugh at 1:10 is amazing.
And the scream thereafter
God, she’s incredible. Margaret Hamilton retains the title of Best Movie Villain, 80 years+later
He knows. ;-)
The original cinematic villain and still the most iconic. George Lucas said that Darth Vader was a copy of Wicked Witch of the West.
The Best Witch Ever!
Nobody could compare ❤
0:29 That shit scared me so much when I was little.
Margaret Hamilton played the part outstandingly, she scared the hell out of me as a child
OMG how Hamilton's WWW still cracks me up! I wish that she really existed, and would burn down every theater in which Wicked is about to play.
She probably would!
That scene where she appears in the crystal ball, used to scare me as a kid...now it gives me chills! Yes it was scarier than the flying monkey scenes (to me at least).
She was GREAT in this movie.
One of the most legendary roles ever.
George Vreeland Hill
She played an extremely convincing witch. She had that role down perfectly. Great acting.
0:38 The wicked witch inside the crystal ball scared me
Me too
Then she laughs at us
Yep that was a little scary..
But now Dorothy learned that theres not place like home and sometimes even over the rainbow there is a terror.
The Best of the Best even though its made in 1939 still looks brand new
RIP Margaret:*
and to think, Margaret Hamilton was a school teacher who was encouraged by her class to participate in the film. She loved her school kids that she agreed and was chosen for the part.
"Thought you would be pretty Foxy, didn't you?"
WELL
WELL!!!
I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the wicked witch
Now that I've watched Wicked The Musical, I know that she didn't actually melt, she went down a trapdoor and Fiyero saved her!!!
That has nothing to do with this movie.
She got burned when she left muchgin land
An icon of Hollywood roles!
" I'll give you Auntie Em, my pretty"....LOLOLOLOL
Margaret Hamilton also played a school teacher in "The Red Poney". This was Beau Bridges first film. He played one of the children.
2:25
My favorite line til this day
*“IM MELTING, MELTING! OH WHAT A WORLD, WHAT A WORRRLD!”*
"How could a good little girl like you destroy my beautiful wickedness?"
no one could have played the wicked witch like Margaret she was genius playing this part when I was a kid I was scared when I first seen her, she is convincing the cast for this movie was brilliant picked all the right people
My crush: of course I'll go out with you 🥰
*Gets woken up by my alarm*
Me: 1:14
Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton were terrific together as Dorothy Gale and The Wicked Witch of the West. 👏🏼👏🏼
"The Wizard of Oz" is my all-time favorite movie. I've watched more than a hundred times, including with my own kids when they were growing up, and never tired of it. It is the only movie I've ever seen where the movie itself was far superior to the original novel.
Itravail...yes, for some reason 1939 was the pinnacle year for Hollywood films. Although Margaret Mitchell 's Gone With The Wind novel was very popular and widely read, the film personified those characters just like the Oz film did. Two magnificent films from 1939.
The Wicked Witch truly derived great joy in being wicked. If only we all could find such pleasure in our jobs.
One of the most iconic movie villains in all of movie history. So delightfully evil!
Margaret Hamilton played the most iconic villian in history. She had less than 12 minutes of stage time, but was the most memorable character in the film. For those of who you love witches, also check out the 1988 cult classic Pumpkinhead, with veteran character actress Florence Schauffler in the role of Haggis the witch. Like Hamilton, she has about 12 minutes of stage time, but her interpretation makes Haggis the most memorable and quoted character in the film.
I love the fact that in the face of the entire Winkie army Toto bravely growled at that them!!! 0:59. He was ready to attack and fight till his last breath. I hope the Lion was taking notes!!!! Lassie, Yukon King, and Pete (the Little Rascals' Pitt Bull) would have been proud!!!! They were all frightened except for Toto. Toto was pissed off!!!!! LOL!!!! You gotta love the little dog's courage!!!!
Yes, I noticed that Toto was the only one who was going to fight.
Lil' ankle biters are always ready to ruin a fool's day
Shame that loads of the Wicked Witch's scenes were cut. Shes always been my favorite character.
I find the witch more humorous than scary. Plus she loves screwing with Scarecrow.
Kevin Beswick Not sure how to take that last sentence, considering what _Wicked_ as a musical did by pairing them up. At least in _Wicked_ as a novel, Ephaba does melt for real and Fiyero is NOT the Scarecrow.
Kevin
MAYBE YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR EYES OFF THE WIKED WICH!!!!
+TherealRNO Ugh! Mention not that abomination.
Dude, seriously! Lay off Wicked! People are allowed to enjoy things that you don't enjoy. You know, I hate the radio show "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," but I don't go around telling fans of the show how obnoxious I find it. Because it's what they like. And Wicked is what we like.
I remember reading about Margaret Hamilton appearing on an episode of Mr. Rogers neighborhood. Children at that time where scared of her performance as the witch. She appeared on Mr. Rogers neighborhood to assure kids that she was only pretending to be a witch. I don't remember seeing that episode but she did a fantastic job playing the witch. Well done Mrs. Hamilton
Matt Fite it's on RUclips. It was awesome.