Cutting an icon

‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ is perhaps one of the most famous original songs in the history of cinema, but the tune very nearly didn’t see the light of day.

After production wrapped, some people at MGM - including studio head Louis B. Mayer - wanted to cut the song due to concerns ‘The Wizard of Oz’s runtime would be too long, and though it was strange that Dorothy would be singing in a barnyard.

However, producer Mervyn LeRoy and assistant producer Arthur passionately defended the tune, and threatened to leave the project if it was cut.

As a result, ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ was left in the final cut, and went on to become one of Hollywood’s most iconic pieces of music.