Before Jack Haley brought the Tin Man to life in the beloved classic movie The Wizard of Oz, the role belonged to Buddy Ebsen. But unfortunately, a dangerous reaction to the character’s original metallic makeup forced the actor to leave the production after what he later described as a “terrifying” and life-threatening experience.
Ebsen, who would go on to become a television icon on The Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones, was originally cast as the Scarecrow in the 1939 film, with Ray Bolger in the role of the Tin Man. But after Bolger asked to swap parts because he had a personal love for the Scarecrow, Ebsen agreed, and the rest is history.
In order to transform the actor into the character’s iconic silver look, makeup artists dusted Ebsen’s face and body with fine aluminum powder. Everything seemed fine as Ebsen did tests for the costume, recorded all the songs, rehearsed his scenes, and started filming the movie.
But 10 days into shooting, Ebsen was hospitalized due to damage he suffered from repeatedly inhaling the toxic aluminum powder, which made it extremely difficult for him to breathe.
It was a serious situation, and filming stopped as they looked for a replacement actor, later hiring Haley. While Haley would become known as the Tin Man in the film, Ebsen’s vocals as the Tin Man are still in a number of the songs. After the medical emergency, the aluminum dust was reformulated into a paste, and thankfully, Haley never suffered any serious injury from the costume.
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In a note Ebsen later wrote to a journalist about the experience, via People, he explained how the production team struggled to get the costume right, saying, “When they finally got the effect they wanted with my makeup, I took a deep breath of relief. Unfortunately, two weeks later, I could hardly breathe at all.”
After the week and a half of shooting, Ebsen was unable to breathe, saying, “This was a most frightening moment … My lungs felt as though someone had coated them with glue.”
“I wondered if I was dying,” Ebsen admitted. The doctors discovered that the aluminum dust had coated his lungs after the extended exposure, but at the time, people thought it was “harmless.” He spent over a month recovering before he could go home.
Ebsen never mentioned having any long-term effects from the exposure, and he died in 2003 at the age of 95.
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This story was originally published by Parade on May 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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