<P> The book took two years to be created . Aljean Harmetz researched the film and the studio and interviewed the surviving cast, crew and MGM staff . From the acquisition of the music to the scripts, casting, and filming, Harmetz's book provides readers with a detailed re-creation of how the studio produced this film . </P> <P> It was reissued in paperback in 1984, and again with a new preface by the author for the film's 50th anniversary in 1989 . Another reissue was released, again with a new preface, shortly before the film's theatrical re-release in 1998, and another reissue is planned for the film's 75th anniversary in 2013 . </P> <P> After the success of the book, Aljean Harmetz adapted her knowledge and contacts with the film's survivors into a 30 - minute PBS documentary in 1979 . </P> <Ul> <Li> The Studio 1938 </Li> <Li> The Scripts </Li> <Li> The Brains </Li> <Li> The Heart </Li> <Li> The Nerve and the Music </Li> <Li> Casting </Li> <Li> The directors </Li> <Li> The Stars and the Stand - ins </Li> <Li> The Munchkins </Li> <Li> "Below the line" </Li> <Li> Special Effects </Li> <Li> Accidents </Li> <Li> After Oz </Li> </Ul>

The making of the wizard of oz book