Original preview versions of "The Wizard of Oz" ran several minutes longer than the current version. These are the scenes that were cut or shortened to reduce the running time. These scenes were never included in any officially released version of the film:
* During the "If I Only had a Brain" sequence, there was originally a spectacular dance that Ray Bolger performed. In the film as officially released, he sings the first and second verses of "If I Only had a Brain", then falls over comically. In the original cut, though, he sings the first and second verses, begins to dance, and eventually a crow takes a large portion of his straw. The scarecrow then flies in the air to get it back, which he does. Then, he does some splits (forward and backward), and then a pumpkin rolls down the road. When it goes through the scarecrow's legs, he is thrown high into the air. Now, he comes down, bounces against the fences, sings a third verse of "If I Only Had a Brain", then falls down. The unedited Ray Bolger Scarecrow dance sequence can be seen in the film 'That's Dancing (1985)' .
* A scene where the Wicked Witch of the West turns the tin man into a bee hive (as she threatened to do) was cut out for the current version. The cut was covered by flipping the image of the following shot, so that the characters would appear to be in the same positions.
* During the "Lions and Tigers and Bears" scene, those words are said several more times than in the current version.
* There was originally a scene where the Witch sends a pink and blue bug (known as the "Jitterbug") into the haunted forest "to take the fight out of" Dorothy and her friends. When the Jitterbug bit one of the characters, heshe would start dancing helplessly. This is perhaps the most famous deleted scene of them all, but the actual footage no longer exists. All there is left of the "Jitterbug" scene is home movies that the composer, Harold Arlen, filmed during rehearsals, and the sound track of the song.
* A reprise of "Over the Rainbow" which Dorothy sings while locked in the witches castle was cut. Only the soundtrack of the number survived.
* A scene where the four main characters return to the Emerald City with the Witch of the West's broomstick (including a reprise of "Ding Dong, The Witch is dead!") was cut. Only the song survived; the footage no longer exists (except a shot or two that can be found in the theatrical trailer).