"I was in a need of money at the time, I had done about six pictures for MGM at the time and my agent called.
"I was in a need of money at the time, I had done about six pictures for MGM at the time and my agent called. I said, 'Yes?' and he said, 'Maggie, they want you to play a part on the Wizard.' I said to myself, 'Oh boy, 'The Wizard of Oz'! That has been my favorite book since I was four.' And I asked him what part, and he said, 'The Witch' and I said 'The Witch?!' and he said, 'What else?'" It is ironic that Margaret Hamilton's performance as the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) was so scary to children, because her first job was as a kindergarten teacher. She loved and doted upon children all her life. "Almost always they want me to laugh like the Witch. And sometimes when I go to schools, if we're in an auditorium, I'll do it. And there's always a funny reaction, like Ye gods, they wish they hadn't asked. They're scared. They're really scared for a s...