What is that the Scarecrow is carrying in the Witchs forest?
When you go off into a strange forest to fight a wicked witch, be prepared. That’s what’s up with all the strange devices Dorothy’s three friends are carrying. The Tin Woodman, besides his ax, wields a large monkey wrench. The Cowardly Lion has a butterfly net and an old-fashioned chemical sprayer. And the Scarecrow has a very large stick and — this is the one that is hardest to notice, and causes the most alarm when people do see it — a pistol. Dorothy is only carrying her basket, so I guess she thinks the others will protect her. Some have thought that it might be a water pistol — what better way to deal with an aquaphobic wicked witch? — but close-up examinations of freeze-frames of the DVD show that is is not a water pistol, but a standard one. (Don’t forget, our friends don’t know that water will melt the witch until Dorothy throws that bucket at her.) The Wicked Witch later caused these items to disappear in a portion of the scene that was cut during editing.
