Special effects have come a long way in filmmaking. Of course, the digital revolution with out-of-this-world computer-generated effects is what first comes to mind, but the evolution of practical effects is something to marvel at as well. In the early days of cinema, filmmakers would use whatever they could find to create believable effects on screen, and this was especially the case when it came to replicating snow. As long as it was white and looked fluffy and real enough, fake snow ranged from salt, sugar, flour, soap, cornflakes painted white, marble dust, and even a carcinogenic substance known as asbestos.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring, fibrous substance that was used for a wide variety of reasons throughout the early 20th century, ranging from fire insulation, building tools, to even auto parts that are still being used today. However, before it was discovered that asbestos causes mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other health problems, asbestos was also used in some films to simulate snowfall. A specific type of asbestos known as chrysotile asbestos or white asbestos was prominently used in films from the 1930s to the 1950s for its white color and fluffy, layered appearance. Now that the true dangers of asbestos are well known, it’s hard to look back on the films that used this dangerous material and not feel bad for the actors that had to endure what they did. Here are five prominent films that used asbestos as fake snow.
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5 Holiday Inn
Paramount Pictures
Holiday Inn was released in 1942 and is a musical film that is sprinkled with numerous songs throughout. The film follows Jim Hardy, a heartbroken singer that turns a farm he owns into what he called the Holiday Inn, an entertainment venue that is only open during holidays. The film also follows the tribulations of couple Ted and Lila as their story is told through different holidays at Holiday Inn. The film stars Bing Crosby, one of the most popular musicians and actors from around the world during the 20th century. Holiday Inn is also famous for a little song that was made for the film known as “White Christmas.” “White Christmas” was written by songwriter Irving Berlin and the song even won an Academy Award for Best Original song. The song has since become one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, with countless covers and tens of millions of sales following it.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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However, the production for this classic film was not perfect, as white chrysotile asbestos was used for the multiple snowy scenes that were in the film. What seems like a magical moment as Bing Crosby is belting out “White Christmas” is scary to watch now, knowing that Crosby was surrounded by the carcinogenic substance. However, this wasn’t the only time that Crosby would be exposed to asbestos on the big screen, as the next film on this list is also known for using asbestos to simulate white, fluffy snow.
4 White Christmas
White Christmas is another musical film that stars Bing Crosby. This film was released 12 years after Holiday Inn came out, but still prominently features the song “White Christmas” that this newer film was named after. This film follows a song and dance team of a Broadway star named Bob and an aspiring performer named Phil that team up with sister act of Betty and Judy in hopes of saving an inn of an old commanding general of theirs. Not only does the film star Bing Crosby like Holiday Inn and include “White Christmas” like Holiday Inn, the songs were also written by Irving Berlin, like in Holiday Inn. While all of these similarities were the recipe for a commercially successful film, another similarity between Holiday Inn and White Christmas was a recipe for actors to have their health put at risk.
This dangerous similarity, of course, was the use of white chrysolite asbestos to simulate snow in the scenes that called for it. What seems like a peaceful snowfall to the average viewer on screen is actually seeing the actors having their lungs filled up with a toxic substance that can quickly lead to long-lasting health effects. For Bing Crosby, though, there was no evidence that he was affected by the asbestos snowfall even after being exposed to the substance on numerous different occasions in multiple different films. Regardless of the dangers that the performers were exposed to, White Christmas was still a very successful film and proved to be another huge hit for Crosby.
3 Citizen Kane
RKO Radio Pictures
Regarded by many as one of the best films of all time, let alone one of the best classic films ever, Citizen Kane is a 1941 drama that has Orson Welles star in his very first feature film. Welles would go on to become a very influential actor and filmmaker for the rest of his career. Citizen Kane tells the story of different reporters trying to uncover the meaning behind the final words of publishing giant Charles Foster Kane after his death. Kane utters the word “Rosebud” before promptly passing away at the beginning of the film. It is eventually revealed to the viewers at the end of the film that Rosebud, in fact, was a sled that Kane had as a child before he was taken away from his home. While Rosebud’s reveal certainly is shocking, what’s even more shocking is the fact that Citizen Kane used asbestos as fake snow and even exposed a child to it.
Even some of the most revered films of all time are not immune from time, and that is especially clear with the emergence of how dangerous asbestos really is. Of course, the film’s creators had no idea the danger they were putting their actors in, but with the knowledge we have now it’s easy to look back on the film and say “What were they thinking?” Even though the film did have these dangers that some of the actors were exposed to, it likely will fall to the wayside as the film will most often be remembered for its quality, rather than its production problems.
2 It’s A Wonderful Life
Yet another classic Christmas film to find its way onto the list, It’s A Wonderful Life is a film about a man named George Bailey, played by James Stewart, who is contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve. He is then visited by his guardian angel, who shows him all the lives he touched as well as what life would be like if he never existed. This film is widely considered to be one of the greatest Christmas movies in cinema history, as well as one of the greatest classic films in general. The heartwarming story can still resonate with people today and show that life truly is worth living. However, despite the feel good intentions behind the film, the production for it wasn’t 100% safe.
While It’s A Wonderful Life technically did use chrysotile asbestos to dress the set, it was not used to rain down on any of the actors. Instead, a new type of fake snow was created to simulate snowfall. This new snow created for the film involved multiple different ingredients, as Foamite (a substance found in fire extinguishers), soap, sugar, and water were all combined to create a believable looking fake snow that could gently fall over the scene, without putting the actors in nearly as much risk. While yes, asbestos was still used for the film, it was not being breathed in or ingested on the level of the rest of the films in this list.
1 Wizard of Oz
MGM
Finally, we have a film that has been regarded as an all-time classic for years and years on end, we have 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. The fantasy musical follows the adventures of Dorothy Gale as she travels with the brainless Scarecrow, the heartless Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion as they travel to find the Wizard of Oz so she can return home. Dorothy must fight off the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys as they traverse the mysterious land of Oz. The film is certainly beloved, but as time has gone on, it’s been revealed that the film was a production nightmare. Whether actors were forced to stay up for days without sleep, were caught on fire, sprayed in the face with aluminum-based makeup, or had to wear an incredibly heavy costume while filming all day, The Wizard of Oz pushed its actors to their breaking point. And on top of all of this, the actors were exposed to pure asbestos as well.
In a scene where Dorothy wakes up in a poppy field covered in snow from Glinda the Good Witch, the actors are actually just having asbestos dumped all over them. While it was never revealed if any of the actors were affected from this scene specifically, they were certainly all affected from the production as a whole. Luckily, the dangers of asbestos are well known now and movie producers can steer clear from ever having to use the toxic mineral as fake snow ever again.
