The first of two episodes of the series written by Robert Pirosh, who had been one of the uncredited contributing writers to the screenplay of The Wizard of Oz (1939), for which series star Buddy Ebsen had originally been cast to play the Scarecrow and then switch roles with Ray Bolger to become the Tin Man, before an allergic reaction to that role's aluminum-dust makeup had caused the role to be recast instead with Jack Haley. The film's soundtrack to this day, however, includes Ebsen's singing voice for the Tin Man in one of the film's most iconic songs, "We're Off to See the Wizard."