 Upon arriving , the quartet takes a back door into the Wizard 's quarters and discovers that he is a " phony " . The " great and powerful Oz " is actually Herman Smith , a failed politician from Atlantic City , New Jersey , who was transported to Oz when a balloon he was flying to promote his campaign to become the city <unk> was lost in a storm . The Scarecrow , Tin Man , and Lion are distraught that they will never receive their respective brain , heart , and courage , but Dorothy makes them realize that they already have had these things all along . Just as it seems as if she will never be able to get home , Glinda the Good Witch of the South ( Lena Horne ) , appears and implores her to find her way home by searching within and using the magic of the silver slippers by clicking the heels together three times . After thanking Glinda and saying goodbye to her friends , she takes Toto in her arms , thinks of home and the things she loves most about it . When Dorothy clicks her heels , she immediately finds herself back in her neighborhood of Harlem . Now a changed woman , Dorothy carries Toto back to their apartment building ; implying she now has the strength to face her fears and move forward with her life . 
