Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

The quote “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” comes from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. In the film, when those looking for him find the Wizard, they hear a loud voice booming all around them. The voice tells them to come back another time. It is all mysterious and marvelous.

However, Toto, the main character’s little dog, discovers the “real” Wizard. He is just an average looking middle-aged man operating a bunch of controls behind a green curtain. When the Wizard of Oz realizes he has been discovered, he shouts over his loudspeaker, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!”