(I will update this page when there is news to tell. Any news older than a year is dropped at the next update. If you have news to report, please e-mail me.)
Ah, the Autumn 2009 issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club is here! That must mean that, based on the Bugle's idiosyncratic publishing schedule of the past, that this is the late-spring-verging-on-summer of 2010. Baseball is in full swing, students (and teachers) are looking forward to summer vacation, and my, weren't those Winter Olympics exciting? I never expected the Bahamas to win the silver in women's curling.
All kidding aside, I know exactly what time of year it is. Kudos to new editor Scott Cummings for actually managing to get the Bugle onto some semblance of a regular, predictable publishing schedule. (Pay no attention to the "Summer" listed on the front cover, the first page says "Autumn," as it should. There has never been a regular summer issue of the Bugle.) And it's a darned good issue, too, continuing the tradition of an issue celebrating the every-ten-years anniversary of the famous movie version of The Wizard of Oz, going back to the Autumn 1969 issue. Much of what we now know of the making of The Wizard of Oz is thanks to the pioneering work of those early Oz researchers, and it continues today, with more being discovered.
In this issue:
The cover is a wraparound frame blow-up of Dorothy being greeted by the Munchkins.
Scott Cummings reminisces about his MGM memories in the "Letter from the Editor".
The current list of winners of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award is published, including this year's latest addition, Michael Patrick Hearn.
In "Oz and Ends":
The one night only seventieth anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz in theaters around the country on September 23.
A series of Oz-themed floral displays at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in Wayne, Indiana
A Wizard of Oz themed scratch game in the Kansas Lottery this year.
Judy Goes Hollywood, a new album of songs as performed on The Judy Garland Show, including "If I Only Had a Brain," "We're Off to See the Wizard," and "The Jitterbug" with Ray Bolger.
"Oz in the News", now shifted to a section of "Oz and Ends", features radio pieces from NPR and the BBC about political interpretations of The Wizard of Oz, the article "The Real Rhett Butler" from The New Yorker that profiles The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind director Victor Fleming, "Frank Baum, the Man Behind the Curtian" from Smithsonian Magazine, "The Man Who Made Oz: L. Frank Baum and the First American Fairy Tale" on slate.com, and Oz Club President Angelica Carpenter and Munchkin coroner Meinhardt Raabe appearing on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday.
Upcoming potential movies include Warner Bros. making an official sequel to The Wizard of Oz, a movie based on the Dark Oz comic book (there's already a novel), and what sounds like a prequel called The Oz Wars.
"The Wizard That Wasn't: Lost Treasures from the MGM Vault", edited by John Fricke, looks at some of the latest behind-the-scenes discoveries on the production of The Wizard of Oz, including:
A letter from Robert P. Burns, who had played parts in the earlier stage version of The Wizard of Oz and The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays and other early Oz movies, asking to be considered for a part.
A letter from then-Royal Historian Ruth Plumly Thompson, suggesting that some of the Oz songs she had written for another production could be used for the movie. She also sent along samples of the lyrics.
Never before published production photos from director Victor Fleming's scrapbook.
Some possible Munchkinland lyrics by MGM musician Roger Edens.
A story treatment by Ogden Nash.
A few pages from an early draft of the script.
A memo from Arthur Freed setting up music recordings, and another outlining day-to-day operations.
An early list of possible special effects that the movie would entail.
Plans for what songs to record during one session, including the intriguing title "Watch Out for the Wicked Witch," which isn't known to exist anywhere else.
"Adventures in Oz" sees actor and long-time Oz fan Bronson Pinchot reminiscing about an Oz encounter while making Perfect Strangers in "From Mypos to Kansas Via Munchkinland".
"The Oz Collector" has an examination of vintage Wizard of Oz housewares from Jane Albright. (The carpet sweeper still works!)
"Oz Behind the Footlights" has reviews of this past summer's Broadway revival of The Wiz, written by Sean Barrett, and a new musical version of The Marvelous Land of Oz this past spring in Chicago, reviewed by Scott Cummings.
In "MultiMediOz," Marcus Mébès reviews the DVD release of Inkheart with special emphasis on all of the Oz references.
Henry E. Darcy contributes an Oz quiz focused on the famous movie version of The Wizard of Oz.
"The Magic Picture" reports on some recent Oz events:
Robert A. Baum reports on the 2009 South Winkie Convention in Glendale, California.
Richard Tuerk reports from the "Oz 2009: The Yellow Brick Road in the 21st Century" conference in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Scott Cummings writes about the "Frankly, My Dear! The Munchkins Are Here!" weekend Wizard of Oz/Gone with the Wind hosted by the Clark Gable Foundation in Cadiz, Ohio.
October 10, 2009
Tonight, the International Wizard of Oz Club gave its highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, to Michael Patrick Hearn. Hearn has been a passionate Oz and Baum researcher for many years now, having first made a splash with the exhaustive book The Annotated Wizard of Oz in 1973. He has contributed to The Baum Bugle and Oziana, written or edited many other books about Oz, and is continuing to do research on what should ultimately be the definitive biography of L. Frank Baum. For his many accomplishments, the award is richly deserved.
August 31, 2009
Slowly but surely, the crew at the International Wizard of Oz Club that puts out its journal, The Baum Bugle, is catching up, for the Spring 2009 issue is now out and on its way to members. And at sicty pages, it's one of the bigger issues in recent years.
In this issue:
The front cover features the cover of the 1901 possibly-influenced-by-Oz book Zauberlinda, the Wise Witch by Eva Katherine Gibson, surrounded by some of Mabel Tibbitts' interior illustrations.
In his "Letter from the Editor," Sean P. Duffley talks about the theme of the issue, then reveals that this is his last issue, as he is handing the reins over to Scott Cummings.
"Oz and Ends" looks at:
The launch and tour of the 70th anniversary Wizard of Oz balloon.
Two Los Angeles exhibits, "Inspirations of the Oz Fine Arts Collections" and "The Ruby Slippers Collection", both celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz.
Three new Oz theatrical ventures: Andrew Lloyd Webber bringing a new stage version to London's West End, Anne Hathaway playing Judy Garland in stage and film adaptations of Gerald Clark's biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, and Dorothy Gale, an NBC pilot about a Kansas girl living her dream of working in the Manhatten art scene.
A new company, Smith & Tinker, with a definite Ozzy motif.
A set of Easter dioramas, all using Peeps, telling the story of The Wizard of Oz, which won the Chicago Tribune's 2009 "Peeps on Parade" contest.
A piece from NPR about a Midwest woman named Dorothy whose dog was lifted up by high winds.
"The Wise Witch and the Wonderful Wizard; or, Annie and Dorothy" by Phyllis Ann Karr takes a critical look at Zauberlinda, the Wise Witch, and tries to determine whether or not it's really the knockoff of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that Ozmologists have claimed it is. Sean P. Duffley also presents a short biographical sketch of Zauberlinda author Eva Katherine Clapp Gibson.
Another possible Oz knockoff, The Pearl and the Pumpkin, is put under the microscope as Sean P. Duffley looks at the genesis of the book and musical as envisioned by W. W. Denslow; Ruth Berman looks at the first compiled version of the book in "A Denslow Dummy"; and "Denslow Under Scrutiny" presents contemporary reviews of the musical play version of The Pearl and the Pumpkin.
Marc Berezin looks at the 1969 kiddie matinee Oz movie in "Oz on a Budget: The Making and Selling of Barry Mahon's The Wonderful Land of Oz" while Bob Craig and Freeman Williams reviews of the movie from the Internet are reproduced.
"The Wonderful Home of Oz" by Sally Roesch Wagner presents the Matilda Joslyn Gage House, now a historic site, where L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law lived and where her daughter married Baum.
"In Memoriam" remembers MGM Munchkin Mickey Carroll, long-time Munchkin Convention attendee Jerry Mendel, and Club member Susan Koelle.
"CuriOzity" presents a vintage Halloween card from early in the twentieth century that seems to have been inspired by some of W. W. Denslow's artwork from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Atticus Gannaway asks for information about illustrator Frank Kramer and the history of Reilly and Britton/Reilly and Lee for future articles.
And the back cover reproduces the poster for The Wonderful Land of Oz.
July 31, 2009
The Munchkins presented their highest award, the Munchkin Award, to Judy Bieber tonight. She receives the award for all of her help with the east coast Munchkin Convention.
July 11, 2009
The Winkies presented their highest award, the Winkie Award, to Bill Thompson tonight. Bill receives the award for all of his help with the Winkie Convention, particularly acting as auctioneer and bibliographic expert.
June 25, 2009
Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed King of Pop, died today in Los Angeles from an apparent coronary attack. He was fifty years old. An entertainer his entire career, the superstar was best known for his music, both in the Jackson 5 with his brothers and his solo career. He also dabbled in acting, however, and his first role was as the Scarecrow in the 1978 movie adaptation of The Wiz. He is succeeded by his parents, brothers and sisters, two sons, and a daughter.
June 1, 2009
If you are a member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, it should be on its way! The latest edition of The Baum Bugle, cover dated Winter 2008, is in the mail and making its way to members.
In this issue:
To commemorate the centennial of the fourth Oz book, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, the front cover features the cover by Sonoko Arai for the 1985 Japanese edition of the book, Ozu to Fushigina Chika no Kuni.
Sean P. Duffley gives a behind the scenes look at this latest issue in his penultimate "Letter from the Editor".
J. L. Bell looks at Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz and it's place in the Oz and Baum canons in "Dorothy and the Wizard in a 'Dark Passage': Re-examining the Oz Book for 1908", illustrated by many illustrations from editions all over the world.
"The Amazing Truth About Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz" by Robin Hess examines historical records to determine just which earthquake it was that caused Dorothy and Zeb to start their journey.
"Multi-MediOz" presents a review of the Tin Man DVD release, written by Jared Davis.
A bumper-sized edition of "Bibliographia Oziana" by Bill Thompson looks at the various different printing of Reilly and Britton's The Christmas Stocking Series of small books, all with an introduction by L. Frank Baum.
The list of winners of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award is updated to include 2008 winner Meinhardt Raabe.
"In Memoriam" notes the passage of movie Munchkin soldier Clarence Swenson and A Barnstormer in Oz author Philip José Farmer.
"CuriOzity" looks at the similarity of one of John R. Neill's illustrations for Children's Stories That Never Grow Old to some of his Oz work, notably his depiction of Ozma.
The back cover reproduces four paintings by the late Rob Roy MacVeigh made to illustrate the 1949 record version of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz.
May 7, 2009
Mickey Carroll, who played several Munchkins in the famous 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz, died today in his home town of St. Louis. He was 89. Born Michael Finocchiaro in 1919, he entered vaudeville, appearing in Phillip Morris promotions at the age of 17, and opposite Mae West at 18. He was then invited by MGM to appear in his only movie, playing the Town Crier, a fiddler, and a soldier. By the end of World War II, however, he was back in St. Louis working in the family business. Over the last few years, once his Wizard of Oz role was discovered, he was a mainstay of the Oz circuit, appearing at conventions and events all over the world. He also raised money for local charities, raising over $1 million for causes in St. Louis.
(News courtesy of Jane Albright and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.)
March 12, 2009
Slowly but surely, the Oz Club is catching up with its own publication schedule for their journal, The Baum Bugle. Thanks to the efforts of guest editor Marcus Mébès, the Autumn 2008 issue has now been published and is making its way to members.
This issue includes:
The front cover features "Girl at Piano," an unfinished watercolor by John R. Neill.
"Letter from the Guest Editor" allows Mébès to reveal how this issue came about, and discusses the issue's emphasis on Oz art.
"Oz and Ends" presents a round-up of Oz news and tidbits, including:
Some of the results of the auction of the collection of the late Fred M. Meyer.
Photos of the Land of Oz theme park in North Carolina, taken by James Thomas Josephs (which can be seen, and even purchased, here).
The art of Michael Herring, including many of the covers he did for the Del Rey paperback editions of the Oz books, available at graphiccollectibles.com.
Michael Herring writes Greetings from Oz: An Old Friend from Down Under Revisits Oz, a reminiscence of his career and how he came to paint the covers of over two dozen Oz books for Del Rey (and editor Marcus Mébès tells about the roundabout way he tracked Herring down to his new home in Australia).
Greg Hunter writes "Surprised by Jory: John R. Neill's daughter and granddaughter open up a new book," in which the John R. Neill family reconnects with their roots and how Neill and Oz were a part of it.
"MultimediOz" looks at the thirtieth anniversary DVD release of The Wiz (reviewed by David Maxine) and the Veggie Tales movie The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's (reviewed by Dr. Richard R. Rutter).
"We're Off to...Document the Wizard!" by Sean Barrett goes behind the scenes of a film student's efforts to make a documentary about Wizard of Oz fans.
"The Oz Bookshelf" reviews a number of recent Oz books, including:
A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire, the third volume in his Wicked Years series (reviewed by Kevenn T. Smith)
Dunkiton Press #17: Yuletide, a standalone Christmas story by Paul West and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, the latest volume of material reprinted from vintage newspapers, edited by Ruth Berman (reviewed by M. A. Berg)
"The Magic Picture" presents a report by Scott Cummings of the Oz Club's 2008 National Convention in Fayetteville, New York, and environs.
Peter Hanff reminisces about a recently deceased Club member in "In Memoriam: Steven Levitin."
"CuriOzity" turns up an interesting piece during the search for more information about John R. Neill: an old photograph of Billie Burk, over twenty years before she played Glinda in the famous film version of The Wizard of Oz.
The back cover reproduces a previously unpublished cover rough by Michael Herring for The Giant Horse of Oz.
February 25, 2009
Philip José Farmer, one of the most widely read and honored writers of modern science fiction and fantasy, died peacefully this morning in his sleep. He was ninety-one, and is survived by his wife, Bette, and children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Although probably best known to the general public for the science fiction series Riverworld, Farmer is best known in Oz circles for the 1982 novel A Barnstormer in Oz, in which he imagined an Oz that Dorothy had actually traveled to. A generation later, her son, a barnstorming pilot, flew his plane into a green cloud and ended up in the real Oz, not the sanitized version written about by L. Frank Baum. He helps Glinda stop a new wicked witch from taking over Oz, as well as stopping the United States Army from invading. Although controversial among many Oz fans, Barnstormer does have its devotees. Its publication at the time also raised the profile of Oz at a time when there was little else new.
Also passing away today was August Clarence Swensen, who had a brief career in Hollywood in the 1930s. After being discovered in an all-midget circus in Texas, he went west and played the town preacher in the 1938 all-midget Western The Terror of Tiny Town and an ape in Tarzan Finds a Son (1939), but he is best known for playing a Munchkin soldier in The Wizard of Oz. He left show business after the United States entered World War II, however, and moved back to his native Texas to become a radio technician. After the war, he married his sweetheart, Myrna Clifton, and went on to a career as an electronic technician at the University of Texas. He retired in 1980, and then found a new career reminiscing about The Wizard of Oz at Oz festivals around the country. Clarence and Myrna (who did not appear in the movie) were popular guests, where Clarence would wear a reproduction of his soldier's costume. He had been in ill health since a stroke in 2005. He is survived by his wife, Myrna, and three daughters and their familes.
Members of the International Wizard of Oz Club should expect to see the latest edition of the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle, in their mailboxes soon, if it hasn't shown up already. As usual, the Bugle production schedule is a little behind, as this is the Spring 2008 issue, which focuses on Ozian geography, in honor of the Club's latest, updated edition of its Oz maps.
In this issue:
The front cover acts as a gateway to the contents, with a portion of the new map bookended by plinths of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.
In his "Letter from the Editor," Sean P. Duffley announces that this issue commences his final year of editing the Bugle, and that the search is on for a new editor beginning with the 2009 issues.
In "Oz and Ends":
The hype over the seventieth anniversary of the famous MGM movie version of The Wizard of Oz begins with an exhibit of Ruby Slippers as reimagined by famous designers, and a set of stamps featuring some of the new Ruby Slippers.
The Wizard of Oz exhibit of new Oz-inspired art at the Watis Institute for Contemporary Art in San Francisco.
Barbara S. Koelle looks at the various ways of getting around Oz on foot in "The Roads of Oz".
David Hulan asks the questtion, "How Big Is Oz?" and comes up with some surprising and consistent answers.
In a previously unpublished article, the late Fred M. Meyer writes about "The Nonestic Ocean".
Michael Patrick Hearn has one of those "Adventures in Oz" as he writes about the Ozian influence on his life and writings.
A new bibliography column, "Bibliographia Illustriana," starts up by examining the Neill Gift Book Series, a series of poems illustrated by John R. Neill and first published in 1909.
"The Oz Bookshelf" presents reviews of new Oz and Oz-related books, including:
The new Hungry Tiger Press edition of L. Frank Baum's John Dough and the Cherub, reviewed by Jared Davis.
"The Magic Picture" looks back at this past summer's Winkie Convention in a report by Angelica Carpenter.
"CuriOzity" looks at the legend of a dying boy who had asked to have the Oz books read to him. It turns out to have been true, as the letter telling the story was kept by Maud Baum, and was in the Fred Meyer collection.
And finally, the back cover features Neill's Gift Book series, including artwork for a projected but never published fifth volume.
Rumor Control (Because of the many questions I am asked about possible forthcoming Oz projects or other bits of pseudo-news, I have added this section to answer some of these inquiries.)
A low budget modern-day sequel to The Wizard of Oz, entitled The Witches of Oz, is in production, looking to a mid-2010 release. You can read more about its production right here.
Two more possible Oz movies are Dark Oz, an adaptation of the Caliber comic book of the same name, and The Oz Wars, which would have the witches fighting for control of the Emerald City while the Wizard leads the resistance.
It seems the Hash, Inc., animated production of The Tin Woodman of Oz was successful enough that they're going ahead with their next production, The Scarecrow of Oz. This one even has test footage on YouTube, which looks something like this:
Could there be more Tin Man? This item from SciFiWire at least raises the possibility.
There seems to be a spate of new animated features in the works based on the works of L. Frank Baum. Legendary director John Boorman is taking charge of his first animated movie, a $25 million dollar computer animated version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It will be based on the book, and it's not a musical. The producers are Laurent Rodon and Claude Gorvsky at Films Action in France, and Boorman's associate Kieran Corrigan. Currently in preproduction, it's currently slated for a summer 2010 release. You can see more about it at www.actionsynthese.com/galerie.php?language=en, then click on "Projects in Production" (yes, that's Dorothy in the picture next to it), then on "The Wizard of Oz." Meanwhile, another computer animated production, this one of Baum's 1902 book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, is currently scheduled to come out a few months later, for the holiday season of 2010. The producers are Hyde Park Entertainment, Toonz Entertainment, and Gang of 7 Animation. As with all movie projects, a lot can happen before release, which could cause them not to happen. Keep an eye on this website's news and events pages for details if they get closer to actually coming out.
Yes, it looks like a film version of Wicked is currently in pre-planning at Universal. But this is a long way off—sometime in the middle of the decade—and a lot can happen. However, the success of the play most likely means that there will be a film version some day.
I've seen the news stories as well (such as this one): Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, and writer Josh Olson are collaborating on a "sequel" to The Wizard of Oz. Already, Oz fans are divided on this, as the early press releases seem to have not quite got the whole story straight. Some reactions also seem to be based on McFarlane's controversial Oz "toys" from a few years ago (which were so heinous, they are the one Oz product that I will not carry in this website's bookshop). But don't panic! This is still a long way from happening, and may be abandoned anywhere along the way, like so many other projects in Hollywood. Even if it does happen, it won't be for some time, and a lot still has to be decided. Already, it looks like it may have turned into a more straightforward sequel, with a projected 2013 release date.
Working its way through Hollywood preproduction: A film version of L. Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus at Circa Pictures. It's at least listed on their website, at http://www.circapictures.com/ (click on "Backstage," then look at the list of movies).
It's still in the early stages of development, but it looks like there's a new film version of The Wizard of Oz in the works — in India. It will be done as a Bollywood musical in Hindi. More on this as (if?) it develops.
Alpine Pictures (http://www.alpinepix.com) has signed a deal to make several movies based on the books of Roger S. Baum. The first is scheduled to be Dorothy of Oz, which now has a website at http://www.dorothyofozthemovie.com/.
No, there is no truth whatsoever to the rumor that Warner Bros. is going to invest one billion dollars on an all-computer generated remake of The Wizard of Oz, directed by Peter Jackson. (My goodness, how do these sorts of stories get started? Oh, yeah, in places like this...)
Another author trying to turn his Oz story into a movie? Geoff Ryman appears to be shopping Was around...
I've also heard about American McGee turning his Oz video game (which I now hear has been cancelled — finally) into a movie.
In recent years, there have been proposals for other Oz projects, none of which now appear that they will get off the ground. Among them:
Lost in Oz, a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of The Wizard of Oz and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up...)
A telelvision miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked, with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
The O. Z., a hip-hop flavored re-telling of The Wizard of Oz for Fox. Among the rumored Dorothy's at one point were Brandy, Mya, and the late Aaliyah. Justin Timberlake, John Leuizamo, and Little Richard were mentioned for other parts.
Surrender Dorothy. Drew Barrymore as Dorothy's great-granddaughter coming to Oz, and battling the Wicked Witch of the West's granddaughter.
Somewhere starring Elizabeth Taylor as Dorothy, now a grandmother, returning to Oz. (Rod Steiger was one of the forces behind this project, so his death likely means that it won't be developed.)
Pamela West, where the Wicked Witch is the innocent victim and Dorothy (with Toto as a pit bull) is the evil interloper.
The Land of Oz (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC.
If progress is made on any of these projects, such as actually going into production or a release date announced, the news will be posted as quickly as possible on this page. But at this stage, any of these going into production is very unlikely.
"There's no place like the home page..."
Slowly but surely, the crew at the International Wizard of Oz Club that puts out its journal, The Baum Bugle, is catching up, for the Spring 2009 issue is now out and on its way to members. And at sicty pages, it's one of the bigger issues in recent years.
If you are a member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, it should be on its way! The latest edition of The Baum Bugle, cover dated Winter 2008, is in the mail and making its way to members.
Members of the International Wizard of Oz Club should expect to see the latest edition of the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle, in their mailboxes soon, if it hasn't shown up already. As usual, the Bugle production schedule is a little behind, as this is the Spring 2008 issue, which focuses on Ozian geography, in honor of the Club's latest, updated edition of its Oz maps.