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==February 28, 2015: ''The Baum Bugle'', Winter 2014==
==December 11, 2023: Judge Dismisses Dorothy Dress Ownership Lawsuit==
[[File:Bbwinter14.jpg|center]]
a dress worn by Judy Garland during production of ''The Wizard of Oz'' may soon be up for auction now that a federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit by the niece of a priest who once worked at the school where it was found. The Catholic University of America, where the dress was found in 2021. It had been given to Father Gilbert Hartke, chairman of the university's drama department, by actress Mercedes McCambridge, a friend of Garland. When the late Father Hartke's niece, Barbara Hartke, heard about the dress and the plan to auction it off, she sued to take ownership of the dress. In dismissing the suit, Judge Paul Gardephe noted that Barbara Hartke had not established that she was the executor of her uncle's estate or had any other standing in the case. Furthermore, as a Dominican, Father Hartke had taken a vow of poverty and renounced ownership of "temporal goods", and thus had not been the owner of the dress in the first place.
The latest issue of the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, ''The Baum Bugle'', has now been printed and is being sent out to members. This concludes the run of 2014 issues, so members will need to [http://shop.ozclub.org/category.sc renew their memberships] to keep getting the ''Bugle'' (and all the other benefits of being a member) in 2015.


Included in this issue, which celebrates the diamond anniversary of the famous MGM movie version of ''The Wizard of Oz'':
Barbara Hartke has ten days to amend her lawsuit and establish standing. Otherwise, the dress will belong to Catholic university, which can then go through with plans to auction aff the dress. The auction has been on hold for over a year while the case worked its way through the system.
* A gorgeous wraparound cover of Billie Burke in her Glinda costume, taken by famed MGM photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull.
 
* In his "Letter from the Editor", Craig Noble looks at what it took to put this issue together.
(Information courtesy [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/11/wizard-of-oz-dorothy-dress-lawsuit-auction.html CNBC].)
* Club President Carrie L. Hedges introduces the Club to its new Membership Secretary, JoeBongiorno, in "OZervations".
 
* Highlighted by editor Jared Davis in "Oz and Ends":
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** A ''Wizard of Oz''-themed corn maze in Meridian, Idaho.
 
** A movie of L. Frank Baum's life and a Broadway musical about Judy Garland both being developed, both using the title ''The Road to Oz'' (although the musical's full title is ''Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz'').
==October 17, 2023: Dorothy House Miniature Auctioned Off==
** The latest items from the MGM movie to go up for auction, including a test dress for Judy Garland that wasn't actually used in the final film, Bert Lahr's script, two Munchkin costumes, a Winkie spearhead, and one of Lahr's Cowardly Lion costumes, which fetched over three million dollars.
A miniature of the Gale farmhouse from the famous 1939 movie adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'', used in the tornado scene, was auctioned off today by [https://www.studioauctions.com/ Studio Auctions]. The final sale price was $537,000, well above the pre-auction estimate.
** A new version of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', illustrated by [http://baumbydahm.tumblr.com/ Evan Dahm], which was financed by a Kickstarter campaign.
 
** A phone app, being developed by [http://istrategylabs.com/ iStrategy Labs], called Dorothy that lets you send yourself an "urgent" call to get out of a situation. The call is triggered by tapping your shoes together three times.
(Information courtesy of [https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/one-of-a-kind-wizard-of-oz-and-top-gun-memorabilia-command-premium-prices-at-studio-auctions-event-301959541.html PR Newswire].)
** An Oz fan who requested that "Ding, Dong, the Witch Is Dead" be quoted in her obituary as she was buried in a black dress, striped stockings, and ruby slippers.
 
** Recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai recalling how a copy of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', given to her by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, helped her overcome her attack by the Taliban,
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** Gwen Stefani's Oz-themed music video for [http://youtu.be/9uo9oy-Eqo4 "Baby Don't Lie"].
 
** Laying the rest the rumor that L. Frank Baum once lived in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and founded the town's newspaper, ''The Bradford Era''. (He did neither.) An [http://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/59429 article about Baum in the area] was published in [http://journals.psu.edu/wph/issue/view/2887 the Summer 2014 issue of ''Western Pennsylvania History''].
==October 14, 2023: Piper Laurie, 1932-2023==
* Anthony Tringali tracks down the handful of people who are still alive and contributed to the making of the famous movie version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "Remembering the Yellow Brick Road: ''Oz'''s Surviving Alumni Reflect on the Classic as It Reaches a Milestone".
[[File:piper-laurie.jpeg|center]]
* Jared Davis compares the original book and its most famous movie treatment in "A Take of Two ''Wizard''s: The Classic Story as Told by L. Frank Baum and MGM".
Piper Laurie, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress who was also nominated for three Academy Awards and a BAFTA, passed away today. She was 91. Born in Detroit in 1932, Rosetta Jacobs changed her name to Piper Laurie when she signed a contract with Universal Pictures in 1949. She made her screen debut in ''Louisa'' opposite Ronald Reagan, and also co-starred with actors such as Donald O'Connor, Tony Curtis, and Rory Calhoun. But she soon moved back to New York to appear on stage and in television. Hollywood beckoned again with a part in ''The Hustler'' opposite Paul Newman, which garnered her first Oscar nomination. The parts she was offered did not improve, however, so she went back to New York. Her next film was ''Carrie'' in 1976, where she played Margaret White, Carrie's mother, in another Oscar-nominated role. She continued to appear in movies (including ''Children of a Lesser God'', for which she received her third Oscar nomination), on television, and on stage for the rest of her career. Other notable roles include the television movie ''Promise'', for which she won a Emmy; ''Twin Peaks'', which netted her a Golden Globe; and the 1978 television biopic about Judy Garland, ''Rainbow'', in which she played Ethel Gumm, Judy's mother. She is best known to Oz fans, however, for playing Aunt Em in the 1985 Disney movie ''Return to Oz''.
* [http://www.sanleandro.k12.ca.us/Domain/918 Linda Thurston], yearbook advisor at San Leandro High School in California, delves into the 2014 edition in "Making the ''Wizard of Oz'' Theme Yearbook: A perfect theme for young people coming of age and seeking to make their dreams come true".
 
* Zachary Turpin comments on a recently discovered piece of Baumiana in "'Der Hyphen': A Newly Discovered Poem by L. Frank Baum" (and yes, the poem itself is reprinted as well).
(Information courtesy of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Laurie Wikipedia] and [https://ew.com/celebrity/piper-laurie-dead-carrie-twin-peaks-actress/ ''Entertainment Weekly''].)
* Scott Cummings' examination of the last Oz musical Baum worked on continues in "''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz'': The Fairyland Extravaganza of 1913-14: Part Two".
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks at contemporary reviews of ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz'' as it toured the United States and Canada.
* Marcus Mébès profiles artist [https://lucianovecchio.wordpress.com/ Luciano Vecchio] in the latest installment of "The Oz Illustrator".
* Michael O. Riley provides a listing of his hand-made Oz (and other) books in "The Story of the Pamami Press, Part Three: A Bibliography of Limited Editions, 1978-2013".
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** The new, updated edition of [http://www.lulu.com/shop/karyl-carlson-and-eric-gjovaag/queen-ann-in-oz/paperback/product-21990251.html ''Queen Ann in Oz'' by Karyl Carlson and Eric Gjovaag], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [http://www.lulu.com/shop/paul-dana/the-magic-umbrella-of-oz/paperback/product-21709155.html ''The Magic Umbrella of Oz'' by Paul Dana], reviewed by Mari Ness.
** [http://www.lulu.com/shop/jeremy-aufderheide/how-the-wiz-was/paperback/product-21794677.html ''How The Wiz Was: The Making of One of the Biggest Musical Hits of the 70s'' by Jeremy Aufderheide], reviewed by Jard Davis.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1582703795/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Us'' by Jean Houston], reviewed by Richard R. Rutter
* Geoffrey Holder, director and costume designer for the original Broadway run of ''The Wiz'' (among other things he did in his long and rich life) is remembered by Jared Davis in "In Memoriam".
* And finally, in Ozmusements, Susan Hall presents an Oz quiz with a twist.


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==December 12, 2014: ''Oziana'' 2014==
==October 13, 2023: Martin Changes Plea to Guilty in Theft of Ruby Slippers==
[[File:Oziana_2014.jpeg|right]]The newest issue of ''Oziana'', the annual fiction anthology of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now available and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-mebes/oziana-2014/paperback/product-21930278.html ready to order from Lulu.com]. Editor Marcus Mébès has assembled six contributions for this issue:
Terry Jon Martin, the Minnesota resident charged with the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers used during the production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', has changed his plea to guilty. As part of a plea deal entered in federal court in Duluth, Minnesota, Martin, 78 years old and suffering from OCPD, will face no jail time.


* "Lost and Never Found" by David Tai and Jared Davis, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, finds Betsy and Trot in the Valley of Lost Things in Merryland, wondering who or what was lost.
(Information courtesy of the Associated Press via [https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-charged-stealing-wizard-oz-050856664.html Yahoo! News]. More information is also available from [https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/guilty-plea-wizard-of-oz-stolen-slippers-case-terry-jon-martin/89-11bfe056-be8e-42b9-807f-3f271d19c6c8 KARE11.com].)
* "Labor of Love", written and illustrated by Kim McFarland, sees the Scarecrow and Patchwork Girl pondering if it is possible for them to become parents.
* "Theresa's Pink Road" by Theresa McMillan is a poem describing a journey of personal growth and discovery.
* "The New Fellow" by J. L. Bell, illustrated by David Bishop, sees the residents of the Royal Stables greeting a new visitor, and deciding whether or not he can fit in.
* "Rob Zombie in Oz" by Aaron Solomon Adelman, illustrated by John Troutman, takes a look at an alternate version of Oz with many elements of the Oz Film Manufacturing Company movies and Magic Land. It seems Dr. Pipt's daughter, Jesseva, is a Yookoohoo, and she takes on Jinjur as a student. But part of Jinjur's training takes her to the Emerald City graveyard, where not all of the pre-enchantment Ozites buried there are as dead as everyone supposed.
* "Roselawn" by Jared Davis, illustrated by David Baker, sees Evangeline and Matthew return to Roselawn, where they played as children nicknamed Dot and Tot. There, Evangeline hopes to help Matthew overcome what happened to him in Europe during the Great War.
Wrapping around this issue are front and back covers by David Bishop.
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==September 6, 2014: ''The Baum Bugle'', Autumn 2014==
==July 30, 2023: Betty Ann Bruno, 1931-2023==
[[File:bbautumn14.jpg|left]]The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the thrice annual journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now finding its way into members' mailboxes. To commemorate the centennial of the publication of ''Tik-Tok of Oz'', the Oz book of 1914, this issue celebrates the life and times of Tik-Tok, the clockwork man.
Betty Ann Bruno, the long-time San Francisco news anchor whose show business career began as a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'', passed away today at the age of 91. Born Betty Ann Ka'ihliani in Hawai'i on October 1, 1931, she grew up in Hollywood and had an uncredited part in 1937's ''The Hurricane'' before playing one of the female background Munchkins in ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the age of seven. Acting was not in her blood, however, and she went on to graduate from Stanford before becoming a news anchor at KTVU in San Francisco in 1971, a job she held for over twenty years. She won three news Emmys for her work there. After retiring, she went on to become a hula instructor and founder of the dance troupe Hula Mai. She was named Sonoma Treasure Artist in 2020, and appeared on ''To Tell the Truth'' in 2022 in a segment on her time as a Munchkin. During the COVID lockdown, she wrote her memoir, [https://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Diary-Personal-Yellow-Brick/dp/1736205609/ ''The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road'']. She is survived by her husband, Craig, and her three sons.


<br clear=all>
(Information courtesy [https://deadline.com/2023/07/betty-ann-bruno-dead-wizard-of-oz-munchkin-tv-reporter-1235451821/ Deadline] and [https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-reporter-wizard-of-oz-child-actor-dies-18270928.php SFGate].)
 
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In this issue:
==July 29, 2023: The 2023 Winkie Award and Oz Club Awards==
* The front cover reproduces an original Dick Martin illustration, intended as a dust jacket for a 1960 reprint of ''Tik-Tok of Oz''.
The International Wizard of Oz Club presented its annual awards tonight, alongside the Winkie Award, as part of the 2023 OzCon International in Pomona, California. The awards were:
* Craig Noble reflects on Tik-Tok in "Letter from the Editor".
* First of [https://www.ozclub.org/about/oz-club-contests/2022-oz-club-contests/ the Club's annual writing and art contest winners], the Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
* "Corrections" fixesand adds information to two previous issues.
** First place to J. L. Bell for "The Missing Key".
* Oz Club President Carrie Hedges looks at how the Club is handling memberships, and its most recent Board of Directors meeting in "OZervations".
** Second place, also to J. L. Bell, for "The Piglets and the Tin Soldier".
* Featured in "Oz and Ends":
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-fiction:
** The latest online Oz comic, [http://www.blackbrickroadofoz.com/ ''The Black Brick Road of Oz''].
** First place to J. L. Bell (him again?) for "Inspiring Maps of Oz".
** Two forthcoming Russian movies based on the Magic Land series, the live action ''Return to the Emerald City'' coming next year, and a computer animated version of ''Urfin Jus and His Wooden Soldiers'' in 2016.
** Second place to Jem Abbas for "Technicolor at the Theatrical Premiere of ''The Wizard of Oz''".
** The cancellation of the ''Emerald City'' miniseries at NBC.
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Award for Art went to David Valentin for "Mombi's Magic".
** A new musical, '' Emerald City'', performed during the Toronto Fringe Festival this past July.
* The Winkie Award, voted on by member of OzCon International for contributions to the convention, went to Freddy Fogarty.
** The disappointing box office of ''The Legends of Oz: Dorothy Returns''.
* The L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the most prestigious prize in Oz fandom, went to Blair Frodelius for his many contributions to spreading the word about Oz online over the years.
** A new world record (1,150) for most people dressed as characters from ''The Wizard of Oz'', set at the Judy Garland Museum on June 13, 2014.
** A ruby slipper sculpture of jelly beans in Los Angeles that set a new world record for largest candy sculpture.
** The induction of "Over the Rainbow" into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
** An Oz-themed issue of the journal [http://wsupress.wayne.edu/fairy-tale-review ''Fairy Tale Review''].
** Celebrations of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the famous film version of '' The Wizard of Oz'' in Virginia and Yorkshire, England.
** The arrest of three people by the FBI in conjunction with the fraudulent practices of Gigapix Studios and their planned 3-D CGI adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** An orchestral concert rendition of L. Frank Baum's story "The Queen of Quok" at the University of California-Riverside.
** The Oz art of a young [http://mouchegallery.com/?portfolio=janis-joplin Janis Joplin].
* Scott Cummings looks at the history and development of Baum's third Oz play in part one of "''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz'': The Fairyland Extravaganza of 1913-14".
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints several contemporary reviews of '' Tik-Tok of Oz''.
* Peter Hanff uncovers John R. Neill's model for Betsy Bobbin on the original cover of ''Tik-Tok of Oz'' in "Eleanor Boardman and the Marvelous Land of Oz, or, Oz is Where You Find It".
* Michael O. Riley concludes his look back at how he combined his love of Oz and small press printing in "The Story of the Pamami Press, Part Two".
* Dewey Davis-Thompson visits [http://www.wackyworldstudios.com/ the workshop that created one of the current touring museum exhibits of ''The Wizard of Oz''] in "The Wizard of Wacky World: Behind the Scenes in Bruce Barry's Florida Workshop".
* [http://www.dennisanfuso.com/ Dennis Anfuso] becomes the latest artist to be profiled in "The Oz Illustrator".
* Recent events written up in "The Magic Picture":
** Oz-Stravaganza! 2013 in L. Frank Baum's home town of Chittenango, New York, written by David Moyer.
** The 2013 Winkie Convention in Pacific Grove, California, by Linda TerBurgh.
** The International Wizard of Oz Club's 2014 annual convention, held concurrently with Oz-Stravaganza! written by Angelica Carpenter and Blair Frödelius.
** Oz-Stravaganza! 2014, written by Moyer.
** The 2014 Winkie Convention, held in San Diego and written by Atticus Gannaway.
* Productions reviewed in "Oz in the Spotlight":
** The first full production of '' The Tik-Tok Man of Oz'' in one hundred years, at the 2014 Winkie Convention, reviewed by Marcy Gessel and Michael Gessel.
** The animated movie ''Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return'', reviewed by Ryan Jay.
** A new Australian production, ''The Word of the Wiz'', reviewed by Sam Milazzo.
** A new Off-Broadway show, ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Re-Imagined'', reviewed by David Moyer.
* Freddy Fogarty looks back at his admiration of his favorite Oz character in "Tik-Tok-Tastic! or, How I Fell in Love with a Mechanical Man".
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785183884/thewonderwizardo/ The Marvel Comics adaptation of ''The Emerald City of Oz'' by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young], reviewed by Ken Cope.
** The final three volumes of Peter Blystone's translations of Sergei Sukhinov's Magic Land epic, [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/king-midgety/paperback/product-20992501.html ''King Midgety''], [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/the-sorcerer-from-atlantis/paperback/product-21061134.html '' The Sorcerer from Atlantis''], and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/the-knights-of-light-and-darkness/paperback/product-21039332.html ''The Knights of Light and Darkness''], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** The Royal Explorers of Oz trilogy ([http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-mebes/royal-explorers-of-oz-book-1/paperback/product-18792572.html ''The Voyage of'' The Crescent Moon], [http://www.lulu.com/shop/jeff-rester-and-marcus-mebes-and-jared-davis/royal-explorers-of-oz-book-2/paperback/product-20340983.html The Crescent Moon'' over Tarara''], and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-mebes/royal-explorers-of-oz-book-3/paperback/product-21092592.html ''Terra Obscura'']) by Marcus Mébès, Jeff Rester, and Jared Davis, reviewed by Joe Bongiorno.
** The first comic book biography of the creator of Oz, [http://www.comicfleamarket.com/tribute-l-frank-baum-the-wizard-of-oz/ ''Tribute: L. Frank Baum'' by Mike Lynch and Manuel Díaz], reviewed by Dennis Anfuso.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062280678/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy Must Die'' by Danielle Paige], reviewed by Dee Michel.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1623701295/thewonderwizardo/ ''Bewitched in Oz'' by Laura J. Burns], reviewed by Angelica Carpenter.
** ''The Perhappsy Chaps'' #2 by Ruth Plumly Thompson, part of the [[Dunkiton Press]] reprints by Ruth Berman and reviewed by Margaret Berg.
* Dana Richards adds to and clarifies an earlier issue's checklist of Martin Gardner's Oz writings in "Martin Gardner: Further Explorations of Oz".
* Peter E. Hanff looks back at the lives and Ozzy contributions of Jerry V. Tobias and John C. Ebinger in "In Memoriam".
* Susan Hall presents a quiz on ''Tik-Tok of Oz'' in "Ozmusements".
* And Dennis Anfuso contributes an original illustration of Tik-Tok for the back cover.


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==September 5, 2014: Geoffrey Holder, 1930-2014==
==July 17, 2023: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2023 Issue==
[[File:Geoffrey Holder.jpg|right]]Geoffrey Holder, the acclaimed actor, dancer, choreographer, and painter died today, at the age of 84. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1930, he emigrated with his family to the United States as a boy, but he never lost his distinctive accent. As a movie actor, his roles included Willy Shakespeare in ''Doctor Doolittle'' (1967), the Sorcerer in ''Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)'', Baron Samedi in the James Bond film ''Live and Let Die'', Punjab in ''Annie'', and the narrator in ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. He was also known for a series of ads for 7-Up, touting it as "The Un-Cola". In 1974 Holder was contracted to design costumes for an African-American musical stage version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', and then stepped in to direct when the original director bowed out. After it hit Broadway in 1975, ''The Wiz'' would win seven Tony Awards, including two for Holder for Best Costume Design and Best Direction of a Musical. He also won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.
[[File:Bbspring23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
The Spring 2023 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has made its way back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes right now. This issue emphasizes the first word in the name of the club, with articles about how Oz is expressed in countries outside of the United States.


(Information courtesy [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/arts/geoffrey-holder-dancer-choreographer-and-man-of-flair-dies-at-84.html ''The New York Times'']. Image courtesy [http://www.people.com/article/geoffrey-holder-dies People.com].)
In this issue:
* The front cover reproduces the cover art for the ''Oz'' game from Gen X Games.
* The inside front and back covers reproduce art by Leonid Vladimirsky for postcards based on ''Волшебник Изумрудного Города'' (''The Wizard of the Emerald City'', the Russian version of ''The Wizard of Oz'').
* In letters, Jane Albright writes her final column as President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, while Editor-in-Chief Sarah K. Crotzer takes the readers through the process of this becoming a truly international issue.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** ''The Wiz'' gets [https://wizmusical.com/ a new production and nationwide tour] with the aim of making it to Broadway next year.
** The ''Wicked'' movies get new cast members (Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee), and part 1 gets its release date moved up to November 2024. [''No doubt part 2's release also moving, to November 2025, will make it into the next issue.'']
** The animated short [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''] will premiere at [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ OzCon International].
** Online story platform Land of Tales now has an adaptation of [https://landoftales.com/book/p3487-hickory-dickory-dock "Hickory, Dickory, Dock"], a story from ''Mother Goose in Prose'' by L. Frank Baum.
** Ozzy backdrops from a 1941 Mardi Gras ball have been rediscovered and cataloged by [https://nolatabs.com/ NOLA Tableaux]. The program [https://catalog.hnoc.org/en-US/web/arena/collections-search#/entity/thnoc-archive/2018.0313.3/athenians-1941-program has been digitized] as well.
** A new opera based on the second Oz book, ''Marvelous'', is gearing up for its world premiere.
** "Across the Shifting Sands" remembers two notable Ozians who recently passed away: Romona Carlin, former First Lady of Kansas who organized an Oz-themed event in Topeka; and artist Shawn Maldonado.
** "Through the Tube!" only presents one video from YouTube instead of its usual three, but it's a good one: Artist Leonid Vladimirsky on Russian television in 1989 celebrating fifty years of Magic Land. (Don't worry, it has English subtitles.)<br><html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_8I6jeLS5bk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>
* Jane Albright and Sara K. Crotzer interview the daughter of ''Magic Land'' illustrator Leonid Vladimirsky in "The Map to Magic Land: Aia Vladimirsky Remembers Her Fathre".
* Want to collect the art of a ''Magic Land'' illustrator? Well, "An Initial Checklist of the Works by Leonid Vladimirsky" is a good place to start.
* A Strange Post-Soviet Union" by Atticus Gannaway looks at an unusual pairing of recent Russian translations in one volume: L. Frank Baum's ''Queen Zixi of Ix'' and John R. Neill's ''The Wonder City of Oz''!
* Dave Ward looks at the first British stage production of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "London, 1942".
* Nick Campbell gives an overview of British editions of the Oz books in "Following Wonder: A History of British Publishing in Five Oz Books".
* The creator of the new ballet ''The Lost Princess of Oz'' (reviewed last issue) is interviewed in "Faith: Gabriel Chajnik's Journey to Find a ''Lost Princess''".
* The creator of the new [https://genxgames.es/producto/oz/ ''Oz'' card game] is interviewed in "Walk the Road: An Interview with Óscar Arévalo" (with art and additional comments by Lorena Azpiri).
* Sarah K. Crotzer looks at one particular word in the name of the organization when she asks, "How International Was the Early International Wizard of Oz Club?"
* Reviewed in "Oz in the Arts":
** ''The Land of Oz'' at the Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, December 2022.
** ''Claus: The Musical'' (based on ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus''), The Lowry, Salford, England, December 2022.
** ''The Wizard of Paws, or There's No Place Like a Furever Home'', Englewood Arts Center, Independence, Missouri, April 2023.
* Reviewed in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-oracle-of-maracoor-gregory-maguire/18273094?ean=9780063094017 ''The Oracle of Maracoor'' by Gregory Maguire], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/can-you-survive-the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-a-choose-your-path-book-ryan-jacobson/17992501?ean=9781940647715 ''Can You Survive The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?'' by Ryan Jacobsen], reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/oz-and-the-musical-performing-the-american-fairy-tale-ryan-bunch/18812410?ean=9780190843144 ''Oz and the Musical: Performing the American Fairy Tale'' by Ryan Bunch], reviewed by Dina Schiff Massachi.
** [https://genxgames.es/producto/oz/ The new Spanish card game ''Oz'' by Óscar Arévalo and Lorena Azpiri], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* And the inside back cover reproduces four cover images from British editions of the Oz books.
 
Also included in this issue:
* The craft is a cut-out Russian nesting doll, based on the Magic Land art of Leonid Vladimirsky.
* In ''The Emerald City Mirror'', the newsletter aimed at younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual ages are):
** It seems Princess Toodee, who temporarily took over for Ozma, was just a paper doll being used by the usurper who just took over Oz: The Nome King!
** Editor-in-chief the Scarecrow reports from where everyone is hiding out from the new king, the Emerald City Library. (Since the Nome King doesn't read books, he probably won't find them there!)
** A reprint from the archives looks at just who the Nome King is, anyway.
** The Nome King's many schemes from the Oz books are recounted, along with a look at various eggs and a few of the Nome King's more colorful quotes.
** Oz Club member on assignment Katie Jones reports from San Francisco, where reports of fantastic beings appearing there include a dragon!
** And two contests: Guess the answer to "What Did the Wogglebug Say?" and draw a picture of the Cowardly Lion to celebrate the centennial of ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''.


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==August 9, 2014: The 2014 Winkie Award==
==July 15, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Strike Delays ''Wicked'' Production==
Tonight, during its grand awards banquet, the Winkie Convention (for Oz fans on the west coast) presented its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Susan Johnson. Johnson was honored by her fellow Winkies for all of her behind-the-scenes work at the conventions for many years, notably assisting during the auction.
Among the many movie and television projects put on hold by the SAG-AFTRA strike is the movie adaptation of ''Wicked''. Word is that the main production only had ten days and one major musical number ("One Short Day") to go. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, and Bowen Yang are among the ''Wicked'' stars posting support for the actors' strike. When production can resume, and if the delay will affect the release dates for the two films, will likely depend on the length of the strike.
 
(Information courtesy [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Update-WICKED-Movie-Shuts-Down-Production-Following-SAG-AFTRA-Strike-20230714 ''Broadway World''].)


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==June 7, 2014: The 2014 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
==June 20, 2023: ''Wicked'' Part 2 Release Moved Up==
Tonight, the International Wizard of Oz Club bestowed its highest honor, [http://ozclub.org/about-us/l-frank-baum-memorial-award-winners/ the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award], to Gregory Maguire. Maguire's new vision of Oz, from his ''Wicked Years'' cycles of books, has brought a new vision to Oz and brought in many new readers. The first book in the series, ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', is the basis for the award-winning and popular musical ''Wicked''. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website extends its congratulations to Maguire for a well-deserved award.
After the release of the first part of the ''Wicked'' movie adaptation was moved up to November earlier this year, it should come as no surprise that the release of part two was also moved up today. Originally scheduled for Christmas 2025, it will now come out on November 26, 2025. This will move it away from the same release window as ''Avatar 3'', and also give it more time to build an audience over the holidays. (Both parts will now come out the day before Thanksgiving in the United States.)
 
(Information courtesy [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/wicked-part-two-moves-up-release-in-theaters-1235519568/ ''The Hollywood Reporter''].)


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==June 3, 2014: Jerry V. Tobias==
==June 1, 2023: Accused Ruby Slipper Thief Enters Plea==
Jerry Tobias, an early member of the International Wizard of Oz Club and Oz collector and researcher, passed away today after a brief illness. Born in 1929, he was a lifelong Oz fan who attended some of the Oz Club's earliest Oz conventions and contributed to the auctions. He served as editor-in-chief of ''The Baum Bugle'' from 1973 to 1977 and oversaw some of its biggest changes, including staples, typesetting, and a table of contents.
Terry Jon Martin, the man accused of stealing the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005, entered his plea today. He has pled not guilty to one count of Theft of a Major Art Work.


(Information courtesty [http://ozclub.org/about-us/l-frank-baum-memorial-award-winners/jerry-v-tobias/ the International Wizard of Oz Club].)
(Information courtesy of [https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/man-who-allegedly-stole-judy-garlands-ruby-slippers-enters-not-guilty-plea/ KSTP Minneapolis/St. Paul].)


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==May 17, 2014: ''The Baum Bugle'', Spring 2014==
==May 17, 2023: An Arrest in the Ruby Slipper Theft==
Yes, it's on its way at last to members of the International Wizard of Oz Club who have paid their dues for 2014. We're talking, of course, about the spring 2014 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the Club's triannual journal of all things Ozzy.
<html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nPQz4p0Qbo" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>
Terry Martin, 76, has been indicted in the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers, originally worn by Judy Garland in the famous 1939 film adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''. The Slippers were recovered in 2018. The investigation has been ongoing, and Martin has been charged with one count of theft of a major artwork. The charge was filed by federal prosecutors in North Dakota. The Ruby Slippers at the time belonged to collector Michael Shaw, who had loaned them to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They were stolen in 2005, and Shaw eventually received a settlement from his insurers. A man contacted the insurers about the Slippers in 2017, setting off an investigation and eventual FBI sting operation. Nobody was charged at the time of the Slippers' recovery. Martin lives just south of Grand Rapids, but otherwise does not appear to have any connection to the museum or Garland. This is still an ongoing investigation, and it's possible other indictments may come later.


In this issue:
(Information courtesy of [https://apnews.com/article/solen-ruby-slippers-wizard-of-oz-5d142469ad5f052f6af053d20dbf20c4 The Associated Press]. Video courtesy of [https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ WCCO CBS News Minnesota].)
* The front cover reproduces Frederick Richardson's illustration of Fluff receiving the Magic Cloak from ''Queen Zixi of Ix'', which was included in the November 1905 issue of ''The Printing Art'' magazine with a tissue guard. (The back cover reproduces the text on the tissue guard.) This was an example of the length the publishers of ''St. Nicholas'' magazine went to for their serialization of ''Queen Zixi of Ix''.
* Craig Noble's "Letter from the Editor'" looks at this issue's theme of how Oz books are made.
* The results of the latest Club election are in! Carrie Hedges has retained her position as President, Jane Albright is the Club's new Vice President, and Ryan Bunch, Freddy Fogarty, and Stephen Teller were elected to the Board of Directors.
* Speaking of the President, Mme. Hedges talks about the coming year in Oz and the Club in her "OZervations" column.
* "Ozma's Honor Roll for 2013" acknowledges those members of the Club who have given above and beyond basic dues during the past year.
* In "Oz and Ends":
** With the publication of the collected edition of [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785183884/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Emerald City of Oz''], Marvel's adaptations of the Oz books has come to their logical end.
** [http://youtu.be/RuTufHRxEts Pink's performance of "Over the Rainbow"] and other celebrations of the seventy-fifth anniversary of ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the Oscars get a mention (as well as the lack of acknowledgement of the Munchkin actors).
** Bert Lahr's script for ''The Wizard of Oz'' appears on [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/201301A34.html ''The Antiques Roadshow''] (with [http://youtu.be/o3CCIcruo1Q an exclusive web extra]).
** The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda come to ABC's [http://abc.go.com/shows/once-upon-a-time ''One Upon a Time''].
** Crowdfunding website Kickstarter is used to fund a new documentary, [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/75328422/who-stole-the-ruby-slippers ''Who Stole the Ruby Slippers?"], about the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers used in The Movie from a museum in Minnesota.
** Coincidentally, about the same time, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/ruby-red-slippers-theft-_n_5045217.html a replica pair of Ruby Slippers was stolen from a hotel in Staten Island].
** More crowdfunding, as others turned to Kickstarter to fund [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/291042787/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-stage-musical a production of ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz''] at [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ this summer's Winkie Convention in San Diego], [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/illogicalassociates/the-shadow-of-oz-a-tarot-deck an Oz-themed tarot deck], and [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420370544/polychrome-an-oz-based-novel a new novel about Polychrome].
** New Oz collectibles, many celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Movie, including new dolls from Madame Alexander, Tonner, and Mattel (more Oz Barbie dolls); new dog costumes from Rubie's; and color-changing mugs.
** New OZ exhibits at the University of Kansas, the West Bridgewater (Massachusetts) Library, and [http://www.sdc-arts.org/buell_current.html the Buell Children's Museum] in Pueblo, Colorado; plus a talk entitled "If I Only Had a Brain: Disability and Difference in the Oz Narrative" by [http://josheyler.wordpress.com/ Joshua R. Eyler] at Shippenburg University in Pennsylvania.
* Peter Hanff looks at the serialization of ''Queen Zixi of Ix'' in ''St. Nicholas'' magazine in "''St. Nicholas'' Magazine and ''Queen Zixi of Ix'': The Transofrmation of American Fantasy", and also provides a checklist of the ''Queen Zixi'' (and some select other) content of Volume XXXII of ''St. Nicholas''.
* Marc Berezin discovers a book that may have been influenced by the Oz books in "The Sincerest Form of Flattery: ''The Amazing Land of Wew'' and the Land of Oz".
* Another book that may have been influenced by Oz is examined by Holly Dennis-Lucas in "From Oz to the Moon: ''The Magical Land of Noom''" (writen by Johnny Gruelle, famous for creating Raggedy Ann and Andy).
* Michael O. Riley looks back on his adventures as an Oz short story publisher in part one of "The Story of the Pamami Press".
* Sophia Siobahn Wolohan Bogle presents another in her series about dealing with old books in need of repair in "Broken Book Options: Repair, Conserve, or Restore?"
* Kim McFarland recounts her adventures illustrating [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sherwood-smith/sky-pyrates-over-oz/hardcover/product-21394853.html ''Sky Pyrates Over Oz''], Sherwood Smith's conclusion to her Oz trilogy, in "The Oz Illustrator".
* Nate Barlow examines the latest Oz story to reach the big screen, ''The Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return'' in "Dorothy's Return to the Big Screen: An Animated Oz Story".
* A recently rediscovered newspaper publication of "Joan of Arc", illustrated by John R. Neill and possibly meant to be published as part of Reilly and Britton's "Children's Stories That Neve Grow Old" series, is reproduced.
* In "Oz in the Spotlight", David Moyer reviews a recent drama about the story of Nick Chopper in ''The Woodsman''.
* Reviewed in "The Oz Bookshelf":
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1608932575/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful World of Oz'' by John Fricke], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062278010/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz: The Official 75th Anniversary Companion'' by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman], reviewed by Mark Griffin.
** ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz: A Musical Wonderment in Two Acts and Five Scenes'' by L. Frank Baum, a proposal for a stage dramatization of Baum's new Oz book of 1913 that was never produced, published by the Pamami Press and reviewed by Paul R. Bienvenue.
** Two more volumes in Peter Blystone's translations of Sergei Sukhinov's epic continuation of the Russian Magic Land ''Emerald City'' series, [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/parcelius-the-alchemist/paperback/product-20947644.html ''Paracelius the Alchemist''] and [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sergei-sukhinov/battle-in-underground-land/paperback/product-20992472.html ''Battle in Underground Land''], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [http://www.lulu.com/shop/sherwood-smith/sky-pyrates-over-oz/hardcover/product-21394853.html ''Sky Pyrates Over Oz'' by Sherwood Smith], the long-missing conclusion to her trilogy about Dori and Em in Oz, reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** Richard R. Rutter makes note of two new Korean editions of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** Marcus Mébès has published a new edition of his poem, ''Sail Away to Oz'', which can be ordered [[mailto:baringer@gmail.com directly from the author].
* In a sadly extended look at those who have contributed to Oz and recently passed away, "In Memoriam" remembers Ruth Duccini, Shirley Temple Black, Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Lou Scheimer.
* This issue's "Ozmusements" presents a word search based on ''Tik-Tok of Oz''.


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==April 13, 2014: Mila Kunis wins at MTV Movie Awards==
==March 14, 2023: ''Wicked'' Part 1 Movie Release Date Changed==
Tonight, the MTV Movie Awards presented a box of golden popcorn to Mila Kunis, for her performance of Theodora, the Wicked Witch of the West, in ''Oz the Great and Powerful''. She won in the category of [http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2014/best-villain/ Best Villain], and she beat out four men in the category. (Check out her acceptance speech [http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/1030678/mila-kunis-wins-best-villain-for-oz-the-great-and-powerful.jhtml right here].)
Universal has moved up the release date of the first half of the movie adaptation of ''Wicked'', the long-running Broadway and West End musical. Originally announced for Christmas 2024, they moved the date up to November 27, 2024, to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday season it the United States. Since ''Avatar 3'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3'' are also coming out on Christmas, changing ''Wicked'' to the earlier holiday weekend is probably a wise move.
 
(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2023/film/news/wicked-movie-release-date-thanksgiving-1235553635/ ''Variety''].)


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==April 6, 2014: Mickey Rooney==
==February 25, 2023: ''The Baum Bugle'', Winter 2022 Issue==
[[File:jbto_scarecrow.jpg|frame|left|alt=Mickey Rooney as the Scarecrow|The Scarecrow, voiced by Mickey Rooney, in ''Journey Back to Oz'']] [[File:Mickey Rooney Wizard.jpg|frame|right|alt=Mickey Rooney on stage as Professor Marvel|Mickey Rooney as Professor Marvel, with Jessica Grové as Dorothy, in the 1998-99 touring stage show production of ''The Wizard of Oz'']] Mickey Rooney, one of Hollywood's greatest actors, whose career spanned more than eight decades, passed away today. Born Joseph Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920, he debuted in his parents' vaudeville show as a toddler. He eventually made it to Hollywood, where he became one of the biggest box office stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He appeared in many films with his pal "Joots", Judy Garland, and the pair worked together on stage during the original New York showing of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 1939 at the Capitol Theater. Rooney would become more closely associated with Oz twice, first as the voice of the Scarecrow in the 1974 animated movie ''Journey Back to Oz'', opposite Joots' daughter, Liza Minnelli. He later played both the Wizard and Professor Marvel in a touring stage version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in 1998 and 1999, which included an extended run at Madison Square Garden. Mickey Rooney is survived by his eighth wife, Jan Chamberlin Rooney, eight children, two stepchildren, nineteen grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.
[[File:Bbwinter22.jpg|left|500 px]]
The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of [https://www.ozclub.org/ the International Wizard of Oz Club], is now making its appearance in members' mailboxes. (Yes, technically it's now 2023, but it's still the same winter season, which historically is still very good for the ''Bugle''.) This issue celebrates the centennial of ''Kabumpo in Oz'', the first Oz book to go out exclusively and definitively under the authorship of Ruth Plumly Thompson.
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In this issue:
* All of the covers have to do with Dick Martin's 1961 cover design for the new ''Kabumpo in Oz'' dust jacket. The front cover is the finished product, the inside front cover shows the color separations, the inside back cover is a different color sketch, and the back cover is the original art.
* In "Letters", Oz Club President gives her impressions of the twice-postponed 2022 National Oz Convention, while ''Bugle'' editor-in-chief Sarah K. Crotzer remembers her encounters with Kabumpo as she discusses the creation of this issue.
* News items discussed in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The discovery and auction of the original art by W. W. Denslow for two of the color plates from ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', both selling for over $100,000.
** The 2022 [https://www.tdf.org/for-the-makers/tdf-costume-collection-programs/tdf-irene-sharaff-awards-and-past-winners/ TDF/Irene Sharaff Memorial Tribute] honored Caroline F. Siedle, the costume designer for the 1903 stage extravaganza version of ''The Wizard of Oz''. (Also honored, but not mentioned in the ''Bugle'', was Eugene Lee, designer for ''Wicked'', among other shows.)
** The 2022 winner of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the International Wizard of Oz Club, is Sean P. Duffley.
** Jeff Goldblum is cast as the Wizard in the ''Wicked'' movie adaptations.
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers two Oz luminaries who recently passed away: Jules Bass, one half of the famed Rankin/Bass animation studio whose works included ''Tales of the Wizard of Oz'', the 1961 TV special ''Return to Oz'', and the 1985 holiday program ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus''; and Angela Lansbury, whose long and storied Hollywood career includes presenting and narrating the 1990 documentary ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic''.
* In "Kerumberty Bumpus! The Joy of Oz as Series Fiction", Sarah K. Crotzer and Nick Campbell look at the proper introduction of Ruth Plumly Thompson as a Royal Historian of Oz and how her work was presented and received over the years as a part of the greater Oz series.
* In "Oz Under Scrutiny", Scott Cummings presents contemporary review of ''Kabumpo in Oz''.
* Garrett Kilgore comes to the defense of one of his favorite characters in "J'Accuse Kabumpo: Justice for the Curious Cottabus".
* Scott Cummings discovers a previously unknown dramatic adaptation of ''Kabumpo in Oz'' from Pittsburgh in 1943 in "Unearthing the Gnome King".
* "Coming and Going: ''Kabumpo in Oz''" sees Nick Campbell and Sarah K. Crotzer give brief summaries of some ideas about aspects of the book, including how it serves as a template for other Thompson Oz books, how it may have been influenced by Lewis Carroll and ''Alice in Wonderland'', and how ''Kabumpo'' may have, in turn, influenced Norton Juster and his classic story ''The Phantom Tollbooth''.
* Ryan Bunch presents the sheet music for "The Tin Woodman's Song" from Ruth Plumly Thompson's playlet ''A Day in Oz''.
* J. L. Bell reports on the first two big post-pandemic gatherings of Oz fans, OzCon International 2022 and Oz: The National Convention <s>2020</s> <s>2021</s> 2022.
* Michael Patrick Hearn introduces a Christmas play from the December 1917 issue of ''St. Nicholas Magazine'', "The Man Who Didn't Believe in Christmas" by Mary Austin, which includes the Wizard of Oz as a character.
* "Oz in the Arts" reviews [https://vimeo.com/682070569 ''And Toto, Too''] (FRIGID New York Fringe Festival, February 18-26, 2022, reviewed by Atticus Gannaway), [https://youtu.be/aK9RJY51iGE ''The Lost Princess of Oz''] (Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater, August 19-28, 2022, reviewed by Robert Lamont), and ''American Classics Presents Journey to Oz'' (November 18 and 20, 2022, reviewed by J. L. Bell).
* Books and games examined in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-interactive-minalima-edition-illustrated-with-interactive-elements-l-frank-baum/14786866?ean=9780063055735 ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by MinaLima] (reviewed by Peter E. Hanff).
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0B14MBLCD/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Boy Baronet in Oz'' by Phyllis Ann Karr].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/can-you-survive-the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-a-choose-your-path-book-ryan-jacobson/17992501?ean=9781940647715 ''Can You Survive The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? A Choose Your Path Book'' by Ryan Jacobson].
** [http://thewizardofoz.info/wiki/Dunkiton_Press ''Dunkiton Press'' #30: Yuletide #2, compiled by Ruth Berman].
** [https://www.etsy.com/listing/1313112590/friends-of-dorothy?click_key=09f0745834b4985ddb829adca109fb76e85b948c%3A1313112590&click_sum=7cceb78b&ref=shop_home_active_3 ''Friends of Dorothy: A Tale of Homophobic Buffoonery'' by Kieran Teare-Thomas].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-love-magnet-of-oz-alan-lindsay/18590786?ean=9781574330502 ''The Love Magnet of Oz'' by Alan Lisdsay].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/oz-a-fantasy-role-playing-setting-andrew-kolb/18257754?ean=9781524873776 ''Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting'' by Andrew Kolb].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/oz-and-the-musical-performing-the-american-fairy-tale-ryan-bunch/18812410?ean=9780190843144 ''Oz and the Musical: Performing the American Fairy Tale'' by Ryan Bunch].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1678120677/thewonderwizardo/ ''Pastoria's Daughter'' by Karen Deal Robinson].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadows-over-oz-founded-on-and-continuing-the-famous-oz-stories-by-l-frank-baum-david-keyes/18693508?ean=9798500154637 ''Shadows Over Oz'' by David M. Keyes].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/sherlock-holmes-in-oz-gary-lovisi/18241117?ean=9781479470273 ''Sherlock Holmes in Oz'' by Gary Lovisi].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wizard-s-illusion-a-conversation-from-oz-with-sallie-mcfague-and-others-katherine-abetz/18514330?ean=9781666736021 ''The Wizard's Illusion: A Conversation from Oz with Sallie McFugue and Others'' by Katherine Abetz].
** The [https://www.x-decks.com/product/adventures-in-oz-metalluxe-collector-poker-playing-cards/ Adventures in Oz] and [https://kingswildproject.com/products/wizard-of-oz-standard-edition?_pos=1&_sid=042978b83&_ss=r The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] playing card decks, reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.


(Information courtesy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Rooney Wikipedia] and [http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-mickey-rooney-20140407,0,7494293,full.story#axzz2y6xMQNkx the Los Angeles Times].)
Other inserts that come with this issue of ''The Baum Bugle'':
* An ad for [https://www.lulu.com/shop/bob-baum-and-david-skipper-and-dave-kelleher-and-irwin-terry/oziana-2022/paperback/product-pv4dmd.html?q=Oziana+2022&page=1&pageSize=4 the 2022 edition of ''Oziana''], the annual literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ the 2023 edition of OzCon International], July 28-30 in Pomona, California.
* The craft project for this issue is a color, cut, and assemble Emerald City Palace. Perhaps you can perch it jauntily on your head as you cosplay Ruggedo from ''Kabumpo in Oz''.
* The "Oz Live 2022" insert reported on Oz events around the country, including Oz on the Bayou (Gray, Louisiana, March 4-5), QuadCon (April 29-30, Tulsa, Oklahoma), Wizard of Oz Days (May 14-15, Chesterton, Indiana, and a second edition in Hannibal, Missouri, October 22), OzStravaganza! (Chittenango, New York, June), Judy Garland's 100th Birthday Celebration (Grand Rapids, Minnesota, June 9-12), the Michigan Wizard of Oz Festival (Ionia, Michigan, September 30-October 1), Autumn in Oz (Banner Elk, North Carolina, September weekends), The Ohio Wizard of Oz Expo (Aurora, Ohio, October 15-16), The Illinois Oz Festival (Mapleton, Illinois, August 13), and Oztoberfest (Wamego, Kansas, October 1).
* And in ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age is):
** Kabumpo celebrates his one hundredth birthday.
** "A Letter form the Editor" sees the Scarecrow expounding on the issue and encouraging its readers to contribute.
** "The Emerald City Book Report" gives facts and information on ''Kabumpo in Oz''.
** "Meet an Oz Club Youth Member" interviews its youngest subject yet, five-year-old Julian from Florida.
** Glinda flips the pages of the Great Book of Records back one hundred ears to see what else happened in 1922.
** The latest actions of the enigmatic temporary new ruler of Oz, Princess Toodee, are recorded.
** "The Woggle-Bug's Contest" presents another puzzler for readers to unravel.
** American correspondent-at-large Katie Jones' "The Ozzity Report" continues her search for Ozma in all parts of our world where Oz creatures are sighted.
** And Billina the yellow hen has mysteriously been transformed into a penguin!


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==February 8, 2023: Eugene Lee, 1939-2023==
[[File:Eugene_Lee.jpeg|center]]
Television and Broadway set designer Eugene Lee passed away today in his home in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 83. He was the set designer for ''Saturday Night Live'' from its 1975 premiere until the present day except for a handful of seasons in the 1980s, and also for ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' and ''Late Night with Seth Meyers''. On Broadway, he designed many shows, and won Tony Awards for his work on ''Candide'', ''Sweeney Todd'', and ''Wicked''. He is survived by his wife, Brooke, and two children.
 
(Information courtesy [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Winning-Set-Designer-Eugene-Lee-Passes-Away-20230208 Broadway World] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Lee_(designer) Wikipedia]. Photograph courtesy of [https://sports.yahoo.com/eugene-lee-snl-set-designer-185905185.html Yahoo!])


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==Rumor Control==
==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.)
(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.)
----
The latest Oz projects to be announced in Hollywood: ''Cheshire Crossing'', the graphic novel by Andy Weir and Sarah Anderson, optioned by Amblin Partners (see [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/amblin-michael-de-luca-tackling-martian-author-s-fantasy-graphic-novel-cheshire-crossing-1255011 this report]); and an animated musical adaptation of the book ''Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz'', where the story is told from Toto's point of view, to be produced at Warner Bros. (see [https://deadline.com/2020/10/toto-the-dog-gone-amazing-story-of-the-wizard-of-oz-animated-pic-in-the-works-at-warner-bros-1234596757/ this source]).


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It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:
It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:


*''The Road to Oz'', a movie biopic about the life of L. Frank Baum and how he created Oz, starring Eddie Redmayne as Frank. (See reports [http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/06/eddie-redmayne-wizard-of-oz-author-l-frank-baum here] and [http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/eddie-redmayne-to-play-author-l-frank-baum-in-biopic-road-to-oz-268 here].)
*''Dark Oz 3-D'', based on the old Caliber comic book.
*''Dark Oz 3-D'', based on the old Caliber comic book.
*A non-musical, faithful adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from New Line and [http://www.templehillent.com/ Temple Hill].
*A non-musical, faithful adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' from New Line and [http://www.templehillent.com/ Temple Hill].
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*[http://www.independentstoriesinc.com/WonderfulWizard.htm ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''], a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
*[http://www.independentstoriesinc.com/WonderfulWizard.htm ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''], a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
*[http://valleywind.com/legendofoz/ ''Legend of Oz''], a modern retelling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
*[http://valleywind.com/legendofoz/ ''Legend of Oz''], a modern retelling of ''The Wizard of Oz'' from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
*Yes, it looks like a film version of ''Wicked'' is currently in pre-planning at Universal. But this is a long way off, and a lot can happen. However, the success of the play most likely means that there will be a film version some day. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for the play, has already been tapped to write the script.
*[http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/16/are-the-polish-brothers-planning-their-own-trip-to-oz/ ''Oz''], a new telling of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*[http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/16/are-the-polish-brothers-planning-their-own-trip-to-oz/ ''Oz''], a new telling of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
*A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
*[http://www.ozlandthefilm.com/ ''OzLand''], with the protagonists wandering post-apocalyptic America and finding a copy of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
*[http://variety.com/2013/film/news/afm-film-sharks-toons-up-animas-feature-save-oz-exclusive-1200806821/ ''Save Oz''], an animated movie from Mexico about a winged monkey who decides to defeat the Wicked Witch on his own terms, with a little help from some of Oz's greatest heroes.
*[http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/berlin/european-film-market/mcnamara-to-direct-young-santa/5066468.article ''Young Santa'']., based on L. Frank Baum's book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' and directed by Sean McNamara.
*[http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/berlin/european-film-market/mcnamara-to-direct-young-santa/5066468.article ''Young Santa'']., based on L. Frank Baum's book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' and directed by Sean McNamara.
*''How the Wizard Came to Oz'', based on two books by Donald Abbott.
*Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography ''Get Happy'' may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.
*Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography ''Get Happy'' may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.


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*[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517 ''Red Brick Road''], a television series continuation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in the style of ''Game of Thrones''. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
*[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/warner-horizon-turn-oz-fantasy-420517 ''Red Brick Road''], a television series continuation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in the style of ''Game of Thrones''. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-developing-wizard-of-oz-themed-medical-drama-from-timbermanbeverly/ ''Dorothy''], an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-developing-wizard-of-oz-themed-medical-drama-from-timbermanbeverly/ ''Dorothy''], an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
*[http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/nbc-buys-wizard-of-oz-drama-from-matt-arnold-as-frank-baums-classic-becomes-the-hottest-tv-property-this-season/ ''Emerald City''], a "modern" Oz series in development at NBC, which was originally picked up for the 2014-15 season. The order was later cancelled, however.
*[http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Tim-Kring-Developing-Wizard-Oz-Drama-Dorothy-Must-Die-CW-58899.html ''Dorothy Must Die''], in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW. This would be based on the book series of the same name.
*[http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Tim-Kring-Developing-Wizard-Oz-Drama-Dorothy-Must-Die-CW-58899.html ''Dorothy Must Die''], in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW.
*''Warriors of Oz'', a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
*''Warriors of Oz'', a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
* A ''Wicked'' television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.
* A ''Wicked'' television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.
* NBC may have bought the rights to ''The Wiz'' to produce as one of its holiday season live musicals.


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No, Peter Jackson is ''not'' producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31184 stories like this]...
No, Peter Jackson is ''not'' producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of ''The Wizard of Oz'' for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31184 stories like this]...
----
It seems the [http://www.hash.com/2007web/ Hash, Inc.], animated production of [http://wiki.hash.com/index.php?title=Main_Page_Two ''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:
<html><center><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PN379JK76g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PN379JK76g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></center></html>
----
A [http://www.toonzentertainment.com/toonzEntertainment/santa-claus.html computer animated production of Baum's 1902 book ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus''] is currently in the works. 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 be delayed, or not to appear at all. Keep an eye on this website's news and events pages for details if they get closer to actually coming out.


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*''The Land of Oz'' (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Tin Man''.
*''The Land of Oz'' (not based on the book of the same name), produced by Hallmark for NBC. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Tin Man''.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
*''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' from Hyde Park Entertainment and Toonz Entertainment.
*A Bollywood adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in India.
*A Bollywood adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in India.
*A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) ''Oz'' video game.
*A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) ''Oz'' video game.

Revision as of 07:55, 19 December 2023

(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.)

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(For more Oz news, check out The Daily Ozmopolitan. For the latest Oz not-quite-news, see the Rumor Control section of this page.)

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December 11, 2023: Judge Dismisses Dorothy Dress Ownership Lawsuit

a dress worn by Judy Garland during production of The Wizard of Oz may soon be up for auction now that a federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit by the niece of a priest who once worked at the school where it was found. The Catholic University of America, where the dress was found in 2021. It had been given to Father Gilbert Hartke, chairman of the university's drama department, by actress Mercedes McCambridge, a friend of Garland. When the late Father Hartke's niece, Barbara Hartke, heard about the dress and the plan to auction it off, she sued to take ownership of the dress. In dismissing the suit, Judge Paul Gardephe noted that Barbara Hartke had not established that she was the executor of her uncle's estate or had any other standing in the case. Furthermore, as a Dominican, Father Hartke had taken a vow of poverty and renounced ownership of "temporal goods", and thus had not been the owner of the dress in the first place.

Barbara Hartke has ten days to amend her lawsuit and establish standing. Otherwise, the dress will belong to Catholic university, which can then go through with plans to auction aff the dress. The auction has been on hold for over a year while the case worked its way through the system.

(Information courtesy CNBC.)

October 17, 2023: Dorothy House Miniature Auctioned Off

A miniature of the Gale farmhouse from the famous 1939 movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, used in the tornado scene, was auctioned off today by Studio Auctions. The final sale price was $537,000, well above the pre-auction estimate.

(Information courtesy of PR Newswire.)

October 14, 2023: Piper Laurie, 1932-2023

Piper-laurie.jpeg

Piper Laurie, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress who was also nominated for three Academy Awards and a BAFTA, passed away today. She was 91. Born in Detroit in 1932, Rosetta Jacobs changed her name to Piper Laurie when she signed a contract with Universal Pictures in 1949. She made her screen debut in Louisa opposite Ronald Reagan, and also co-starred with actors such as Donald O'Connor, Tony Curtis, and Rory Calhoun. But she soon moved back to New York to appear on stage and in television. Hollywood beckoned again with a part in The Hustler opposite Paul Newman, which garnered her first Oscar nomination. The parts she was offered did not improve, however, so she went back to New York. Her next film was Carrie in 1976, where she played Margaret White, Carrie's mother, in another Oscar-nominated role. She continued to appear in movies (including Children of a Lesser God, for which she received her third Oscar nomination), on television, and on stage for the rest of her career. Other notable roles include the television movie Promise, for which she won a Emmy; Twin Peaks, which netted her a Golden Globe; and the 1978 television biopic about Judy Garland, Rainbow, in which she played Ethel Gumm, Judy's mother. She is best known to Oz fans, however, for playing Aunt Em in the 1985 Disney movie Return to Oz.

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia and Entertainment Weekly.)

October 13, 2023: Martin Changes Plea to Guilty in Theft of Ruby Slippers

Terry Jon Martin, the Minnesota resident charged with the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers used during the production of The Wizard of Oz, has changed his plea to guilty. As part of a plea deal entered in federal court in Duluth, Minnesota, Martin, 78 years old and suffering from OCPD, will face no jail time.

(Information courtesy of the Associated Press via Yahoo! News. More information is also available from KARE11.com.)

July 30, 2023: Betty Ann Bruno, 1931-2023

Betty Ann Bruno, the long-time San Francisco news anchor whose show business career began as a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, passed away today at the age of 91. Born Betty Ann Ka'ihliani in Hawai'i on October 1, 1931, she grew up in Hollywood and had an uncredited part in 1937's The Hurricane before playing one of the female background Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz at the age of seven. Acting was not in her blood, however, and she went on to graduate from Stanford before becoming a news anchor at KTVU in San Francisco in 1971, a job she held for over twenty years. She won three news Emmys for her work there. After retiring, she went on to become a hula instructor and founder of the dance troupe Hula Mai. She was named Sonoma Treasure Artist in 2020, and appeared on To Tell the Truth in 2022 in a segment on her time as a Munchkin. During the COVID lockdown, she wrote her memoir, The Munchkin Diary: My Personal Yellow Brick Road. She is survived by her husband, Craig, and her three sons.

(Information courtesy Deadline and SFGate.)

July 29, 2023: The 2023 Winkie Award and Oz Club Awards

The International Wizard of Oz Club presented its annual awards tonight, alongside the Winkie Award, as part of the 2023 OzCon International in Pomona, California. The awards were:

  • First of the Club's annual writing and art contest winners, the Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
    • First place to J. L. Bell for "The Missing Key".
    • Second place, also to J. L. Bell, for "The Piglets and the Tin Soldier".
  • The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-fiction:
    • First place to J. L. Bell (him again?) for "Inspiring Maps of Oz".
    • Second place to Jem Abbas for "Technicolor at the Theatrical Premiere of The Wizard of Oz".
  • The Rob Roy MacVeigh Award for Art went to David Valentin for "Mombi's Magic".
  • The Winkie Award, voted on by member of OzCon International for contributions to the convention, went to Freddy Fogarty.
  • The L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the most prestigious prize in Oz fandom, went to Blair Frodelius for his many contributions to spreading the word about Oz online over the years.

July 17, 2023: The Baum Bugle Spring 2023 Issue

Bbspring23.jpeg

The Spring 2023 issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has made its way back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes right now. This issue emphasizes the first word in the name of the club, with articles about how Oz is expressed in countries outside of the United States.

In this issue:

  • The front cover reproduces the cover art for the Oz game from Gen X Games.
  • The inside front and back covers reproduce art by Leonid Vladimirsky for postcards based on Волшебник Изумрудного Города (The Wizard of the Emerald City, the Russian version of The Wizard of Oz).
  • In letters, Jane Albright writes her final column as President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, while Editor-in-Chief Sarah K. Crotzer takes the readers through the process of this becoming a truly international issue.
  • In "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The Wiz gets a new production and nationwide tour with the aim of making it to Broadway next year.
    • The Wicked movies get new cast members (Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq, Bowen Yang as Pfannee), and part 1 gets its release date moved up to November 2024. [No doubt part 2's release also moving, to November 2025, will make it into the next issue.]
    • The animated short The Tin Woods will premiere at OzCon International.
    • Online story platform Land of Tales now has an adaptation of "Hickory, Dickory, Dock", a story from Mother Goose in Prose by L. Frank Baum.
    • Ozzy backdrops from a 1941 Mardi Gras ball have been rediscovered and cataloged by NOLA Tableaux. The program has been digitized as well.
    • A new opera based on the second Oz book, Marvelous, is gearing up for its world premiere.
    • "Across the Shifting Sands" remembers two notable Ozians who recently passed away: Romona Carlin, former First Lady of Kansas who organized an Oz-themed event in Topeka; and artist Shawn Maldonado.
    • "Through the Tube!" only presents one video from YouTube instead of its usual three, but it's a good one: Artist Leonid Vladimirsky on Russian television in 1989 celebrating fifty years of Magic Land. (Don't worry, it has English subtitles.)
  • Jane Albright and Sara K. Crotzer interview the daughter of Magic Land illustrator Leonid Vladimirsky in "The Map to Magic Land: Aia Vladimirsky Remembers Her Fathre".
  • Want to collect the art of a Magic Land illustrator? Well, "An Initial Checklist of the Works by Leonid Vladimirsky" is a good place to start.
  • A Strange Post-Soviet Union" by Atticus Gannaway looks at an unusual pairing of recent Russian translations in one volume: L. Frank Baum's Queen Zixi of Ix and John R. Neill's The Wonder City of Oz!
  • Dave Ward looks at the first British stage production of The Wizard of Oz in "London, 1942".
  • Nick Campbell gives an overview of British editions of the Oz books in "Following Wonder: A History of British Publishing in Five Oz Books".
  • The creator of the new ballet The Lost Princess of Oz (reviewed last issue) is interviewed in "Faith: Gabriel Chajnik's Journey to Find a Lost Princess".
  • The creator of the new Oz card game is interviewed in "Walk the Road: An Interview with Óscar Arévalo" (with art and additional comments by Lorena Azpiri).
  • Sarah K. Crotzer looks at one particular word in the name of the organization when she asks, "How International Was the Early International Wizard of Oz Club?"
  • Reviewed in "Oz in the Arts":
    • The Land of Oz at the Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, December 2022.
    • Claus: The Musical (based on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus), The Lowry, Salford, England, December 2022.
    • The Wizard of Paws, or There's No Place Like a Furever Home, Englewood Arts Center, Independence, Missouri, April 2023.
  • Reviewed in "The Bugle Review":
  • And the inside back cover reproduces four cover images from British editions of the Oz books.

Also included in this issue:

  • The craft is a cut-out Russian nesting doll, based on the Magic Land art of Leonid Vladimirsky.
  • In The Emerald City Mirror, the newsletter aimed at younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual ages are):
    • It seems Princess Toodee, who temporarily took over for Ozma, was just a paper doll being used by the usurper who just took over Oz: The Nome King!
    • Editor-in-chief the Scarecrow reports from where everyone is hiding out from the new king, the Emerald City Library. (Since the Nome King doesn't read books, he probably won't find them there!)
    • A reprint from the archives looks at just who the Nome King is, anyway.
    • The Nome King's many schemes from the Oz books are recounted, along with a look at various eggs and a few of the Nome King's more colorful quotes.
    • Oz Club member on assignment Katie Jones reports from San Francisco, where reports of fantastic beings appearing there include a dragon!
    • And two contests: Guess the answer to "What Did the Wogglebug Say?" and draw a picture of the Cowardly Lion to celebrate the centennial of The Cowardly Lion of Oz.


July 15, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Strike Delays Wicked Production

Among the many movie and television projects put on hold by the SAG-AFTRA strike is the movie adaptation of Wicked. Word is that the main production only had ten days and one major musical number ("One Short Day") to go. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, and Bowen Yang are among the Wicked stars posting support for the actors' strike. When production can resume, and if the delay will affect the release dates for the two films, will likely depend on the length of the strike.

(Information courtesy Broadway World.)

June 20, 2023: Wicked Part 2 Release Moved Up

After the release of the first part of the Wicked movie adaptation was moved up to November earlier this year, it should come as no surprise that the release of part two was also moved up today. Originally scheduled for Christmas 2025, it will now come out on November 26, 2025. This will move it away from the same release window as Avatar 3, and also give it more time to build an audience over the holidays. (Both parts will now come out the day before Thanksgiving in the United States.)

(Information courtesy The Hollywood Reporter.)

June 1, 2023: Accused Ruby Slipper Thief Enters Plea

Terry Jon Martin, the man accused of stealing the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005, entered his plea today. He has pled not guilty to one count of Theft of a Major Art Work.

(Information courtesy of KSTP Minneapolis/St. Paul.)

May 17, 2023: An Arrest in the Ruby Slipper Theft

Terry Martin, 76, has been indicted in the 2005 theft of a pair of Ruby Slippers, originally worn by Judy Garland in the famous 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. The Slippers were recovered in 2018. The investigation has been ongoing, and Martin has been charged with one count of theft of a major artwork. The charge was filed by federal prosecutors in North Dakota. The Ruby Slippers at the time belonged to collector Michael Shaw, who had loaned them to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They were stolen in 2005, and Shaw eventually received a settlement from his insurers. A man contacted the insurers about the Slippers in 2017, setting off an investigation and eventual FBI sting operation. Nobody was charged at the time of the Slippers' recovery. Martin lives just south of Grand Rapids, but otherwise does not appear to have any connection to the museum or Garland. This is still an ongoing investigation, and it's possible other indictments may come later.

(Information courtesy of The Associated Press. Video courtesy of WCCO CBS News Minnesota.)

March 14, 2023: Wicked Part 1 Movie Release Date Changed

Universal has moved up the release date of the first half of the movie adaptation of Wicked, the long-running Broadway and West End musical. Originally announced for Christmas 2024, they moved the date up to November 27, 2024, to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday season it the United States. Since Avatar 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are also coming out on Christmas, changing Wicked to the earlier holiday weekend is probably a wise move.

(Information courtesy Variety.)

February 25, 2023: The Baum Bugle, Winter 2022 Issue

Bbwinter22.jpg

The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its appearance in members' mailboxes. (Yes, technically it's now 2023, but it's still the same winter season, which historically is still very good for the Bugle.) This issue celebrates the centennial of Kabumpo in Oz, the first Oz book to go out exclusively and definitively under the authorship of Ruth Plumly Thompson.
In this issue:

  • All of the covers have to do with Dick Martin's 1961 cover design for the new Kabumpo in Oz dust jacket. The front cover is the finished product, the inside front cover shows the color separations, the inside back cover is a different color sketch, and the back cover is the original art.
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President gives her impressions of the twice-postponed 2022 National Oz Convention, while Bugle editor-in-chief Sarah K. Crotzer remembers her encounters with Kabumpo as she discusses the creation of this issue.
  • News items discussed in "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The discovery and auction of the original art by W. W. Denslow for two of the color plates from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, both selling for over $100,000.
    • The 2022 TDF/Irene Sharaff Memorial Tribute honored Caroline F. Siedle, the costume designer for the 1903 stage extravaganza version of The Wizard of Oz. (Also honored, but not mentioned in the Bugle, was Eugene Lee, designer for Wicked, among other shows.)
    • The 2022 winner of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor bestowed by the International Wizard of Oz Club, is Sean P. Duffley.
    • Jeff Goldblum is cast as the Wizard in the Wicked movie adaptations.
    • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers two Oz luminaries who recently passed away: Jules Bass, one half of the famed Rankin/Bass animation studio whose works included Tales of the Wizard of Oz, the 1961 TV special Return to Oz, and the 1985 holiday program The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus; and Angela Lansbury, whose long and storied Hollywood career includes presenting and narrating the 1990 documentary The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic.
  • In "Kerumberty Bumpus! The Joy of Oz as Series Fiction", Sarah K. Crotzer and Nick Campbell look at the proper introduction of Ruth Plumly Thompson as a Royal Historian of Oz and how her work was presented and received over the years as a part of the greater Oz series.
  • In "Oz Under Scrutiny", Scott Cummings presents contemporary review of Kabumpo in Oz.
  • Garrett Kilgore comes to the defense of one of his favorite characters in "J'Accuse Kabumpo: Justice for the Curious Cottabus".
  • Scott Cummings discovers a previously unknown dramatic adaptation of Kabumpo in Oz from Pittsburgh in 1943 in "Unearthing the Gnome King".
  • "Coming and Going: Kabumpo in Oz" sees Nick Campbell and Sarah K. Crotzer give brief summaries of some ideas about aspects of the book, including how it serves as a template for other Thompson Oz books, how it may have been influenced by Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland, and how Kabumpo may have, in turn, influenced Norton Juster and his classic story The Phantom Tollbooth.
  • Ryan Bunch presents the sheet music for "The Tin Woodman's Song" from Ruth Plumly Thompson's playlet A Day in Oz.
  • J. L. Bell reports on the first two big post-pandemic gatherings of Oz fans, OzCon International 2022 and Oz: The National Convention 2020 2021 2022.
  • Michael Patrick Hearn introduces a Christmas play from the December 1917 issue of St. Nicholas Magazine, "The Man Who Didn't Believe in Christmas" by Mary Austin, which includes the Wizard of Oz as a character.
  • "Oz in the Arts" reviews And Toto, Too (FRIGID New York Fringe Festival, February 18-26, 2022, reviewed by Atticus Gannaway), The Lost Princess of Oz (Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater, August 19-28, 2022, reviewed by Robert Lamont), and American Classics Presents Journey to Oz (November 18 and 20, 2022, reviewed by J. L. Bell).
  • Books and games examined in "The Bugle Review":

Other inserts that come with this issue of The Baum Bugle:

  • An ad for the 2022 edition of Oziana, the annual literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club.
  • A registration form for the 2023 edition of OzCon International, July 28-30 in Pomona, California.
  • The craft project for this issue is a color, cut, and assemble Emerald City Palace. Perhaps you can perch it jauntily on your head as you cosplay Ruggedo from Kabumpo in Oz.
  • The "Oz Live 2022" insert reported on Oz events around the country, including Oz on the Bayou (Gray, Louisiana, March 4-5), QuadCon (April 29-30, Tulsa, Oklahoma), Wizard of Oz Days (May 14-15, Chesterton, Indiana, and a second edition in Hannibal, Missouri, October 22), OzStravaganza! (Chittenango, New York, June), Judy Garland's 100th Birthday Celebration (Grand Rapids, Minnesota, June 9-12), the Michigan Wizard of Oz Festival (Ionia, Michigan, September 30-October 1), Autumn in Oz (Banner Elk, North Carolina, September weekends), The Ohio Wizard of Oz Expo (Aurora, Ohio, October 15-16), The Illinois Oz Festival (Mapleton, Illinois, August 13), and Oztoberfest (Wamego, Kansas, October 1).
  • And in The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age is):
    • Kabumpo celebrates his one hundredth birthday.
    • "A Letter form the Editor" sees the Scarecrow expounding on the issue and encouraging its readers to contribute.
    • "The Emerald City Book Report" gives facts and information on Kabumpo in Oz.
    • "Meet an Oz Club Youth Member" interviews its youngest subject yet, five-year-old Julian from Florida.
    • Glinda flips the pages of the Great Book of Records back one hundred ears to see what else happened in 1922.
    • The latest actions of the enigmatic temporary new ruler of Oz, Princess Toodee, are recorded.
    • "The Woggle-Bug's Contest" presents another puzzler for readers to unravel.
    • American correspondent-at-large Katie Jones' "The Ozzity Report" continues her search for Ozma in all parts of our world where Oz creatures are sighted.
    • And Billina the yellow hen has mysteriously been transformed into a penguin!

February 8, 2023: Eugene Lee, 1939-2023

Eugene Lee.jpeg

Television and Broadway set designer Eugene Lee passed away today in his home in Providence, Rhode Island, at the age of 83. He was the set designer for Saturday Night Live from its 1975 premiere until the present day except for a handful of seasons in the 1980s, and also for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers. On Broadway, he designed many shows, and won Tony Awards for his work on Candide, Sweeney Todd, and Wicked. He is survived by his wife, Brooke, and two children.

(Information courtesy Broadway World and Wikipedia. Photograph courtesy of Yahoo!)

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.)

The latest Oz projects to be announced in Hollywood: Cheshire Crossing, the graphic novel by Andy Weir and Sarah Anderson, optioned by Amblin Partners (see this report); and an animated musical adaptation of the book Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz, where the story is told from Toto's point of view, to be produced at Warner Bros. (see this source).

Okay, yes, word has leaked out that Warner Bros. tried to talk Robert Zemeckis into directing a remake of The Wizard of Oz, using the same screenplay as the famous 1939 Judy Garland version. Zemeckis already rejected the idea. This probably puts the idea on the back burner for a while, and based on the extreme negative reaction the idea got, I suspect it will stay there. Rumors of this have surfaced again, but appear to be the result of someone finding the old story and running it again.

It's getting harder and harder to keep up with all of the currently planned Oz movie and television projects. Bear in mind that at this stage, most of it is speculation and/or not even in pre-production, or possibly even a game of "Telephone". But here are some of the current Oz movies that could be coming to your local theater in the next few years:

  • The Road to Oz, a movie biopic about the life of L. Frank Baum and how he created Oz, starring Eddie Redmayne as Frank. (See reports here and here.)
  • Dark Oz 3-D, based on the old Caliber comic book.
  • A non-musical, faithful adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from New Line and Temple Hill.
  • The Oz Wars, which would have the witches fighting for control of the Emerald City while the Wizard leads the resistance.
  • John Boorman's animated adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz seems to be on track for release — in France. Once it's released, an English-language release will likely come out soon afterwards. (However, in a recent interview, Boorman admitted that the project has stalled due to lack of funding.)
  • Oz: Return to the Emerald City was one of two possible competing projects at Warner Bros. This original sequel may now be shopped around to other studios, or turned into a novel.
  • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a low-budget independent production from Barnyard Studios and Used Productions. This is very much a shoestring production, which is looking for money and actors. But its Kickstarter campaign to raise the last money it needed was a success, so it may be finished soon.
  • Legend of Oz, a modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz from Valley Wind Productions in Ottawa.
  • Oz, a new telling of The Wizard of Oz.
  • A still unnamed horror movie set in the 1920s with Dorothy meeting Alice in Bedlam Asylum.
  • Young Santa., based on L. Frank Baum's book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and directed by Sean McNamara.
  • How the Wizard Came to Oz, based on two books by Donald Abbott.
  • Not entirely Oz, strictly speaking, but the Judy Garland biography Get Happy may be made into a movie, featuring Anne Hathaway as Garland.

And it's not limited to movies any more. In development for television:

  • Red Brick Road, a television series continuation of The Wizard of Oz in the style of Game of Thrones. The latest word is that this is being developed for the Lifetime channel.
  • Dorothy, an Oz-themed medical drama in development at CBS
  • Dorothy Must Die, in which Dorothy has returned to Oz and become a dictator, in development at the CW. This would be based on the book series of the same name.
  • Warriors of Oz, a post-apocalyptic version in development at Syfy.
  • A Wicked television miniseries, based on the original book (not the stage musical). Salma Hayak was attached to this as a producer. When last heard of, it was under development at ABC.

No, Peter Jackson is not producing or directing a billion-dollar all-CGI remake of The Wizard of Oz for Warner Bros. How do stories like this get started? Oh, maybe in stories like this...

In recent years, there have been proposals for other Oz or related 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 (The Movie) 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. (Rumors of this recently resurfaced, but were quickly squelched. This project is dead.)
  • Somewhere starring Elizabeth Taylor as Dorothy, now a grandmother, returning to Oz. The deaths of both Taylor and developer Rod Steiger means this is unlikely to ever happen.
  • 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. This eventually became the basis for the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man.
  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus from Circa Pictures. It's no longer listed on their website.
  • The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus from Hyde Park Entertainment and Toonz Entertainment.
  • A Bollywood adaptation of The Wizard of Oz in India.
  • A movie version of American McGee's (later cancelled) Oz video game.
  • Geoff Ryman's Was.

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. (However, Tin Man was part of this list for some time before its eventual completion and broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel.)

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