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==September 20, 2019: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2019==
==December 11, 2023: Judge Dismisses Dorothy Dress Ownership Lawsuit==
[[File:Bbspring19.jpg|500 px|left]]The Spring 2019 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has finally been published and is making its way to Club members. This issue was delayed due to editor in chief Sarah K. Crotzer having to deal with a series of unforeseen hospital visits, but a new ''Bugle'' is always welcome whatever the season.
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.
<br clear=all>The contents of this issue will be posted here in the coming days. Keep checking back!
 
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 [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/11/wizard-of-oz-dorothy-dress-lawsuit-auction.html CNBC].)


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==August 11, 2019: Charles Santore 1935-2019==
==October 17, 2023: Dorothy House Miniature Auctioned Off==
[[File:Santore_Oz.jpeg|900 px|center]]Acclaimed illustraton Charles Santore, best known for his reimaginations of classic children's stories, died today from undisclosed causes. He was 84. His teachers in Philadelphia recognized his artistic talents at an early age and encouraged him to pursue a life in art. He started off in commercial art, his works appearing in many advertisements and magazines, including a number of celebrity portraits on the cover of ''TV Guide'' in the 1970s. In 1985, a publisher approached Santore about creating new illustrations for ''Peter Rabbit'', and a new stage of his career opened up. As well as Peter Rabbit, he created new illustrations for ''Alice in Wonderland'', ''Aesop's Fables'', ''The Night Before Christmas'', ''The Velveteen Rabbit'', and an acclaimed edition of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1604335424/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wizard of Oz''], first published in 1991. His original works are now in many museums, including the New York Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Brandywine Rivers Museum in Pennsylvania. In 1972, he was awarded the Hamilton King award from the New York Society of Illustrators. He also received a gold medal from the New York Society of Publication Designers, and an Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America.
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.


(Information courtesy of [https://whyy.org/articles/charles-santore-philly-illustrator-of-classic-childrens-books-dies-at-84/ WHYY] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Santore Wikipedia].)
(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].)


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==July 27, 2019: The 2019 Winkie Award==
==October 14, 2023: Piper Laurie, 1932-2023==
[[File:Jlbellwinkieaward.jpg|500px|center]]Tonight, OzCon International presented its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to John L. Bell. Bell has helped the convention a lot in recent years by coordinating daytime programming and lining up speakers and events. He is also a tireless Oz researcher and writer who has contributed to both ''The Baum Bugle'' and ''Oziana''. Heartfelt congratulations to a well-deserving recipient!
[[File:piper-laurie.jpeg|center]]
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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_Laurie Wikipedia] and [https://ew.com/celebrity/piper-laurie-dead-carrie-twin-peaks-actress/ ''Entertainment Weekly''].)


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==June 23, 2019: William F. Brown, 1928-2019==
==October 13, 2023: Martin Changes Plea to Guilty in Theft of Ruby Slippers==
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Brown_(writer) William F. Brown], a longtime show business writer, died today in Westport, Connecticut. He was 91. Cutting his writing teeth in ''Look'' magazine and advertising in the 1950s, he later amassed a number of television writing credits on shows such as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''The Johnny Carson Show'', and ''Love American Style''. He also wrote some books and the comic strip ''Boomer''. He attempted to write Broadway plays, but ''The Girl in the Freudian Slip'', ''How to Steal an Election'', and ''A Broadway Musical'' never had successful runs. His only success on the stage was ''The Wiz'', which ran for many years and earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical.
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 [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].)
 
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Brown is survived by his wife, Tina Tippit.
==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, [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.


(Information courtesy [https://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/william-f-brown-the-wiz-book-writer_89129.html Theatermania].)
(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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==June 22, 2019: The 2019 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
==July 29, 2023: The 2023 Winkie Award and Oz Club Awards==
[[File:LFBMA 2019.jpg|frame|center|Bill Beem (right) receives the 2019 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award from last year's winner, Bill Thompson. (Photo courtesy of Bill Thompson.)]]
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:
The International Wizard of Oz Club presented its highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, to Bill Beem tonight during the Club's National Convention in Thibodeaux, Louisiana. A long-time Club member, Bill has been a quiet presence behind-the-scenes at Club meetings and conventions for decades now. He exhibited many items from his collection at the 2000 Centennial Convention and the 2012 National Convention, and chaired the 2006 Ozmapolitan Convention. He has also helped with programming at many Oz events, and served the Club on the Board of Directors and recording secretary. This is a richly deserved award which couldn't go to a better recipient.
* 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:
** 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.


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==June 9, 2019: The 73rd Tony Awards==
==July 17, 2023: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2023 Issue==
Two actors with longtime associations with Oz received their first [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/73rd_Tony_Awards Tony Awards] tonight, presented by the American Theater Wing for excellence in Broadway productions. Andre De Shields, who originated the title role in ''The Wiz'' in 1975, won the award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for playing Hermes in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadestown_(musical) ''Hadestown'']. He gave a moving acceptance speech:
[[File:Bbspring23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
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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 [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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Later, winning the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical was Stephanie J. Block. Back in 2000, she was the first actress to play Elphaba in ''Wicked'', at the earliest readings. She went on to understudy Idina Menzel in the San Francisco tryouts and earliest Broadway performances before taking the lead on the first national tour, and eventually taking the lead on Broadway. She won her award for playing the title role in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cher_Show_(musical) ''The Cher Show'']. Here's her acceptance speech:
==July 15, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Strike Delays ''Wicked'' Production==
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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.


''Wicked'' also had a shoutout during the presentation for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prom_(musical) ''The Prom''] (introduced by Broadway's original ''Wicked'' Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth, no less), with "Elphy and Glinda" getting a mention, as seen here:
(Information courtesy [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Update-WICKED-Movie-Shuts-Down-Production-Following-SAG-AFTRA-Strike-20230714 ''Broadway World''].)
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==April 12, 2019: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2018==
==June 20, 2023: ''Wicked'' Part 2 Release Moved Up==
[[File:Bbwinter18.jpg|right|400 px]]The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club is now being sent out to members, who should see it appearing in mailboxes all over the world in the coming weeks. This is the final issue of 2018 membership, so those who get this and wish to keep receiving the ''Bugle'' will want to send in their renewal form and dues soon.
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''].)


In this issue:
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* All four covers celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'':
 
** The front cover features a Tin Woodman puppet designed by Matzilla Duron, stepping out of a pristine first edition of the book.
==June 1, 2023: Accused Ruby Slipper Thief Enters Plea==
** The inside front cover reproduces John R. Neill's color plate from the novel, depicting the Tin Woodman's introduction to the Tin Soldier.
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.
** The inside back cover displays an impressive number of Tin Woodman dolls and other memorabilia from the collection of Oz Club President Jane Albright.
 
** The back cover shows Michael Herring's original painting for the 1981 Del Rey edition of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
(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].)
* The Table of Contents shows a version of the Tin Woodman drawn by Michael Ploog as a design for ''Return to Oz'' (1985).
 
* "Letters" has notices from Jane Albright about the state of the Club, encouraging members to renew; and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer writes about the issue and her personal connection to ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
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* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
 
** The cancellation of the Cartoon Network/Boomerang series [https://watch.boomerang.com/shows/dorothy-franchise/series/dorothy-series/volume-1 ''Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz''], and the inclusion of Sir Hokus of Pokes, the first television of a character created by Ruth Plumly Thompson, in the final episode.
==May 17, 2023: An Arrest in the Ruby Slipper Theft==
** The imminent opening of [https://www.oscars.org/museum the Academy Museum], which will include an initial exhibit on ''The Wizard of Oz'', including the Academy's pair of Ruby Slippers.
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** Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first few weeks of filming (that were eventually abandoned and reshot), a production archive for The Movie, and one of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch hats all sold at auction in 2018.
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.
** [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58765 ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''] entering public domain at last, after Congress did ''not'' extend copyrights again following passage of the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998.
 
** [https://www.cityofholland.com/parksandcemeteries/centennial-park Centennial Park in Holland, Michigan] has plans to install an Oz-themed area, in commemoration of L. Frank Baum's time in the area at the start of his writing career.
(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 Oz theme at [https://sdfair.com/ this year's San Diego County Fair] in California, in commemoration of L. Frank Baum's time in the area not long after establishing himself as a writer.
 
** The unveiling of a mural of Judy Garland by artist Levi Ponce at [http://theatrewest.org/onstage/wizard-of-oz-sing-a-long-and-mural-unveiling/ Theatre West] in Los Angeles, California.
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** [https://www.oed.com/ The ''Oxford English Dictionary''] adding the phrase "not in Kansas anymore".
** Researchers at the University of Turin concluded that [https://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1007/s41109-018-0105-0 ''The Wizard of Oz'' is the most influential movie of all time], in a study published in the journal ''Applied Network Science''.
** New translations of ''The Wizard of Oz'' have now come out in [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012036/thewonderwizardo/ Cornish], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012117/thewonderwizardo/ Hawaiian], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012044/thewonderwizardo/ Irish], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1782012044/thewonderwizardo/ North-East Scots], all from [http://www.evertype.com/baumiana.html Evertype Publishing]. (Word is that an Esperanto version is forthcoming.)
** "Through the Tube!" presents the following Oz videos found on YouTube:
*** Komische Oper Berlin's [https://youtu.be/KSltO-rljss new operatic adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''].
*** A 2011 version of [https://youtu.be/jjc9hSDS1gQ ''The Wizard of Oz'' by the Berlin State Ballet].
*** [https://youtu.be/stHRaNDz4zQ Hello Kitty. In Oz. On stage in Japan].
** After a year and a half of restoration and conservation, [https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/ruby-slippers-and-american-culture-displays the Ruby Slippers are back on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History].
** The January and February 2019 Fathom Events showings of ''The Wizard of Oz'' grossed $2 million at the box office, setting a new box office record for event cinema.
** The West Philadelphia home of Royal Historian Ruth Plumly Thompson received a historical marker.
** Those who have been involved with Oz who have recently passed away:
*** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee Stan Lee], the famed Marvel Comics editor and creator, who was a driving force behind Marvel's Treasury edition comic adaptations of ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''The Land of Oz'' in the 1970s.
*** Susan Morse, the singing voice of Dorothy in the 1964 TV special [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Oz_(TV_special) ''Return to Oz''].
*** Fred Patten, an early member of the International Wizard of Club and participant in the earliest Winkie Conventions, chairing the convention in 1968.
* "Awards and Honors" acknowledges those Club members who have contributed above and beyond their regular memberships in 2018, and lists the prior recipients of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.
* Jane Albright writes an appreciation of Bill Thompson, the 2018 recipient of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.
* Sarah K. Crotzer writes about her favorite Oz book in "The Rescue of the Tin Woodman: An Appreciation".
* "Men of Heart: A Song for Five Voices" interviews the creators of four different adaptations of the story of Nick Chopper:
** Ray Tintori, [https://youtu.be/3nvMmChdiyo ''Death to the Tinman''] (2007).
** Brandon McCormick, [https://youtu.be/BWdUmcwZn-A ''Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man''] (2010).
** James Ortiz, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woodsman_(play) ''The Woodsman''] (2012).
** Matzilla Duron and Nick Boxwell, the still-in-production [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''].
* "The Beginner's Guide to Oz Book Collecting" lists some important editions of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'' that collectors may want to look for.
* J. L. Bell examines the themes of ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'' in "Meat Glue".
* A call for the whereabouts of original art from the Oz books, to be catalogued at https://www.lostartofoz.com/.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" takes an extensive look at contemporary reviews and other articles about ''The Tin Woodman of Oz''.
* Dina Schiff Massachi looks at Todrick Hall's visual album [https://youtu.be/4mUSwHhJ6zA ''Straight Outta Oz''], particularly how Hall interprets the Tin Woodman, in "Metal Malleable Male".
* A link to a gallery of depictions of the Tin Woodman, [http://ozclub.org/galleries/100-years-100-tin-men/ "100 Years, 100 in Men"].
* In "Oz in the Arts":
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' ballet in Kansas City, Missouri, back in October, reviewed by Paul Miles Schneider.
** A [https://www.flickr.com/photos/hbwtheatre/albums/72157702896273541 children's theater production of ''Ozma of Oz''] in Arlington, Virginia in December, reviewed by Michael Gessel.
** ''Scraps'', a new play, in Chicago in September, reviewed by Carrie Hedges.
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' on stage in Aurora, Illinois, over the holiday season, reviewed by Steve Smith.
** A performance art adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in a London cemetery last July, reviewed by Nick Campbell.
** [http://chroniclesofoz.com/ The ''Chronicles of Oz'' podcast], so far having adapted the first two Oz books, reviewed by Jared Davis.
* A call for Club members to share photos of any events they may go to this year to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the famous MGM film adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* Books presented in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1941813186/thewonderwizardo/ ''Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn Gage, Radical Suffragist'' by former Club President Angelica Shirley Carpenter], a biography of L. Frank Baum's highly influential mother-in-law, reviewed by Judy Bieber.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1493042831/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Road to Oz: Evolution, Creation, and Legacy of a Motion Picture Masterpiece'' by Jay Scarfone and William Stillman], their latest book about the famous film version, reviewed by Mark Griffin.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1724902555/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Magic Belt'', the third volume in Paul Miles Schneider's Oz series], reviewed by Jane Albright.
* Patty Tobias and daughter Kate Koelle remember former Club President, ''Bugle'' editor, and L. Frank Baum Memorial Award winner [http://ozclub.org/blog/barbara-Koelle-1923-2018/ Barbara Koelle], who passed away in 2018.
* A call to fill the job of designer for the ''Bugle''.
* And finally, the preview for the next issue promises to reveal how the Smithsonian Institution has been taking care of its pair of Ruby Slippers, information on collecting Reilly and Britton's "Children's Stories That Never Grow Old" series, and the conclusion (at last!) on an earlier story about Oz puppetry.


There is a lot more in the envelope than the ''Bugle''! Inserts include:
==March 14, 2023: ''Wicked'' Part 1 Movie Release Date Changed==
* The latest issue of the revived ''Oz Gazette'', with all the latest news and gossip straight from the Emerald City.
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.
* Summaries of many Oz events around the country in the summer of 2018.
* A call for submissions to [http://ozclub.org/oz-club-contests/ the Oz Club's annual contests] for fiction, non-fiction, and art, with cash prizes.
* Registration forms for this year's [http://ozclub.org/register-2019-national-convention/ Oz: The National Convention] in Thibodeaux, Louisiana; and [http://www.ozconinternational.com/our-next-convention.html OzCon International] in Pomona, California.
* Since this is the final issue of the 2018 membership year, [http://ozclub.org/join-the-club/ a renewal form] is enclosed.
* A flyer for the Club's latest publication, [https://shop.ozclub.org/product.sc?productId=429&categoryId=1 ''Bibliographia Baumiana''].
* A charming Polychrome paper doll.


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(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2023/film/news/wicked-movie-release-date-thanksgiving-1235553635/ ''Variety''].)


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==November 13, 2018: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2018, and ''Oziana'' 2018==
==February 25, 2023: ''The Baum Bugle'', Winter 2022 Issue==
The two latest magazines from the International Wizard of Oz Club—the Club's journal and its annual literary magazine—are both now available.
[[File:Bbwinter22.jpg|left|500 px]]
<br>[[File:Bbautumn2018.jpg|left|400 px]]''The Baum Bugle'' is published three times a year and goes to all members of the International Wizard of Oz Club. While the timely delivery of issues has slipped a little bit this year, coming this late in the cover season is still a major accomplishment considering how late delivery of the ''Bugle'' has been is the past.
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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<br clear=all>
In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover features ''Wicked'' composer Stephen Schwartz, who in interviewed 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.
* The inside cover features scenes of the Frisch Marionettes' production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', reviewed inside.
* 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.
* "Letters" features Club President Jane Albright and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer talking about the state of the Club and the ''Bugle''.
* News items discussed in "The Bugle Bulletin":
* 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 Ruby Slippers, stolen from a Minnesota museum in 2005, have been found!
** 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.)
** In ''Wicked'' news, the film version has been pushed back, the West End production in London hit its five thousandth performance, and NBC showed [https://youtu.be/w01wBlhiCHQ ''A Very Wicked Halloween''] fifteenth anniversary special on October 29.
** 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.
** Mego, which first made ''Wizard of Oz'' action figures back in the '70s, is back with [https://www.target.com/p/mego-the-wizard-of-oz-dorothy-wicked-witch-action-figure/-/A-53492551 a Dorothy and Wicked Witch two-pack] and [https://www.target.com/p/mego-the-wizard-of-oz-cowardly-lion-action-figure-8/-/A-53475784 the Cowardly Lion], available exclusively at Target.
** Jeff Goldblum is cast as the Wizard in the ''Wicked'' movie adaptations.
** The wedding of Emma Ridley, best known to Oz fans for playing Ozma in Disney's 1985 movie ''Return to Oz''.
** "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''.
** Prince Harry and Megan Markle adopted a black Labrador retriever and named it Oz.
* 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.
** Commemorating fifteen years of ''Wicked'', the Barbie Signature Collection has issued Barbie versions of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B079JZRC7J/thewonderwizardo/ Elphaba] and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B079JV4FYK/thewonderwizardo/ Glinda].
* In "Oz Under Scrutiny", Scott Cummings presents contemporary review of ''Kabumpo in Oz''.
** The book [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0008252564/thewonderwizardo/ ''Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz''] by Michael Morpurgo has been optioned for a movie by Warner Animation Group.
* Garrett Kilgore comes to the defense of one of his favorite characters in "J'Accuse Kabumpo: Justice for the Curious Cottabus".
** Kermit the Frog will appear as the Wizard in the holiday play ''The Wonderful Winter of Oz'' in Pasadena, California.
* Scott Cummings discovers a previously unknown dramatic adaptation of ''Kabumpo in Oz'' from Pittsburgh in 1943 in "Unearthing the Gnome King".
** The stop motion animated movie [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1571279892/the-tin-woods-a-stop-motion-short-film ''The Tin Woods''], successfully funded on Kickstarter.
* "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''.
** Of interest on YouTube:
* Ryan Bunch presents the sheet music for "The Tin Woodman's Song" from Ruth Plumly Thompson's playlet ''A Day in Oz''.
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn6jo_v9L9qI8YrqYISkbaN8nltFoQkcZ Behind the scenes at the Kansas City Ballet's production of ''The Wizard of 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.
*** [https://youtu.be/F3X6HpKAEkQ The ''Wizard of Oz'' train ride in Tavares, Florida.]
* 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.
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5sNj3Slv64 Creating a ''Wizard of Oz'' gingerbread house.]
* "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).
** Recently passed away: Gary Kurtz, executive producer of ''Return to Oz''; Carole Shelley, who originated the role of Madame Morrible in ''Wicked'' on Broadway; longtime Oz fan and Club member Jack Vincent; Will Vinton, Claymation animator who supervised the creation of the Nomes in ''Return to Oz''; and Helen Younger, owner of [https://www.alephbet.com/ Aleph-Bet Books] where many collectors found rare Oz books over the years.
* Books and games examined in "The Bugle Review":
* Michael Gessel remembers one of Oz's crankiest but most steadfast fans in "Harlan Ellison, 1934-2018" (alongside [https://youtu.be/4hH6Gs0ncT8 a video essay by Ellison about Oz]).
** [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).
* Willard Carroll remembers the recently deceased Jerry Maren, the last little person who played a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "Punching Above His Weight—and Height". There's also [https://youtu.be/2XzFNLJIpUQ a video of the Lollipop Guild with their original voices], including Jerry's.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0B14MBLCD/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Boy Baronet in Oz'' by Phyllis Ann Karr].
* Brady Schwind interviews the man behind the music of ''Wicked'' in "The Wizard and I: On the Road with Stephen Schwartz".
** [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].
* Schwartz' original outline for Act I of ''Wicked'', which didn't turn out exactly as it did on stage (act II can be found in the second edition of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1540031462/thewonderwizardo/ ''Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked'']).
** [http://thewizardofoz.info/wiki/Dunkiton_Press ''Dunkiton Press'' #30: Yuletide #2, compiled by Ruth Berman].
* "Unfilmed Oz" looks at the late Rob Roy MacVeigh's animated adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
** [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].
* Jay Scarfone and William Stillman look at the creation and production of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1493036297/thewonderwizardo/ their latest book] in "Journey to ''The Road to Oz''".
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-love-magnet-of-oz-alan-lindsay/18590786?ean=9781574330502 ''The Love Magnet of Oz'' by Alan Lisdsay].
* In ''The Oz Gazette'', the journal-for-younger-Oz-fans-within-the-journal:
** [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].
** "Powder of Life Lets Loose on Locals" summarizes some of the events of ''The Marvelous Land of Oz''.
** [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].
** Managing Editor Dorothy Gale writes a chatty "Editorial".
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1678120677/thewonderwizardo/ ''Pastoria's Daughter'' by Karen Deal Robinson].
** "Drama! Excitement! Romance! Tragedy!" looks at the theatrical career of L. Frank Baum.
** [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].
** The Scarecrow reviews [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1328498840/thewonderwizardo/ ''Mary Poppins'' by P. L. Travers].
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/sherlock-holmes-in-oz-gary-lovisi/18241117?ean=9781479470273 ''Sherlock Holmes in Oz'' by Gary Lovisi].
** Glinda explains when a witch is not a witch.
** [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 Wizard is interviewed.
** 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.
** The Hungry Tiger opens a restaurant.
 
** And in an insert, you can make a Jack Pumpkinhead marionette.
Other inserts that come with this issue of ''The Baum Bugle'':
* Angelica Shirley Carpenter talks about the research on [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1941813186/thewonderwizardo/ her recent book about L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law] in "Looking for Matilda".
* 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.
* In "Oz in the Arts":
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ the 2023 edition of OzCon International], July 28-30 in Pomona, California.
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the Messner Puppet Theatre in Bonner Springs, Kansas (which you can see parts of [https://youtu.be/LN2QLh2q4Iw here] and [https://youtu.be/mUc6yqwiuIw here]), reviewed by Nick Campbell.
* 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 Wizard of Oz'' by the Frisch Marionette Company in Nashville, Tennessee (which you can see parts of [https://youtu.be/qaoMsFpsNzM here] and [https://youtu.be/JipG8UZ0tbQ here], reviewed by Sarah Crotzer.
* 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).
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' play at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, Kent, in the United Kingdom, reviewed by Michael O'Connor.
* And in ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age is):
** ''The Wiz'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, and The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, reviewed by Lynn Beltz (with clips you can view [https://youtu.be/dhqL1o72Vrk here], [https://youtu.be/R3ITTCuoLrU here], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7MyP7mR4nw here], and [https://youtu.be/kvYRQmtLziA here]).
** Kabumpo celebrates his one hundredth birthday.
* Books appearing in "The Bugle Review":
** "A Letter form the Editor" sees the Scarecrow expounding on the issue and encouraging its readers to contribute.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0999701606/thewonderwizardo/ ''Friends of Dorothy: Wy Gay Boys and Gay Men Love'' The Wizard of Oz by Dee Michel], reviewed by Brian Atterby.
** "The Emerald City Book Report" gives facts and information on ''Kabumpo in Oz''.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1626728690/thewonderwizardo/ ''Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World'' by P&eacute;n&eacute;lope Bagiieu] (one of them being Margaret Hamilton), reviewed by Angelica Carpenter.
** "Meet an Oz Club Youth Member" interviews its youngest subject yet, five-year-old Julian from Florida.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190467347/thewonderwizardo/ ''Arlen and Harburg's'' Over the Rainbow by Walter Frisch], reviewed by Ryan Bunch.
** Glinda flips the pages of the Great Book of Records back one hundred ears to see what else happened in 1922.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0991199154/thewonderwizardo/ ''Yookoohoos of Oz'' by Paul Dana, illustrated by Vincent Myrand], reviewed by Mari Ness.
** The latest actions of the enigmatic temporary new ruler of Oz, Princess Toodee, are recorded.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763681148/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hearts Unbroken'' by Cynthia Leitich Smith], revolving in part around a high school production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', reviewed by Angelica Carpenter.
** "The Woggle-Bug's Contest" presents another puzzler for readers to unravel.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1481469754/thewonderwizardo/ ''Gabriel Gale's Ages of Oz: A Dark Descent'' by Lisa Fiedler, illustrated by Sebastian Giacobino] (the second volume in the series), reviewed by Joe Bongiorno.
** 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.
* In "Adventures in Oz", Randy Struthers details how he tracked down a star-tipped wand Billie Burke used in some publicity photos as Glinda.
** And Billina the yellow hen has mysteriously been transformed into a penguin!
* The back inside cover has illustrations from Rob Roy MacVeigh's unproduced animated adaptation of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''.
* The rear cover is a portrait of Jerry Maren in recent years, still carrying a lollipop.
<br>
[[File:Oziana2018.jpeg|right]]And in the 2018 issue of ''Oziana'', the Oz Club's literary magazine:
* Hailing from Scotland, cover artist Brian Russell illustrates "Omby's Sword Dance".
* Momina Arif presents a shape poem in "The Brains, the Heart, the Courage, and Home".
* "The Strongman of Oz" by Jared Davis, with illustrations by Sam Milazzo, tells the story of one of the Wizard's old circus colleagues, and how he is ensnared by a witch to get revenge on the Wizard.
* "The Fabulous Frogman and the Faith of Freakish Friends" by Joe Bongiorno, illustrated by Darrell Spradlyn, is a sequel to "The Final Fate of the Frogman" from the 1990 issue, and details how his friends found the Frogman after that story and brought him back into their inner circle.
* Finally, Kim McFarland provides a back cover illustration.
''Oziana'' 2018 can be ordered from [http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-mebes/oziana-2018/paperback/product-23900060.html Lulu.com]. Anyone, not just Oz Club members, may order a copy.
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==September 4, 2018: Ruby Slippers Found!==
==February 8, 2023: Eugene Lee, 1939-2023==
[[File:dorothys-ruby-slippers-stolen-promo.jpg|center]]A pair of ruby slippers, stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005, have been recovered. The Grand Rapids police and the FBI's Minneapolis division worked together, enlisting the aid of the Smithsonian Institution, and announced the recovery today. While the investigation is still ongoing, it quickly transpired that the insurance company that paid out after their theft from the museum in Judy Garland's birthplace had been contacted about the slippers. It quickly became evident that the person was trying to extort money from the insurance company. Law enforcement became involved, and a sting operation was created to recover the shoes and arrest the perpetrators. The Smithsonian, at the time restoring their own pair of the shoes, was called in to authenticate the shoes, which they did.
[[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.
<p>It is not yet known if or when the slippers will go back on display.


<br><br>(Information courtesy [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45411765 the BBC], the [https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/stolen-ruby-slippers-recovered-090418 Federal Bureau of Investigation] ([https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/minneapolis/news/press-releases/fbi-recovers-stolen-ruby-slippers-used-in-the-wizard-of-oz here, too]), and [http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/recovered-ruby-slippers the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History].
(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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The previously announced release date for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical version of ''Wicked'' turns out to have been premature. Universal recently changed their planned release for December 19, 2019, from ''Wicked'' to ''Cats''. So the ''Wicked'' movie is on hold again, but it is still in development, and aiming for a December 22, 2021 release.
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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Latest 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

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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

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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

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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

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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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