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(We're a little behind in reporting the news right now, and dealing with some technical issues, but we're working hard right now to fix things! If you see just a headline, an incomplete story, or a missing picture, don't worry, it should be fixed soon. Keep checking back for updates.)
==November 13, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2025 Issue==
[[file:Bbautumn25.jpg|right]] The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of oz Club, is making its way to members now. This issue celebrates forty years of ''Return to Oz'', and includes a comprehensive checklist of collectibles from the 1985 Disney movie. Keep an eye on this space for future updates.


==March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction==
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A second suspect has been charged in the 2005 theft of a pair of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. Minnesota. Jerry Sal Saliterman, 76, of Crystal, Minnesota was arraigned in federal court in St. Paul, and charged with felony theft of a major artwork and witness tampering, the latter a threat to distribute graphic videos of a woman to prevent her from talking to the FBI. As Saliterman is in a wheelchair and uses an oxygen tank, he was not deemed a flight risk and released on his own recognizance. His attorney intends to file a plea of not guilty. Details about the charges, or Saliterman's connection to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers late last year, are still unknown at this time.


In related news, Michael Shaw, the owner of the Ruby Slippers at the time of the theft (he had loaned them to the museum) has bought back the Ruby Slippers from his insurance company, and received them in February. He has now turned them over to Heritage Actions, a firm that specializes in selling movie memorabilia and other rare items, for safekeeping and consignment. Heritage plans to put the Slippers on display in an international tour before auctioning them off in December this year.
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(Information courtesy [https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/second-man-charged-over-theft-of-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-1602790.html Breakingnews.ie] and [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/03/17/second-man-indicted-in-oz-ruby-slipper-theft Minnesota Public Radio].)
==October 8, 2025: Robert A. Baum, 1942-2025==
[[file:Robert_A_Baum_Jr.webp|300 px|center]] Robert A. "Bob" Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum and an important Oz scholar in his own right, passed away today at the age of 83. His generosity in sharing his family's collection and history has been a boon to Oz in many ways. Museums, documentaries, and Oz festivals and conventions have all been enhanced by Bob's donations. He was a consultant on the 1990 television movie ''The Dreamer of Oz'', a biopic of his great-grandfather, and even recreated Frank's home office on set using items from his own collection. He served the International Wizard of Oz Club as a director and contributor to ''The Baum Bugle'', as well as frequent convention guest. The [https://www.lulu.com/shop/bob-baum-and-don-abbott-and-rob-lauer-and-autumn-rose-frodelius/oziana-2022/paperback/product-pv4dmd.html?q=oziana+2022&page=1&pageSize=4 2022 issue of ''Oziana''], the Club's literary magazine, was a collection of Bob Baum's fanciful stories about his family history. He and his wife, Claire, would sometimes appear at events as L. Frank and Maud Baum to tell stories about their lives. For his many contributions, he was awarded the Oz Club's highest honor, named after his great-grandfather, in 2002.
 
(Information courtesy Jane Albright on Facebook. Photo courtesy [https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_A._Baum_Jr. The Oz Wiki].)


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==March 14, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2023==
==September 21, 2025: Elaine Merk Binder, 1930-2025==
Elaine Merk Binder, one of the last remaining actors who played a Munchkin in ''The Wizard of Oz'', passed away today at the age of 94. Born in Colorado, she appeared as an extra in several movies in the '30s, including an ''Our Gang'' short. She was one of a dozen young girls who filled in the ranks of background female Munchkins after Judy Garland's Dorothy arrives in Oz. But after 1940 she left show business, and went on to earn degrees in education and music. She appeared in the 2024 documentary series ''Memories of Oz'', reminiscing about making the movie.


The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' doors now. It's a little late, but since this is technically still the winter of 2023-24, it's catching up again. This issue celebrates Dorothy's third and furriest friend on the Yellow Brick Road, the Cowardly Lion, as ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' (the novel) turns 100.
(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2025/film/news/elaine-merk-binder-dead-munchkin-wizard-of-oz-1236525749/ ''Variety''] and [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5285756/ IMDB].)


In this issue:
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* The front cover features Bert Lahr, in full make-up as the Cowardly Lion from The Movie, all dressed up for "If I Were King of the Forest"
* The inside front cover is a 1944 studio portrait of Lahr (no Lion make-up)
* Featured on the contents page is an illustration of the Cowardly Lion by Michael Hague
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on the current rise in popularity of Oz, with ''The Wiz'' back on Broadway and ''Dee and Friends in Oz'' on Netflix, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer laments how the Cowardly Lion gets overlooked, and she aims to reverse that with this issue.
* News events cited in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** A November auction of Hollywood memorabilia that included items from the Ray Bolger estate (including scores for "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Over the Rainbow") and a letter by ''Wizard of Oz'' lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg
** Oz on the radio [https://www.npr.org/2023/08/28/1196486400/how-the-dust-bowl-depiction-from-the-wizard-of-oz-left-a-lasting-impact-on-kansa at NPR] and BBC Radio 5.
** The debut of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPAZCfmc0mQ&t=7s&ab_channel=NetflixJr. ''Dee and Friends in Oz''] on Netflix around the world
** André de Shields, who originated the title role of ''The Wiz'' on Broadway, being honored with a street renamed for him in his hometown of Baltimore
** Through the Tube! celebrates the Cowardly Lion and Bert Lahr with the following clips:
*** Lahr appears as the Mystery Guest in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUvlkBZ9hJ4 a 1964 episode of the game show ''What's My Line?''] (shouldn't that be ''What's My Lion?''); Lahr enters and signs in at the 15:30 mark
*** A scene from the Discovery Channel in 2000 about [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoU2PSf4eIU&ab_channel=abc the restoration of the Cowardly Lion's costume]
*** Bert Lahr sings "Song of the Woodsman", a 1936 song by ''Oz'' composers Harburg and Arlen, in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji9YFoXr81M&ab_channel=OmnibusWithAlistairCooke a 1958 clip from the show ''Omnibus'']
* Blair Frodelius is honored by the International Wizard of Oz Club with its highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award
* Jane Lahr remembers growing up with her father, Bert, in "The Cowardly Lion and Dad"
* Atticus Gannaway takes a tongue-in-cheek look at this year's centenary book in "Profiles in Cowardice: Revisiting ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz'' at 100"
* Ryan Bunch presents the next in the series of pull-out music scores of songs from the Ruth Plumly Thompson play ''A Day in Oz'' with "The Cowardly Lion's Lament"
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks back at what critics thought of ''The Cowardly Lion of oz'' when it was first published
* "Coming and Going" has some short musings and anecdotes from Sara K. Crotzer on ''The cCowardly Lion of Oz''
* Eric Gjovaag reports on the 2023 edition of OzCon International, back in July in California
* "Collector's Corner" sees Sarah K. Crotzer and Peter E. Hanff describing one of the earliest and rarest of all Oz collectibles, ''The Wogglebug Game of Conundrums'' from 1905
* Robert B. Luehrs looks at some of the smaller and/or lesser-known felines of the series in "The Supercilious Cats of Oz"
* "Oz in the Arts" sees Dewey Davis-Thompson reviewing ''Oz: A New Musical'' by the freeFall Theatre Company of St. Petersburg, Florida, performed in June and July of 2023
* Put under the microscope in "The Bugle Review" this issue are:
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CFZBYD3H/thewonderwizardo/ ''The First Edition of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'': A New Bibliographic Description'' by Michael O. Riley], reviewed by Paul Bienvenue
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1476687978/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Characters of Oz: Essays on Their Adaptation and Transformation'', edited by Dina Schiff Massachi] and reviewed by Scott Cummings
** The Japanese game [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/402552/qing-ixue-toozunomo-shu-shi-the-blue-slippers-and ''青い靴とオズの魔術師 (The Blue Slippers and the Wizard of Oz)''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
** Other books noted but not reviewed:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BP45V4RW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy and Santa in Oz: The Further Adventures of Dorothy Gale'' by Gene Mederos]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BT1M5X6K/thewonderwizardo/ ''Farmer Boy of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CJXGD4Q4/thewonderwizardo/ ''Fleischer and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum and Edward Gross]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0C2P6KS59/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hairdresser of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1728271304/thewonderwizardo/ ''Road to the Wizard: A Topsy-Turvy Tale of Oz'' by Meg Cannistra] (a tie-in with the new ''Ghostwriter'' series on AppleTV+)
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1737802228/thewonderwizardo/ ''Straw Soul'' by K. A. Silva]
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BSY99CVW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Sundays at Sam's'' by Phyllis Ann Karr], a collection of stories that includes some of her Oz works
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BHBS56XT/thewonderwizardo/ ''Zombies of Oz'' by John Cosper]
* The inside front cover reprints the color plate of Notta Bit More dressed as a fish from ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
* And the back cover reproduces a painting of the Cowardly Lion by Dick Martin


Other items slipped into this issue include:
==August 8, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2025==
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ the 2024 edition of OzCon International]
[[file:Bbspring25.png|400 px|right]] The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way to members. This issue celebrates the release of ''Wicked'' (Part 1).  
* An ad for the new edition of the bibliography ''Oz in Canada'' by C. J. Hinke, which comes in both [https://www.lulu.com/shop/cj-hinke/oz-in-canada/hardcover/product-krjyqm.html?q=Oz+in+Canada&page=1&pageSize=4 hardback] and [https://www.lulu.com/shop/cj-hinke/oz-in-canada-pb/paperback/product-kedkww.html?q=Oz+in+Canada&page=1&pageSize=4 paperback]
* This issue's craft is a color-and-cut-out Cowardly Lion marionette
* And in the latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger (or at least young-ish) Oz fans:
** The lead story is of the Cowardly Lion leading the coup against the Nome King's reign
** "A Letter from the Editor" introduces the new editor, Katie Jones! It seems she's no longer Oz Club Member on Special Assignment
** "Emerald City Book Report" examines a book that's now one hundred years old, ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** "Why Is the Lion So Cowardly?" and "Prehistory Lesson" looks at some of the issues raised in ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** Glinda looks bark at what her Great Book of Records recorded happening in 1923
** And in an extract from ''The Royal Book of Oz'' (the book in Oz, not the Oz story from 1921), Prof. H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., presents a profile of the Cowardly Lion


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In this issue:
* The front cover reprints the publicity shot of ''Wicked'' stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recreating the original poster design for the ''Wicked'' stage show.
* The inside covers reprint Anton Loeb's endpaper design for the 1950 book adaptation of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* The table of contents includes Mark Manley's ''Wicked'' tribute painting, "The Melting Occurred at the Thirteenth Hour".
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch looks back at how the ''Bugle'' covered the path ''Wicked'' has taken from page to stage to screen, and ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer looks at how this issue's features came about.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The National Library Service (NLS) has [https://www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/book-lists/wicked-and-the-wizard-of-oz/ a large collection of Oz materials] for the blind and print disabled.
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers recently passed Oz contributors Jean Marsh, Stephen J. Teller, Jack Van Camp, and Sally Roesch Wagner.
* Sarah K. Crotzer reacts to the ''Wicked'' film in "What Is This Feeling?"
* "What the Papers Said" looks at a number of reviews of ''Wicked'' from around the world.
* "Wicked Wares: Toys, Plushes, and Cinema Exclusives" by Jane Albright looks at a variety of ''Wicked'' movie collectibles.
* David Diket looks at the history and evolution of Wicked Witch of the West dolls in "My Beautiful Wickedness" and "David's Timeline of Beautifully Wicked Dolls".
* Karyl Carlson looks back at how she started creating [https://karylsozdolls.com/ custom Oz dolls] in "The Dollmaker of Oz".
* It's been twenty-five years since the last installment, but Carl Rexroad continues his look at political cartoons themed around ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "The Editorial Cartoons of Oz, Part 1: 125 Years Later, ''The Wizard of Oz'' Still Drives Political Debate".
* William STillman looks at the history of one of the bestselling Oz adaptations in "75 Years of Anton Loeb's ''The Wizard of Oz''".
* In "Oz in the Arts", Robert Lamont reviews [https://wizmusical.com/ the recent Broadway revival of ''The Wiz''] (now on tour).
* In "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0063377012/thewonderwizardo/ ''Elphie: A Wicked Childhood'' by Gregory Maguire], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0DNKY21JB/thewonderwizardo/ The blu-ray release of ''Wicked''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/21442/double-critical-llc ''Adventules in Oz: Campaign Setting'' and ''Beasts & Beings'' role-playing campaign books], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CSYB4B12/thewonderwizardo/ ''Wicked: The Game'' by Spin Master], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* Michael Gessel remembers a recently deceased long-time Oz fan in "The Lifelong Scholar: Stephen J. Teller's Journey from Kansas to Oz".
* The back cover shows the Tonner Doll versions of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.


==January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024==
Also included with this issue:
Hinton Battle, the actor who first played the Scarecrow in ''The Wiz'' on Broadway, passed away today at the age of 67 in Los Angeles after a long illness. Battle was only eighteen years old when he made his Broadway debut in ''The Wiz'' in 1974, after having taken over for a sick castmate during previews on the road. That early success gave him many years to play other roles in other shows, including ''Dancin', Sophisticated Ladies'', ''Dreamgirls'', ''The Tap Dance Kid'', ''Miss Saigon'', and ''Chicago'' on Broadway, and ''Ragtime'' on tour. His movie credits include the film adaptation of ''Dreamgirls'' and, on television, ''Quantum Leap'' (as the evil observer Thames in the Evil Leaper trilogy), ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (as the demon Sweet in the musical episode "Once More With Feeling"), ''Touched By an Angel'', the TV movie ''Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story'' as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and the first pilot for the unproduced American version of the British comedy ''Red Dwarf'' as the Cat. Battle also directed and choreographed the Off-Broadway production ''Evil Dead: The Musical'' and released an album, ''Untapped'', in 1986. He won Tony Awards for ''Sophisticated Ladies'', ''The Tap Dance Kid'', and ''Miss Saigon''. He also won the NAACP Image Award and Fred Astaire Award for ''The Tap Dance Kid''.
* This issue's Oz craft is a miniature version of the Emerald City Express train from the ''Wicked'' movie.
* And in the final (for now?) issue of ''The Emerald City Gazette'', the newspaper for younger Oz fans (of all ages), Bungle and Toto stroll through the Emerald Palace to ensure that those pesky nomes are finally gone for good.


(UPDATE: To honor Battle and his career and influence on Broadway, all forty-one Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights on March 12.)
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(Information courtesy of [https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/01/31/hinton-battle-dead-the-wiz-scarecrow/72428810007/ ''USA Today''], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinton_Battle Wikipedia], [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/hinton-battle-31283 the Internet Broadway Database], [http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/33207 the Internet Off-Broadway Database], [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061507/ the Internet Movie Database], and [https://www.nypl.org/blog/2024/02/08/hinton-battle-tap-dance-kid-buffy the New York Public Library].)
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==January 29, 2024: Terry Jon Martin Sentenced for Theft of the Ruby Slippers==
==''Wicked'' and ''Wicked: For Good'' Accolades and Awards==
Terry Jon Martin, the man who pled guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005, has been sentenced. Due to his advanced age and medical condition, he was sentenced to time served and will not go to jail. Martin is currently in hospice care and on oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and is not expected to live more than a few months longer. He was also ordered to pay the Judy Garland Museum $23,500 in restitution, which he will pay in monthly installments of $300.
With high profile movie releases, naturally ''Wicked'' and ''Wicked: For Good'' will receive acclaim during the film award seasons. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to the ''Wicked'' movies and their cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_Wicked_(2024_film) the Wikipedia page] as more news comes in.
 
Not knowing about ''The Wizard of Oz'' or the Slippers' cultural significance, career criminal Martin was coerced into stealing the Ruby Slippers as "one last score" because he believed the shoes to be adorned with real rubies. He was disappointed to learn that they were artificial, and gave the slippers to an associate, never to hear from him again. After the FBI recovered the slippers in 2018, Martin quickly became a suspect and charged with the theft last year. Martin pleaded guilty in October 2023.


(Information courtesy [https://wtop.com/national/2024/01/dying-thief-who-stole-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-from-minnesota-museum-will-likely-avoid-prison/ WTOP News, Washington, DC].)
The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were presented:
* September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
* November 18, 2024: Heartland Film Festival, Truly Moving Picture Award: ''Wicked''
* November 23, 2024: The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage, Production Designer Award: Nathan Crowley
* December 4, 2024: National Board of Review
** Best Film: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Spotlight Award: the creative collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
* December 5, 2024: American Film Institute Awards, Top 10 Films of the Year: ''Wicked'' (alongside nine other movies)
* December 8, 2024: Washington DC Area Film Critics Film Critics Association
** Best Feature: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* December 8, 2024: Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Zoe Saldaña for ''Emilia Pérez'')
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Casting: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Marketing Campaign: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* December 9, 2024: Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Actress Award—Film: Cynthia Erivo
* December 9, 2024: Michigan Movie Critics Guild, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 9, 2024: Atlanta Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 9, 2024: San Diego Film Critics Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 13, 2024: African-American Film Critics Association, Innovator Award: Paul Tazewell
* December 13, 2024: Las Vegas Film Critics Society
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Family Film: ''Wicked''
* December 15, 2024: St. Louis Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 16, 2024: Phoenix Film Critics Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* December 16, 2024: Seattle Film Critics Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* December 16, 2024: Iowa Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Isabella Rossellini in ''Conclave'')
* December 16, 2024: Southeastern Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* December 21, 2024: Nevada Film Critics Society
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
* December 30, 2024: TiBS Editors Choice Awards:
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
* January 2, 2025: Capri Hollywood-International Film Festival Award, Best Sound: ''Wicked''
* January 2, 2025: Critics Association of Central Florida
** Best Cast: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound Design: ''Wicked''
* January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
** Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
** Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
* January 3, 2025: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* January 4, 2025: DiscussingFilm Global Critic Award, Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
* January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: ''Wicked''
* January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association, Best Music Film: ''Wicked''
* January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* January 12, 2025: Puerto Rico Critics Association
** Best Comedy/Musical: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
** Best Art Direction: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
* January 14, 2025: Portland Critics Association, Best Supporting Performance (Female): Ariana Grande
* January 16, 2025: North American Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* January 24, 2025: Denver Film Critics Society, Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female: Ariana Grande
* January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
** Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
** Make-Up Award: ''Wicked''
* January 27, 2025: Online Film Critics Society, Technical Achievement Award — Choreography: ''Wicked''
* February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
* February 7, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
* February 7, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
* February 7, 2025: AACTA Awards, Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film: ''Wicked''
* February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
* February 9, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
* February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
* February 13, 2025: Dorian Awards
** Supporting Film Performance of the Year: Ariana Grande
** "We're Wilde About You" Rising Star Award: Jonathan Bailey
** Galeca LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer: Cynthia Erivo
* February 15, 2025: Art Directors Guild Awards, Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film: Nathan Crowley
* February 15, 2025: Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild
** Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Alice Jones, Nuria Mbornio, Johanna Nielsen, Branka Vorkapic
** Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Sim Camps, Gabor Kerekes
* February 16, 2025: BAFTA Film Awards
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
* February 17, 2025: Black Reel Awards
** Outstanding Soundtrack: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 17, 2025: Latino Entertainment Journalists Society
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 22, 2025: NAACP Image Awards
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album: ''Wicked: The Soundtrack''
* February 23, 2025: Online Film and Television Association
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Adapted Song: "Defying Gravity"
* February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton
* February 28, 2025: International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards, Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign: ''Wicked''
* March 2, 2025: Academy Awards
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
* March 11, 2025: Queerties
** Drama Movie: ''Wicked''
** Film Performance: Jonathan Bailey
** Next Big Thing: ''Wicked: For Good''
* March 14, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
* March 17, 2025: iHeartRadio Music Awards, Favorite Soundtrack: ''Wicked: The Soundtrack''
* April 22, 2025: Webby Awards, Variety and Reality, General Video and Film: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Inn_IA-MA&ab_channel=Variety ''Wicked'' Stars Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Break Down Viral "Holding Space" Interview]
* June 9, 2025: The BET Awards, Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
* June 21, 2025: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:
** Favorite Movie: ''Wicked''
** Favorite Movie Actress: Ariana Grande as Glinda
** Favorite Song from a Movie: "Defying Gravity"
* August 5, 2025: Las Culturista Culture Awards, Harshest Truth About ''Wicked'': Phannee not realized, we don't get into his gay story (What was that like? Was it hard coming out or was Pfannee born wealthy? Prequel idea about this.)
* November 3, 2025: ''People'' Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive: Jonathan Bailey
* November 4, 2025: Media Access Awards, Christopher Reeve Acting Award: Marissa Bode


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==January 29, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2023==
==July 19, 2025: Crotzer Wins L. Frank Baum Memorial Award==
This evening, Sarah K. Crotzer was presented the L. Frank Bam Memorial Award for her contributions to Oz. She has been a tireless Oz researcher and writer, with a special interest in the history of Oz games. She is also the current editor of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, and recently became the longest-serving editor in Club history.


The publication schedule of [https://www.ozclub.org/publications/the-baum-bugle/ ''The Baum Bugle''], the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, may have fallen a little behind, as the Autumn 2023 issue is now making its way to Club members in early 2024. Still, it's coming a lot sooner than many issues have managed over the decades, and as always the wait is worth it, as Editor in Chief Sarah K. Crotzer and her team have put together another exemplary issue.
Also presented tonight were the Club's annual prizes for writing and art. This year's winners are:
* The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
** First place, Jesse Jury for "Four Friends of Oz"
** Second place, J. L. Bell for "Who's Got the Button?"
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
** First place, Rachel Graham for "An Essential Quickening: John R. Neill and the Art of Oz"
** Second place, Cynthia Ragni for "Project Ozma"
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
** First place, Jime Wimmer for "Dorothy and the Cyclone"
** Second place, Rob Lauer for "Ruth and Her Friends in Oz"


In this issue:
----
* The front cover reprints one of W. W. Denslow's color plates form ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' to celebrate fifty years of one of the most important works of Oz scholarship, ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''.
* The inside front cover reprints the cover of sheet music, drawn by W. W. Denslow, from ''The Land of Nod'', a musical that Denslow contributed to in other ways (as we will discover in this issue).
* In "Letters", new Club President Ryan Bunch recalls the thrill of receiving new editions of the ''Bugle'' when he was a new, young member of the Club, while editor Sarah K. Crotzer's overview of the issue focuses on her relationship with ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''.
* News reports highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Terry Martin pleads guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005
** ''Wicked'' celebrates twenty years of performances on Broadway (plus updates on the film adaptation)
** ''The Wiz'' goes on tour on its way to Broadway
** A model of the Gale farmhouse, used during production of the famous film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', sells for $537,000 at auction
** Kansas native and University of Kansas alumnus Grady Dick wears a ruby-sequined jacket, inspired by another Kansas native, to the NBA draft, where he went to the Toronto Raptors (whose colors include ruby red)
** Ozians who recently passed away and remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
*** Betty Ann Bruno, a child Munchkin in the 1939 movie
*** Piper Laurie, the award-winning actress whose roles included Ethel Gumm, Judy Garland's mother, in the television biopic ''Rainbow'', and Aunt Em in ''Return to Oz''
*** Oz Club members Lary Abramson, Herm Bieber, Susan Higbee, and Rita Reif
** Treasures found on YouTube highlighted in Through the Tube!
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmPiyRjC0gE&ab_channel=RobertLamont%3ATinPanAlleyChannel A medley of pumpkin-themed songs related to W. W. Denslow], presented by Robert Lamont at the 2023 National Oz Convention
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WBmQwf8TCM&ab_channel=RobertLamont%3ATinPanAlleyChannel More Ozzy music by Lamont], including selections from ''The Songs of Father Goose''
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbnGZ6p5ZPE&ab_channel=TheOfficialOzClub Blair Frodelius reads "Denslow's Night Before Christmas"]
* Michael Patrick Hearn is interviewed about his Oz journey and how it resulted in his first book in "The Journey to the ''Annotated Wizard'' Part One: Origins"
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints some of the early reviews of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''
* Robert Lamont looks at what other shows the first Oz illustrator contributed to at the turn of the century in "The Musical Fantasies of W. W. Denslow"
* Ruth Berman, charter member of the Club, examines her work in [https://thewizardofoz.info/wiki/Dunkiton_Press reprinting old newspaper pieces by Oz contributors] in "Dunkiton Press: A Checklist of Pamphlets"
* "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
** The short film [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
** The documentary movie [https://www.criterion.com/films/33490-lynch-oz ''Lynch/Oz''], about the connections between ''The Wizard of Oz'' and the works of director David Lynch, reviewed by Paul Dana
** The stage show ''The Wizard of Oz'' as presented by the American Contemporary Theater in San Fransisco in June 2023, reviewed by Paul Dana
* In conjunction with ''The Tin Woods'', Sara K. Crotzer interviews co-creator Nick Boxwell
* "The Bugle Review" sees Dee Michel reviewing [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/queer-oz-tison-pugh/1142693122?ean=9781496845320 ''Queer Oz: L. Frank Baum's Trans Tales'' by Tison Pugh]
* Jane Albright remembers one of the last Munchkins, Betty Ann Bruno, and the rest of her extraordinary life in "Maka Koa Munchkin"
* The inside back cover has some pre-production art by Ann Tseng for ''The Tin Woods''
* The back cover reproduces an advertising poster by W. W. Denslow from 1895


Also included in this issue:
==June 21, 2025: The Winkie Award==
* A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
Tonight, OzCon International gave its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Sam Milazzo. The award recognizes all of the contributions Sam has made to the convention over the past few years, with presentations, panels, and generally helping out.
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the Oz newspaper for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age). In this issue:
** Now that he's finally finagled himself into becoming the King of Oz, the Nome King lifts the ban on magic in Oz
** "A Letter from the Editor" sees the installation of the newest editor: The Nome King!
** "A Halloween Bestiary" presents a guide to identifying some of more sinister creatures encountered in the Oz books
** Katie Jones, Club Member on Assignment looking for Oz creatures in the Great Outside World, finds a dragon in San Francisco—who, it turns out, has also been looking for Katie
** And Oz's most famous professor has another confounding contest in this issues installment of "What Did the Wogglebug Say?"


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==January 3, 2024: ''Oziana'' 2023==
==May 6, 2025: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2024==
[[File:Bbwinter24.png|400 px|right]]
It may be slipping back in the calendar a bit, but the latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' mailboxes now.


[https://www.lulu.com/search?sortBy=RELEVANCE&page=1&q=Oziana+2023&pageSize=10&adult_audience_rating=00 The 2023 edition of ''Oziana''], the literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now for sale to the general public, now that premium copies have gone to members of the International Wizard of Oz Club who pledge extra funds for their memberships. Although a publication of the International Wizard of Oz Club, ''Oziana'' is available to anyone, whether or not they are a member of the Club, who wishes to buy it.
In this issue:
* All four covers celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of ''The Wiz'':
** The front cover features Stephanie Mills and Hinton Battle in [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/0599e600-5cf5-0130-4cf7-58d385a7b928 a 1974 publicity shot for the musical].
** The inside front cover shows several costumes from the play on exhibit at [https://www.si.edu/museums/african-american-museum the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture].
** The inside back cover features production art for the play by Tom John.
** The back cover reproduces a new work, [https://artsofimagination.org/the-wiz-at-50/ ''The Journey from Home: Revisiting ''The Wiz'' at 50''], also by Tom John.
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on fifty years of ''The Wiz'' and invites members to [the 2025 edition of the Club's annual convention in Aberdeen, South Dakota], while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Crotzer also looks back at ''The Wiz'', as well as other anniversaries celebrated in this issue.
* News items highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** ''Wicked'' wins two Academy Awards, with [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtKj5-xE1I&ab_channel=Oscars Paul Tazewell becoming the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design].
** The latest auction of a pair of Ruby Slippers shatters all records for the price paid for any kind of movie memorabilia.
** Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande team up to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eedVl_LGwE4&ab_channel=PhVolleyball open the Oscars telecast with a medley of music from Oz movies].
** Recently passed Oz contributors remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
*** [https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Baum&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&kn=Greg%20Hildebrandt&ref_=search_f_hp&sts=t&tn=The%20Wizard%20of%20Oz Greg Hildebrandt] and [https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Baum&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&kn=Graham%20Rawle&ref_=search_f_hp&sts=t&tn=The%20Wizard%20of%20Oz Graham Rawle], both of whom illustrated ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*** Legendary composer and arranger Quincy Jones, who was an instrumental part of how ''The Wiz'' sounded in movie theaters.
* "Awards and Honors" announces Oz Club President Ryan Bunch as the recipient of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the Club's highest honor, for 2024.
* "They Call My Name: An Interview with George Faison" looks at the life and career of the choreographer. His credits include the original Broadway production of ''The Wiz''.
* "The ''Wiz'' That Wasn't" by Sarah K. Crotzer digs into the casting process for the original company of ''The Wiz'' and reveals who else tried out, or was at least considered, for the major rolls. (There are some definite surprises!)
* "The ''Wiz'' That Was" by Sarah K. Crotzer looks at ''The Wiz'' costumes held by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
* Crotzer also considers Grampa's game leg and the game you play with it in "A Few Inessential Thoughts About the Game of Scrum".
* "Coming and Going" looks at a few short thoughts about ''Grampa in Oz''.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny", once again compiled by Scott Cummings, looks at what the press of 1924 thought of ''Grampa in Oz''.
* In part two of the interview "Journey to the ''Annotated Wizard'' with Michael Patrick Hearn", the author of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz'' recounts the aftermath of the book's original 1973 publication.
* L. Frank Baum's great-granddaughter, Gita Dorothy Morena, solves the mystery of a Baum family treasure in "A Letter to Oz Enthusiasts from a Forgotten Baum Illustration".
* "Guaranteed For a Thousand Years", a wrap-up of recent Oz events, reports on the 2024 editions of OzCon International and Oz, The National Convention.
* New products presented in "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0DVQSJLLX/thewonderwizardo/ ''After Oz'' by Gordon McAlpine], reviewed by Mike Penick
** [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/all-wound-up-the-making-of-the-tik-tok-man-of-oz/ ''All Wound Up: The Making of ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz by Eric Shanower], [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-performance-script/ ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Performance Script'' by L. Frank Baum], and [https://hungrytigerpress.store/product/the-tik-tok-man-of-oz-piano-vocal-score/ ''The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Piano-Vocal Score'' by Louis F. Gottschalk and L. Frank Baum], reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** [https://joetunes.ca/ ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'', and ''Ozma of Oz'' complete audio books by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CST87Z4J/thewonderwizardo/ The ''Wicked'' edition of ''Monopoly''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** A quartet of ''Wicked'' tie-in books ([https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593896866/thewonderwizardo/ ''I Am Elphaba''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0593896882/thewonderwizardo/ ''I Am Glinda''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CZJQXCQY/thewonderwizardo/ ''Defying Gravity: The Illustrated Lyrics''] and a replica of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0CZJRSY9M/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Story of Oz & the Wonderful Wizard'']), reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
* "Adventures in Oz" sees Brady Schwind interviewing Tom John, the original scenic designer for ''The Wiz''.


In this issue:
Also included with this issue:
* "A Portrait of Ozma" by Jane Albright, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees a new royal portrait artist come to the Emerald City. But the brushes he picked up on his travels have a surprising effect on the completed paintings. Cool also illustrated the front cover with portraits of Oz characters, tying in with this story.
* A registration form for [https://www.ozclub.org/oz-in-aberdeen-a-convention-to-remember/ the 2025 editino of Oz, the National Convention] in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
* "A Rotten Pumpkin" by Suren Oganessian, illustrated by David Bishop, tells the tale of Jack Pumpkinhead trying out a different expression on his latest face, with unpleasant results.
* A flyer for one of the Club's latest publications, [https://www.ozclub.org/product/bibliographia-baumiana/ ''Bibliographia Baumiana''].
* "Button-Bright and the Professor" by J. L. Bell, illustrated by Marcus Mébès, is about Professor Wogglebug wanting to use Button-Bright as a test subject for his new direction-finding pill, but Button-Bright wants nothing to do with it. But matters chance when a creature stalks them both in the Munchkin forest.
* This issue's craft is a melting Evillene, based on the original Broadway run of ''The Wiz''.
* "Together" by Carter Lappin, with an illustration by David Bishop, is about Dorothy and Ozma both needing some alone time and isolation to get away from it all and think, but they both end up in the same place.
* And in the latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
* "Fortune Favors the Wogglebug" by Paul Dana, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, tells how Professor Wogglebug lamented the passing of L. Frank Baum, and wondering how the children in the great outside world would ever hear stories about Oz again. Then a mysterious message comes in over the telegraph…
** Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones, with assistance from the Head of Security the Gump, updates readers on the hunt for Nomes and the Glass Cat.
* "Glinda and the Glass Cat" by J. L. Bell, with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool, sees how Glinda deals with Bungle harassing some of her more fragile subjects. Several communities and peoples from the books make new appearances.
** The Scarecrow's book column looks at other books puplished in 1924, like ''Grampa in Oz''.
* Finally, the back cover illustration, "Oz on Parade" by David Bishop, shows several Oz celebrities heading off somewhere—perhaps to the 2024 issue…
** Based off of the article speculating what scrum might be like in ''The Baum Bugle'', the Patchwork Girl presents the board, pieces, and rules for Camette, a simplified (for space reasons) version of the game Camelot.
** Finally, a little bit of verse from…the Glass Cat?


<br clear=all>
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==December 11, 2023: Judge Dismisses Dorothy Dress Ownership Lawsuit==
==May 5, 2025: Mattydale, New York, to Honor L. Frank Baum==
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, are now the legal owners of the dress. 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.
Mattydale, New York, will honor native son L. Frank Baum and his greatest work, ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', on May 17. Mattydale was the site of Baum's childhood home, Roselawn, and the city will commemorate Baum's birth and the 125th anniversary of the publication of the first Oz book with a historical marker at the site. The marker will be at 2601 Brewerton Road, which will soon be the site of a community center.A reception will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Kreuger Funeral Home.


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 off the dress. The auction has been on hold for over a year while the case worked its way through the system.
(Information courtesy [https://cnycentral.com/news/local/mattydale-celebrates-125-years-of-the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-with-historical-marker CNYCentral].)
 
(Information courtesy [https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/11/wizard-of-oz-dorothy-dress-lawsuit-auction.html CNBC].)


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==October 17, 2023: Dorothy House Miniature Auctioned Off==
==April 13, 2025: Jean Marsh, 1934-2025==
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.
[[File:Jean_Marsh.jpeg|left]]
Jean Marsh, OBE, the lauded British actor, passed away today from complications of dementia. She was 90. Born July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, she studied dance, singing, and acting before beginning her professional career in the 1950s. Among her movies were ''Cleopatra'', ''Jane Eyre'' (1972), ''Frenzy'', ''The Eagle Has Landed'', and ''Willow''. She was probably best known for her television work, however, in shows in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances in ''The Twilight Zone'', ''The Saint'', ''Doctor Who'', ''I Spy'', ''Adam Adamant Lives!'', ''UFO'', ''The Waltons'', ''Hawaii Five-O'', the ''9 to 5'' series, ''The Love Boat'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', and the 1990s revival of ''The Tomorrow People''. But she is best known for co-creating, with Eileen Atkins, the period drama ''Upstairs, Downstairs'', about the servants in a great house. Marsh also starred in the show as maid Rose Buck, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1975 as well as other awards. When the BBC revived the show in 2010, Marsh was the only actor to return. Marsh and Atkins also created the series ''House of Elliott'' in 1991, which she did not appear in. For her services to drama, Marsh was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. For Oz fans, however, as well as many movie-going kids in the 1980s, she will always be known for her dual role as Nurse Wilson and Princess Mombi in the 1985 Disney film ''Return to Oz''.


(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].)
(Information courtesy [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c045dk29xqqo the BBC] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Marsh Wikipedia].)


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==October 14, 2023: Piper Laurie, 1932-2023==
[[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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==October 13, 2023: Martin Changes Plea to Guilty in Theft of Ruby Slippers==
==March 18, 2025: Saliterman, Ruby Slipper Thief, Dies==
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.
Charges against Jerry Hal Saliterman, who had pled guilty to playing a part in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum, have been dismissed when prosecutors informed the court that he had died the day before. Saliterman's defense attorney, John Brink, confirmed the passing. The 77-year-old Saliterman had been hospitalized with lung disease and other ailments, and his most recent court appearance, in January, had been a remote feed from his hospital room. At that time, he changed his initial plea to guilty of charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering.


(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].)
(Information courtesy [https://apnews.com/article/stolen-ruby-slippers-wizard-of-oz-death-b82e6ed5049d2f11cf9a38b38e5eb463 The Associated Press].)


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==July 30, 2023: Betty Ann Bruno, 1931-2023==
==January 3, 2025: Saliterman to Plead Guilty to Hiding Ruby Slippers==
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.
Jerry Hal Saliterman, accused of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering in connection with the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, now plans to plead guilty to the charges in a court appearance on January 10. It is not currently known how Saliterman is connected to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the slippers in 2023. Saliterman originally pled not guilty when first charged in March of 2024, but his age (77) and poor health may have resulted in a deal that allows him to stay out of jail like Martin.
 
(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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==July 29, 2023: The 2023 Winkie Award and Oz Club Awards==
(Information courtesy [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2025-01-03/man-accused-of-hiding-stolen-wizard-of-oz-ruby-slippers-plans-to-plead-guilty-attorney-says ''U. S. News and World Reports''].)
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 [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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==July 17, 2023: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2023 Issue==
==December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue==
[[File:Bbspring23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
[[File:Bbautumn24.jpg|center|800 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.
The Autumn 2024 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz, has come back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes. This is the two hundredth issue of the ''Bugle'', so the journal celebrates itself, for once.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover reproduces the cover art for the ''Oz'' game from Gen X Games.
* The wraparound cover pays tribute to the first illustrated cover of the ''Bugle'' (for the May 1959 issue), showing many different illustrators' versions of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman
* 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'').
* The inside front cover reproduces Maxfield Parrish's cover for the January 1917 issue of ''Metropolitan''.
* 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 "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on winning the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award during a hurricane, while ''Bugle'' editor Sarah K. Krotzer looks at the production of this issue within the overall history of the journal.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
* 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 Club opens its archive with reprints of selected articles from past issues of [https://www.ozclub.org/publications/the-baum-bugle/ ''The Baum Bugle''].
** 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 town of Salina, New York breaks ground on a new community center at the site of Rose Lawn, the Baum family estate. The center will include a Baum-themed museum.
** The animated short [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''] will premiere at [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ OzCon International].
** Gregory Maguire's writing another book set in his version of Oz. [https://bookshop.org/p/books/elphie-a-wicked-childhood-gregory-maguire/21025444 ''Elphie''], coming out March 25, 2025, will recount tales of the childhood of Elphaba, who will later become the Wicked Witch of the West.
** 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.
** The stolen pair of Ruby Slippers, now recovered, are on tour and will go up for auction in December.
** 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.
** The latest revival of ''The Wiz'' surpasses one hundred performances on Broadway.
** A new opera based on the second Oz book, ''Marvelous'', is gearing up for its world premiere.
** The release of the first ''Wicked'' movie is moved up to November 22, 2024.
** "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.
** ''Marvelous: A Musical Opera'' based on ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' premieres in Sisterville, West Virginia on April 5, 2025
** "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>
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" recognizes the passing of Ken Page, who understudied for Ted Ross in the original Broadway production of ''The Wiz'' before taking over the role himself.
* 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".
* One of the original charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Ruth Berman, looks back on how it all started in "A Gleam in Justin's Eye: Oz Club Origins".
* 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.
* In "In Search of Snow White: The Unrealized Dream of Maxfield Parrish and L. Frank Baum", Scott Cummings looks at a second Parrish-Baum collaboration that ultimately never came to be, a book and stage play of ''Snow White'' in the late 1910s.
* 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''!
* Peter E. Hanff looks at how one man changed the ''Bugle'' from a humble newsletter to a comprehensive journal in "Martin's Marvels: Dick Martin's Graphical Contributions to the History of ''The Baum Bugle''". Accompanying this article is a color supplement of ''Bugle'' covers Martin contributed to, including examples of color separations; and "A Checklist of Cover Art for ''The Baum Bugle'' by Dick Martin".
* Dave Ward looks at the first British stage production of ''The Wizard of Oz'' in "London, 1942".
* J. L. Bell examines the development of cartography in the Oz books in the award-winning "The Inspiring Maps of Oz".
* Nick Campbell gives an overview of British editions of the Oz books in "Following Wonder: A History of British Publishing in Five Oz Books".
* "Keepers of the Record" presents reminiscences of three previous ''Bugle'' editors:
* 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''".
** "A Brief Reminiscence of My ''Bugle'' Editorship, 1996-2000" by William Stillman.
* 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).
** "Notes from an Old ''Bugle'' Editor" by Michael Gessel.
* 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?"
** "The Call of a ''Bugle''—and Where It Led" by John Fricke.
* Reviewed in "Oz in the Arts":
* "How It Began (Again)" looks at some mocked-up dummy pages, created by Dick Martin, for the Spring 1979 issue of the ''Bugle''.
** ''The Land of Oz'' at the Dobama Theatre, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, December 2022.
* The inside back cover reproduces the earliest known map of Oz, a slide from the 1908 multimedia show ''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays''.
** ''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''.


<br clear=all>
Also included with this issue:
* The craft project is a map of Oz to color.
* In Issue No. 20 of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
** Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones and Number Nine outline efforts to clean up the Emerald City after the Nome King's recent occupation, and reveal the Gump as the new Head of Security.
** Polychrome reveals a puzzle where weather-related clues help you to unscramble Oz place names.
** Scraps opines on issues of writing Oz poetry.
** The Scarecrow gives story recommendations:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Meg-McLaren-illustrator-Sam/dp/1405286296/ ''The Wizard of Oz'', adapted by Meg McLaren and Sam Hay]
*** "Dorothy and the Mushroom People" by Eric Shanower, from [https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/salt-sorcerer-stories/author/shanower-eric/used/ ''The Salt Sorcerer of Oz and Other Stories].
*** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/snow-queen-hb-hans-christian-andersen/6431554?ean=9780062209504 ''The Snow Queen'' by Hans Christian Andersen].
** And throughout the issue, mysterious figures seem to be scouting out the country for nefarious purposes. But is someone scouting them out in turn?


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==July 15, 2023: SAG-AFTRA Strike Delays ''Wicked'' Production==
==December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record==
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.
[[File:Ruby_Slippers_2024.jpeg|right|400 px]]
The most notorious pair of Ruby Slippers used during production of the famous 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'' went up for auction today, and the final price shattered all records for the price paid for a piece of movie memorabilia. Of the four pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018, when they acquired a new nickname, "The Stolen Pair". They were ultimately returned to owner Michael Shaw who decided it was time to sell them. Estimated to go for at least $3,000,000, online bidding reached $1,550,000 before live bidding on site at Heritage Auctions began. The estimate was quickly surpassed, and when bidding ended, the final bid was $28,000,000, far outpacing any previous price for movie memorabilia. With commission and other fees, the total final price paid was $32,500,000. The Ruby Slippers alone surpassed the previous record for an entire movie memorabilia auction, the $22,800,000 that Debbie Reynolds' collection was sold for in 2011.


(Information courtesy [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Update-WICKED-Movie-Shuts-Down-Production-Following-SAG-AFTRA-Strike-20230714 ''Broadway World''].)
Other Oz items available in the auction:
* One of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West hats, and the only one known to carry Hamilton's name inside, earned the second highest price for an item from ''The Wizard of Oz'', $2,930,000
* Producer Mervyn LeRoy's script from the MGM art department, $50,000
* The screen door from the Gale farmhouse, $37,500
* Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first week of shooting, $30,000
* The MGM contract for songwriters Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, $23,125


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Other items of interest at the auction included a sceen-used Jumanji board game from the eponymous movie; a crate used to hold bombs in the original 1933 version of ''King Kong''; a hoverboard from ''Back to the Future II''; Kevin's scarf, coat, hat, and mittens from ''Home Alone''; Wilson, Tom Hanks' volleyball co-star in ''Castaway''; and a screen-used golden ticket from '' Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''.


==June 20, 2023: ''Wicked'' Part 2 Release Moved Up==
(Information and image courtesy [https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/dorothy-s-ruby-slippers-from-the-wizard-of-oz-sell-for-32.5-million-at-heritage-auctions-to-become-world-s-most-valuable-movie-memorabilia.s?releaseId=5122&ic=hero-www-dorothyRubySlippers-resultsLearnMore-7388-120724 Heritage Auctions].)
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 1, 2023: Accused Ruby Slipper Thief Enters Plea==
==December 2, 2024: Paul Maslansky 1933-2024==
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.
Longtime Hollywood producer Paul Maslansky died today in a hospital in San Robles, California. He was 91. His first credit was for the 1964 horror film ''Castle of the Living Dead'' with Christopher Lee, and he worked on many films in the 1970s and '80s. His biggest success was the ''Police Academy'' series, beginning in 1984 with the first movie which spawned several other movies, a television series, and an animated series. Another of his credits at the time was ''Return to Oz''. He is survived by his long-time partner Sally Emr, three children, and two grandchildren.


(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].)
(Information courtesy [https://variety.com/2024/film/news/paul-maslansky-dead-police-academy-1236242106/ ''Variety''] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Maslansky Wikipedia].)


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==May 17, 2023: An Arrest in the Ruby Slipper Theft==
==Rumor Control==
<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>
(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.)
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 [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].)


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==Rumor Control==
''Dorothy'' is in development for Prime Video, with executive producers Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Gina Matthews. You can see the initial report on this [https://deadline.com/2025/08/gwen-stefani-blake-shelton-wizard-of-oz-prime-video-1236497977/ right here].
(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.)


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Latest revision as of 21:59, 21 November 2025

(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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November 13, 2025: The Baum Bugle Autumn 2025 Issue

Bbautumn25.jpg

The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of oz Club, is making its way to members now. This issue celebrates forty years of Return to Oz, and includes a comprehensive checklist of collectibles from the 1985 Disney movie. Keep an eye on this space for future updates.


October 8, 2025: Robert A. Baum, 1942-2025

Robert A Baum Jr.webp

Robert A. "Bob" Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum and an important Oz scholar in his own right, passed away today at the age of 83. His generosity in sharing his family's collection and history has been a boon to Oz in many ways. Museums, documentaries, and Oz festivals and conventions have all been enhanced by Bob's donations. He was a consultant on the 1990 television movie The Dreamer of Oz, a biopic of his great-grandfather, and even recreated Frank's home office on set using items from his own collection. He served the International Wizard of Oz Club as a director and contributor to The Baum Bugle, as well as frequent convention guest. The 2022 issue of Oziana, the Club's literary magazine, was a collection of Bob Baum's fanciful stories about his family history. He and his wife, Claire, would sometimes appear at events as L. Frank and Maud Baum to tell stories about their lives. For his many contributions, he was awarded the Oz Club's highest honor, named after his great-grandfather, in 2002.

(Information courtesy Jane Albright on Facebook. Photo courtesy The Oz Wiki.)

September 21, 2025: Elaine Merk Binder, 1930-2025

Elaine Merk Binder, one of the last remaining actors who played a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, passed away today at the age of 94. Born in Colorado, she appeared as an extra in several movies in the '30s, including an Our Gang short. She was one of a dozen young girls who filled in the ranks of background female Munchkins after Judy Garland's Dorothy arrives in Oz. But after 1940 she left show business, and went on to earn degrees in education and music. She appeared in the 2024 documentary series Memories of Oz, reminiscing about making the movie.

(Information courtesy Variety and IMDB.)

August 8, 2025: The Baum Bugle Spring 2025

Bbspring25.png

The latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way to members. This issue celebrates the release of Wicked (Part 1).

In this issue:

  • The front cover reprints the publicity shot of Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande recreating the original poster design for the Wicked stage show.
  • The inside covers reprint Anton Loeb's endpaper design for the 1950 book adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
  • The table of contents includes Mark Manley's Wicked tribute painting, "The Melting Occurred at the Thirteenth Hour".
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch looks back at how the Bugle covered the path Wicked has taken from page to stage to screen, and Bugle editor Sarah K. Crotzer looks at how this issue's features came about.
  • In "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The National Library Service (NLS) has a large collection of Oz materials for the blind and print disabled.
    • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers recently passed Oz contributors Jean Marsh, Stephen J. Teller, Jack Van Camp, and Sally Roesch Wagner.
  • Sarah K. Crotzer reacts to the Wicked film in "What Is This Feeling?"
  • "What the Papers Said" looks at a number of reviews of Wicked from around the world.
  • "Wicked Wares: Toys, Plushes, and Cinema Exclusives" by Jane Albright looks at a variety of Wicked movie collectibles.
  • David Diket looks at the history and evolution of Wicked Witch of the West dolls in "My Beautiful Wickedness" and "David's Timeline of Beautifully Wicked Dolls".
  • Karyl Carlson looks back at how she started creating custom Oz dolls in "The Dollmaker of Oz".
  • It's been twenty-five years since the last installment, but Carl Rexroad continues his look at political cartoons themed around The Wizard of Oz in "The Editorial Cartoons of Oz, Part 1: 125 Years Later, The Wizard of Oz Still Drives Political Debate".
  • William STillman looks at the history of one of the bestselling Oz adaptations in "75 Years of Anton Loeb's The Wizard of Oz".
  • In "Oz in the Arts", Robert Lamont reviews the recent Broadway revival of The Wiz (now on tour).
  • In "The Bugle Review":
  • Michael Gessel remembers a recently deceased long-time Oz fan in "The Lifelong Scholar: Stephen J. Teller's Journey from Kansas to Oz".
  • The back cover shows the Tonner Doll versions of Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Also included with this issue:

  • This issue's Oz craft is a miniature version of the Emerald City Express train from the Wicked movie.
  • And in the final (for now?) issue of The Emerald City Gazette, the newspaper for younger Oz fans (of all ages), Bungle and Toto stroll through the Emerald Palace to ensure that those pesky nomes are finally gone for good.


Wicked and Wicked: For Good Accolades and Awards

With high profile movie releases, naturally Wicked and Wicked: For Good will receive acclaim during the film award seasons. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to the Wicked movies and their cast and crew, plus nominations for awards to be given later. Keep an eye on this list or the Wikipedia page as more news comes in.

The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were presented:

  • September 27, 2024: International Cinematographers "Manaki Brothers" Film Festival, SUMOLIGHT Creative Energy Award: Alice Brooks (Cinematographer) and Dave Smith (Gaffer)
  • November 18, 2024: Heartland Film Festival, Truly Moving Picture Award: Wicked
  • November 23, 2024: The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage, Production Designer Award: Nathan Crowley
  • December 4, 2024: National Board of Review
    • Best Film: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Spotlight Award: the creative collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
  • December 5, 2024: American Film Institute Awards, Top 10 Films of the Year: Wicked (alongside nine other movies)
  • December 8, 2024: Washington DC Area Film Critics Film Critics Association
    • Best Feature: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • December 8, 2024: Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez)
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Casting: Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Marketing Campaign: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • December 9, 2024: Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Actress Award—Film: Cynthia Erivo
  • December 9, 2024: Michigan Movie Critics Guild, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 9, 2024: Atlanta Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 9, 2024: San Diego Film Critics Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 13, 2024: African-American Film Critics Association, Innovator Award: Paul Tazewell
  • December 13, 2024: Las Vegas Film Critics Society
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Family Film: Wicked
  • December 15, 2024: St. Louis Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 16, 2024: Phoenix Film Critics Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • December 16, 2024: Seattle Film Critics Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • December 16, 2024: Iowa Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande (tied with Isabella Rossellini in Conclave)
  • December 16, 2024: Southeastern Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • December 21, 2024: Nevada Film Critics Society
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman
  • December 30, 2024: TiBS Editors Choice Awards:
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
  • January 2, 2025: Capri Hollywood-International Film Festival Award, Best Sound: Wicked
  • January 2, 2025: Critics Association of Central Florida
    • Best Cast: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound Design: Wicked
  • January 3, 2025: Palm Springs International Film Festival
    • Creative Impact in Acting Award: Cynthia Erivo
    • Rising Star Award: Ariana Grande
  • January 3, 2025: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • January 4, 2025: DiscussingFilm Global Critic Award, Best Production Design: Wicked
  • January 5, 2025: Golden Globe Awards, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: Wicked
  • January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association, Best Music Film: Wicked
  • January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association, Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • January 12, 2025: Puerto Rico Critics Association
    • Best Comedy/Musical: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society, Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
    • Best Art Direction: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
  • January 14, 2025: Portland Critics Association, Best Supporting Performance (Female): Ariana Grande
  • January 16, 2025: North American Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • January 24, 2025: Denver Film Critics Society, Best Supporting Performance by an Actor, Female: Ariana Grande
  • January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
    • Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
    • Make-Up Award: Wicked
  • January 27, 2025: Online Film Critics Society, Technical Achievement Award — Choreography: Wicked
  • February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
  • February 7, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
  • February 7, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
  • February 7, 2025: AACTA Awards, Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film: Wicked
  • February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
  • February 9, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
  • February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
  • February 13, 2025: Dorian Awards
    • Supporting Film Performance of the Year: Ariana Grande
    • "We're Wilde About You" Rising Star Award: Jonathan Bailey
    • Galeca LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer: Cynthia Erivo
  • February 15, 2025: Art Directors Guild Awards, Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film: Nathan Crowley
  • February 15, 2025: Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild
    • Best Period and/or Character Make-Up in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Alice Jones, Nuria Mbornio, Johanna Nielsen, Branka Vorkapic
    • Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a Feature-Length Motion Picture: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Sim Camps, Gabor Kerekes
  • February 16, 2025: BAFTA Film Awards
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
  • February 17, 2025: Black Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Soundtrack: Wicked
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 17, 2025: Latino Entertainment Journalists Society
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 22, 2025: NAACP Image Awards
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album: Wicked: The Soundtrack
  • February 23, 2025: Online Film and Television Association
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Adapted Song: "Defying Gravity"
  • February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton
  • February 28, 2025: International Cinematographers Guild Publicists Awards, Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign: Wicked
  • March 2, 2025: Academy Awards
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
  • March 11, 2025: Queerties
    • Drama Movie: Wicked
    • Film Performance: Jonathan Bailey
    • Next Big Thing: Wicked: For Good
  • March 14, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
  • March 17, 2025: iHeartRadio Music Awards, Favorite Soundtrack: Wicked: The Soundtrack
  • April 22, 2025: Webby Awards, Variety and Reality, General Video and Film: Wicked Stars Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Break Down Viral "Holding Space" Interview
  • June 9, 2025: The BET Awards, Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
  • June 21, 2025: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:
    • Favorite Movie: Wicked
    • Favorite Movie Actress: Ariana Grande as Glinda
    • Favorite Song from a Movie: "Defying Gravity"
  • August 5, 2025: Las Culturista Culture Awards, Harshest Truth About Wicked: Phannee not realized, we don't get into his gay story (What was that like? Was it hard coming out or was Pfannee born wealthy? Prequel idea about this.)
  • November 3, 2025: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive: Jonathan Bailey
  • November 4, 2025: Media Access Awards, Christopher Reeve Acting Award: Marissa Bode

July 19, 2025: Crotzer Wins L. Frank Baum Memorial Award

This evening, Sarah K. Crotzer was presented the L. Frank Bam Memorial Award for her contributions to Oz. She has been a tireless Oz researcher and writer, with a special interest in the history of Oz games. She is also the current editor of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, and recently became the longest-serving editor in Club history.

Also presented tonight were the Club's annual prizes for writing and art. This year's winners are:

  • The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
    • First place, Jesse Jury for "Four Friends of Oz"
    • Second place, J. L. Bell for "Who's Got the Button?"
  • The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
    • First place, Rachel Graham for "An Essential Quickening: John R. Neill and the Art of Oz"
    • Second place, Cynthia Ragni for "Project Ozma"
  • The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
    • First place, Jime Wimmer for "Dorothy and the Cyclone"
    • Second place, Rob Lauer for "Ruth and Her Friends in Oz"

June 21, 2025: The Winkie Award

Tonight, OzCon International gave its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Sam Milazzo. The award recognizes all of the contributions Sam has made to the convention over the past few years, with presentations, panels, and generally helping out.

May 6, 2025: The Baum Bugle Winter 2024

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It may be slipping back in the calendar a bit, but the latest issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is making its way to members' mailboxes now.

In this issue:

Also included with this issue:

  • A registration form for the 2025 editino of Oz, the National Convention in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
  • A flyer for one of the Club's latest publications, Bibliographia Baumiana.
  • This issue's craft is a melting Evillene, based on the original Broadway run of The Wiz.
  • And in the latest issue of The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
    • Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones, with assistance from the Head of Security the Gump, updates readers on the hunt for Nomes and the Glass Cat.
    • The Scarecrow's book column looks at other books puplished in 1924, like Grampa in Oz.
    • Based off of the article speculating what scrum might be like in The Baum Bugle, the Patchwork Girl presents the board, pieces, and rules for Camette, a simplified (for space reasons) version of the game Camelot.
    • Finally, a little bit of verse from…the Glass Cat?


May 5, 2025: Mattydale, New York, to Honor L. Frank Baum

Mattydale, New York, will honor native son L. Frank Baum and his greatest work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, on May 17. Mattydale was the site of Baum's childhood home, Roselawn, and the city will commemorate Baum's birth and the 125th anniversary of the publication of the first Oz book with a historical marker at the site. The marker will be at 2601 Brewerton Road, which will soon be the site of a community center.A reception will be held from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Kreuger Funeral Home.

(Information courtesy CNYCentral.)

April 13, 2025: Jean Marsh, 1934-2025

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Jean Marsh, OBE, the lauded British actor, passed away today from complications of dementia. She was 90. Born July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, London, she studied dance, singing, and acting before beginning her professional career in the 1950s. Among her movies were Cleopatra, Jane Eyre (1972), Frenzy, The Eagle Has Landed, and Willow. She was probably best known for her television work, however, in shows in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including appearances in The Twilight Zone, The Saint, Doctor Who, I Spy, Adam Adamant Lives!, UFO, The Waltons, Hawaii Five-O, the 9 to 5 series, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and the 1990s revival of The Tomorrow People. But she is best known for co-creating, with Eileen Atkins, the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, about the servants in a great house. Marsh also starred in the show as maid Rose Buck, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1975 as well as other awards. When the BBC revived the show in 2010, Marsh was the only actor to return. Marsh and Atkins also created the series House of Elliott in 1991, which she did not appear in. For her services to drama, Marsh was made a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. For Oz fans, however, as well as many movie-going kids in the 1980s, she will always be known for her dual role as Nurse Wilson and Princess Mombi in the 1985 Disney film Return to Oz.

(Information courtesy the BBC and Wikipedia.)


March 18, 2025: Saliterman, Ruby Slipper Thief, Dies

Charges against Jerry Hal Saliterman, who had pled guilty to playing a part in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers from the Judy Garland Museum, have been dismissed when prosecutors informed the court that he had died the day before. Saliterman's defense attorney, John Brink, confirmed the passing. The 77-year-old Saliterman had been hospitalized with lung disease and other ailments, and his most recent court appearance, in January, had been a remote feed from his hospital room. At that time, he changed his initial plea to guilty of charges of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering.

(Information courtesy The Associated Press.)

January 3, 2025: Saliterman to Plead Guilty to Hiding Ruby Slippers

Jerry Hal Saliterman, accused of theft of a major artwork and witness tampering in connection with the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, now plans to plead guilty to the charges in a court appearance on January 10. It is not currently known how Saliterman is connected to Terry John Martin, who pled guilty to stealing the slippers in 2023. Saliterman originally pled not guilty when first charged in March of 2024, but his age (77) and poor health may have resulted in a deal that allows him to stay out of jail like Martin.

(Information courtesy U. S. News and World Reports.)

December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue

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The Autumn 2024 issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz, has come back from the printers and is on its way to members' mailboxes. This is the two hundredth issue of the Bugle, so the journal celebrates itself, for once.

In this issue:

  • The wraparound cover pays tribute to the first illustrated cover of the Bugle (for the May 1959 issue), showing many different illustrators' versions of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman
  • The inside front cover reproduces Maxfield Parrish's cover for the January 1917 issue of Metropolitan.
  • In "Letters", Oz Club President Ryan Bunch reflects on winning the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award during a hurricane, while Bugle editor Sarah K. Krotzer looks at the production of this issue within the overall history of the journal.
  • In "The Bugle Bulletin":
    • The Club opens its archive with reprints of selected articles from past issues of The Baum Bugle.
    • The town of Salina, New York breaks ground on a new community center at the site of Rose Lawn, the Baum family estate. The center will include a Baum-themed museum.
    • Gregory Maguire's writing another book set in his version of Oz. Elphie, coming out March 25, 2025, will recount tales of the childhood of Elphaba, who will later become the Wicked Witch of the West.
    • The stolen pair of Ruby Slippers, now recovered, are on tour and will go up for auction in December.
    • The latest revival of The Wiz surpasses one hundred performances on Broadway.
    • The release of the first Wicked movie is moved up to November 22, 2024.
    • Marvelous: A Musical Opera based on The Marvelous Land of Oz premieres in Sisterville, West Virginia on April 5, 2025
    • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" recognizes the passing of Ken Page, who understudied for Ted Ross in the original Broadway production of The Wiz before taking over the role himself.
  • One of the original charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Ruth Berman, looks back on how it all started in "A Gleam in Justin's Eye: Oz Club Origins".
  • In "In Search of Snow White: The Unrealized Dream of Maxfield Parrish and L. Frank Baum", Scott Cummings looks at a second Parrish-Baum collaboration that ultimately never came to be, a book and stage play of Snow White in the late 1910s.
  • Peter E. Hanff looks at how one man changed the Bugle from a humble newsletter to a comprehensive journal in "Martin's Marvels: Dick Martin's Graphical Contributions to the History of The Baum Bugle". Accompanying this article is a color supplement of Bugle covers Martin contributed to, including examples of color separations; and "A Checklist of Cover Art for The Baum Bugle by Dick Martin".
  • J. L. Bell examines the development of cartography in the Oz books in the award-winning "The Inspiring Maps of Oz".
  • "Keepers of the Record" presents reminiscences of three previous Bugle editors:
    • "A Brief Reminiscence of My Bugle Editorship, 1996-2000" by William Stillman.
    • "Notes from an Old Bugle Editor" by Michael Gessel.
    • "The Call of a Bugle—and Where It Led" by John Fricke.
  • "How It Began (Again)" looks at some mocked-up dummy pages, created by Dick Martin, for the Spring 1979 issue of the Bugle.
  • The inside back cover reproduces the earliest known map of Oz, a slide from the 1908 multimedia show The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays.

Also included with this issue:

  • The craft project is a map of Oz to color.
  • In Issue No. 20 of The Oz Gazette, the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages):
    • Editor-in-Chief Katie Jones and Number Nine outline efforts to clean up the Emerald City after the Nome King's recent occupation, and reveal the Gump as the new Head of Security.
    • Polychrome reveals a puzzle where weather-related clues help you to unscramble Oz place names.
    • Scraps opines on issues of writing Oz poetry.
    • The Scarecrow gives story recommendations:
    • And throughout the issue, mysterious figures seem to be scouting out the country for nefarious purposes. But is someone scouting them out in turn?

December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record

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The most notorious pair of Ruby Slippers used during production of the famous 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz went up for auction today, and the final price shattered all records for the price paid for a piece of movie memorabilia. Of the four pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018, when they acquired a new nickname, "The Stolen Pair". They were ultimately returned to owner Michael Shaw who decided it was time to sell them. Estimated to go for at least $3,000,000, online bidding reached $1,550,000 before live bidding on site at Heritage Auctions began. The estimate was quickly surpassed, and when bidding ended, the final bid was $28,000,000, far outpacing any previous price for movie memorabilia. With commission and other fees, the total final price paid was $32,500,000. The Ruby Slippers alone surpassed the previous record for an entire movie memorabilia auction, the $22,800,000 that Debbie Reynolds' collection was sold for in 2011.

Other Oz items available in the auction:

  • One of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West hats, and the only one known to carry Hamilton's name inside, earned the second highest price for an item from The Wizard of Oz, $2,930,000
  • Producer Mervyn LeRoy's script from the MGM art department, $50,000
  • The screen door from the Gale farmhouse, $37,500
  • Judy Garland's blonde wig from the first week of shooting, $30,000
  • The MGM contract for songwriters Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, $23,125

Other items of interest at the auction included a sceen-used Jumanji board game from the eponymous movie; a crate used to hold bombs in the original 1933 version of King Kong; a hoverboard from Back to the Future II; Kevin's scarf, coat, hat, and mittens from Home Alone; Wilson, Tom Hanks' volleyball co-star in Castaway; and a screen-used golden ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

(Information and image courtesy Heritage Auctions.)


December 2, 2024: Paul Maslansky 1933-2024

Longtime Hollywood producer Paul Maslansky died today in a hospital in San Robles, California. He was 91. His first credit was for the 1964 horror film Castle of the Living Dead with Christopher Lee, and he worked on many films in the 1970s and '80s. His biggest success was the Police Academy series, beginning in 1984 with the first movie which spawned several other movies, a television series, and an animated series. Another of his credits at the time was Return to Oz. He is survived by his long-time partner Sally Emr, three children, and two grandchildren.

(Information courtesy Variety and Wikipedia.)

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.)

Dorothy is in development for Prime Video, with executive producers Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Gina Matthews. You can see the initial report on this right here.

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 television 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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