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==November 20, 2020: David L. Greene, 1944-2020==
==''Wicked'' Accolades and Awards==
[[File:David L Greene.jpg|right]]Oz scholar and founding member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, Dr. David L. Greene, passed away today. He was seventy-six years old and had been in declining health for some time. He and his twin brother, Douglas G. Greene, were two of the sixteen initial members of the International Wizard of Oz Club when it was started in 1957, and two of the youngest (only founder Justin Schiller was younger), but both quickly contributed much to the Club. David served as editor of the Club's journal, ''The Baum Bugle'', for many years, did extensive research in Oz bibliography, and founded the Club's Special Publications division. He also co-authored the popular book ''The Oz Scrapbook'' with Dick Martin, which came out in 1977. The Greene brothers were jointly awarded the International Wizard of Oz Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, in 1965. Outside of Oz, Greene taught English at Piedmont College in Georgia for thirty-seven years and retired as a Professor Emeritus. He was also interested in genealogy, wrote several books on the subject, and edited ''The American Genealogist'' for twenty-five years. He is survived by his twin brother, Douglas; his non-twin brother, Paul; his wife, Jane; a son, a daughter, two stepdaughters, and five grandchildren.
With such a high profile movie release, naturally ''Wicked'' will receive acclaim during the film award season. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to ''Wicked'' and its 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, culminating with the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.


(Information courtesy [https://www.whitfieldfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/David-Greene-13/#!/Obituary the Whitfield Funeral Homes tribute page]. Photo courtesy ''The American Genealogist''.)
The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were, or will be, 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 26, 2025: Satellite Awards, Make-Up Award: ''Wicked''
* February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande
 
The following are pending nominations:
* January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association
** Best Picture, ''Wicked''
** Best Actress, Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress, Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble, ''Wicked''
** Best Music Film, ''Wicked''
** Sound, ''Wicked''
** Production Design, ''Wicked''
* January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association
** Best Actress, Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress, Ariana Grande
** Best Adapted Screenplay, Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
** Best Music, ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design, ''Wicked''
** Best Makeup and Hairstyling, ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design
* January 11, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
* January 11, 2025: Utah Film Critics Association
** Best Lead Performance, Female: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Performance, Female: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble Cast: ''Wicked''
* January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble: Cast of ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk
** Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales
** Best Sound: Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes
* January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Art Direction: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Make-Up: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
* January 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
* January 22, 2025: Houston Film Critics Society
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Actress—Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Actress—Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
* January 26, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
** Best Picture: ''Wicked''
** Best Director: Jon M. Chu
** Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
** Best Ensemble: ''Wicked''
** Best Adapted Screenplay: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
** Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
** Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
** Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
** Best Hair and Make-Up: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, and Laura Blount
** Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, and David Shirk
* January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
** Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: ''Wicked''
** Best Actress—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
** Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
** Best Visual Effects: ''Wicked''
** Best Production Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Costume Design: ''Wicked''
** Best Sound: ''Wicked''
* February 5, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
* February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
* February 7, 2025: AACTA International Awards, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
* February 10, 2025: Black Reel Awards
** Outstanding Lead Performance: Cynthia Erivo
** Outstanding Soundtrack: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
* February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
* February 12, 2025: Society of Composers and Lyricists, Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
* 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 22, 2025: Cinema Audio Society Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures – Live Action: Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, John Marquis, John Michael Caldwell, Jason Oliver, Mikel Parraga-Wills
* February 23, 2025: Screen Actors Guild Awards
** Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
** Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
** Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Jonathan Bailey
** Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: ''Wicked''
** Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: ''Wicked''
* February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards
** Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing–Feature Dialogue/ADR: John Marquis, Nancy Nugent, John C. Stuver, David Bach
** Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton


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==November 1, 2020: Books of Wonder Moves==
==January 3, 2025: Saliterman to Plead Guilty to Hiding Ruby Slippers==
[https://booksofwonder.com/ Books of Wonder], the New York City children's bookstore that has been one of the greatest friends Oz has had for the past forty years, has moved! They lost their lease on their original location on 18th Street in Manhattan, but they were able to find a new location quickly, and it's really close. So now you can visit them at 42 West 17th St., just a block away. They're still in the process of completely unpacking, so there may be a few boxes lying around, but the shelves are full and the staff still knows their stuff. Their second location, at 217 West 84th St., is still there, too. But if you're not going to be in the neighborhood any time soon, they still have mail order, including [https://booksofwonder.com/collections/world-of-oz an extensive catalog of Oz items], many of which they've published themselves.
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://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''].)


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==October 31, 2020: Sir Sean Connery, 1930-2020==
==December 13, 2024: The Baum Bugle's Celebratory 200th Issue==
[[File:Zed.jpg|center|500 px]]
[[File:Bbautumn24.jpg|center|800 px]]
Sir Sean Connery, the award-winning Scottish actor who most famously originated the role of James Bond on film, passed away today at his home in the Bahamas. He was 90 years old. Besides playing Bond in seven movies, Connery won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in ''The Untouchables'', a Best Actor BAFTA for ''The Name of the Rose'' and a BAFTA Fellowship, and a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for ''The Untouchables'' as well as the Henrietta Award in 1972 as World film Favorite — Male, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1995, a Kennedy Center Honor in 1999, and the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. He will also be remembered by Oz fans, however, as Zed, the main protagonist who brings death to an indolent immortal community in the 1974 cult classic film ''Zardoz''.
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.


(Information courtesy [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54761824 the BBC] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Connery Wikipedia].
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 [https://www.ozclub.org/publications/the-baum-bugle/ ''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. [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.
** 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:
*** [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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==October 30, 2020: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2020 and ''Oziana'' 2020==
==December 7, 2024: Ruby Slippers Auction Sets New Movie Memorabilia Record==
[[File:bbautumn20.jpg|left]]Two important issues of International Wizard of Oz Club magazines are now available. All 2020 members of the Club should soon receive the Autumn 2020 issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the triannual journal, with this issue celebrating thirty-five years of the 1985 Disney film ''Return to Oz'', with many never-before-published items from the Disney archives. Because of licensing agreements with Disney, this issue is strictly limited, and will likely not be available as a back issue or reprinted in the future, so this will be a particularly sought after issue. We will have more about this issue in the coming weeks.
[[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 known pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and found again 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. 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 [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].)


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Also enclosed with this issue:
* A Tin Woodman marionette.
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age is), which includes:
** A report on past Halloween shenanigans in Oz.
** An editorial from the new editor, the Scarecrow, about how he thinks he's doing so far.
** A look back at a popular movie in the Emerald City at this time of year, ''Return to Oz'' (1985).
** "Ask Glinda" sees a previous correspondent catching the sorceress up on what's happening to her, including her meeting with the Demon of Electricity.
** After an absence of about 115 years, the return of "What Did the Woggle-Bug Say?"
** An interview with Jack Pumpkinhead.


[[File:Oziana 2020.jpg|right]]Also out now is the Club's annual fiction anthology, ''Oziana''. The 2020 issue is of especial importance because this is the fiftieth issue. Unlike ''The Baum Bugle'', ''Oziana'' is available to anyone at any time, and can be ordered [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/marcus-mebes/oziana-2020/paperback/product-wq98jd.html at this link].
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==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 [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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==November 3, 2024: Quincy Jones, 1933-2024==
[[File:Quincy_Jones.jpg|center|Quincy Jones in ''The Wiz''.|800 px]]
 
Quincy Jones, the EGOT-winning musician and producer, passed away today at the age of 91. Born in 1933 in Chicago, Jones graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle (where the performing arts center is named for him). He soon started working with jazz bands all over the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He also worked in the early days of television with such artists as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He worked with Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on an album, and then broke into the movies when he composed the music for ''The Pawnbroker''. He would go on to work on movies such as ''In the Heat of the Night'', ''In Cold Blood'', ''The Italian Job'', ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'', ''Cactus Flower'', and both versions of ''The Color Purple''. For television, he composed music for the original ''Ironside'', ''Sanford and Son'', and the original ''Roots'' (for which he earned his Emmy Award). Later, as a producer, he oversaw shows including ''The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'' and its successor, ''Bel Air'', and ''MadTV''. He won 28 Grammy Awards, the most for any producer and the third most of all time, including Album of the Year in 2023 for ''Harry's House''. He won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2016 as a producer for ''The Color Purple'', and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have given him two of their highest honors, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and the Academy Honorary Award in 2024 (which will now be presented posthumously). Other accomplishments have included the Grammy Legend Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the BET Humanitarian Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Grand Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the government of France.
 
In comparison to everything else, his contributions to Oz may not have had as much impact, but he was a crucial part of the 1978 film version of ''The Wiz'', where he was musical supervisor and producer. He also contributed new music, including for the songs "Can I Go On?" and "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)". He also appeared onscreen in an uncredited cameo as the pianist in the Emerald City. It was during ''The Wiz'' that Quincy Jones first met with Michael Jackson, and he was so impressed with Jackson's work ethic playing the Scarecrow that Jones agreed to produce Jackson's forthcoming solo album ''Off the Wall''. They would later work together on two more Jackson albums, ''Thriller'' and ''Bad''. Jones would also produce and conduct on a song Jackson co-wrote, the 1985 charity anthem "We Are the World".
 
(Information courtesy [https://apnews.com/article/quincy-jones-dead-a9e31c7e39c448d8971519f47a22dd21 The Associated Press] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones Wikipedia]. Photo courtesy [https://www.facebook.com/@ozclub The International Wizard of Oz Club's Facebook page].)
 
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==September 30, 2024: Ken Page, 1954-2024==
[[File:Ken_Page.webp|left]]Ken Page, the character actor known for his work on stage and television, and in movies and video games, passed away in his sleep today at his home in St. Louis. He was 70. Soon after graduating college, he started his acting career at the famed Muny outdoor theater of St. Louis. He made his Broadway debut as Ted Ross's understudy as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of ''The Wiz'', a role he then took over after Ross left the show. He went on to play roles in shows such as ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Ain't Misbehavin' ''and ''Cats'' (as Old Deuteronomy) on Broadway, and playing the Cowardly Lion again in the Madison Square Garden production of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He would later return to the Muny to play both the Cowardly Lion and the Wizard in different productions of ''The Wizard of Oz''. He was also the voice of Oogie Boogie in ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'', a role he reprised in video games, concerts, and other presentations. He won a Theatre World Award in 1976, and a Drama Desk Award in 1978.
 
(Information courtesy [https://oz.fandom.com/wiki/Ken_Page The Oz Wiki] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Page Wikipedia].)


<p>In this issue:
* The front cover by Able Tong features many favorite Oz characters dressed to the nines in celebration of Oz's 120th anniversary and the fiftieth issue of ''Oziana''.
* "Zinnia's Wish" by Suren Oganessian, with illustrations by Mitchell Mayle, sees a Flutterbudget named Zinnia coming to the Emerald City in an effort to fulfill her heart's desire, but it's probably not something much of the rest of Oz wants. (Mayle also provides a color illustration for the story on the back cover.)
* "A Use for Jack's Pumpkins" is the first recipe ever published in ''Oziana''.
* "Dinner at the Del" by Robert Baum tells of a meeting between the author's great-grandfather and an old sailor at the Hotel Del Coronado that would have long-reaching effects.
* "The Wizards of Silver and Gold in Oz: Part 1" by Nathan DeHoff and Joe Bongiorno, illustrated by Dennis Anfuso, tells a tale of Quiberon and an ozoplane. And yes, it ends on a cliffhanger, to be resolved in the 2021 issue.
* "Polychrome's Sky School" by Paul Dana, illustrate by Sam Milazzo, shows us just how Polychrome learned how to do magic.
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==August 15, 2020: International Wizard of Oz Club Awards==
==September 28, 2024: Ryan Bunch Receives 2024 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award; Oz Club Contest Winners==
This evening, the International Wizard of Club presented its annual awards at 2Oz? 2Oz! which is this year's national Oz convention, held online for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The winners are:
Tonight, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor that the International Wizard of Oz Club bestows, went to Ryan Bunch. Currently President of the Club, he has also served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President. He has also chaired conventions and written for the Club's journal, ''The Baum Bugle''. His recent book, [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190843144/thewonderwizardo/ ''Oz and the Musical''], examines how different dramatic interpretations of Oz on stage demonstrate the evolution of musical theater.


* The Fred Otto Prize for short fiction went to "The Flutterbudget Revolt" by Suren Oganessian in first place, and "''The Sea Fairies'' Lost Chapter: Trot and the Sleeper" by Erica Olivera in second.
Also tonight, the winners of the Oz Club's annual writing and art contests were announced:
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for non-fiction went to "No Place Like Oz" by Kathryn Sadakierski in first place, and “Lessons in Personality Integration from the Movies ''The Wizard of Oz'' and ''The Wiz''” by Mackenzie Littledale winning second place.
* The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for visual arts went to "The King of Beasts' Conquest" by Michael de Jesus in first place (below, left), and "Dr. Pipt" by David Valentin in second place (below, right).<br><center>[[File:De_Jesus.JPG|500 px]] [[File:Valentin.JPG|500 px]]</center>
** First place, "The Fairy King of Oz" by Jesse Jury
** Second place, "The Final Fate of the Phanfasms" by Aaron Solomon Adelman
* The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
** First place, "Ozma's Enduring Appeal 120 Years Later" by Leighton Suen
** Second place, "Puzzle Adventures in Oz" by Tyler B. Wright
* The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
** First place, "A Gathering of Ozians" by Rob Lauer
** Second place, "Glinda" by David Valentin


And the Club's highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, for contributions to Oz and the Club's mission, went to Gina Wickwar, author of ''The Hidden Prince of Oz'' and ''Toto of Oz'', and short stories for ''Oziana'', as well as her work for the Club as Secretary and in other capacities. Here's the video of the presentation, with testimonials and reactions:
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==July 20, 2024: The 2024 Winkie Award==
Tonight, the 2024 edition of the Winkie Award was presented by OzCon International to Cindy Ragni. Cindy has been a long-time supporter of OzCon, presenting on many topics. In recent years, she has also coordinated the dealers' room (all while also running her own space in it). Her contributions were recognized by her fellow OzCon members, who voted that she receive the convention's highest award.


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==August 1, 2020: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2020 issue==
==June 25, 2024: Bill Cobbs 1934-2024==
[[File:Bbspring20.jpg|600 px|right]]The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now in the mail and making its way towards members. This is the first issue of the 2020 membership year, with the current COVID-19 pandemic no doubt contributing to the usual problems the ''Bugle'' has to keeping to its intended schedule.
[[File:Master_Tinker.png|left]]Bill Cobbs, the Emmy Award-winning character actor passed away today at his home in Riverside, California. He was 90. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934, Wilbert Francisco Hobbs was an Air Force radio technician for eight years, then went on to sell office supplies for IBM and cars. In 1970, at the age of 36, he went to New York City to try his hand at acting. Like most in the profession he struggled at first, but eventually he broke into small theatrical productions. He also started getting small roles in films and on television. His films included ''Air Bud'', the ''Night at the Museum'' series, ''The Hudsucker Proxy'', and ''That Thing You Do''. On television, he was a regular on ''I'll Fly Away'' and ''Go On'', and had guest appearances on such shows as ''The Drew Carey Show'', ''Jag'', ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' (where he played the inventor of the transporter), ''One Tree Hill'', ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' and ''Rugrats''. He won an Emmy Award in 2020 for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for ''Dino Dana''. But to Oz fans, he will be remembered as Master Tinker in ''Oz the Great and Powerful''.


<p>In this issue:
(information courtesy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cobbs Wikipedia].)
* The covers celebrate the ''Broadway Celebrates Oz'' photograph series, with Dorothy and her friends on the front cover, the Wicked With of the West on the back, and costume sketches and designs on the inside covers.
<br clear=all>
* "Letters" sees Oz Club President Jane Albright and ''Baum Bugle'' editor Sarah Krotzer talk about the latest Oz issues.
* "The Bugle Bulletin" brings us news of:
** The #LivingRoomTheatre challenge by ''Playbill'' magazine, and [https://www.playbill.com/article/our-top-3-videos-from-week-1-of-the-livingroomtheatre-challenge the Ozzy results of the first week].
** ''The Wizard of Oz'' takes on a new cinematic life during the coronavirus pandemic as a staple at drive-in theaters, as well as in movie theaters in Japan.
** [https://www.facebook.com/ArtistTimWolak/ The Oz art of Tim Wolak].
** [https://www.dropbox.com/s/65azjnd7wb1qmf6/OTR%20Full%20Virtual%20Message.mp4 ''Over the Rainbow: The Rock Ballet''] is used as a call for social justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
** A tribute to Hollywood icons, including Judy Garland as Dorothy, as [https://www.whio.com/news/centerville-native-paints-mural-plaza-theatre-miamisburg-reopening/3CSQ5ODOUVCM7CGJOYXBJHTBFI/ a mural in Miamisburg, Ohio].
** The new webcomic [https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/webtoon-greenlight/escape-from-oz-13/viewer?title_no=1988&episode_no=22&webtoonType=WEBTOON&ogTagImageUrl=%2F20200626_107%2F1593111138089n3Gzr_JPEG%2F04_EC9E91ED9288EC8381EC84B8_mobile.jpg%3Ftype%3Dcrop540_540 ''Escape from Oz''].
** "Through the Tube" presents the latest Oz findings on YouTube:
*** [https://youtu.be/KmZ-r229IiQ Family home movies from the 1970s of the Land of Oz theme park in North Carolina].
*** [https://youtu.be/EB2PTkMPfco a tour of Dorothy's House], the tourist attraction in Liberal, Kansas.
*** [https://youtu.be/fGzJo4Hzkw0 The Spirit of Oz troupe performing at Storybook Land] in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" notes the passing in March of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Schramm_(actor) actor David Schramm]; best known as Roy Biggins in ''Wings'', he also played W. W. Denslow in the 1990 TV movie ''The Dreamer of Oz''.
* "Broadway Melody of Oz" looks at the ''Broadway Celebrates Oz'' photograph series, how it came about, and how it came together (including a link to [https://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/category/broadway-celebrates-oz/ more photos, video, and commentiary]).
* "Collecter's Corner" by David Diket looks at the View-Master's reels of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
* Anil Tambwekar looks at the career of a noted children's author of the twentieth century and her near brush with the Emerald city in "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Augusta_Dickerson Mary Dickerson Donahey]: Almost Royal Historian of Oz".
* In his "Lost Art of Oz" column, Brady Schwind looks at the illustrations that became the pages 170-171 double-page spread of ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz''.
* Michael Gessel tells the story of the creation and growth of [https://hollandozproject.com/ a park exhibit on the shores of Lake Michigan devoted to Oz] in "The Holland Oz Project".
* [https://americanstudies.uncc.edu/dina-massachi-ma Dina Schiff Massachi] presents a round up of students from her class about ''The Wizard of Oz'' at UNC-Charlotte in "Tomorrow's Scholars Today".
* "Oz Under Quarantine! Oz Community Events—At Home" presents a round-up of how Oz events worldwidewide, not being able to gather in person this year, have shifted gears and presented virtual events.
* Reviewed in "Oz in the Arts":
** [https://hitthebricks.com/ ''Hit the Bricks''], the podcast telling a new tale about Oz.
** [https://smile.amazon.com/Fantastic-Journey-Alyson-Leigh-Rosenfeld/dp/B086V2YTM3/ ''Fantastic Journey to Oz''], the English-dubbed and re-Ozzified version of the Russian animated film version of ''Урфин Джюс и его Деревянные Солдаты''. This is set up as an original sequel to ''The Wizard of Oz'' in which Dorothy's namesake granddaughter goes to Oz to help the Scarecrow overthrow an evil magician and his band of wooden soldiers who have overtaken the country.
* In "The Bugle Review":
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/039958207X/thewonderwizardo/ ''Cheshire Crossing'' by Andy Weir and Sarah Andersen], reviewed by Peter Schulenberg.
** [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/marcus-mebes/the-haunted-castle-of-oz/hardcover/product-1567egpj.html ''The Haunted Castle of Oz'' by Marcus Mébès, illustrated by Kamui Ayami], reviewed by Alan Wise
** ''What Is the Story of'' The Wizard of Oz''?'' by Kirsten Andersen, illustrated by Robert Squier'', reviewed by Angelica Shirley Carpenter.
** The new SeaWolf Press editions of [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1952433290/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Royal Book of Oz''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1952433266/thewonderwizardo/ ''Kabumpo in Oz''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1952433274/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1952433282/thewonderwizardo/ ''Grampa in Oz''], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1952433304/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Sea Fairies''], noted by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* "Adventures in Oz" looks back at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz_in_Concert:_Dreams_Come_True ''The Wizard of Oz in Concert''] twenty-five years after its debut, written by Christina Maffa. (And if you've never seen this all-star benefit production of ''The Wizard of Oz'', this is your chance!)
<br><html><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixa9jI5XMTs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html>


Also coming along with this issue:
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* A flyer for this year's national Oz convention, [https://ozis.us/ To Oz? To Oz!], being held for the first time online.
 
* This issue's craft is a paper version of one of the Three Adepts at Magic, from ''Glinda of Oz'', in the form of a fish. (Which fish it is depends on how you color it!)
==June 3, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Spring 2024==
* And ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (of all ages) features:
[[File:Bbspring24.jpeg|left|400 px]]
** An interview with Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter.
The first issue of the year of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way into members' mailboxes. This issue celebrates Oz in the 1950s, a decade not usually known for being terribly Ozzy.
** A look back at the 1939 MGM film version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
 
** A contest to draw the Jitterbug.
<br clear=all>
** The Scarecrow, the new editor of ''The Oz Gazette'', introduces himself in the Editorial.
In this issue:
** The news flash that Aujah, one of the Three Adepts, decided to go exploring the world by becoming a fish again.
* The front cover assembles some of Dale Ulrey's artwork from her interpretations of ''The Wizard of Oz'', ''The Tin Woodman of Oz'', and ''Jaglon and the Tiger Fairies''.
* The inside front cover reproduces an original piece by Ulrey for Fred Meyer.
* "Letters" sees Oz Club President Ryan Bunch extoll [the upcoming 2024 Oz National Convention] in Charlotte, North Carolina, while ''Bugle'' editor-in-chief Sarah K. Crotzer tells about the happy coincidences that brought this issue together.
* News items from "The Bugle Bulletin":
** Brady Schwind of the Lost Art of Oz project reveals [https://www.lostartofoz.com/blog/lost-art-found-discovering-dorothy-and-the-wizard the discovery of five of the original paintings that became color plates in ''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz''].
** Another suspect has been charged in the 2005 theft of the Ruby Slippers in Minnesota, and the now-recovered pair will be auctioned off in December.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1dvX9Vs0ns The first teaser trailer for ''Wicked'' debuts during the Super Bowl broadcast].
** The current revival of [https://wizmusical.com/ ''The Wiz'' opens on Broadway].
** [https://movieworld.com.au/attractions/wizard-of-oz A new ''Wizard of Oz'' precinct] is opening later this year at the Warner Bros. Movie World amusement park in Gold Coast, Australia.
** Gregory Maguire is writing an eighth book set in his version of Oz, this time a prequel: ''Elphie: A Wicked Childhood'', due to be published in October.
** A decoupaged lion at [https://www.ucitylibrary.org/ the Universal City Public Library in Universal City, Missouri] includes pages from several Oz books on its hide.
** [https://hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/birmingham/news/comedian-joe-lycett-behind-birmingham-banksy-mural/ The perpetrator of Oz-themed graffiti in Birmingham, England comes forward].
** Oz has appeared recently in television shows such as [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYCzqMzQxd4 ''Saturday Night Live''], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd8TE1ytxbY ''The Masked Singer''], and ''Jeopardy!''
** A claim for the Judy Garland dress found at Catholic University of America has been denied, and the school can put it up for auction.
** The Dassel History Center in Dassel, Minnesota, [https://dassel.com/hs/page/changing-exhibits honors hometown girl Hildred Olson], a Munchkin in the famous film version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** Recently passed Oz luminaries remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands" are actor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinton_Battle Hinton Battle], who originated the role of the Scarecrow in ''The Wiz''; Sergey Stefanovich Sukhinov, who wrote a number of books continuing the saga of Russia's counterpart to Oz, Magic Land; and Oz Club member Virginia Fowler.
** Now available on YouTube:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZmQlmQgSgI ''The Will.of.Oz''], an homage to ''The Wizard of Oz'' performed to the music of the Black Eyed Peas.
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxQKltWI0NA "Oh, my!" another musical tribute to Oz].
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq3M4tKhsRM "The Bricklayer"], a music video by indie rockers Mylo Bybee.
* In "Somewhere Over the Rainbow I Wake Up Screaming", Sarah K. Crotzer discovers an early use of "Over the Rainbow" as a movie leitmotif in one of the earliest examples of ''film noir'', 1941's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wake_Up_Screaming ''I Wake Up Screaming''].
* In "Discovering Dale Ulrey", Jane Albright uncovers the life and career of the artist Reilly and Lee wanted to reillustrate the Oz books, and why she only did it for two of the books.
* Oz games collector and expert Sara K. Crotzer uses "Collectors' Corner" to examine [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17760/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' game] issued by E. E. Fairchild in 1957. (The board is reprinted in color on the inside back cover.)
* In "Oz in the Arts", Anthony Whitaker reviews [https://wizmusical.com/ the current national production of ''The Wiz''] during its Chicago stop last winter, before it made it to Broadway.
* "The Bugle Review" features:
** [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-witch-of-maracoor-gregory-maguire/19880153?ean=9780063094062 ''The Witch of Maracoor'' by Gregory Maguire''], reviewed by Alan Wise.
** After forty years, the updated and revised second edition of the bibliography [https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=CJ+Hinke&adult_audience_rating=00 ''Oz in Canada'' by C. J. Hinke], reviewed by Cynthia Ragni.
** The graphic novel [https://bookshop.org/p/books/tin-man-justin-madson/17400871 ''Tin Man'' by Justin Madison], reviewed by J. L. Bell.
** The game [https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2148122827?UTM_Campaign=BGG_Shop_Now&awid=1292 ''Lands of Oz'', designed by Charlie Hoopes with art by Zachery Tullsen], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* "Adventures in Oz" sees Jane Albright interviewing original Mousketeer Bobby Burgess about his life and career, including his role as the Scarecrow in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okKCRIMRLMQ&ab_channel=jeffsabu ''The Rainbow Road to Oz''].
* The back cover reprints a portrait of the Wizard from Dale Ulrey's dust jacket for Reilly and Lee's 1956 edition of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
 
Also included with this issue:
* An art project that allows you to create your own moving Oz pictures.
* The latest edition of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newspaper of all that's happening in Oz:
** Ryan Bunch, the new President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, makes his first diplomatic visit to the Emerald City.
** Editor Katie Jones tells what's going on in this issue.
** Dorothy presents a brief history of Oz newspapers, on both sides of the Deadly Desert.
** Two editors meet as Katie Jones interviews Sarah K. Crotzer of ''The Baum Bugle''.
** "Emerald City Book Report" turns a page on [''The Ozmapolitan of Oz''].
** ''Ozmapolitan of Oz'' author and artist Dick Martin gets a write-up.
** The latest excerpt from ''The Royal Book of Oz'' (the one in Oz, not the one you can buy in stores here) is about the Tin Woodman himself, Nick Chopper.


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==July 18, 2020: The 2020 Winkie Award==
==March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction==
[[File:Colin Ayres.jpg|center]]
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.
OzCon International, the world's longest running Oz event, met for the first time online as a virtual event, due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This did not prevent the convention from presenting its highest honor, the Winkie Award, to Colin Ayres. Colin only started attending OzCon relatively recently, but he quickly jumped in and involved himself deeply, putting on many panels and presentations. Two years ago, he became vice chair, succeeding as chair last year, and decided to serve as chair again for a second year. Little did he know that one of the decisions he would have to make would be to cancel the convention and move it all online! But even before that happened, his fellow OzCon attendees voted him as the one who deserves the award.
 
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.
 
(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].)


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==April 17, 2020: ''The Baum Bugle'', Winter 2019 issue==
==March 14, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Winter 2023==
[[File:Bbwinter19.jpg|600 px|right]]
[[File:Bbwinter23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
The final issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, has come out for the 2019 membership year. Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the printers were not able to print the issue in a timely manner; so, in an unprecedented move, the Club sent out the issue to Club members as a .pdf file via e-mail. ('''UPDATE''', May 9: The printer has come through, and the print version is now making its way into members' mailboxes.) This marks the end of the 2019 membership year, and members are encouraged to [https://shop.ozclub.org/product-category/iwoc-membership/ renew their memberships for 2020] soon.
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.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* The front cover reproduces Michael Herring's painting for the 1981 Del Rey edition of ''The Magic of Oz''—appropriate, as 2019 marks the centennial of L. Frank Baum's penultimate Oz book, ''The Magic of Oz''.
* 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 one of John R. Neill's color plates from ''The Magic of Oz''.
* The inside front cover is a 1944 studio portrait of Lahr (no Lion make-up)
* The first page, besides the indicia and table of contents, reproduces an illustration by Leonid Vladimirsky from ''Волшебник Изумрудного Города'' (''The Wizard of the Emerald City'').
* Featured on the contents page is an illustration of the Cowardly Lion by Michael Hague
* In "Letters", Oz Club President Jane Albright seeks contributors who can update [https://ozclub.org/oz-timeline/ the Oz Timeline], while ''Bugle'' Editor-in-Chief Sarah K. Crotzer previews the issue at hand and how it came about.
* 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.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
* News events cited in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The 2017 Russian animated film ''Fantastic Journey to Oz'' has spawned a sequel, ''Урфин Джюс бозбращаемся'' (''Fantastic Return to Oz''), based on the Magic Land book ''The Fiery God of the Marrans''.
** 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
** The debut of the new Oz dramatic podcast, [https://hitthebricks.com/ ''Hit the Bricks''].
** 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.
** A Yellow Brick Sidewalk is being constructed in Chicago that leads to 1167 N. Humboldt Blvd., where L. Frank Baum wrote ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' when he lived in a house that is no longer there. (The sidewalk will end at a mural commemorating the creation of Oz.)
** 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
** [https://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/category/broadway-celebrates-oz/ "Broadway Celebrates Oz"] is a photographic exhibit celebrating the eightieth anniversary of the famous film version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** 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
** An exhibit at the Los Angeles Public Library, "The Autograph Book of L. A.", includes a contribution by L. Frank Baum from 1908 (several years before he moved to the area himself).
** Through the Tube! celebrates the Cowardly Lion and Bert Lahr with the following clips:
** A new Oz book, [https://github.com/NaNoGenMo/2018/issues/61 ''The Valley Girl of Oz, Bjork Bjork Bjork''], that involves running ''The Emerald City of Oz'' through a computer algorithm that changed the descriptions to, like, Valleyspeak, while the dialogue was rendered into Swedish Chef.
*** 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
** "Through the Tube" presents an all-commercials collection of Oz clips on YouTube:
*** 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]
*** [https://youtu.be/7_nJjI_aVrM White Lily cornmeal mix (1987)]
*** 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'']
*** [https://youtu.be/IdH--kRrLdo Energizer batteries (1993)]
* Blair Frodelius is honored by the International Wizard of Oz Club with its highest award, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award
*** [https://youtu.be/fJw33PFUS7U Chef Boyardee (2006)]
* Jane Lahr remembers growing up with her father, Bert, in "The Cowardly Lion and Dad"
* In "Awards and Honors":
* 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"
** Ozma's Honor Roll for 2019, those Club members who have gone above and beyond the Club's regular membership rates to give more to the Club.
* 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"
** The list of recipients of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award is updated with the 2019 winner, Bill Beem.
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks back at what critics thought of ''The Cowardly Lion of oz'' when it was first published
** Part of Renée Zellweger's acceptance speech for her Oscar, portraying Judy Garland in ''Judy'', is printed.
* "Coming and Going" has some short musings and anecdotes from Sara K. Crotzer on ''The cCowardly Lion of Oz''
* Dennis Wilson Wise writes about the history of magic words, with emphasis on the ones used in the Oz books, in "Pyrzqxgl, or How to Do Things with Magic Words".
* Eric Gjovaag reports on the 2023 edition of OzCon International, back in July in California
* In a new regular feature, "The Lost Art of Oz", Brady Schwind looks at the development of Dick Martin's 1960 dust jacket for ''The Magic of Oz''. (The inside and outside back covers of this issue reprints some of Martin's preliminary work for the jacket.)
* "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
* Ian Davis Smith writes about renowned Chinese magician Ching Ling Foo and his performance for the Uplifters—whose members included L. Frank Baum—in "A Magic Night with the Uplifters".
* Robert B. Luehrs looks at some of the smaller and/or lesser-known felines of the series in "The Supercilious Cats of Oz"
* The short story "The Believing Child" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1970, is reprinted to celebrate both its own fiftieth birthday and the centennial of the book that causes the problems in the story, ''The Magic 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
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" looks at the original 1919 reviews and reactions to ''The Magic of Oz''.
* Put under the microscope in "The Bugle Review" this issue are:
* "Monuments of Magic Land" looks at monuments to characters created by Aleksandr Volkov, for his very Oz-like Magic Land series, in Tomsk, Slovakia and Saint Petersburg, Russia.
** [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
* The examination of the Smithsonian Institution's efforts to preserve their pair of Ruby Slippers concludes in part two of "Keep Them Ruby: Following the Steps of the Ruby Slippers" by Jonathan Shirshekan.
** [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
* "A Beginner's Guide to Collecting" celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the most watched movie in history with an examination of some of the earliest collectibles for the 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz''.
** 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
* Cynthia Ragni gives a preview of [http://www.ozconvention.org/ the Club's big annual event] in "Arts and Crozfts: Come to the 2020 OzClub Convention".
** Other books noted but not reviewed:
* In "Oz in the Arts", Fadia Mereani reviews one of the first big musicals to tour Saudi Arabia, [https://wizardofoztour.com/ ''The Wizard of Oz''].
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BP45V4RW/thewonderwizardo/ ''Dorothy and Santa in Oz: The Further Adventures of Dorothy Gale'' by Gene Mederos]
* "The Bugle Review" reviews and notes of several new books, including:
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BT1M5X6K/thewonderwizardo/ ''Farmer Boy of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1733715150/thewonderwizardo/ ''Immortal Longings of Oz'' by Paul Dana], reviewed by Mari Ness.
*** [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/080717047X/thewonderwizardo/ ''Amazons in America: Matriarchs, Utopians, and Wonder Women in U. S. Popular Culture'' by Keira V. Williams], reviewed by Angelica Shirley Carpenter.
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0C2P6KS59/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hairdresser of Oz'' by Josie Ann Tyler]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1732431736/thewonderwizardo/ ''Book Restoration Unveiled: An Essential Guide for Bibliophiles'' by Sophia S. W. Bogle], reviewed by Cynthia Ragni.
*** [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/0190663170/thewonderwizardo/ ''Adapting The Wizard of Oz: Musical Versions fromBaum to MGM and Beyond'', edited by Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh].
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1737802228/thewonderwizardo/ ''Straw Soul'' by K. A. Silva]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1096980266/thewonderwizardo/ ''Beyond Oz: A Crazy Ink Anthology'', edited by Erin Wolf].
*** [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/138781320X/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Cardboard King in Oz'' by Gil S. Joel].
*** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0BHBS56XT/thewonderwizardo/ ''Zombies of Oz'' by John Cosper]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486821676/thewonderwizardo/ ''Creative Haven Wizard of Oz Designs Coloring Book'' by Marty Noble].
* The inside front cover reprints the color plate of Notta Bit More dressed as a fish from ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486821676/thewonderwizardo/ ''Delusions Beyond the Deadly Desert: A Novella'' by Lisa Valenti].
* And the back cover reproduces a painting of the Cowardly Lion by Dick Martin
** [http://thewizardofoz.info/wiki/Dunkiton_Press ''Dunkiton Press #26: The Perhappsy Chaps #6'', ''Dunkiton Press #27: Mice #1'' and ''Dunkiton Press #28: Mice #2'' by Ruth Plumly Thompson, edited by Ruth Berman].
 
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1701012324/thewonderwizardo/ ''Emerald City Academy, Book 1: Sentinels of Oz''] and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1709524154/thewonderwizardo/ ''Emerald City Academy, Book 2: Francesca, the Great and Terrible'' by J. B. Trepagnier].
Other items slipped into this issue include:
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062348779/thewonderwizardo/ ''Emeralds of Oz: Life Lessons from Over the Rainbow'' by Peter Guzzardi].
* A registration form for [http://www.ozconinternational.com/ the 2024 edition of OzCon International]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1387080156/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Fairy Wand of Oz'' by Marin Elizabeth Xiques and Carol P. Silva].
* 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]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1718060718/thewonderwizardo/ ''Forever in Oz'' by Matthew J. Norcross].
* This issue's craft is a color-and-cut-out Cowardly Lion marionette
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1707291365/thewonderwizardo/ ''Frankenstein's Monster in Oz'' by Carl Scott Harker].
* And in the latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger (or at least young-ish) Oz fans:
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1733715118/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Haunted Castle of Oz'' by Marcus Mébès].
** The lead story is of the Cowardly Lion leading the coup against the Nome King's reign
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1985795833/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hidden Heroes of Oz, Book 1: Chopper''] and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/198579585X/thewonderwizardo/ ''Hidden Heroes of Oz, Book 2: Guardian Martyr'' by Tarl Telford].
** "A Letter from the Editor" introduces the new editor, Katie Jones! It seems she's no longer Oz Club Member on Special Assignment
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1075254914/thewonderwizardo/ ''Kingdoms of Oz, Book 1: The Ruby Fortress''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1076195202/thewonderwizardo/ ''Kingdoms of Oz, Book 2: The Quartz Tower''], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1079218130/thewonderwizardo/ ''Kingdoms of Oz, Book 3: The Prism City'' by Carrie Whitehorne].
** "Emerald City Book Report" examines a book that's now one hundred years old, ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0991199197/thewonderwizardo/ ''Lost Histories from the Royal Librarian of Oz'' by Joe Bongiorno].
** "Why Is the Lion So Cowardly?" and "Prehistory Lesson" looks at some of the issues raised in ''The Cowardly Lion of Oz''
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1070784745/thewonderwizardo/ ''Mr. Wizardo'' by Eva Pasco].
** Glinda looks bark at what her Great Book of Records recorded happening in 1923
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0998058254/thewonderwizardo/ ''O. Z. Diggs Himself Out'' by Ron Baxley, Jr.]
** 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
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1574330489/thewonderwizardo/ ''Ozhouse Reopened: The Curse of Budistiltskin'' by Alan Lindsay and Dennis Anfuso].
 
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0545953227/thewonderwizardo/ ''Ozland (Everland, Book 3)'' by Wendy Spinale].
----
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1492868116/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Red Brick Road'' by Robert P. Wills].
 
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3030065901/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Road to Wicked: The Marketing and Consumption of Oz from L. Frank Baum to Broadway'' by Kent Drummond, Susan Aronstein, and Terri L. Rittenburg].
==January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024==
** [https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/marcus-mebes/royal-explorers-of-oz-book-4-hb/hardcover/product-12qjmgmv.html ''The Royal Explorers of Oz, Book 4: Into the Wild'' by Marcus Mébès and Alejandro Garcia].
[[File:Hinton_Battle.webp|right]]
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1790107229/thewonderwizardo/ ''Salma and the Play from Oz'' by Jodie Nikela].
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''.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1698839413/thewonderwizardo/ ''Shakespeare's Oz'' by Jordan Monsell] (with apologies to William Shakespeare).
 
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1729226663/thewonderwizardo/ ''Stairway to Oz'' by Robin Hess].
(UPDATE: To honor Battle and his career and influence on Broadway, all forty-one Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights on March 12.)
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1093389028/thewonderwizardo/ ''Theodore Gale in Oz'' by KuroKoneko Kamen].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1387742892/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Umbrellaphant in Oz'' by Carol P. Silva and Marin Elizabeth Xiques].
** [https://www.lulu.com/shop/marin-elizabeth-xiques-and-chris-dulabone/under-the-influence-of-oz/paperback/product-24186547.html ''Under the Influence of Oz'' by Marin Elizabeth Xiques and Chris Dulabone].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0998479861/thewonderwizardo/ ''Upon the Name of Oz'' by Charles Shearer].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1524788309/thewonderwizardo/ ''What Is the Story of The Wizard of Oz?'' by Kirsten Anderson].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1790753031/thewonderwizardo/ ''Wicked Origins''], [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1796683167/thewonderwizardo/ ''Wicked Gambit''], and [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1097738329/thewonderwizardo/ ''Wicked Rebel'' by Paula Black].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1980391939/thewonderwizardo/ ''Witch Queens: Tales from Oz'' by S. Cinders].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/172632558X/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful Animated World of The Wizard of Oz'' by Kevin Scott Collier].
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1643723243/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Poster Coloring Book'' by Victoria Marble].
* In "Adventures in Oz", Zoe O'Haillin-Berne tells the story of how her cosplaying at Oz festivals led to founding a traveling character troupe.
Also included with this issue:
* A 2020 membership form (for those who don't want to renew their membership online).
* A registration form for the National Oz Convention.
* The third part of the Emerald City toy theatre.
* An "Oz Live 2019" supplement, reporting on:
** The 2019 National Oz Convention in Thibodeaux, Louisiana.
** Oz-Stravaganza! in Chittenango, New York.
** The Quadling Convention in Moore, Oklahoma.
** The Judy Garland Festival and Children's Wizard of Oz Festival in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
** The Michigan Wizard of Oz Festival in Ionia, Michigan.
** OzCon International in Pomona, California.
** Autumn in Oz in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
** Oztoberfest in Wamego, Kansas.
** Ohio Oz Fest in Twinsburg, Ohio.
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans (no matter what age their birth certificate might say), featuring:
** A new expedition for Trot and Cap'n Bill.
** Dorothy's final "Editorial", as she's handing over the reins as Editor in Chief to the Scarecrow.
** The conclusion to the biography of L. Frank Baum.
** A play written by the Scarecrow, relating some of the events of ''The Magic of Oz''.
** In "Ask Glinda", the sorceress and some of her friends answer the question, "How do I get to Oz?"


Stay tuned, because more from this issue will be coming over the next few days.
(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==
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.


==February 9, 2020: ''Judy'' and the 2019 Movie Awards Season==
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.
Renée Zellweger was presented with the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role tonight for her performance as Judy Garland in the later years of her life in the film ''Judy''. This culminates the 2019-20 movie award season, which saw Zellweger give early notice that she would be a factor, as she also won the following awards:
* Hollywood Actress Award at the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards.
* Best Actress at the 2019 British Independent Film Awards.
* Best Lead Actress at the 2019 Atlanta Film Critics Circle.
* Best Actress at the 2019 Phoenix Film Critics Society.
* Best Actress at the 2020 Houston Film Critics Society.
* The Desert Palm Achievement Award at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
* Best Actress in a Motion Picture—Drama at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
* Best Actress from the National Board of Review.
* Best Actress from the 2020 AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards.
* Best Actress from the 2020 Critics' Choice Movie Awards.
* The American Riviera Award at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award.
* Actress of the Year from the 2020 London Film Critics Circle.
* Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2020 British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs).
* Best Female Lead at the 2020 Independent Film Awards.
Zellweger was also a runner-up for Best Actress from the San Diego Film Critics Society.


Renée Zellweger wasn't the only award presented to ''Judy'' or one of its contributors:
(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].)
* Jeremy Woodhead won Make Up and Hair Design from the British Independent Film Awards. (Woodhead was also nominated for the Oscar in the same category, but lost to ''Bombshell''.)
* The film was one of the top ten independent films named by the National Board of Review.


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==November 27, 2019: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2019==
==January 29, 2024: ''The Baum Bugle'' Autumn 2023==
[[File:Bbautumn19.jpg|center]]
[[File:bbautumn23.jpeg|right|500 px]]
The latest issue of ''The Baum Bugle'', the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now in the mail and finding its way to members. This issue celebrates the legacy of L. Frank Baum and his creation in the centennial year of his crossing the shifting sands.
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.


In this issue:
In this issue:
* The wraparound cover by Mark Manley shows L. Frank Baum meeting with many of the characters he created in the Emerald City. The inside covers show some of Manley's preliminary sketches and the development of the final artwork.
* 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''.
* "Letters" sees Oz Club President Jane Albright outlining how Ozzy her summer was, while ''Baum Bugle'' editor in chief Sarah K. Crotzer looks at the process of putting this issue together.
* 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).
* "Awards and Honors" tells the world that Bill Beem won the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award for 2019, written up by Peter E. Hanff and Bill Thompson.
* 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''.
* In "The Bugle Bulletin":
* News reports highlighted in "The Bugle Bulletin":
** The original set parts for "Over the Rainbow" were found in the collection of Angela White, the daughter of Dave Rose, Judy Garland's first husband (not her third husband, as the ''Bugle'' reports). It was performed in public for the first time on September 14, 2019.
** Terry Martin pleads guilty to stealing the Ruby Slippers in 2005
** A black-and-white dress, worn onscreen by Bobby Koshay as she doubled for Judy Garland in ''The Wizard of Oz'', two Munchkin jackets, an Emerald City townsfolk jacket, and an Emerald City soldier's musket all went up for auction at [https://profilesinhistory.com/auctions/the-icons-legends-of-hollywood-auction/ Profiles in History]. Meanwhile, Ray Bolger's Tony Award for Charley's Aunt was auctioned off in August.
** ''Wicked'' celebrates twenty years of performances on Broadway (plus updates on the film adaptation)
** The successful Kickstarter campaign to issue [https://cloverpress.us/collections/all/oz#MainContent a new edition of ''The Royal Book of Oz''], plus [http://www.seawolfpress.com/ Sea Wolf Press's] "100th Anniversary Collection" of all fourteen Oz novels by L. Frank Baum.
** ''The Wiz'' goes on tour on its way to Broadway
** The forthcoming ''Wizard of Oz'' escape room at [https://www.stlouisescape.com/escape-room-games-in-st-louis-missouri.html St. Louis Escape Rooms] in St. Louis, Missouri.
** 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
** A correction to last issue's review of ''Oz Behind the Iron Curtain'', giving the correct date for an early edition of ''Волшебник Изумрудного Города''.
** 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)
** To celebrate The Movie's eightieth anniversary, Google added some interactivity to [https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&source=hp&ei=p7b6XbfTA4bb-gSAkbyYDg&q=the+wizard+of+oz&oq=the+wizard+of+oz&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l10.1512.5325..5556...0.0..0.197.1707.10j6......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i131.A_51fXVA2hg&ved=0ahUKEwj3wrqsrcDmAhWGrZ4KHYAID-MQ4dUDCAg&uact=5 its search results for ''The Wizard of Oz''] (click on the Ruby Slippers in the upper right hand corner to see for yourself).
** Ozians who recently passed away and remembered in "Beyond the Shifting Sands":
** The National Endowment for the Arts gives a grant to [https://www.eastman.org/ The George Eastman Museum] to help preserve its movie holdings, which include the only known copy of the 1910 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz'', as well as the original negative of the famous 1939 movie version.
*** Betty Ann Bruno, a child Munchkin in the 1939 movie
** The Dublin Zoo in Ireland has a classic children's literature theme to their annual [https://www.dublinzoo.ie/wildlights/ "Wild Lights"] holiday attraction. Among the stories profiled is ''The Wizard of Oz''.
*** 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''
** This year's New York State Fair had a sand sculpture celebrating the eightieth anniversary of The Movie. Not to be outdone, the Kansas State Fair this year featured butter sculptures of Dorothy and other Oz characters.
*** Oz Club members Lary Abramson, Herm Bieber, Susan Higbee, and Rita Reif
** "Beyond the Shifting Sands" notes the passing of artist Charles Santore.
** Treasures found on YouTube highlighted in Through the Tube!
** "Through the Tube" features the following YouTube videos:
*** [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://youtu.be/CmMN9bNwyDQ Peter Harrington Rare Books looks at the first edition of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''].
*** [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://youtu.be/uOWJDjmt4GU "The Traveller and the Pie" from the 1903 stage version of ''The Wizard of Oz''], as presented by the Canton Comic Opera Company.
*** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbnGZ6p5ZPE&ab_channel=TheOfficialOzClub Blair Frodelius reads "Denslow's Night Before Christmas"]
*** [https://youtu.be/jr7WbWgr3c0 A History of the Hotel del Coronado] in California, where L. Frank Baum wrote several of his books in the earliest years of the twentieth century.
* 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"
* As a tribute to the late Fred M. Meyer, the Club's longtime Secretary, the ''Bugle'' published a previously unpublished item found in Meyer's files, "What Might L. Frank Baum Have Written Next?"
* "Oz Under Scrutiny" reprints some of the early reviews of ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''
* What may be a fragment of an unfinished Oz story by L. Frank Baum, previously published in the ''Bugle'' in 1965, is reprinted as "An Oz Story", with a new illustration by Mark Manley.
* 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"
* Gita Dorothy Morena, L. Frank Baum's great-granddaughter, and daughter of Ozma Baum Mentele, writes about her experiences with Oz and her family in "Living Inside the Oz Legacy".
* 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"
* Mark Manley writes about his artistic journey in "Drawn to Oz".
* "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
* "The First Oz Fan Fiction" presents just that—at least the first published one—written by ten-year-old Henry Kutz and nine-year-old Max Stolz, from the June 5, 1909 edition of the ''Syracuse Post-Standard''.
** The short film [https://www.tinwoods.com/ ''The Tin Woods''], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
* "'Written Solely to Please Children': Is Oz Still a Story for Kids?" by Dina Schiff Massachi looks at the audience(s) of the many different interpretations of Oz in mass media over the decades.
** 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
* Jane Albright takes a visit to "The Oz Museum: A World of Its Own in Wamego, Kansas", and catalogs other Oz and Oz-related museums around the United States.
** The stage show ''The Wizard of Oz'' as presented by the American Contemporary Theater in San Fransisco in June 2023, reviewed by Paul Dana
* Albright also initiates a new column, "Guaranteed for a Thousand Years" with "The Empty Case for Oz", looking at how Oz fans can show off some of their collection in a local museum or library exhibit space. (Further contributions come from David C. Diket and Sarah K. Crotzer.)
* In conjunction with ''The Tin Woods'', Sara K. Crotzer interviews co-creator Nick Boxwell
* In "The Great Book of Records", Scott Cummings looks at contemporary accounts of the passing of the Royal Historian of Oz in "'The Maker of Fairies Is Dead': America Responds to the Death of L. Frank Baum".
* "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]
* Presented in "Oz in the Arts":
* Jane Albright remembers one of the last Munchkins, Betty Ann Bruno, and the rest of her extraordinary life in "Maka Koa Munchkin"
** The recent movie [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07YMHC328/thewonderwizardo/ ''Judy''], reviewed by Garrett Kilgore.
* The inside back cover has some pre-production art by Ann Tseng for ''The Tin Woods''
** ''The Wiz'', put on in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
* The back cover reproduces an advertising poster by W. W. Denslow from 1895
* Books written up in "The Bugle Review":
** The French art album [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/2749148081/thewonderwizardo/ ''Oz'', illustrated by Stéphane Levallois], reviewed by David Maxine.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0190639040/thewonderwizardo/ ''Ray Bolger: More Than a Scarecrow'' by Holly van Leuven], reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0359223508/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Ruby Slippers of Oz: Thirty Years Later'' by Rhys Thomas], reviewed by Bill Campbell.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451480171/thewonderwizardo/ ''Sea Sirens: A Trot and Cap'n Bill Adventure'' by Amy Chu, illustrated by Janet K. Lee], reviewed by Eric Shanower.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/173371510X/thewonderwizardo/ ''How the Wizard Came to Oz, Volume 1'' by Donald Abbott], reviewed by Atticus Gannaway.
** [https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/47176AA8-31E6-4E18-8366-D0F397DF4ED3 The 100 Anniversary Oz Collection], reprints of the first editions of L. Frank Baum's fourteen Oz books, reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143132431/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Women's Suffrage Movement'', edited by Sally Roesch Wagner] and reviewed by Angelica Shirley Carpenter.
** [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594633436/thewonderwizardo/ ''The Swan Gondola'' by Timothy Schaffert], reviewed by Dee Michel.
* In "Adventures in Oz", Raymond Francis Wohl recounts his discovery of Oz and how he turned it into a one man show about L. Frank Baum in "The Stories Behind the Stories".


Also included with this issue are:
Also included in this issue:
* Autumn Issue #5 of ''The Oz Gazette'', the newsletter for younger Oz fans. In this issue:
* A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
** News of a missing Munchkin named Kiki Aru.
* The latest issue of ''The Oz Gazette'', the Oz newspaper for younger Oz fans (no matter what their actual age). In this issue:
** An editorial by editor Dorothy Gale.
** Now that he's finally finagled himself into becoming the King of Oz, the Nome King lifts the ban on magic in Oz
** The second part of the story of "How L. Frank Baum Became the Royal Historian of Oz".
** "A Letter from the Editor" sees the installation of the newest editor: The Nome King!
** The Scarecrow writes about how important illustrations can be to a story.
** "A Halloween Bestiary" presents a guide to identifying some of more sinister creatures encountered in the Oz books
** The "Ask Glinda" column covers a little bit of the history of the Nome King.
** 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 the Glass Cat produces her first society column (even typed by herself).
** And Oz's most famous professor has another confounding contest in this issues installment of "What Did the Wogglebug Say?"
* Plus, the second part of the Emerald City toy theatre, showing the background (and a little bit of what's happening behind the scenes).


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==Rumor Control==
==January 3, 2024: ''Oziana'' 2023==
(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.)
[[File:Oziana 2023.jpeg|right]]
[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:
* "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 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.
* "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.
* "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.
* "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…
* "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.
* Finally, the back cover illustration, "Oz on Parade" by David Bishop, shows several Oz celebrities heading off somewhere—perhaps to the 2024 issue…
<br clear=all>
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The previously announced release date for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical version of ''Wicked'' turns out to have been premature—''again''. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic shuffling release schedules around, the original first-postponed December 22, 2021 release date was given over to ''Sing 2''. So the ''Wicked'' movie is on hold again, but it is still in development, although it has no definitive release date yet. The delay was so long that director Stephen Daldrey left the project on October 20, 2020.
==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.)


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*''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…)
*''Lost in Oz'', a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of ''The Wizard of Oz'' (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
*A telelvision miniseries based on Gregory Maguire's novel ''Wicked'', with Demi Moore in the title role. (There are stories that the people developing this version later pushed their involvement into the musical version now playing on Broadway and elsewhere.)
*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.
*''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.)
*''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.)

Latest revision as of 19:41, 9 January 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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Wicked Accolades and Awards

With such a high profile movie release, naturally Wicked will receive acclaim during the film award season. Here, then, we will keep track of awards presented to Wicked and its 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, culminating with the 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.

The awards are presented here in the chronological order they were, or will be, 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 26, 2025: Satellite Awards, Make-Up Award: Wicked
  • February 9, 2025: Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Virtuoso Award: Ariana Grande

The following are pending nominations:

  • January 10, 2025: Music City Film Critics Association
    • Best Picture, Wicked
    • Best Actress, Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress, Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble, Wicked
    • Best Music Film, Wicked
    • Sound, Wicked
    • Production Design, Wicked
  • January 10, 2025: Minnesota Film Critics Association
    • Best Actress, Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress, Ariana Grande
    • Best Adapted Screenplay, Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
    • Best Music, Wicked
    • Best Costume Design, Wicked
    • Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Wicked
    • Best Production Design
  • January 11, 2025: AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Best Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman
  • January 11, 2025: Utah Film Critics Association
    • Best Lead Performance, Female: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Performance, Female: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble Cast: Wicked
  • January 13, 2025: North Dakota Film Society
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble: Cast of Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk
    • Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales
    • Best Sound: Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes
  • January 13, 2025: Hawaii Film Critics Society
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Art Direction: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Make-Up: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
  • January 18, 2025: American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical: Myron Kerstein
  • January 22, 2025: Houston Film Critics Society
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Actress—Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Actress—Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
  • January 26, 2025: Critics' Choice Movie Awards
    • Best Picture: Wicked
    • Best Director: Jon M. Chu
    • Best Actress: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
    • Best Ensemble: Wicked
    • Best Adapted Screenplay: Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
    • Best Cinematography: Alice Brooks
    • Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
    • Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales
    • Best Hair and Make-Up: Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, and Laura Blount
    • Best Visual Effects: Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, and David Shirk
  • January 26, 2025: Satellite Awards
    • Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Wicked
    • Best Actress—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Cynthia Erivo
    • Best Supporting Actress—Motion Picture: Ariana Grande
    • Best Visual Effects: Wicked
    • Best Production Design: Wicked
    • Best Costume Design: Wicked
    • Best Sound: Wicked
  • February 5, 2025: Set Decorators Society of America, Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Comedy or Musical Feature Film: Lee Sandales and Nathan Crowley
  • February 6, 2025: Costume Designers Guild Awards, Excellence in Fantasy Film: Paul Tazewell
  • February 7, 2025: AACTA International Awards, Best Supporting Actress: Ariana Grande
  • February 10, 2025: Black Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Lead Performance: Cynthia Erivo
    • Outstanding Soundtrack: Wicked
    • Outstanding Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
  • February 12, 2025: Artios Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Comedy): Bernard Telsey, Tiffany Little Canfield, Ryan Bernard Tymensky, Tamsyn Manson
  • February 12, 2025: Society of Composers and Lyricists, Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
  • 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 22, 2025: Cinema Audio Society Awards, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures – Live Action: Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, John Marquis, John Michael Caldwell, Jason Oliver, Mikel Parraga-Wills
  • February 23, 2025: Screen Actors Guild Awards
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Cynthia Erivo
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Ariana Grande
    • Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Jonathan Bailey
    • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Wicked
    • Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Wicked
  • February 23, 2025: Golden Reel Awards
    • Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing–Feature Dialogue/ADR: John Marquis, Nancy Nugent, John C. Stuver, David Bach
    • Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing–Feature Motion Picture: Catherine Wilson, Robin Baynton

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

Bbautumn24.jpg

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

Ruby Slippers 2024.jpeg

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 known pairs of Ruby Slippers known to still exist, this pair, "The Traveling Shoes", were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and found again 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. 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.)

November 3, 2024: Quincy Jones, 1933-2024

Quincy Jones in The Wiz.

Quincy Jones, the EGOT-winning musician and producer, passed away today at the age of 91. Born in 1933 in Chicago, Jones graduated from Garfield High School in Seattle (where the performing arts center is named for him). He soon started working with jazz bands all over the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He also worked in the early days of television with such artists as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley. He worked with Frank Sinatra and the Count Basie Orchestra on an album, and then broke into the movies when he composed the music for The Pawnbroker. He would go on to work on movies such as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Italian Job, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Cactus Flower, and both versions of The Color Purple. For television, he composed music for the original Ironside, Sanford and Son, and the original Roots (for which he earned his Emmy Award). Later, as a producer, he oversaw shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and its successor, Bel Air, and MadTV. He won 28 Grammy Awards, the most for any producer and the third most of all time, including Album of the Year in 2023 for Harry's House. He won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical in 2016 as a producer for The Color Purple, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have given him two of their highest honors, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995 and the Academy Honorary Award in 2024 (which will now be presented posthumously). Other accomplishments have included the Grammy Legend Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the BET Humanitarian Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Grand Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the government of France.

In comparison to everything else, his contributions to Oz may not have had as much impact, but he was a crucial part of the 1978 film version of The Wiz, where he was musical supervisor and producer. He also contributed new music, including for the songs "Can I Go On?" and "Is This What Feeling Gets? (Dorothy's Theme)". He also appeared onscreen in an uncredited cameo as the pianist in the Emerald City. It was during The Wiz that Quincy Jones first met with Michael Jackson, and he was so impressed with Jackson's work ethic playing the Scarecrow that Jones agreed to produce Jackson's forthcoming solo album Off the Wall. They would later work together on two more Jackson albums, Thriller and Bad. Jones would also produce and conduct on a song Jackson co-wrote, the 1985 charity anthem "We Are the World".

(Information courtesy The Associated Press and Wikipedia. Photo courtesy The International Wizard of Oz Club's Facebook page.)

September 30, 2024: Ken Page, 1954-2024

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Ken Page, the character actor known for his work on stage and television, and in movies and video games, passed away in his sleep today at his home in St. Louis. He was 70. Soon after graduating college, he started his acting career at the famed Muny outdoor theater of St. Louis. He made his Broadway debut as Ted Ross's understudy as the Cowardly Lion in the original production of The Wiz, a role he then took over after Ross left the show. He went on to play roles in shows such as Guys and Dolls, Ain't Misbehavin' and Cats (as Old Deuteronomy) on Broadway, and playing the Cowardly Lion again in the Madison Square Garden production of The Wizard of Oz. He would later return to the Muny to play both the Cowardly Lion and the Wizard in different productions of The Wizard of Oz. He was also the voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas, a role he reprised in video games, concerts, and other presentations. He won a Theatre World Award in 1976, and a Drama Desk Award in 1978.

(Information courtesy The Oz Wiki and Wikipedia.)


September 28, 2024: Ryan Bunch Receives 2024 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award; Oz Club Contest Winners

Tonight, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, the highest honor that the International Wizard of Oz Club bestows, went to Ryan Bunch. Currently President of the Club, he has also served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-President. He has also chaired conventions and written for the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle. His recent book, Oz and the Musical, examines how different dramatic interpretations of Oz on stage demonstrate the evolution of musical theater.

Also tonight, the winners of the Oz Club's annual writing and art contests were announced:

  • The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction:
    • First place, "The Fairy King of Oz" by Jesse Jury
    • Second place, "The Final Fate of the Phanfasms" by Aaron Solomon Adelman
  • The C. Warren Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction:
    • First place, "Ozma's Enduring Appeal 120 Years Later" by Leighton Suen
    • Second place, "Puzzle Adventures in Oz" by Tyler B. Wright
  • The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art:
    • First place, "A Gathering of Ozians" by Rob Lauer
    • Second place, "Glinda" by David Valentin

July 20, 2024: The 2024 Winkie Award

Tonight, the 2024 edition of the Winkie Award was presented by OzCon International to Cindy Ragni. Cindy has been a long-time supporter of OzCon, presenting on many topics. In recent years, she has also coordinated the dealers' room (all while also running her own space in it). Her contributions were recognized by her fellow OzCon members, who voted that she receive the convention's highest award.

June 25, 2024: Bill Cobbs 1934-2024

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Bill Cobbs, the Emmy Award-winning character actor passed away today at his home in Riverside, California. He was 90. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1934, Wilbert Francisco Hobbs was an Air Force radio technician for eight years, then went on to sell office supplies for IBM and cars. In 1970, at the age of 36, he went to New York City to try his hand at acting. Like most in the profession he struggled at first, but eventually he broke into small theatrical productions. He also started getting small roles in films and on television. His films included Air Bud, the Night at the Museum series, The Hudsucker Proxy, and That Thing You Do. On television, he was a regular on I'll Fly Away and Go On, and had guest appearances on such shows as The Drew Carey Show, Jag, Star Trek: Enterprise (where he played the inventor of the transporter), One Tree Hill, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Rugrats. He won an Emmy Award in 2020 for Outstanding Limited Performance in a Daytime Program for Dino Dana. But to Oz fans, he will be remembered as Master Tinker in Oz the Great and Powerful.

(information courtesy Wikipedia.)

June 3, 2024: The Baum Bugle Spring 2024

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The first issue of the year of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is now making its way into members' mailboxes. This issue celebrates Oz in the 1950s, a decade not usually known for being terribly Ozzy.


In this issue:

Also included with this issue:

  • An art project that allows you to create your own moving Oz pictures.
  • The latest edition of The Oz Gazette, the newspaper of all that's happening in Oz:
    • Ryan Bunch, the new President of the International Wizard of Oz Club, makes his first diplomatic visit to the Emerald City.
    • Editor Katie Jones tells what's going on in this issue.
    • Dorothy presents a brief history of Oz newspapers, on both sides of the Deadly Desert.
    • Two editors meet as Katie Jones interviews Sarah K. Crotzer of The Baum Bugle.
    • "Emerald City Book Report" turns a page on [The Ozmapolitan of Oz].
    • Ozmapolitan of Oz author and artist Dick Martin gets a write-up.
    • The latest excerpt from The Royal Book of Oz (the one in Oz, not the one you can buy in stores here) is about the Tin Woodman himself, Nick Chopper.

March 18, 2024: Second Suspect Charged in Theft of the Ruby Slippers; Slippers Go On Tour Before Auction

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.

(Information courtesy Breakingnews.ie and Minnesota Public Radio.)

March 14, 2024: The Baum Bugle Winter 2023

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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.

In this issue:

  • 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 at NPR and BBC Radio 5.
    • The debut of 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:
  • 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:
  • 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:

  • A registration form for the 2024 edition of OzCon International
  • An ad for the new edition of the bibliography Oz in Canada by C. J. Hinke, which comes in both hardback and 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

January 30, 2024: Hinton Battle 1956-2024

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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.

(UPDATE: To honor Battle and his career and influence on Broadway, all forty-one Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights on March 12.)

(Information courtesy of USA Today, Wikipedia, the Internet Broadway Database, the Internet Off-Broadway Database, the Internet Movie Database, and the New York Public Library.)

January 29, 2024: Terry Jon Martin Sentenced for Theft of the Ruby Slippers

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.

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 WTOP News, Washington, DC.)

January 29, 2024: The Baum Bugle Autumn 2023

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The publication schedule of 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.

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!
  • 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 reprinting old newspaper pieces by Oz contributors in "Dunkiton Press: A Checklist of Pamphlets"
  • "Oz in the Arts" reviews:
    • The short film The Tin Woods, reviewed by Sarah K. Crotzer
    • The documentary movie 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 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:

  • A 3-D art project of Dorothy sleeping in the poppy field
  • 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?"

January 3, 2024: Oziana 2023

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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:

  • "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 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.
  • "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.
  • "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.
  • "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…
  • "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.
  • Finally, the back cover illustration, "Oz on Parade" by David Bishop, shows several Oz celebrities heading off somewhere—perhaps to the 2024 issue…


Rumor Control

(Because of the many questions I am asked about possible forthcoming Oz projects or other bits of pseudo-news, I have added this section to answer some of these inquiries.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In recent years, there have been proposals for other Oz or related projects, none of which now appear that they will get off the ground. Among them:

  • Lost in Oz, a series that was to feature Melissa George as a Kansas university student who is whisked to Oz sixty years after the events of The Wizard of Oz (The Movie) and helping to spearhead a rebellion against the new Wicked Witch of the West. Although developed for the WB and a pilot film produced, it was never picked up, nor the pilot shown. (But keep an eye out on auction sites, as a bootleg DVD sometimes shows up…)
  • A 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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