The Royal Blog of Oz
The "Wizard of Oz"/L. Frank Baum blog of Dorothy & Ozma Productions Owner/Operator Jared Davis and others in the Oz community.
Updated: 52 min 53 sec ago
The original Wiz
You know, I really, really hope that 2015 sees at least some small scale revival of the original musical version of The Wiz for its 40th anniversary. (Or maybe I could write to the Little Theater down the street.) I have not been able to see the show live. A few years ago, I got a DVD of a videorecording of the 1985 revival, and there's the Original Cast Recording, and recently, a musical buff sent me an audio recording of the opening night from 1975. And I also have a script book.
As the Original Cast Recording and the script book are the only items available through legitimate means, and I've talked about the Original Cast Recording before, so I'll focus on the script book. (There is a karaoke album available, I should get that eventually.)
Recently, I listened to that audio recording of the opening night of The Wiz and because it was recorded in the audience, sometimes the dialogue is muffled by applause and an enthusiastic woman shouting "Bravo!" So, I decided to listen again and follow along in the script book. Hearing actual audio would enhance my reading of the script book, while seeing the dialogue written would help my mind process what I was hearing better.
The script book is a plain affair. It was printed quite cheaply, likely so it'd be cost effective to buy them in bulk and give them to each performer in a production. In fact, that is exactly what happened to my copy, which I purchased used.
As you can see, in the production my copy had been purchased for, they decided to omit the sequence in which Dorothy and her friends encounter the Kalidah people, so it has been crossed out. When the book was offered for resale, the revision lines were erased. However, the rubbing of the eraser made parts of the text go from black to gray.
Other revisions are made as well. In the poppy field scene, some of the Lion's dialogue is reassigned to the Tinman, and probably most surprising of all is that the Wiz's story was mainly dropped (likely they inserted newly written dialogue), and later... well...
If you look closely, the word "balloon" had been crossed out and the words "space pod" had been written above it.
I recall reading in Allen Eyle's The World of Oz that the play had the Scarecrow on a billboard, the Lion was a football player, and the Wiz had a helicopter. None of these are in the script, but perhaps Mr. Eyles was going off a production he'd seen that had made these alterations.
Of course, a huge part of what made the musical work is the script's humor and the energy that the cast gave their roles. Admittedly, a lot of it is still markedly 70s humor, but there wasn't really anything I didn't understand, except for when the Lion says he's feeling like "Gunga Din." While a film and songs based on a Rudyard Kipling poem must have been somewhat popular about that time, today, they're largely forgotten.
Reading over the script book, I noticed lines missing from songs, and sometimes lyrics were different from what I remember hearing on the Original Cast Recording, or even on the bootleg audio. Perhaps it was a faulty transcription or earlier versions of the lyrics. A major difference is in "What Would I Do If I Could Feel?"
As you can see, in the script book, the Tin Man sings about meeting a baby, while in every other version I've heard or seen, he sings:
What would I do if I could reach inside of me
And know how it feels to say I like what I see?
Then I'd be more than glad to share
All that I have inside of here
And the songs my heart might bring
You'd be more than glad to sing
And if tears should fall from my eyes
Just think of all the wounds they could mend
And just think of all the time I could spend
Just being vulnerable again That does make me think that these were earlier versions of the lyrics. There's a book of the vocal and piano score which I don't own (yet) that likely has the more familiar ones.
Even though the book was designed to aid theater companies, as it is the only commercially available edition of the script available, for a look at what The Wiz originally was, I'd suggest fans pick it up.
Buy the script book on Amazon.
As the Original Cast Recording and the script book are the only items available through legitimate means, and I've talked about the Original Cast Recording before, so I'll focus on the script book. (There is a karaoke album available, I should get that eventually.)
Recently, I listened to that audio recording of the opening night of The Wiz and because it was recorded in the audience, sometimes the dialogue is muffled by applause and an enthusiastic woman shouting "Bravo!" So, I decided to listen again and follow along in the script book. Hearing actual audio would enhance my reading of the script book, while seeing the dialogue written would help my mind process what I was hearing better.
The script book is a plain affair. It was printed quite cheaply, likely so it'd be cost effective to buy them in bulk and give them to each performer in a production. In fact, that is exactly what happened to my copy, which I purchased used.
As you can see, in the production my copy had been purchased for, they decided to omit the sequence in which Dorothy and her friends encounter the Kalidah people, so it has been crossed out. When the book was offered for resale, the revision lines were erased. However, the rubbing of the eraser made parts of the text go from black to gray.
Other revisions are made as well. In the poppy field scene, some of the Lion's dialogue is reassigned to the Tinman, and probably most surprising of all is that the Wiz's story was mainly dropped (likely they inserted newly written dialogue), and later... well...
If you look closely, the word "balloon" had been crossed out and the words "space pod" had been written above it.
I recall reading in Allen Eyle's The World of Oz that the play had the Scarecrow on a billboard, the Lion was a football player, and the Wiz had a helicopter. None of these are in the script, but perhaps Mr. Eyles was going off a production he'd seen that had made these alterations.
Of course, a huge part of what made the musical work is the script's humor and the energy that the cast gave their roles. Admittedly, a lot of it is still markedly 70s humor, but there wasn't really anything I didn't understand, except for when the Lion says he's feeling like "Gunga Din." While a film and songs based on a Rudyard Kipling poem must have been somewhat popular about that time, today, they're largely forgotten.
Reading over the script book, I noticed lines missing from songs, and sometimes lyrics were different from what I remember hearing on the Original Cast Recording, or even on the bootleg audio. Perhaps it was a faulty transcription or earlier versions of the lyrics. A major difference is in "What Would I Do If I Could Feel?"
As you can see, in the script book, the Tin Man sings about meeting a baby, while in every other version I've heard or seen, he sings:
What would I do if I could reach inside of me
And know how it feels to say I like what I see?
Then I'd be more than glad to share
All that I have inside of here
And the songs my heart might bring
You'd be more than glad to sing
And if tears should fall from my eyes
Just think of all the wounds they could mend
And just think of all the time I could spend
Just being vulnerable again That does make me think that these were earlier versions of the lyrics. There's a book of the vocal and piano score which I don't own (yet) that likely has the more familiar ones.
Even though the book was designed to aid theater companies, as it is the only commercially available edition of the script available, for a look at what The Wiz originally was, I'd suggest fans pick it up.
Buy the script book on Amazon.
The Characters of Oz - The Cowardly Lion
So, Oz wasn't such a normal place at all, Dorothy found. Not only were there witches both Wicked and Good and Wizards, she was accompanied by a live Scarecrow and a man whose body was replaced by tin. So, when a lion leaped onto the road and threatened her and her friends, was it really any surprise that it could talk?
Of course, everyone expects lions to be brave and fearless, but the Lion Dorothy met revealed that he was the exception to this. He willingly called himself a coward, explaining, "whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."
He also explains how he's gotten through life: "I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared; but I just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go."
However, the thing the Lion doesn't realize (and sometimes readers miss this) is that this is what male lions actually do. The female lionesses are actually far more fierce and male lions will generally just roar at intruders and not attack unless they actually have to. Which is exactly what the Cowardly Lion does! He's just very self-conscious about this.
What makes the Lion different from the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman is that what he wants—courage—is not represented in a physical item. The Scarecrow wants a brain so he can think and store knowledge, the Tin Woodman wants a heart so he can love and be compassionate, but the Lion wants courage so he won't ever feel afraid.
However, what also makes him different is that the Lion actually realizes what his problem is. His problem wasn't that he lacked courage, he just didn't understand what courage actually was. It is not the absence of fear but the ability to face it. The Wizard tells him so after being exposed:
"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."The Lion asks for courage anyway (which the Wizard gives him in the form of a liquid which many Oz fans suspect to be liquor), but unlike the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman who place their newfound capabilities to be wise and love in their gifts, the Lion seems to have actually taken the Wizard's advice to heart. When Dorothy meets him again in Ozma of Oz, this exchange occurs:
"I am also glad to see you, Dorothy," said the Lion. "We've had some fine adventures together, haven't we?"
"Yes, indeed," she replied. "How are you?"
"As cowardly as ever," the beast answered in a meek voice. "Every little thing scares me and makes my heart beat fast."The Lion did not take part in the events of The Marvelous Land of Oz, so if he took it to heart due to experience, Baum did not record it. Whatever happened, the Lion now happily lives his life facing his fears, still identifying as the Cowardly Lion.
The Cowardly Lion holds the office of King of the Forests of Oz, and anyone familiar with how lions live know that forests are not a lion's usual habitat. Typically, they live in groups in plains. Thus, we see that lives for lions in Oz are very different from our own world as the Lion lived alone. However, one can easily say that he adopts Dorothy and her friends as his "pride" after he met them.
The Lion came to have the title of King of the Forests by defeating a monstrous spider near the end of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, showing him facing his fears once and for all. However, in Ozma of Oz and throughout the rest of the Oz books, he serves as Ozma's bodyguard with his friend the Hungry Tiger (who seems to suffer a similar delusion as the Lion, if more humorous in nature).
The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman became inseparable friends, and in a similar vein, so did the Lion and Tiger, though Baum never depicted their first meeting. (There's a theory Jack Snow put forward that many fans subscribe to, but I'll save that for the Tiger's entry.) Although some have interpreted the Lion (particularly Bert Lahr's campy interpretation) to be gay, his relationship with the Hungry Tiger does not really have such a feeling to it. They do everything together, but their relationship never goes above a close friendship level.
The Lion and Tiger do part ways in Glinda of Oz, for reasons unexplained. Perhaps the Tiger is part of an unmentioned task force governing the Emerald City while Ozma and Dorothy are trapped on the Skeezers' island. In The Royal Book of Oz, Thompson has the Lion accompany Dorothy without the Tiger, and in The Cowardly Lion of Oz, he wanders off alone, suddenly believing he lacks courage again. Thompson also gave him the nickname "Cowy" in The Enchanted Island of Oz.
The Lion is different from the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in one more way: he doesn't reveal a backstory in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He does tell about his life, but we are never told why he doesn't have a family of any sort: no mate, no cubs, no siblings or parents.
Some have come up with backstories for the Lion. Roger S. Baum's Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage has the Lion as an ex-circus lion who traveled with Oscar Diggs. This strikes me as wrong on so many levels. If the Lion is confused about things like courage, it would make more sense to me if he was a lion who had just recently reached full maturity when Dorothy met him. Others want to come up with fanciful reasons for the Lion's lack of courage, which, as I pointed out, was entirely in his mind.
However, I did come up with a backstory about the Cowardly Lion myself. I won't go into the details, because I wrote it as a short story that will be appearing in Oziana this year. While my view of Oz is still based on the entire series, I mainly wrote the story to dovetail with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz so that if you read my story and then Baum's original book, a character arc becomes clear. I also did research about real lions, but wound up having to mainly ignore that as it is clear that Oz lions live quite differently. Still, there are some elements from fact that found their way in. I hope people will enjoy the story, and the amazing illustrations that will accompany it.
Overall, with some anthropomorphizing, the Cowardly Lion of Oz is really one of the first very solidly written characters in the Oz series, and was really much more like real lions than many other literary lions. (Just, don't put him next to Aslan. That really isn't fair to either of them!)
Of course, everyone expects lions to be brave and fearless, but the Lion Dorothy met revealed that he was the exception to this. He willingly called himself a coward, explaining, "whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."
He also explains how he's gotten through life: "I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way. Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared; but I just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go."
However, the thing the Lion doesn't realize (and sometimes readers miss this) is that this is what male lions actually do. The female lionesses are actually far more fierce and male lions will generally just roar at intruders and not attack unless they actually have to. Which is exactly what the Cowardly Lion does! He's just very self-conscious about this.
What makes the Lion different from the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman is that what he wants—courage—is not represented in a physical item. The Scarecrow wants a brain so he can think and store knowledge, the Tin Woodman wants a heart so he can love and be compassionate, but the Lion wants courage so he won't ever feel afraid.
However, what also makes him different is that the Lion actually realizes what his problem is. His problem wasn't that he lacked courage, he just didn't understand what courage actually was. It is not the absence of fear but the ability to face it. The Wizard tells him so after being exposed:
"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."The Lion asks for courage anyway (which the Wizard gives him in the form of a liquid which many Oz fans suspect to be liquor), but unlike the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman who place their newfound capabilities to be wise and love in their gifts, the Lion seems to have actually taken the Wizard's advice to heart. When Dorothy meets him again in Ozma of Oz, this exchange occurs:
"I am also glad to see you, Dorothy," said the Lion. "We've had some fine adventures together, haven't we?"
"Yes, indeed," she replied. "How are you?"
"As cowardly as ever," the beast answered in a meek voice. "Every little thing scares me and makes my heart beat fast."The Lion did not take part in the events of The Marvelous Land of Oz, so if he took it to heart due to experience, Baum did not record it. Whatever happened, the Lion now happily lives his life facing his fears, still identifying as the Cowardly Lion.
The Cowardly Lion holds the office of King of the Forests of Oz, and anyone familiar with how lions live know that forests are not a lion's usual habitat. Typically, they live in groups in plains. Thus, we see that lives for lions in Oz are very different from our own world as the Lion lived alone. However, one can easily say that he adopts Dorothy and her friends as his "pride" after he met them.
The Lion came to have the title of King of the Forests by defeating a monstrous spider near the end of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, showing him facing his fears once and for all. However, in Ozma of Oz and throughout the rest of the Oz books, he serves as Ozma's bodyguard with his friend the Hungry Tiger (who seems to suffer a similar delusion as the Lion, if more humorous in nature).
The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman became inseparable friends, and in a similar vein, so did the Lion and Tiger, though Baum never depicted their first meeting. (There's a theory Jack Snow put forward that many fans subscribe to, but I'll save that for the Tiger's entry.) Although some have interpreted the Lion (particularly Bert Lahr's campy interpretation) to be gay, his relationship with the Hungry Tiger does not really have such a feeling to it. They do everything together, but their relationship never goes above a close friendship level.
The Lion and Tiger do part ways in Glinda of Oz, for reasons unexplained. Perhaps the Tiger is part of an unmentioned task force governing the Emerald City while Ozma and Dorothy are trapped on the Skeezers' island. In The Royal Book of Oz, Thompson has the Lion accompany Dorothy without the Tiger, and in The Cowardly Lion of Oz, he wanders off alone, suddenly believing he lacks courage again. Thompson also gave him the nickname "Cowy" in The Enchanted Island of Oz.
The Lion is different from the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman in one more way: he doesn't reveal a backstory in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He does tell about his life, but we are never told why he doesn't have a family of any sort: no mate, no cubs, no siblings or parents.
Some have come up with backstories for the Lion. Roger S. Baum's Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage has the Lion as an ex-circus lion who traveled with Oscar Diggs. This strikes me as wrong on so many levels. If the Lion is confused about things like courage, it would make more sense to me if he was a lion who had just recently reached full maturity when Dorothy met him. Others want to come up with fanciful reasons for the Lion's lack of courage, which, as I pointed out, was entirely in his mind.
However, I did come up with a backstory about the Cowardly Lion myself. I won't go into the details, because I wrote it as a short story that will be appearing in Oziana this year. While my view of Oz is still based on the entire series, I mainly wrote the story to dovetail with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz so that if you read my story and then Baum's original book, a character arc becomes clear. I also did research about real lions, but wound up having to mainly ignore that as it is clear that Oz lions live quite differently. Still, there are some elements from fact that found their way in. I hope people will enjoy the story, and the amazing illustrations that will accompany it.
Overall, with some anthropomorphizing, the Cowardly Lion of Oz is really one of the first very solidly written characters in the Oz series, and was really much more like real lions than many other literary lions. (Just, don't put him next to Aslan. That really isn't fair to either of them!)
Hard Road
This was one of several books that I'd brought to the first Winkie Con swap meet, and when Eric Gjovaag saw it, he literally started gushing about it. When I came across another copy of it, I decided to keep it to read later.
Well, it actually sat in a plastic tub for quite a few months, but remembering it and needing something to read, I went ahead and grabbed it.
Taking a look inside, I knew this was a book I needed to read from the front all the way to the back. The author ensures us that she's an Oz fan, having picked up the love from her father. In turn, she passed it to her son, who provides an essay on the concept of evil in the Oz books at the end of the book.
Hard Road is a book in the Cat Marsala Mystery series, and is the only one I've read. Thus, I was jumping into a series that had already established itself. Fortunately, the author doesn't leave newcomers clueless. Rather like the Oz books, relevant details from previous books are revealed in a matter of fact fashion.
The story finds Cat in her hometown of Chicago, where she is enjoying the Grant Park Oz Festival with her nephew Jeremy. Turns out, this detective and her nephew are huge fans of the Oz books. However tragedy strikes when another fan of the Oz books who helped run the Festival is mysteriously stabbed and dies. And it looks as if the killer is... Cat's brother?
But suddenly, shots take the life of one of Cat's dear friends, and soon, attempt for either Cat or Jeremy! They race underground to get to safety, reminding Cat of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Will she and Jeremy get back out alive, and furthermore, can they find the killer, or will he try to find them?
Although I had some qualms about the writing style (many times, sentences begin with "___ said,"), I fully enjoyed this one. Barbara D'Amato writes with an active style, drawing the reader in. I was really excited to read the next part.
D'Amato has a couple Oz factual errors. One is the surprisingly common misconception that any part of The Royal Book of Oz was by Baum. The other might be intentional, as it appears in a print article Cat reads: that Baum wrote thirteen Oz books. However, fun for Baum buffs is spotting where she takes names from people in Baum's life with a few twists.
Her son Brian D'Amato's essay The Wooden Gargoyles: Evil in Oz focuses on a variety of Baum's works (though he only ever references the Oz books, Tamawaca Folks, Dot and Tot of Merryland and those unfortunate editorials about the Sioux) to point out how Oz is not quite the sanitized Utopia some critics claim it is. Given he goes so far as to mention wooden Indians when making comparisons between the Wooden Gargoyles to the Sioux, I found it grating that the appearance of a live wooden Indian in John Dough and the Cherub was not mentioned at all. While Brian wrote very well, I felt that Baum was being painted in quite the wrong color, and certainly familiarity with more of Baum's work would have helped.
At the end of the book, there is a surprise in a 20 question Oz quiz. I did solve the questions easily enough, though a couple about the MGM film did have slightly inaccurate wordings: again, it is repeated that Shirley Temple was being considered for the role of Dorothy (they only considered her briefly due to popular demand and decided she wasn't their Dorothy), and it asks how the Kansas scenes were filmed, the correct answer being given as sepia. The actual truth was that the Kansas scenes were filmed in black and white, processed as sepia, and then until 1989, most TV airings, VHS releases and theatrical reissues showed those scenes in black and white.
Anyway, Hard Road can be recommended for a great Oz-themed read, as well as an essay featuring a viewpoint on Oz worthy of consideration, and a fun little quiz.
Well, it actually sat in a plastic tub for quite a few months, but remembering it and needing something to read, I went ahead and grabbed it.
Taking a look inside, I knew this was a book I needed to read from the front all the way to the back. The author ensures us that she's an Oz fan, having picked up the love from her father. In turn, she passed it to her son, who provides an essay on the concept of evil in the Oz books at the end of the book.
Hard Road is a book in the Cat Marsala Mystery series, and is the only one I've read. Thus, I was jumping into a series that had already established itself. Fortunately, the author doesn't leave newcomers clueless. Rather like the Oz books, relevant details from previous books are revealed in a matter of fact fashion.
The story finds Cat in her hometown of Chicago, where she is enjoying the Grant Park Oz Festival with her nephew Jeremy. Turns out, this detective and her nephew are huge fans of the Oz books. However tragedy strikes when another fan of the Oz books who helped run the Festival is mysteriously stabbed and dies. And it looks as if the killer is... Cat's brother?
But suddenly, shots take the life of one of Cat's dear friends, and soon, attempt for either Cat or Jeremy! They race underground to get to safety, reminding Cat of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Will she and Jeremy get back out alive, and furthermore, can they find the killer, or will he try to find them?
Although I had some qualms about the writing style (many times, sentences begin with "___ said,"), I fully enjoyed this one. Barbara D'Amato writes with an active style, drawing the reader in. I was really excited to read the next part.
D'Amato has a couple Oz factual errors. One is the surprisingly common misconception that any part of The Royal Book of Oz was by Baum. The other might be intentional, as it appears in a print article Cat reads: that Baum wrote thirteen Oz books. However, fun for Baum buffs is spotting where she takes names from people in Baum's life with a few twists.
Her son Brian D'Amato's essay The Wooden Gargoyles: Evil in Oz focuses on a variety of Baum's works (though he only ever references the Oz books, Tamawaca Folks, Dot and Tot of Merryland and those unfortunate editorials about the Sioux) to point out how Oz is not quite the sanitized Utopia some critics claim it is. Given he goes so far as to mention wooden Indians when making comparisons between the Wooden Gargoyles to the Sioux, I found it grating that the appearance of a live wooden Indian in John Dough and the Cherub was not mentioned at all. While Brian wrote very well, I felt that Baum was being painted in quite the wrong color, and certainly familiarity with more of Baum's work would have helped.
At the end of the book, there is a surprise in a 20 question Oz quiz. I did solve the questions easily enough, though a couple about the MGM film did have slightly inaccurate wordings: again, it is repeated that Shirley Temple was being considered for the role of Dorothy (they only considered her briefly due to popular demand and decided she wasn't their Dorothy), and it asks how the Kansas scenes were filmed, the correct answer being given as sepia. The actual truth was that the Kansas scenes were filmed in black and white, processed as sepia, and then until 1989, most TV airings, VHS releases and theatrical reissues showed those scenes in black and white.
Anyway, Hard Road can be recommended for a great Oz-themed read, as well as an essay featuring a viewpoint on Oz worthy of consideration, and a fun little quiz.
'L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' Gets A New Trailer
L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which has recently been picked up for distribution by Fantastic Films International LLC, has a brand new trailer! This is actually the first trailer with completed footage from the film, and we see all different parts of the movie here.
For those not in-the-know, I have two tiny voice-over roles in this movie, so that is one more reason that you should watch it!
For those not in-the-know, I have two tiny voice-over roles in this movie, so that is one more reason that you should watch it!
The Royal Podcast of Oz: Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse
To celebrate L. Frank Baum's birthday, the Royal Podcast of Oz presents "Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse" from Little Wizard Stories of Oz. Featuring Mike Conway as the narrator and the Sawhorse, Sam Milazzo as the little boy and the Squirrel King, Kim McFarland as Ozma, Doug Wall as the Wizard, and Jared Davis as Jack Pumpkinhead.
As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site, or use the player below.
Podcast Powered By Podbean
And here's our previous L. Frank Baum birthday specials!
The Littlest Giant: An Oz Story and The Box of Robbers short film
Tik-Tok and the Nome King
Aunt 'Phroney's Boy
Readings from the Oz books by Oz fans
As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site, or use the player below.
Podcast Powered By Podbean
And here's our previous L. Frank Baum birthday specials!
The Littlest Giant: An Oz Story and The Box of Robbers short film
Tik-Tok and the Nome King
Aunt 'Phroney's Boy
Readings from the Oz books by Oz fans
Some new Oz merchandise
I'm very pleased to say that Colonial Radio Theater will be releasing all six of their Oz dramatizations in one package at a very affordable price next month. I was sent a couple CDs to review, and bought The Emerald City of Oz, but I went ahead and preordered this set. At about $17, it costs less than buying two sets individually, so it's a really good deal! And if you want to get it purely digital, you can knock off $3. As I've said, these are some of the best Oz adaptations out there period, and with The Patchwork Girl of Oz expected to be recorded this summer, it's a good way to catch up on the collection. (I also like this cover art better than the individual sets, except for The Emerald City of Oz.) The set is released June 28.
Also, we mentioned that Oz the Great and Powerful will be released on home video in four physical editions June 11th. Due to the outcry against a 3D Blu-Ray solo release, Disney will be offering buyers of that edition to send off for a regular Blu-Ray for $6. This means that if you want all three disc versions, you'll have to buy the 3D Blu-Ray and the DVD and send off for the Blu-Ray. Disney will likely use this title to decide if they should do more 3D Blu-Ray solo releases in the future or continue with combo packs. (And if you really want to save, wait for sales or used copies.)
Also, while Warner Brothers has yet to release a press release for their new editions of MGM's The Wizard of Oz, rumor has it that this will be a new print. And thanks to a press release our friend Ryan Jay shared about a new John Fricke book, we have a release date of October 1st announced. That means you have time to save up for the big box release.
And speaking of that new John Fricke book... It's called The Wonderful World of Oz: An Illustrated History of the American Classic. The book's press release says: "The deluxe pictorial chronologically travels through more than eleven decades of Oz books, productions, and memorabilia." John Fricke, being a former International Wizard of Oz Club president and editor of The Baum Bugle, knows Oz quite well (finding his 100 Years of Oz at a bookstore helped get me back to Oz after the first time I read Wicked), so we can likely expect quite a good book here. The press release says it will be published October 1st, but Amazon is saying October 7th.
Other Oz books are expected soon. Chris Dulabone will be releasing a new book soon, I hear, and Marcus Mebes expects to release the third volume of The Royal Explorers of Oz this summer.
All images are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect the final products offered for sale.
Also, we mentioned that Oz the Great and Powerful will be released on home video in four physical editions June 11th. Due to the outcry against a 3D Blu-Ray solo release, Disney will be offering buyers of that edition to send off for a regular Blu-Ray for $6. This means that if you want all three disc versions, you'll have to buy the 3D Blu-Ray and the DVD and send off for the Blu-Ray. Disney will likely use this title to decide if they should do more 3D Blu-Ray solo releases in the future or continue with combo packs. (And if you really want to save, wait for sales or used copies.)
Also, while Warner Brothers has yet to release a press release for their new editions of MGM's The Wizard of Oz, rumor has it that this will be a new print. And thanks to a press release our friend Ryan Jay shared about a new John Fricke book, we have a release date of October 1st announced. That means you have time to save up for the big box release.
And speaking of that new John Fricke book... It's called The Wonderful World of Oz: An Illustrated History of the American Classic. The book's press release says: "The deluxe pictorial chronologically travels through more than eleven decades of Oz books, productions, and memorabilia." John Fricke, being a former International Wizard of Oz Club president and editor of The Baum Bugle, knows Oz quite well (finding his 100 Years of Oz at a bookstore helped get me back to Oz after the first time I read Wicked), so we can likely expect quite a good book here. The press release says it will be published October 1st, but Amazon is saying October 7th.
Other Oz books are expected soon. Chris Dulabone will be releasing a new book soon, I hear, and Marcus Mebes expects to release the third volume of The Royal Explorers of Oz this summer.
All images are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect the final products offered for sale.
The Characters of Oz - Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman
Of the three friends Dorothy met on the Yellow Brick Road, the most relatable was the Tin Woodman. While we could relate to all three, what set this one apart was that he was once human. The Scarecrow was not human, while the Cowardly Lion was an animal.
The Tin Woodman quickly makes his past clear: he was once a woodcutter named Nick Chopper. His name was not revealed until The Marvelous Land of Oz, and it came from the original musical extravaganza version of The Wizard of Oz, in which he was named Niccolo Chopper. In his own words, after his parents died, "I made up my mind that instead of living alone I would marry, so that I might not become lonely."
He was engaged to a Munchkin girl that The Tin Woodman of Oz reveals to be named Nimmie Amee. The two accounts in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Tin Woodman of Oz differ: Wizard tells us that Nimmie lived with an old woman who didn't want Nimmie to marry Nick, so she went to the Wicked Witch of the East and paid to have the marriage stopped. Tin Woodman simplifies it by having Nimmie as the slave of the Wicked Witch of the East who didn't want to lose her.
In both books, generally the same thing happens (though the two accounts differ in details): the Wicked Witch enchanted Nick's axe so it cut off parts of him. But each time this happened, he saw Ku-Klip the tinsmith who made a replacement part for him out of tin. This continued until his body was entirely replaced with tin. Now having no heart, he believed he no longer had the capacity to love.
Eventually, he got caught in the rain while chopping a tree and rusted stiff and stood there until Dorothy and the Scarecrow found him. (Never mind that tin doesn't actually rust...) The Wizard later presented him with a plush heart, although it was already clear that he could love without one. Again, he takes the placebo.
The people of the Winkie Country became fond of the Tin Woodman and invited him to be their ruler. In The Marvelous Land of Oz, he has become their Emperor and has had himself nickel-plated. In Ozma of Oz, he serves as the chief commander of Ozma's army, while in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, he defends Eureka when it is believed that she killed Ozma's piglet. In The Emerald City of Oz, he tries to be proactive in helping Ozma. In The Patchwork Girl of Oz, he refuses to sacrifice a yellow butterfly to revive Unc Nunkie and Margolotte. In The Lost Princess of Oz, he and the Scarecrow have their own search for Ozma, finding the magic dishpan.
The book The Tin Woodman of Oz calls many things about the character into question, and modern readers have more conclusions than ever. Why didn't the Tin Woodman go find Nimmie Amee after he got his heart? The answer is that he got a "kind" heart, not a "loving" heart. Or is it? Who's been almost constantly at the Tin Woodman's side all along?
The first American Fairy Tale Bromance? That's right, the Scarecrow! Seeing as both of these characters identify as male, some fans have ventured to call them Oz's premiere gay couple. Although I find this fun, I do have an alternate viewpoint. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are not exactly human in their construction. As such, their bodies do not contain hormones, endorphins, chromosomes, or genitals. Thus, the relationships they form might mimic those of regular relationships, but their relationships might be of a different non-human nature entirely.
Complicating this is how smitten the Scarecrow appears to be with Scraps when she arrives on the scene, and then in The Runaway in Oz, Scraps becomes devoted to Popla, a shrub.
But further complicating the matter is that the Tin Woodman was human. Perhaps this is why these non-human people's relationships mimic human relationships? And if he has this understanding, why is he in such a close relationship with another male when he was in one with a woman? Perhaps Nick Chopper was a closeted gay man or bisexual? I mean, he loved Nimmie Amee, right?
Well, did he? After all, in Tin Woodman, he says he was in love with her, but in Wonderful Wizard, he said that he would marry so he would not be lonely. He found a likely desperate girl who was made to work for someone else. Such an arrangement would seem quite agreeable to both people.
And then, as readers of Tin Woodman know, she eventually married a man made of parts of Nick Chopper's human body and that of Captain Fyter, another tin man who had very much the same experience as Nick. After the Tin Woodman can takes all of this in, he gladly accepts this turn of events and goes home with "his chosen comrade," the Scarecrow. He even goes so far as to say "I'm not sure the Winkies would care to have an Empress."
"Wives. Who needs 'em?"Whatever this means for the character is open for individual interpretation. But The Tin Woodman of Oz makes a further suggestion about the character.
During the book, the Tin Woodman finds his old human head still alive in a cabinet in Ku-Klip's shop. It appears to have a very different attitude from himself, posing this question: has either the old head or the Tin Woodman changed in nature since he became tin? The head has been in a cabinet for years, and that's enough to make anyone disagreeable. On the other hand, no one can deny that the Tin Woodman's experiences could have changed him. Which is the real Nick Chopper? The head in the cabinet or the Tin Woodman?
Will the real Nick Chopper please stand up?
"Oh, not cool..."
"Toodles!"So, maybe we feel the need for love like the Tin Woodman, but when you really look at the character, he gets really complicated.
The Tin Woodman quickly makes his past clear: he was once a woodcutter named Nick Chopper. His name was not revealed until The Marvelous Land of Oz, and it came from the original musical extravaganza version of The Wizard of Oz, in which he was named Niccolo Chopper. In his own words, after his parents died, "I made up my mind that instead of living alone I would marry, so that I might not become lonely."
He was engaged to a Munchkin girl that The Tin Woodman of Oz reveals to be named Nimmie Amee. The two accounts in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Tin Woodman of Oz differ: Wizard tells us that Nimmie lived with an old woman who didn't want Nimmie to marry Nick, so she went to the Wicked Witch of the East and paid to have the marriage stopped. Tin Woodman simplifies it by having Nimmie as the slave of the Wicked Witch of the East who didn't want to lose her.
In both books, generally the same thing happens (though the two accounts differ in details): the Wicked Witch enchanted Nick's axe so it cut off parts of him. But each time this happened, he saw Ku-Klip the tinsmith who made a replacement part for him out of tin. This continued until his body was entirely replaced with tin. Now having no heart, he believed he no longer had the capacity to love.
Eventually, he got caught in the rain while chopping a tree and rusted stiff and stood there until Dorothy and the Scarecrow found him. (Never mind that tin doesn't actually rust...) The Wizard later presented him with a plush heart, although it was already clear that he could love without one. Again, he takes the placebo.
The people of the Winkie Country became fond of the Tin Woodman and invited him to be their ruler. In The Marvelous Land of Oz, he has become their Emperor and has had himself nickel-plated. In Ozma of Oz, he serves as the chief commander of Ozma's army, while in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, he defends Eureka when it is believed that she killed Ozma's piglet. In The Emerald City of Oz, he tries to be proactive in helping Ozma. In The Patchwork Girl of Oz, he refuses to sacrifice a yellow butterfly to revive Unc Nunkie and Margolotte. In The Lost Princess of Oz, he and the Scarecrow have their own search for Ozma, finding the magic dishpan.
The book The Tin Woodman of Oz calls many things about the character into question, and modern readers have more conclusions than ever. Why didn't the Tin Woodman go find Nimmie Amee after he got his heart? The answer is that he got a "kind" heart, not a "loving" heart. Or is it? Who's been almost constantly at the Tin Woodman's side all along?
The first American Fairy Tale Bromance? That's right, the Scarecrow! Seeing as both of these characters identify as male, some fans have ventured to call them Oz's premiere gay couple. Although I find this fun, I do have an alternate viewpoint. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are not exactly human in their construction. As such, their bodies do not contain hormones, endorphins, chromosomes, or genitals. Thus, the relationships they form might mimic those of regular relationships, but their relationships might be of a different non-human nature entirely.
Complicating this is how smitten the Scarecrow appears to be with Scraps when she arrives on the scene, and then in The Runaway in Oz, Scraps becomes devoted to Popla, a shrub.
But further complicating the matter is that the Tin Woodman was human. Perhaps this is why these non-human people's relationships mimic human relationships? And if he has this understanding, why is he in such a close relationship with another male when he was in one with a woman? Perhaps Nick Chopper was a closeted gay man or bisexual? I mean, he loved Nimmie Amee, right?
Well, did he? After all, in Tin Woodman, he says he was in love with her, but in Wonderful Wizard, he said that he would marry so he would not be lonely. He found a likely desperate girl who was made to work for someone else. Such an arrangement would seem quite agreeable to both people.
And then, as readers of Tin Woodman know, she eventually married a man made of parts of Nick Chopper's human body and that of Captain Fyter, another tin man who had very much the same experience as Nick. After the Tin Woodman can takes all of this in, he gladly accepts this turn of events and goes home with "his chosen comrade," the Scarecrow. He even goes so far as to say "I'm not sure the Winkies would care to have an Empress."
"Wives. Who needs 'em?"Whatever this means for the character is open for individual interpretation. But The Tin Woodman of Oz makes a further suggestion about the character.
During the book, the Tin Woodman finds his old human head still alive in a cabinet in Ku-Klip's shop. It appears to have a very different attitude from himself, posing this question: has either the old head or the Tin Woodman changed in nature since he became tin? The head has been in a cabinet for years, and that's enough to make anyone disagreeable. On the other hand, no one can deny that the Tin Woodman's experiences could have changed him. Which is the real Nick Chopper? The head in the cabinet or the Tin Woodman?
Will the real Nick Chopper please stand up?
"Oh, not cool..."
"Toodles!"So, maybe we feel the need for love like the Tin Woodman, but when you really look at the character, he gets really complicated.
The Characters of Oz - The Scarecrow
This post contains spoilers for The Royal Book of Oz.As Dorothy set off down the yellow brick road, aside from the existence of witches and wizards, Oz seemed like a pretty normal place. Then she noticed a Scarecrow in a cornfield that winked at her, and Oz would never, ever be just a pretty normal place again.
Made of old clothes and a burlap sack and stuffed with straw, the Scarecrow managed to go from creepy to endearing with his gentle nature and his earnest desire to have a brain so he could think and store knowledge.
Of course, the message Baum sends is that the Scarecrow didn't need a brain to think, he just believed he did because he didn't have one. The pins and bran that the Wizard gave him were nothing but a placebo to keep him happy.
Throughout the Oz books, the Scarecrow goes from having the intelligence of a child to being the King of Oz, to being a respected gentleman who lives in the Winkie Country who sometimes heads out on adventures when not visiting the Emerald City or his dear friend the Tin Woodman.
While W.W. Denslow and John R. Neill both had their own styles (Neill's evolving over time), they generally maintained the same design for the Scarecrow: a pointed Munchkin hat (with no bells, presumably the bells were removed to use on another hat), a burlap sack with a painted face for a head, gloves for hands, boots, and pants and button-up shirt. Perhaps one of the reasons why the Scarecrow couldn't scare crows is because he just looks too charming!
Which brings us to a point: his kind appearance is part of what makes him who he is. This is something that people sometimes forget when they decide to redesign the character and make him look menacing: that's not him!
However, the big thing about the Scarecrow is we are never told exactly how he came to life. He mentions that he was able to see and hear as soon as his eyes and ears were painted on, so presumably, he's always been alive. But how? Baum doesn't explicitly answer in his books. In a story from Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, the Scarecrow retells his origin story and says:
"You must know, my dears, that in the Land of Oz everything has life that can become of any use by living. Now, I do not know of what use a live Scarecrow can be unless he serves to amuse children; but it is a fact that, as soon as the farmer had stuffed me into the shape of a man, and made me a head by using this excellent cotton sack, I began to realize that I was a part of the big world and had come to life."In the silent film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, written by Baum, cornfield spirits (or fairies, more likely) bring the Scarecrow to life after he is created.
When the Powder of Life was introduced, some fans began to theorize that somehow some of the magic powder made its way to the Scarecrow and brought him to life. Another explanation has been that, like the original musical extravaganza, Dorothy brought him to life unwittingly. While Baum doesn't mention that she wanted a friend, readers presume that she wished she did and the Silver Shoes brought the Scarecrow to life and his pre-life memories were a side effect of that.
Apparently, one Oz fan who noticed that this critical element was missing from the Scarecrow's origin was Ruth Plumly Thompson, and she decided to offer her own explanation in her first Oz book, The Royal Book of Oz.
In the story, the Scarecrow goes back to the cornfield he came from and finds the pole Dorothy found him on. He winds up sliding down it to the underground Silver Islands where he is hailed as the reincarnated Emperor Chang Wang Woe.
It is eventually explained that the Emperor was transformed into a crocus (a flower), and after three days, it became beanpole that grew out of the Silver Islands into the Land of Oz. An accompanying parchment read "Into the first being who touches this magic pole—on the other side of the world—the spirit of Emperor Chang Wang Woe will enter. And fifty years from this day, he will return—to save his people."
Throughout the rest of Thompson's books, this is maintained as the Scarecrow's origin, though I can only specifically recall it being referred to in The Giant Horse of Oz. The other writers of the Famous Forty did not return to this topic.
The thing I don't buy is that the Scarecrow doesn't seem to have the memories or personality of the old Emperor. All this did was bring him to life. Or did it? After all, the parchment said that the first "being" who touched the magic pole would have the Emperor's spirit enter it. A being, as a noun, is generally considered to be a living thing. We are not told that it would bring to life a non-living thing. Thus, we may assume that Chang Wang Woe is, for all intents and purposes, dead.
Or is he? After all, Thompson says that the bean pole sprouted 50 years before the events of Royal Book. Presumably, the Scarecrow has existed for no more than the last twenty of those years. Are you going to tell me that that bean pole went untouched for thirty years when it was in a farmer's cornfield?
So, this brings me to an abandoned Oz story that happened during the writing of Outsiders from Oz. In the original version of that book, the story focused only on the Wizard and Button-Bright while Ozma, we were told, went off to do something else. I decided it might be fun to explain what exactly she did, and the Scarecrow would go with her.
She would meet two feuding farmers, and discover that one of them has actually had the spirit of Chang Wang Woe in him as well, creating two personalities sharing one body. Rather than treat it as a disorder, the man has actually found ways to have two personalities work in his favor, though everyone assumes he's talking to himself all the time.
My editor suggested I tell Ozma's story in tandem with Button-Bright and the Wizard, and in the final book, all that is left of that plot is Ozma taking the Red Wagon and leaving the Emerald City. Perhaps it will be told someday.
"Back on topic, Jared. This is really getting confusing."
Whether or not the Scarecrow has some of Chang Wang Woe, I think all I've pointed out is that this still does not explain why the Scarecrow is alive. There are many stories that do go back and have the Scarecrow sprinkled with the Powder of Life, but probably one of the best of these is "Cryptic Conversations in a Cornfield," a short story by Jeff Rester that appeared in Oziana 2011.
All we know is that despite how he came to life, the Scarecrow created his own personality (something even Thompson makes clear), made his own friends, and thought his own thoughts. No matter what he was or wasn't, he's the Scarecrow, the most popular man in all the Land of Oz.
Made of old clothes and a burlap sack and stuffed with straw, the Scarecrow managed to go from creepy to endearing with his gentle nature and his earnest desire to have a brain so he could think and store knowledge.
Of course, the message Baum sends is that the Scarecrow didn't need a brain to think, he just believed he did because he didn't have one. The pins and bran that the Wizard gave him were nothing but a placebo to keep him happy.
Throughout the Oz books, the Scarecrow goes from having the intelligence of a child to being the King of Oz, to being a respected gentleman who lives in the Winkie Country who sometimes heads out on adventures when not visiting the Emerald City or his dear friend the Tin Woodman.
While W.W. Denslow and John R. Neill both had their own styles (Neill's evolving over time), they generally maintained the same design for the Scarecrow: a pointed Munchkin hat (with no bells, presumably the bells were removed to use on another hat), a burlap sack with a painted face for a head, gloves for hands, boots, and pants and button-up shirt. Perhaps one of the reasons why the Scarecrow couldn't scare crows is because he just looks too charming!
Which brings us to a point: his kind appearance is part of what makes him who he is. This is something that people sometimes forget when they decide to redesign the character and make him look menacing: that's not him!
However, the big thing about the Scarecrow is we are never told exactly how he came to life. He mentions that he was able to see and hear as soon as his eyes and ears were painted on, so presumably, he's always been alive. But how? Baum doesn't explicitly answer in his books. In a story from Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, the Scarecrow retells his origin story and says:
"You must know, my dears, that in the Land of Oz everything has life that can become of any use by living. Now, I do not know of what use a live Scarecrow can be unless he serves to amuse children; but it is a fact that, as soon as the farmer had stuffed me into the shape of a man, and made me a head by using this excellent cotton sack, I began to realize that I was a part of the big world and had come to life."In the silent film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, written by Baum, cornfield spirits (or fairies, more likely) bring the Scarecrow to life after he is created.
When the Powder of Life was introduced, some fans began to theorize that somehow some of the magic powder made its way to the Scarecrow and brought him to life. Another explanation has been that, like the original musical extravaganza, Dorothy brought him to life unwittingly. While Baum doesn't mention that she wanted a friend, readers presume that she wished she did and the Silver Shoes brought the Scarecrow to life and his pre-life memories were a side effect of that.
Apparently, one Oz fan who noticed that this critical element was missing from the Scarecrow's origin was Ruth Plumly Thompson, and she decided to offer her own explanation in her first Oz book, The Royal Book of Oz.
In the story, the Scarecrow goes back to the cornfield he came from and finds the pole Dorothy found him on. He winds up sliding down it to the underground Silver Islands where he is hailed as the reincarnated Emperor Chang Wang Woe.
It is eventually explained that the Emperor was transformed into a crocus (a flower), and after three days, it became beanpole that grew out of the Silver Islands into the Land of Oz. An accompanying parchment read "Into the first being who touches this magic pole—on the other side of the world—the spirit of Emperor Chang Wang Woe will enter. And fifty years from this day, he will return—to save his people."
Throughout the rest of Thompson's books, this is maintained as the Scarecrow's origin, though I can only specifically recall it being referred to in The Giant Horse of Oz. The other writers of the Famous Forty did not return to this topic.
The thing I don't buy is that the Scarecrow doesn't seem to have the memories or personality of the old Emperor. All this did was bring him to life. Or did it? After all, the parchment said that the first "being" who touched the magic pole would have the Emperor's spirit enter it. A being, as a noun, is generally considered to be a living thing. We are not told that it would bring to life a non-living thing. Thus, we may assume that Chang Wang Woe is, for all intents and purposes, dead.
Or is he? After all, Thompson says that the bean pole sprouted 50 years before the events of Royal Book. Presumably, the Scarecrow has existed for no more than the last twenty of those years. Are you going to tell me that that bean pole went untouched for thirty years when it was in a farmer's cornfield?
So, this brings me to an abandoned Oz story that happened during the writing of Outsiders from Oz. In the original version of that book, the story focused only on the Wizard and Button-Bright while Ozma, we were told, went off to do something else. I decided it might be fun to explain what exactly she did, and the Scarecrow would go with her.
She would meet two feuding farmers, and discover that one of them has actually had the spirit of Chang Wang Woe in him as well, creating two personalities sharing one body. Rather than treat it as a disorder, the man has actually found ways to have two personalities work in his favor, though everyone assumes he's talking to himself all the time.
My editor suggested I tell Ozma's story in tandem with Button-Bright and the Wizard, and in the final book, all that is left of that plot is Ozma taking the Red Wagon and leaving the Emerald City. Perhaps it will be told someday.
"Back on topic, Jared. This is really getting confusing."
Whether or not the Scarecrow has some of Chang Wang Woe, I think all I've pointed out is that this still does not explain why the Scarecrow is alive. There are many stories that do go back and have the Scarecrow sprinkled with the Powder of Life, but probably one of the best of these is "Cryptic Conversations in a Cornfield," a short story by Jeff Rester that appeared in Oziana 2011.
All we know is that despite how he came to life, the Scarecrow created his own personality (something even Thompson makes clear), made his own friends, and thought his own thoughts. No matter what he was or wasn't, he's the Scarecrow, the most popular man in all the Land of Oz.
The Characters of Oz - The Munchkins
The first inhabitants of Oz that we meet in the Oz book are called the Munchkins. As becomes clear through the books, the Munchkins are not a race, this is the collective name for the people who live in the east quadrant of Oz. As such, there appears to be some variance among them.
In their first appearance, we meet three old Munchkin men, who seem to be diminutive in stature:
They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
Three were men and ... were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue... The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. Baum decided to define each of the cultures of the sections of Oz by color. The Munchkins prefer blue in their dress and decoration. It also appears that blue flowers grow in the Munchkin country. Depending on the interpretation at the time, Munchkins may have blue-tinted skin, and sometimes even the ground or grass might be blue.
Personally, I stick with the color of clothing, decor and flora.
The Munchkins appear to be be mainly farmers, though there are also woodmen and at least one tinsmith among them, as well as the quirky countries Ruth Plumly Thompson introduced.
W.W. Denslow drew all the Munchkins as diminutive people, and then he appears to draw all the other people of Oz at about the same height. When John R. Neill took over as illustrator, there was more variance in height in Oz. However, he didn't draw the Munchkins until The Patchwork Girl of Oz when he presents Ojo and Unc Nunkie as normal-sized people. I personally prefer this look of diversity for Oz. Perhaps the first ones that Dorothy met were very short, but not all of the Munchkins are that short.
Of course, when the MGM film created their Munchkins, they based their look partly on the Dainty China Country and had all of the Munchkins played by little people and a few children. These diminutive Munchkins were so charming that "Munchkin" has become slang for little people or children. Similarly sized Munchkins have made their way into Disney's Return to Oz and Oz the Great and Powerful.
Still, I prefer the idea that Munchkins could be three feet high or six feet high. The only thing that makes them Munchkins is that they live in the east part of Oz.
The Munchkins have different names as well. The names we were given by Baum were Boq, Nimee Amee, Ojo, Unc Nunkie, Bini Aru and Kiki Aru.
In their first appearance, we meet three old Munchkin men, who seem to be diminutive in stature:
They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
Three were men and ... were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue... The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well-polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. Baum decided to define each of the cultures of the sections of Oz by color. The Munchkins prefer blue in their dress and decoration. It also appears that blue flowers grow in the Munchkin country. Depending on the interpretation at the time, Munchkins may have blue-tinted skin, and sometimes even the ground or grass might be blue.
Personally, I stick with the color of clothing, decor and flora.
The Munchkins appear to be be mainly farmers, though there are also woodmen and at least one tinsmith among them, as well as the quirky countries Ruth Plumly Thompson introduced.
W.W. Denslow drew all the Munchkins as diminutive people, and then he appears to draw all the other people of Oz at about the same height. When John R. Neill took over as illustrator, there was more variance in height in Oz. However, he didn't draw the Munchkins until The Patchwork Girl of Oz when he presents Ojo and Unc Nunkie as normal-sized people. I personally prefer this look of diversity for Oz. Perhaps the first ones that Dorothy met were very short, but not all of the Munchkins are that short.
Of course, when the MGM film created their Munchkins, they based their look partly on the Dainty China Country and had all of the Munchkins played by little people and a few children. These diminutive Munchkins were so charming that "Munchkin" has become slang for little people or children. Similarly sized Munchkins have made their way into Disney's Return to Oz and Oz the Great and Powerful.
Still, I prefer the idea that Munchkins could be three feet high or six feet high. The only thing that makes them Munchkins is that they live in the east part of Oz.
The Munchkins have different names as well. The names we were given by Baum were Boq, Nimee Amee, Ojo, Unc Nunkie, Bini Aru and Kiki Aru.
'Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return' Gets A Release Date
That's right, kids!
The long-awaited Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return is officially on its way, and is set to bow in at least 3,000 theaters in the U.S. & Canada through distributor Clarius Entertainment on Friday, May 2, 2014.
20th Century Fox will handle home entertainment for the 3D flick, and Columbia Records will release the soundtrack, as previously announced.
Source
The long-awaited Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return is officially on its way, and is set to bow in at least 3,000 theaters in the U.S. & Canada through distributor Clarius Entertainment on Friday, May 2, 2014.
20th Century Fox will handle home entertainment for the 3D flick, and Columbia Records will release the soundtrack, as previously announced.
Source
Early word on the 75th Anniversary Home Video releases of The Wizard of Oz
DVD releaseHot on the heels of the details of Oz the Great and Powerful's home video release, we get the first word on the next home video iteration of MGM's The Wizard of Oz.
While we only have a list of available editions right now, it appears that the only new thing when it comes to image is the new 3D version. It seems there is some reauthoring done on the discs, but the Blu-Ray will be the same print from 2009. There has yet to be a press release, so we may be in for a surprise.
However, if you preorder now, it appears you can get the new DVD and Blu-Ray editions for some rather nice prices! (Prices listed reflect the prices on Amazon.com as of this posting and are subject to change. They are also rounded to the nearest dollar.)
The solo DVD release (it appears the 2009 Ultimate Collector's Edition/Emerald Edition will be the last multi-disc release of the movie on DVD) is available on Amazon right now for $12. This could be a 2-disc set, but it's more likely to be a single disc release.
Blu-Ray releaseThe Blu-Ray release is available just now for $14. I would think this is more of a re-release of the 2009 edition. There seems to be new content, but we'll get there in a bit.
3D Blu-Ray releaseUnlike the unpopular move Disney made, the 3D Blu-Ray will come bundled with the standard Blu-Ray release with a new cover. As it's now selling for $25, even if you don't have a 3D Blu-Ray player and a 3D TV, this might be an okay price to purchase your first 3D Blu-Ray at.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Warner Brothers release if there wasn't a big box release. This is the only picture we have of it so far.
The "Big Box" releaseIt will contain the 3D Blu-Ray, two Blu-Ray discs, and two DVDs. Perhaps that is confirmation the DVD will be 2 discs, but one might actually be a digital copy disc. This big box is selling for $74.
Amazon actually has some details here:
Hours of extra content including:
And as you can see, driving the price up are some non-disc goodies. Unlike the 2005 and 2009 releases, there are no reproductions of 1939 memorabilia. There are two books, a "sparkle globe" featuring the Ruby Slippers, and a Map of Oz that looks like it's based on the books. And if you get this set from Amazon, they'll include a flash drive that will look like the Wicked Witch of the East's feet are sticking out of your USB port.
I've preordered the Blu-Ray edition and the Big Box to lock in the prices, but I'll be cancelling one or the other before they're released. (Though I actually like all of the covers!) I'll also be keeping an eye open for the press release for more details. Remember, with Amazon, you'll always pay the lowest price they had available if your preorder.
(Thanks to Wayne Anthony Miller for alerting Oz collectors to the listings!)
While we only have a list of available editions right now, it appears that the only new thing when it comes to image is the new 3D version. It seems there is some reauthoring done on the discs, but the Blu-Ray will be the same print from 2009. There has yet to be a press release, so we may be in for a surprise.
However, if you preorder now, it appears you can get the new DVD and Blu-Ray editions for some rather nice prices! (Prices listed reflect the prices on Amazon.com as of this posting and are subject to change. They are also rounded to the nearest dollar.)
The solo DVD release (it appears the 2009 Ultimate Collector's Edition/Emerald Edition will be the last multi-disc release of the movie on DVD) is available on Amazon right now for $12. This could be a 2-disc set, but it's more likely to be a single disc release.
Blu-Ray releaseThe Blu-Ray release is available just now for $14. I would think this is more of a re-release of the 2009 edition. There seems to be new content, but we'll get there in a bit.
3D Blu-Ray releaseUnlike the unpopular move Disney made, the 3D Blu-Ray will come bundled with the standard Blu-Ray release with a new cover. As it's now selling for $25, even if you don't have a 3D Blu-Ray player and a 3D TV, this might be an okay price to purchase your first 3D Blu-Ray at.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Warner Brothers release if there wasn't a big box release. This is the only picture we have of it so far.
The "Big Box" releaseIt will contain the 3D Blu-Ray, two Blu-Ray discs, and two DVDs. Perhaps that is confirmation the DVD will be 2 discs, but one might actually be a digital copy disc. This big box is selling for $74.
Amazon actually has some details here:
Hours of extra content including:
- Sing-a-long feature with the film
- Complete Magic Cloak of Oz silent shorts (60 min)
- All-new making-of Documentary
- The Dreamer of Oz TV Special (101 min)
- Munchkins at the Hollywood Walk of Fame Featurette (20 min)
- Patchwork Girl of Oz (60 min)
- 6 hr. MGM Documentary When the Lion Roars (exclusive to Blu-Ray)
- 48 pg Hardcover Photo Book
- Ruby Slippers Sparkle Globe
- Collectible Award Pin Set by The Noble Collection
- Journal
- Frameable Map of Oz
- 4 GB "Wicked Witch of the East" flash drive
And as you can see, driving the price up are some non-disc goodies. Unlike the 2005 and 2009 releases, there are no reproductions of 1939 memorabilia. There are two books, a "sparkle globe" featuring the Ruby Slippers, and a Map of Oz that looks like it's based on the books. And if you get this set from Amazon, they'll include a flash drive that will look like the Wicked Witch of the East's feet are sticking out of your USB port.
I've preordered the Blu-Ray edition and the Big Box to lock in the prices, but I'll be cancelling one or the other before they're released. (Though I actually like all of the covers!) I'll also be keeping an eye open for the press release for more details. Remember, with Amazon, you'll always pay the lowest price they had available if your preorder.
(Thanks to Wayne Anthony Miller for alerting Oz collectors to the listings!)
The Characters of Oz - The Good Witch of the North
This post contains spoilers for The Giant Horse of Oz. The Good Witch of the North is a rather enigmatic character because she rarely appears in the Oz series. She is the first person to speak to Dorothy when she arrives in Oz in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Her appearance is limited to the second chapter of the book, and then she never makes a major appearance in Baum's Oz books again. Taking this into consideration, it's little wonder why the MGM film adaptation of the book combined her with Glinda (though that did cause a bit of a storytelling snarl of its own).
What we do know about her is that she was a little old woman who dressed in white and wore a peaked hat. I've also concluded that because she sends Dorothy to see the Wizard that she—unlike Glinda—was unaware that the Wizard wasn't actually what he seemed to be.
The Good Witch of the North, from her one chapter in Baum's work, appears to be level-headed and very wise, though she never suspected the Wizard of being a fraud. Still, it's proved difficult for people adapting the story to not give her a few quirks. MGM had her giggle and admit to being "a little muddled." The original stage version of The Wiz reinvented her as the hilarious Addaperle the Feel Good Girl, while the film made her a bag lady called Miss One.
In the original musical extravaganza adaptation of the story, she appears to be not quite so old and quite a bit more like Glinda (who I understand was mentioned in some versions of the play, but not seen). She has the name Locosta (or Locousta), and she gives Dorothy a ruby ring that will grant her three wishes while in Oz. (It can't take her out of Oz, so this was rather like the Silver Shoes and the Golden Cap combined into one item.) Some fans have adopted "Locosta" as her name in their works or personal preferred version of Oz continuity. I personally like the name myself.
The Good Witch of the North, no matter how sweet or gentle she may appear to be, is not someone to offend. She gives Dorothy a kiss that marks her as being under her protection. (This kiss surprisingly never leaves Dorothy, Thompson reveals in The Wishing Horse of Oz, though Dorothy had been in plenty of trouble many times before with it playing no role.) This mark saves Dorothy from being abused by the Winged Monkeys, and perhaps would have kept the kalidahs, wolves, crows, bees, the Winkies, the Fighting Trees, the Hammerheads and the Great Spider away if they had actually been able to try to harm her.
Unlike Glinda, who holds transformations to be dishonest, the Good Witch of the North isn't so scrupulous, though she only transforms non-living things. She transforms her hat into a slate that gives advice, and in her brief and only Baum-penned reappearance in The Road to Oz, she performs a spectacle at Ozma's birthday party:
The Good Witch of the North amused the people by transforming ten stones into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed into ten stones again, just as they were in the beginning.The Marvelous Land of Oz mentions her, but only that the Good Witch who ruled the Gillikins forbade any other witches in her domain. (Which Mombi tries to get around due to a technicality.) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz tells us that she actually conquered Mombi.
The Good Witch of the North doesn't reappear until Thompson's The Giant Horse of Oz when Prince Philador of the Ozure Islands goes to see her for help, but when he arrives, she has had a sudden thought and jumped through the Witch Window. Her slate says that she will never return. She also has the odd name Tattypoo. However, it's revealed that she's actually been the missing Queen Orin of the Ozure Islands all this time. Mombi tried to turn her into a witch, but her inner goodness was too great to turn wicked, so she was a good witch and conquered Mombi.
Neither Orin nor the Good Witch of the North really has a role in the rest of the Famous Forty Oz books, though Orin is one of the guests during the grand celebration in The Wishing Horse of Oz, but in Jack Snow's The Magical Mimics of Oz, the Good Witch of the North is mentioned as attending a celebration at the end of that book. Jack Snow very much ignored Thompson's additions to Oz, and except for this (and a couple hiccups in The Shaggy Man of Oz), his "back to Baum" approach didn't really cause any issues.
Not all Oz fans have been fans of the fact that Thompson did away with one of Baum's characters and didn't really do anything with her. Some have specifically disagreed with the view that you had to be young and pretty to be happy. (There are Oz fans who are getting along in their years who are very happy, thank you very much!)
Oz fan David Hardenbrook wrote a book titled Locosta and the Unknown Witches of Oz that offered a reconciliation. Basically, rather than turning Orin into a witch, Mombi used the same "switching" spell that Baum describes Mombi using on Jellia Jamb and herself in The Marvelous Land of Oz. The real Locosta was in the Great Outside World with Orin's looks and soon became a movie star. When the spell was broken, she resumed her old form and became a librarian. Eventually, she met hero Dan and returned to Oz. If this had been the story, it could have fit into Oz continuity just fine. Unfortunately, Hardenbrook included many new details for his version of Oz that are contrary to other fan's ideas. While the story is entertaining on its own, it's difficult to fit peacefully into Oz canon.
It's also problematic that Giant Horse says that Orin has been missing for twenty-five years. Unless the previous 21 Oz books took place in at least the last 15 of those years (which is possible, do you really think only one adventure a year happens in Oz?), then Mombi must have enchanted Orin after Dorothy arrived in Oz the first time. That's a little too close to The Marvelous Land of Oz, particularly after the timeline I set up in my blog about Dorothy.
Jack Snow may have had an answer to the Tattypoo/Orin/Good Witch of the North debacle. In Who's Who in Oz, he claimed that Tattypoo only thought that she was the Good Witch of the North. The Good Witch is listed separately, and her entry says:
Dorothy says that some pretty important things have transpired involving the Good Witch of the North, but the story is just too long to crowd into a small space. It would take a whole book, Dorothy tells us.Perhaps his lost or unfinished or unwritten third Oz book may have included the Good Witch of the North, and he may have taken a jab at explaining how she was still around despite Giant Horse. If the book ever turns up, Oz fans will be only too glad to see it.
So, what about you? In your personal view of Oz continuity, does the Good Witch of the North still exist? Is she Tattypoo or Locosta or another name entirely?
What we do know about her is that she was a little old woman who dressed in white and wore a peaked hat. I've also concluded that because she sends Dorothy to see the Wizard that she—unlike Glinda—was unaware that the Wizard wasn't actually what he seemed to be.
The Good Witch of the North, from her one chapter in Baum's work, appears to be level-headed and very wise, though she never suspected the Wizard of being a fraud. Still, it's proved difficult for people adapting the story to not give her a few quirks. MGM had her giggle and admit to being "a little muddled." The original stage version of The Wiz reinvented her as the hilarious Addaperle the Feel Good Girl, while the film made her a bag lady called Miss One.
In the original musical extravaganza adaptation of the story, she appears to be not quite so old and quite a bit more like Glinda (who I understand was mentioned in some versions of the play, but not seen). She has the name Locosta (or Locousta), and she gives Dorothy a ruby ring that will grant her three wishes while in Oz. (It can't take her out of Oz, so this was rather like the Silver Shoes and the Golden Cap combined into one item.) Some fans have adopted "Locosta" as her name in their works or personal preferred version of Oz continuity. I personally like the name myself.
The Good Witch of the North, no matter how sweet or gentle she may appear to be, is not someone to offend. She gives Dorothy a kiss that marks her as being under her protection. (This kiss surprisingly never leaves Dorothy, Thompson reveals in The Wishing Horse of Oz, though Dorothy had been in plenty of trouble many times before with it playing no role.) This mark saves Dorothy from being abused by the Winged Monkeys, and perhaps would have kept the kalidahs, wolves, crows, bees, the Winkies, the Fighting Trees, the Hammerheads and the Great Spider away if they had actually been able to try to harm her.
Unlike Glinda, who holds transformations to be dishonest, the Good Witch of the North isn't so scrupulous, though she only transforms non-living things. She transforms her hat into a slate that gives advice, and in her brief and only Baum-penned reappearance in The Road to Oz, she performs a spectacle at Ozma's birthday party:
The Good Witch of the North amused the people by transforming ten stones into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed into ten stones again, just as they were in the beginning.The Marvelous Land of Oz mentions her, but only that the Good Witch who ruled the Gillikins forbade any other witches in her domain. (Which Mombi tries to get around due to a technicality.) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz tells us that she actually conquered Mombi.
The Good Witch of the North doesn't reappear until Thompson's The Giant Horse of Oz when Prince Philador of the Ozure Islands goes to see her for help, but when he arrives, she has had a sudden thought and jumped through the Witch Window. Her slate says that she will never return. She also has the odd name Tattypoo. However, it's revealed that she's actually been the missing Queen Orin of the Ozure Islands all this time. Mombi tried to turn her into a witch, but her inner goodness was too great to turn wicked, so she was a good witch and conquered Mombi.
Neither Orin nor the Good Witch of the North really has a role in the rest of the Famous Forty Oz books, though Orin is one of the guests during the grand celebration in The Wishing Horse of Oz, but in Jack Snow's The Magical Mimics of Oz, the Good Witch of the North is mentioned as attending a celebration at the end of that book. Jack Snow very much ignored Thompson's additions to Oz, and except for this (and a couple hiccups in The Shaggy Man of Oz), his "back to Baum" approach didn't really cause any issues.
Not all Oz fans have been fans of the fact that Thompson did away with one of Baum's characters and didn't really do anything with her. Some have specifically disagreed with the view that you had to be young and pretty to be happy. (There are Oz fans who are getting along in their years who are very happy, thank you very much!)
Oz fan David Hardenbrook wrote a book titled Locosta and the Unknown Witches of Oz that offered a reconciliation. Basically, rather than turning Orin into a witch, Mombi used the same "switching" spell that Baum describes Mombi using on Jellia Jamb and herself in The Marvelous Land of Oz. The real Locosta was in the Great Outside World with Orin's looks and soon became a movie star. When the spell was broken, she resumed her old form and became a librarian. Eventually, she met hero Dan and returned to Oz. If this had been the story, it could have fit into Oz continuity just fine. Unfortunately, Hardenbrook included many new details for his version of Oz that are contrary to other fan's ideas. While the story is entertaining on its own, it's difficult to fit peacefully into Oz canon.
It's also problematic that Giant Horse says that Orin has been missing for twenty-five years. Unless the previous 21 Oz books took place in at least the last 15 of those years (which is possible, do you really think only one adventure a year happens in Oz?), then Mombi must have enchanted Orin after Dorothy arrived in Oz the first time. That's a little too close to The Marvelous Land of Oz, particularly after the timeline I set up in my blog about Dorothy.
Jack Snow may have had an answer to the Tattypoo/Orin/Good Witch of the North debacle. In Who's Who in Oz, he claimed that Tattypoo only thought that she was the Good Witch of the North. The Good Witch is listed separately, and her entry says:
Dorothy says that some pretty important things have transpired involving the Good Witch of the North, but the story is just too long to crowd into a small space. It would take a whole book, Dorothy tells us.Perhaps his lost or unfinished or unwritten third Oz book may have included the Good Witch of the North, and he may have taken a jab at explaining how she was still around despite Giant Horse. If the book ever turns up, Oz fans will be only too glad to see it.
So, what about you? In your personal view of Oz continuity, does the Good Witch of the North still exist? Is she Tattypoo or Locosta or another name entirely?
Oz the Great and Powerful Home Video Release
Get a little Wicked with the Blu-Ray 3DDisney has announced the details for the home video releases of Oz the Great and Powerful. For physical media, you have four choices: Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack and a DVD. All will also contain access to a Digital Copy version. The sets will all be available June 11.
Some have been upset that if you want to have all of the available formats, you'll need to purchase two sets: the Blu-Ray 3D and the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. I personally am not too worried because I don't plan to purchase the 3D version, although I did enjoy seeing the film in 3D. However, given that most other films released in 3D get a combo pack containing three versions on disc, this move for Disney proves odd. Even odder: the Blu-Ray 3D has no special features and has the same suggested retail price as the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack.
The whole cast graces the combo packThe movie will likely look as good as it did in theaters, the resolution depending on what edition you're viewing.
The Blu-Ray will contain a number of bonus features, but no deleted scenes, which we were hoping for since Sam Raimi mentioned that there were quite a few that he had to cut that explained more about the characters.
There is a feature called The Magic of “Oz The Great and Powerful”, which is billed as a Second Screen Experience. It appears that it requires a Smart Phone to use an app to access certain bonus features while the movie plays. It could be possible that these are also accessible through the menu.
Get very Wicked and just go HD
The features listed for this in the press release are:
Get the basics on just DVDA couple other fascinating sounding features don't deal with the making of the film. The first is a piece titled My Journey in Oz, produced and directed by James Franco, who has said that he was a big fan of the Oz books as a child, one of the reasons why he wanted the role of the Wizard. This will likely touch on that, but the preview video seen at the press release page on DVDizzy shows behind-the-scenes footage that it appears James had shot himself.
The other one sounds quite fascinating: Walt Disney and the Road to Oz. The press release reads "It is well known that Walt Disney had a fascination with the Land of Oz since he was a child. See how that fascination grew into inspiration as he began planning for his own adaptation of the stories in the classic Baum books." So, sounds like we'll get a bit of The Rainbow Road to Oz here. I wouldn't hope to see the entire teaser piece from the Disneyland Fourth Anniversary Show, though. It'd be nice if they'll give a nod to Return to Oz on here.
On the DVD edition, you'll get just the blooper reel and "Walt Disney and the Road to Oz."
You can preorder (or order) your copy from Amazon here:
DVD edition
Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack
Blu-Ray edition
Blu-Ray 3D
Some have been upset that if you want to have all of the available formats, you'll need to purchase two sets: the Blu-Ray 3D and the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. I personally am not too worried because I don't plan to purchase the 3D version, although I did enjoy seeing the film in 3D. However, given that most other films released in 3D get a combo pack containing three versions on disc, this move for Disney proves odd. Even odder: the Blu-Ray 3D has no special features and has the same suggested retail price as the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack.
The whole cast graces the combo packThe movie will likely look as good as it did in theaters, the resolution depending on what edition you're viewing.
The Blu-Ray will contain a number of bonus features, but no deleted scenes, which we were hoping for since Sam Raimi mentioned that there were quite a few that he had to cut that explained more about the characters.
There is a feature called The Magic of “Oz The Great and Powerful”, which is billed as a Second Screen Experience. It appears that it requires a Smart Phone to use an app to access certain bonus features while the movie plays. It could be possible that these are also accessible through the menu.
Get very Wicked and just go HD
The features listed for this in the press release are:
- The Enchanting Characters and Creatures of Oz - From Munchkins and Tinkers to good witches, bad witches, and flying baboons, this piece follows each character and creature of the Land of Oz from inspiration to final outcome.
- The Sounds of Magical Oz - What adds fragility to the sounds of China Girl's footsteps; ferocity to the tornado; or weight to the flutter of Finley's flapping wings?
- Sleight of Hand: Zach Braff Puppet Theater - Actor, and voice of Finley, Zach Braff introduces viewers to the Finley mockup.
- Mariah Carey Music Video
Get the basics on just DVDA couple other fascinating sounding features don't deal with the making of the film. The first is a piece titled My Journey in Oz, produced and directed by James Franco, who has said that he was a big fan of the Oz books as a child, one of the reasons why he wanted the role of the Wizard. This will likely touch on that, but the preview video seen at the press release page on DVDizzy shows behind-the-scenes footage that it appears James had shot himself.
The other one sounds quite fascinating: Walt Disney and the Road to Oz. The press release reads "It is well known that Walt Disney had a fascination with the Land of Oz since he was a child. See how that fascination grew into inspiration as he began planning for his own adaptation of the stories in the classic Baum books." So, sounds like we'll get a bit of The Rainbow Road to Oz here. I wouldn't hope to see the entire teaser piece from the Disneyland Fourth Anniversary Show, though. It'd be nice if they'll give a nod to Return to Oz on here.
On the DVD edition, you'll get just the blooper reel and "Walt Disney and the Road to Oz."
You can preorder (or order) your copy from Amazon here:
DVD edition
Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack
Blu-Ray edition
Blu-Ray 3D
Maybe the Miffin
I finally got to read this Oz story. It's a short story that's been published in booklet form, and only in very limited editions.
The copy I have is one of a kind and is from the new fourth edition with a very limited run of four copies. It's one of a kind because the color of the cover and spine are different on each copy. It was handbound by Marcus Mebes of Pumpernickel Pickle, and he is offering the remaining two copies for sale ($25 each) or trade. You can contact him at baringer@gmail.com.
The binding is very sturdy and should make a nice little collector's item.
Phyllis Ann Karr is the author of The Gardener's Boy of Oz and thirteen other books and many short stories. Maybe The Miffin was written for a proposed anthology of stories about griffins, and since Phyllis was an Oz fan, it was suggested she write about Snif the Iffin, the Griffin without his "Grr." Supposedly, they would have worked with the rights to the Thompson books, since Snif first appeared in the still-under-copyright book Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz. The anthology never materialized, and I assume having a great little Oz story was too much for Phyllis, so the story was printed in small runs and quietly released to allow people to just read the story, not to make money from it.
Thus, the cost of this fourth edition is mainly repaying Marcus for the hard work of hand-binding the book. (And take my word for it, it is hard work.)
The story finds Snif learning of the Miffin, a creature like himself, the only other type of Griffin in Oz. He decides to find her so he won't be lonely anymore. Along the way, he's joined by Kericot the Considerate Kalidah and Terrence Oldshell the Turtle. (Also creations of Miss Karr.)
Meanwhile, the Miffin herself has been traveling Oz, acquiring a stepladder she re-purposes as a bookcase and saving some doll people from destruction. But will the griffins ever find each other?
It's an enjoyable little story and quite worthwhile. It also proposes a solution to a problem anyone who's read a number of Oz books has noted: why are there so many little kingdoms and countries in Oz when it appears to be on a relatively small continent? The answer is that there is a magic affecting the surface area of all these "subkingdoms." They are literally bigger on the inside.
Who knows when Maybe the Miffin might be able to get a wider release? Don't miss a chance to get this wonderful little Oz story!
The copy I have is one of a kind and is from the new fourth edition with a very limited run of four copies. It's one of a kind because the color of the cover and spine are different on each copy. It was handbound by Marcus Mebes of Pumpernickel Pickle, and he is offering the remaining two copies for sale ($25 each) or trade. You can contact him at baringer@gmail.com.
The binding is very sturdy and should make a nice little collector's item.
Phyllis Ann Karr is the author of The Gardener's Boy of Oz and thirteen other books and many short stories. Maybe The Miffin was written for a proposed anthology of stories about griffins, and since Phyllis was an Oz fan, it was suggested she write about Snif the Iffin, the Griffin without his "Grr." Supposedly, they would have worked with the rights to the Thompson books, since Snif first appeared in the still-under-copyright book Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz. The anthology never materialized, and I assume having a great little Oz story was too much for Phyllis, so the story was printed in small runs and quietly released to allow people to just read the story, not to make money from it.
Thus, the cost of this fourth edition is mainly repaying Marcus for the hard work of hand-binding the book. (And take my word for it, it is hard work.)
The story finds Snif learning of the Miffin, a creature like himself, the only other type of Griffin in Oz. He decides to find her so he won't be lonely anymore. Along the way, he's joined by Kericot the Considerate Kalidah and Terrence Oldshell the Turtle. (Also creations of Miss Karr.)
Meanwhile, the Miffin herself has been traveling Oz, acquiring a stepladder she re-purposes as a bookcase and saving some doll people from destruction. But will the griffins ever find each other?
It's an enjoyable little story and quite worthwhile. It also proposes a solution to a problem anyone who's read a number of Oz books has noted: why are there so many little kingdoms and countries in Oz when it appears to be on a relatively small continent? The answer is that there is a magic affecting the surface area of all these "subkingdoms." They are literally bigger on the inside.
Who knows when Maybe the Miffin might be able to get a wider release? Don't miss a chance to get this wonderful little Oz story!
The Characters of Oz - Dorothy Gale
This is the first in a series of blogs about the characters of the Oz books. It will look at the characters as they are presented in the original books. As a writer of Oz fiction, I'll also be including some of my ideas about Oz canon as I see it in my work.Probably the most important character in the Oz books is Dorothy. She's the first character introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, her name being the first word of the first chapter.
Baum doesn't tell us much about Dorothy: she's a little orphaned girl who lives with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em on a sun-baked farm in Kansas, with her little black dog Toto. Some estimate Dorothy to be as young as five in the first book, I find the age of eight to be much more believable. Eric Gjovaag points out text in the Famous Forty Oz books that lead us to believe that Dorothy is eleven by the time of The Emerald City of Oz, and thanks to Oz's anti-aging enchantment, she'll always be that age. I've worked out a timeline that makes a fair bit of sense that would have Dorothy as eight in Wonderful Wizard and eleven in Emerald City:
If Dorothy was not going to serve the role of audience surrogate, Baum may as well have had the story begin in Oz itself and have some freak accident kill the Wicked Witch of the East and a little Munchkin girl takes the Silver Shoes away so they can't ever be misused. While this would have made for a fine story, it would not nearly be as interesting as experiencing a newcomer's look at Oz through Dorothy.
Baum isn't the only one to use a child's unexpected to the world of fantasy to introduce the world: Lucy in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe serves the same role in the first few chapters, and would the Harry Potter series work if we were expected to already be familiar with the Wizarding World? Using a sudden visitor makes it easy for the reader to be introduced to this world and it makes it easy for the writer to introduce this world.
What we do know about Dorothy is that she is quick-thinking (if rash at times), brave, very sympathetic and friendly, and quite devoted to her family.
Dorothy's family is a matter Baum discloses little about. Eric Gjovaag again explains what the books say and don't say on his online FAQ. I have my own backstory I've invented in which Uncle Henry (I gave him the last name Carpenter) is Dorothy's biological uncle who met Emily Stanton shortly after ending his service in the Civil War. (Which side was he on? Wouldn't you like to know...) Sometime later, they married, and Uncle Henry's sister Matilda later met Charles Gale, who she married.
Charles and Matilda had Dorothy, but he was soon stationed on the USS Maine, and was one of the men who was lost when it exploded in 1898. Matilda and Dorothy came to stay with Emily and Henry, but Matilda died afterward. (How exactly, I've never decided on.) A farmer who lived nearby visited shortly after (he was moving away, noting that he couldn't get anything to grow), and noting the sad little Dorothy, he gave her a puppy to keep as a pet. Dorothy of course named the puppy "Toto" and he soon became one of the few sources of joy in her life.
A bit of further characterization is that after Matilda's death, Uncle Henry distances himself emotionally from Dorothy, thinking that she might not like him because he feels he let her mother die. This is of course not the case, and it is only after Dorothy is swept away by the cyclone that Henry realizes that she never held a grudge against him. This is why Dorothy appears to have a closer relationship with Aunt Em in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Of course after Dorothy returns from Oz, she tells Aunt Em and Uncle Henry about it. I'd like to think that after she began attending school, she told some of the other children about her incredible adventures. Probably few believed her, but liked the stories anyway.
As a princess in Oz, Dorothy surprisingly maintains her innocent personality. Although she is proud of her title and position, she doesn't let it ruin her personality. She instead goes on adventures and missions for Ozma. In The Magical Mimics of Oz (and my Outsiders from Oz), Dorothy rather humbly accepts control of the Emerald City. She doesn't let power go to her head during these times (though Magical Mimics didn't give her a chance).
Overall, Dorothy represents the new American girl of the 20th century. She is self-reliant and resourceful herself, while still being an endearing little girl. This is what makes the character so appealing to readers.
Baum doesn't tell us much about Dorothy: she's a little orphaned girl who lives with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em on a sun-baked farm in Kansas, with her little black dog Toto. Some estimate Dorothy to be as young as five in the first book, I find the age of eight to be much more believable. Eric Gjovaag points out text in the Famous Forty Oz books that lead us to believe that Dorothy is eleven by the time of The Emerald City of Oz, and thanks to Oz's anti-aging enchantment, she'll always be that age. I've worked out a timeline that makes a fair bit of sense that would have Dorothy as eight in Wonderful Wizard and eleven in Emerald City:
- Age 8 - Dorothy has her first adventures in Oz in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This happens mid to late spring and possibly into the summer as there are some unspecified periods of time in the book.
- Age 9 - Dorothy doesn't return to Oz during this year, but Uncle Henry and Aunt Em send her to school. (Dorothy mentions her teacher in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz.) If Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz is counted as canon, the visits Dorothy makes with her friends occur during this year, making this year 1904. Otherwise, I would imagine this year as 1900.
- Age 10 - During the late summer, Dorothy accompanies Uncle Henry on a trip to Australia (partly so she could see more of the world, and partly to help take care of Uncle Henry as they could not afford to hire someone to do this job). During the voyage she is washed overboard and has the adventures related in Ozma of Oz. She returns to Uncle Henry in about a month. In early to mid-autumn, Dorothy and Uncle Henry head back to America, Dorothy stopping to stay with some friends in San Francisco. Either in Australia or San Francisco, Dorothy acquires Eureka. Upon going to meet Uncle Henry at Hugson's Ranch, Dorothy, Eureka and Zeb are caught in an earthquake and experience the adventures in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. During these adventures, Uncle Henry returns to Kansas without Dorothy, who is later sent back to them by Ozma. Dorothy is back home in Kansas in time for winter and Christmas.
- Age 11 - (I'm assuming Dorothy's birthday is in the spring.) During late summer, Dorothy meets the Shaggy Man and has the adventures related in The Road to Oz. In autumn, Uncle Henry defaults on his loan and the bank forecloses on the farm, Dorothy returning to Oz and asking Ozma to bring her family along as well, thus the plot of The Emerald City of Oz.
If Dorothy was not going to serve the role of audience surrogate, Baum may as well have had the story begin in Oz itself and have some freak accident kill the Wicked Witch of the East and a little Munchkin girl takes the Silver Shoes away so they can't ever be misused. While this would have made for a fine story, it would not nearly be as interesting as experiencing a newcomer's look at Oz through Dorothy.
Baum isn't the only one to use a child's unexpected to the world of fantasy to introduce the world: Lucy in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe serves the same role in the first few chapters, and would the Harry Potter series work if we were expected to already be familiar with the Wizarding World? Using a sudden visitor makes it easy for the reader to be introduced to this world and it makes it easy for the writer to introduce this world.
What we do know about Dorothy is that she is quick-thinking (if rash at times), brave, very sympathetic and friendly, and quite devoted to her family.
Dorothy's family is a matter Baum discloses little about. Eric Gjovaag again explains what the books say and don't say on his online FAQ. I have my own backstory I've invented in which Uncle Henry (I gave him the last name Carpenter) is Dorothy's biological uncle who met Emily Stanton shortly after ending his service in the Civil War. (Which side was he on? Wouldn't you like to know...) Sometime later, they married, and Uncle Henry's sister Matilda later met Charles Gale, who she married.
Charles and Matilda had Dorothy, but he was soon stationed on the USS Maine, and was one of the men who was lost when it exploded in 1898. Matilda and Dorothy came to stay with Emily and Henry, but Matilda died afterward. (How exactly, I've never decided on.) A farmer who lived nearby visited shortly after (he was moving away, noting that he couldn't get anything to grow), and noting the sad little Dorothy, he gave her a puppy to keep as a pet. Dorothy of course named the puppy "Toto" and he soon became one of the few sources of joy in her life.
A bit of further characterization is that after Matilda's death, Uncle Henry distances himself emotionally from Dorothy, thinking that she might not like him because he feels he let her mother die. This is of course not the case, and it is only after Dorothy is swept away by the cyclone that Henry realizes that she never held a grudge against him. This is why Dorothy appears to have a closer relationship with Aunt Em in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Of course after Dorothy returns from Oz, she tells Aunt Em and Uncle Henry about it. I'd like to think that after she began attending school, she told some of the other children about her incredible adventures. Probably few believed her, but liked the stories anyway.
As a princess in Oz, Dorothy surprisingly maintains her innocent personality. Although she is proud of her title and position, she doesn't let it ruin her personality. She instead goes on adventures and missions for Ozma. In The Magical Mimics of Oz (and my Outsiders from Oz), Dorothy rather humbly accepts control of the Emerald City. She doesn't let power go to her head during these times (though Magical Mimics didn't give her a chance).
Overall, Dorothy represents the new American girl of the 20th century. She is self-reliant and resourceful herself, while still being an endearing little girl. This is what makes the character so appealing to readers.
Daughters of Destiny
Wow, I have handled Baum's books intended for adult readers (as in not intended for young readers, not that they contained risque material) way out of order!
Daughters of Destiny was part of Baum's 1906 bumper crop of books, and definitely inspired by his trip to Europe and Egypt. It was published under the Schuyler Staunton pseudonym.
The edition you see pictured is a reprint by Hungry Tiger Press. They had included the book as the rare Baum novel for Oz-Story 4 in 1998. Included from their previous reprint are many excellent illustrations by Eric Shanower, which include one per chapter for the heading, as well as a few more textual illustrations and a design at the bottom of each page.
There is also a cheaper new print on demand reprint by Pulpville Press, but it of course doesn't include Shanower's illustrations. I suppose it's fine, since I was actually pleased with their reprint of The Fate of a Crown, but I definitely prefer Hungry Tiger Press' lavish edition. There are also plainer print on demand editions in hardcover, but as their prices are up at $30, you might as well get the Hungry Tiger Press one. You can also read the book for free at Google Books.
The story concerns the fictional country of Baluchistan. An American company sends a delegation to get the right of way to put a railroad through this Middle Eastern country, and the delegation consists of Colonel Piedmont Moore, Dr. Warner, Colonel Moore's daughter Janet and son Allison, their Aunt Lucy, and Janet's friend Bessie. They are led by a Baluchistan native named Kasam who claims that his family has the proper right to rule Baluchistan, but the throne was wrested from them, but it is possible that Burah, the current Khan, will soon die, and if he cannot turn the throne over to his son Ahmed, that will make Kasam the ruler by default.
And speaking of that, a Persian physician is fighting to keep Burah alive while faithful servant Dirrag goes to retrieve Ahmed from the monastery where he's spent all his life. But Ahmed is reluctant to go, being given over dutifully to his Muslim beliefs. However, Dirrag soon rides back with an Ahmed in tow. But when they arrive in the capitol city of Mekran (thanks in part to briefly joining Kasam's group), Burah has been dead for two days. So why do the people of Mekran see Burah name Ahmed as his successor?
The intrigue is only beginning, however, thanks to the scheming of the vizier's daughter Maie. What is going on in Baluchistan, and why is so much attention being paid to Janet?
Baum writes in his excellent style for adventure stories, but longtime readers can spot that he often turned to certain tropes that are at play here: duplicity, people taking the blame for serious crimes, sudden revelations of things that seemed to have worked out insanely well that they're almost a deus ex machina... Wait, he did all that in the first Mary Louise book as well...
Although Baluchistan is a fictional country, Baum writes as one quite enamored with the Middle East. There is a regrettable stereotype in character of David the Jew who will do anything for money. (Why is it that critics mind if these stereotypes show up in fiction over a hundred years old, but no one bans Family Guy or South Park for using them now?) The culture of Baluchistan is actually very well established, and Baum leads us to think that perhaps that shouldn't be changed.
Altogether, Daughters of Destiny is one of Baum's better adventure novels. Unlike The Last Egyptian, we actually have people we want to cheer for, though The Fate of a Crown is still a beast all to itself.
Daughters of Destiny was part of Baum's 1906 bumper crop of books, and definitely inspired by his trip to Europe and Egypt. It was published under the Schuyler Staunton pseudonym.
The edition you see pictured is a reprint by Hungry Tiger Press. They had included the book as the rare Baum novel for Oz-Story 4 in 1998. Included from their previous reprint are many excellent illustrations by Eric Shanower, which include one per chapter for the heading, as well as a few more textual illustrations and a design at the bottom of each page.
There is also a cheaper new print on demand reprint by Pulpville Press, but it of course doesn't include Shanower's illustrations. I suppose it's fine, since I was actually pleased with their reprint of The Fate of a Crown, but I definitely prefer Hungry Tiger Press' lavish edition. There are also plainer print on demand editions in hardcover, but as their prices are up at $30, you might as well get the Hungry Tiger Press one. You can also read the book for free at Google Books.
The story concerns the fictional country of Baluchistan. An American company sends a delegation to get the right of way to put a railroad through this Middle Eastern country, and the delegation consists of Colonel Piedmont Moore, Dr. Warner, Colonel Moore's daughter Janet and son Allison, their Aunt Lucy, and Janet's friend Bessie. They are led by a Baluchistan native named Kasam who claims that his family has the proper right to rule Baluchistan, but the throne was wrested from them, but it is possible that Burah, the current Khan, will soon die, and if he cannot turn the throne over to his son Ahmed, that will make Kasam the ruler by default.
And speaking of that, a Persian physician is fighting to keep Burah alive while faithful servant Dirrag goes to retrieve Ahmed from the monastery where he's spent all his life. But Ahmed is reluctant to go, being given over dutifully to his Muslim beliefs. However, Dirrag soon rides back with an Ahmed in tow. But when they arrive in the capitol city of Mekran (thanks in part to briefly joining Kasam's group), Burah has been dead for two days. So why do the people of Mekran see Burah name Ahmed as his successor?
The intrigue is only beginning, however, thanks to the scheming of the vizier's daughter Maie. What is going on in Baluchistan, and why is so much attention being paid to Janet?
Baum writes in his excellent style for adventure stories, but longtime readers can spot that he often turned to certain tropes that are at play here: duplicity, people taking the blame for serious crimes, sudden revelations of things that seemed to have worked out insanely well that they're almost a deus ex machina... Wait, he did all that in the first Mary Louise book as well...
Although Baluchistan is a fictional country, Baum writes as one quite enamored with the Middle East. There is a regrettable stereotype in character of David the Jew who will do anything for money. (Why is it that critics mind if these stereotypes show up in fiction over a hundred years old, but no one bans Family Guy or South Park for using them now?) The culture of Baluchistan is actually very well established, and Baum leads us to think that perhaps that shouldn't be changed.
Altogether, Daughters of Destiny is one of Baum's better adventure novels. Unlike The Last Egyptian, we actually have people we want to cheer for, though The Fate of a Crown is still a beast all to itself.
'L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz': Distribution Announcement, New Trailer
Whoa, it's been a bit since I've blogged!
Not much to talk about this week, but let's dive right into it.
L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the upcoming independent film often talked about around here, is one step closer to being completed and released.
It was announced Tuesday that the team has signed a deal with Fantastic Films International, L.L.C., who will be serving as the sale agent in securing distribution. Additionally, Fred deWysocki has joined the team as Executive Producer.
You can expect a brand new trailer with a bunch of cool footage next month, but for now, take a look at this exclusive still...
...and a new poster!
In other news, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (formerly known as Dorothy of Oz) will be premiering at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France this Summer. I'm not sure if we have any readers from that neck of the woods, but still wanted to mention it here.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
Not much to talk about this week, but let's dive right into it.
L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the upcoming independent film often talked about around here, is one step closer to being completed and released.
It was announced Tuesday that the team has signed a deal with Fantastic Films International, L.L.C., who will be serving as the sale agent in securing distribution. Additionally, Fred deWysocki has joined the team as Executive Producer.
You can expect a brand new trailer with a bunch of cool footage next month, but for now, take a look at this exclusive still...
...and a new poster!
In other news, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (formerly known as Dorothy of Oz) will be premiering at the Annecy International Animation Festival in France this Summer. I'm not sure if we have any readers from that neck of the woods, but still wanted to mention it here.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone!
The Last Egyptian
The Last Egyptian was L. Frank Baum's final novel for adults. It was published anonymously, and seemingly, it is thanks to the Oz Film Manufacturing Company that it was attributed to him, as they produced a silent film adaptation in 1914, planning to follow it with adaptations of Baum's other adult adventure stories. They announced all three books as being attributed to Baum's pen, so this led researchers to attribute these pseudonymous and anonymous books to Baum.
The Last Egyptian is a curious piece of Baum's writing. The story begins by following a young Egyptian named Kāra as he meets Gerald Winston Bey. Kāra surprises Winston with his seemingly lowly appearance, yet a high intellect and extensive knowledge of Egyptian history. Kāra claims heritage from Ahtka-Rā, High Priest of Ămen. Thus, he claims that he is the last true Egyptian. He lives with his aged grandmother Hatacha, who married the English Lord Roane, but was publicly humiliated when they divorced and she was left in poverty. Winston promises to help Kāra if he can recover some ancient papyrus scrolls that it appears Hatacha owns.
However, Kāra soon has new plans as Hatacha tells him that she is about to die, and she gives him secret information to find their ancestral treasure (which she's only gone to when they needed money), which he can use to avenge her dignity by destroying the family of Lord Roane.
Tadros the dragoman appears on the scene and is hired by Kāra to serve him as he sets himself up as a respectable gentleman in Cairo. He sells the girl Nephthys to Kāra to be the first in his harem.
Kāra proves very successful in his plots to discredit Lord Roane's family, but eventually has second thoughts when he meets Roane's granddaughter Aneth Consinor and falls for her. (Never mind that she's his cousin.) He asks her to marry him, but she refuses. This infuriates Kāra, and he has Nephthys sent back home to her mother. He blackmails Aneth into agreeing to marry him, but some of Aneth's friends scheme to get her and her family away from Cairo, enlisting Tadros who'll do anything for money or to save his life. A scuffle in a secret tomb, a swift knife and possibly an ancient curse bring the story to a startling conclusion.
I said The Last Egyptian was a curious piece of Baum's writing. While Lord Roane is not a good man, neither is Kāra, and neither is Tadros, and especially not Aneth's father. Winston Bey could be considered a protagonist, except he doesn't do much. The only reason why the reader will not want Kāra to win is because of Aneth's innocence of her father and grandfather's misdeeds. She's the only person who hasn't done anything wrong, bringing up Baum's admiration of women and strong pro-feminist beliefs.
Baum also does a nice shift by having Kāra set out to take revenge for Hatacha's humiliation, only to humiliate Nephthys in a similar fashion. And unlike Hatacha, Nephthys takes her revenge into her own hands.
Probably the biggest difference between this and most of Baum's other work is that none of the characters are American. Kāra, Tadros, Nephthys, Hatacha and Winston Bey hail from Egypt, while Lord Roane's family are all from England. This is unusual as Baum was a proud American, but honestly, I've read this book twice before, and only just now picked up on this. It's unusual, but Baum handles it so well that it's not a detraction.
A little warning, Lord Roane twice uses the word "nigger" to refer to Kāra, once to his face. Kāra is offended at this. Remember the time in which it was written, people. Plus, Roane's a bad guy. As is Kāra...
I've surprisingly found some copies of the original 1908 edition for less than $100 online, but my copy is a 2002 edition by Fredonia Books. That was a nice facsimile of the original edition, but it appears that there is a new print-on-demand edition available now as well, from the same people who made my copy of The Fate of A Crown, so chances are they did very well on that.
There's also three different digital versions from Archive.org.
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
The Last Egyptian is a curious piece of Baum's writing. The story begins by following a young Egyptian named Kāra as he meets Gerald Winston Bey. Kāra surprises Winston with his seemingly lowly appearance, yet a high intellect and extensive knowledge of Egyptian history. Kāra claims heritage from Ahtka-Rā, High Priest of Ămen. Thus, he claims that he is the last true Egyptian. He lives with his aged grandmother Hatacha, who married the English Lord Roane, but was publicly humiliated when they divorced and she was left in poverty. Winston promises to help Kāra if he can recover some ancient papyrus scrolls that it appears Hatacha owns.
However, Kāra soon has new plans as Hatacha tells him that she is about to die, and she gives him secret information to find their ancestral treasure (which she's only gone to when they needed money), which he can use to avenge her dignity by destroying the family of Lord Roane.
Tadros the dragoman appears on the scene and is hired by Kāra to serve him as he sets himself up as a respectable gentleman in Cairo. He sells the girl Nephthys to Kāra to be the first in his harem.
Kāra proves very successful in his plots to discredit Lord Roane's family, but eventually has second thoughts when he meets Roane's granddaughter Aneth Consinor and falls for her. (Never mind that she's his cousin.) He asks her to marry him, but she refuses. This infuriates Kāra, and he has Nephthys sent back home to her mother. He blackmails Aneth into agreeing to marry him, but some of Aneth's friends scheme to get her and her family away from Cairo, enlisting Tadros who'll do anything for money or to save his life. A scuffle in a secret tomb, a swift knife and possibly an ancient curse bring the story to a startling conclusion.
I said The Last Egyptian was a curious piece of Baum's writing. While Lord Roane is not a good man, neither is Kāra, and neither is Tadros, and especially not Aneth's father. Winston Bey could be considered a protagonist, except he doesn't do much. The only reason why the reader will not want Kāra to win is because of Aneth's innocence of her father and grandfather's misdeeds. She's the only person who hasn't done anything wrong, bringing up Baum's admiration of women and strong pro-feminist beliefs.
Baum also does a nice shift by having Kāra set out to take revenge for Hatacha's humiliation, only to humiliate Nephthys in a similar fashion. And unlike Hatacha, Nephthys takes her revenge into her own hands.
Probably the biggest difference between this and most of Baum's other work is that none of the characters are American. Kāra, Tadros, Nephthys, Hatacha and Winston Bey hail from Egypt, while Lord Roane's family are all from England. This is unusual as Baum was a proud American, but honestly, I've read this book twice before, and only just now picked up on this. It's unusual, but Baum handles it so well that it's not a detraction.
A little warning, Lord Roane twice uses the word "nigger" to refer to Kāra, once to his face. Kāra is offended at this. Remember the time in which it was written, people. Plus, Roane's a bad guy. As is Kāra...
I've surprisingly found some copies of the original 1908 edition for less than $100 online, but my copy is a 2002 edition by Fredonia Books. That was a nice facsimile of the original edition, but it appears that there is a new print-on-demand edition available now as well, from the same people who made my copy of The Fate of A Crown, so chances are they did very well on that.
There's also three different digital versions from Archive.org.
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
The Royal Podcast of Oz: The Movies of Oz - Oz the Great and Powerful (Discussion)
After reviewing the new movie Oz the Great and Powerful in the last episode, Jared and Sam now dissect it! What happened to China Girl? Should there be a sequel? Where's Ozma and the Good Witch of the North in this Oz? Jared and Sam discuss, and Sam rants!
As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site, or use the player below.
Podcast Powered By Podbean
As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site, or use the player below.
Podcast Powered By Podbean
Acinad Goes To The Emerald City Of Oz
Here's another early publication by Chris Dulabone, one I didn't expect to get. I found it on eBay.
Chris had referred to this book in some of the books I'd read of his, tongue-in-cheek. All I knew was that Acinad Goes to the Emerald City of Oz introduced Acinad, Ruggedo's brother.
What I didn't expect was the authorship. I'd expected that Chris had written it, but it turns out it was the work of a group of fourth and fifth graders. The listed creators (writers and illustrators) include Candice Baca, Peter Dennedy, Danica Libutti, Naomi Maestas, Billy Sanchez, Randy Tappen and David Tolzman.
As such, expectations for a long, well-crafted Oz story went out the window.
Acinad the Nome has been turned into dust in the Deadly Desert, but when a freak tidal wave washes his remains into the Winkie Country, he is restored to his living form. He meets and is befriended by the Tin Woodman, and decides to find the magic diamond in the Emerald City. However, near the Emerald City, a Wicked Witch arrives and says she has the Hungry Tiger hostage and will boil him alive if she isn't given the magic diamond. However, Acinad has a plan to trick the Witch. Will it work?
Despite being written very simply, the story was very fun. When you consider it was written by very young Oz fans (with help from Chris), it's actually rather enjoyable.
So, Acinad Goes to the Emerald City of Oz, it's an offbeat Oz book, but a fun one. But it's also rather hard to find. Good luck!
Chris had referred to this book in some of the books I'd read of his, tongue-in-cheek. All I knew was that Acinad Goes to the Emerald City of Oz introduced Acinad, Ruggedo's brother.
What I didn't expect was the authorship. I'd expected that Chris had written it, but it turns out it was the work of a group of fourth and fifth graders. The listed creators (writers and illustrators) include Candice Baca, Peter Dennedy, Danica Libutti, Naomi Maestas, Billy Sanchez, Randy Tappen and David Tolzman.
As such, expectations for a long, well-crafted Oz story went out the window.
Acinad the Nome has been turned into dust in the Deadly Desert, but when a freak tidal wave washes his remains into the Winkie Country, he is restored to his living form. He meets and is befriended by the Tin Woodman, and decides to find the magic diamond in the Emerald City. However, near the Emerald City, a Wicked Witch arrives and says she has the Hungry Tiger hostage and will boil him alive if she isn't given the magic diamond. However, Acinad has a plan to trick the Witch. Will it work?
Despite being written very simply, the story was very fun. When you consider it was written by very young Oz fans (with help from Chris), it's actually rather enjoyable.
So, Acinad Goes to the Emerald City of Oz, it's an offbeat Oz book, but a fun one. But it's also rather hard to find. Good luck!