by John Fricke

Given the paraphrased title of this month’s blog, may I remind you that this year marks the 85th anniversary of THAT film, too . . . . 😊
However, there’ll be no further homage to GONE WITH THE WIND! We’re all about ALL THINGS OZ, and we’re here to herald and celebrate both the 85th anniversary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s THE WIZARD OF OZ movie, as well as the forty-seventh annual OZ-STRAVAGANZA! festival in author L. Frank Baum’s birthplace. Or to put it more simply, The Place To Be from Friday afternoon, May 31st through Sunday afternoon, June 2nd is Chittenango, NY. (Turn right at Syracuse. 😊 )
In our efforts to combine Baum OZ and MGM OZ, we’ve seen to it that the vintage Dorothy above has momentarily switched out the silver shoes of the first Oz book for the later ruby slippers of “that film.” But there’s much more that you need to know, so on with the show – and “Hey, leader, strike up the band!”
And what do you want to hear? There are numerous commemorative choices, as referenced in the series of forty “official” Oz Books. (Baum himself wrote the first fourteen of those, and six other authors carried on after his passing.) Anyway, what’ll it be? You can select “The Oz Spangled Banner,” “Oz and Ozma Forever,” “What is Oz Without Ozma?,” “The Grand March of Oz,” “The Land of Oz Forever,” or “I’ll Sing a Song of Ozland.” Or maybe you’ll opt for such Hollywood and Broadway compositions as “The Merry Old Land of Oz,” “The Rainbow Road to Oz,” “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”/“We’re Off to See the Wizard,” “Ease On Down the Road,” or the incomparable “Over the Rainbow.”
I reference all of these, as it seems there ought to be bells, whistles, sirens, and a whole lot of music to honor America’s Own Fairyland – especially when one considers its world-widespread popularity and fame. Beyond the Judy Garland WIZARD OF OZ movie and the Oz books, Baum’s characters, countries, and stories have inspired such additional entertainments as THE WIZ (right now and once again on Broadway), WICKED (now in its twenty-first consecutive year on Broadway – and soon to be seen in a multi-million dollar, two-film screen adaptation; part one opens at Thanksgiving), OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, RETURN TO OZ, JOURNEY BACK TO OZ . . . and on and on to new books, new products, cartoons, TV programs, and diverse events and merchandise of all types.
And then there’s – to return once more and however gently to the “commercial” – OZ-STRAVAGANZA! You can see examples of (and history about) all the projects referenced above at Chittenango’s ALL THINGS OZ Museum, open for special hours across the three days of the festival:

The wealth of emerald green and Munchkin magic actually permeates the whole town during OZ-STRAV! weekend. There’s a real Yellow Brick Road bordering Genesee Street. There’s the 2 p.m. parade on Saturday. There’s the cOZtume contest and the writing contest. In centrally located Oz Park, there’ll be rides and vendors and food and crafts and Oz memorabilia and three special silent auctions (one on each day). There’s free live music and entertainment across all three days – and (ditto!) free meet-and-greet (and-pose-and-snap) moments with some of the most recognizable characters in history. They’re shown here with Shawn Ryan – kneeling left, in the hat — who designed their costumes, and Jeffrey Lane Sadecky, their convivial and consummate wrangler:

And for the Ozians, Ozites, Ozzys, Ozmites, collectors, historians, fans, entertainment seekers, and the just plain pop-culture-curious, there’s the free Celebrity Tent, where the OZ-STRAV! special guests will hold forth for autographs and pictures every afternoon. Additionally, and free-of-charge, they’ll also be part of special interviews and presentations on Friday and Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, immediately adjacent to Oz Park.
Finally, it’s a pleasure to outline here the dazzling line-up of Oz luminaries. We have two guests who will specifically acclaim THE WIZARD OF OZ movie, which first premiered eighty-five years ago this summer. One is the preeminent book editor, packager, and writer Jane Lahr – and if her last name sounds familiar . . . it should! She’s the daughter of the movie’s one-and-only Cowardly Lion, the unforgettable Bert Lahr himself:

Jane’s recollections of her incomparable father have to be heard to be fully experienced – and the same may be said about Robert Welch, who comes with memories and multiple visual examples of the OZ work of his grandfather, A. Arnold “Buddy” Gillespie. Buddy was, for decades, the genius (and there’s no other word for it) behind the MGM special effects department, and he and his coworkers created all the magic of Oz for the screen – long before there was CGI or AI or anything else other than makin’-it-up-out-of-imagination-and trial-and-error-and-actual-physical-properties:



Want to know about the full-size monkeys? the miniature rubber monkeys? the thirty-five-foot-long tornado? Robert will tell all about these accomplishments (and more!) in his very first appearance at an Oz Festival.
Yet Jane and Robert are just the beginning. Gracing the Celebrity Tent and stage with them is Gita Dorothy Morena, great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum — THE WIZARD OF OZ author himself. Her family reminiscences and insights are drawn from her own revered career as an author, lecturer, and psychoanalyst:

Another first-time visitor to Chittenango is the supreme artist, Irma Starr, whose achievement in ceramic art, commemorative plates, decorative ornaments, jewelry, and figurines is renowned. Irma has been commissioned to “create” for private collectors, corporations, the White House, and the Smithsonian Institute; the fact that her work includes Oz imaging makes her an ideal OZ-Stravaganza! guest:

Returning after a few years’ absence (and MOST welcome) is Broadway songwriter, arranger, and orchestrator Steve Margoshes. (Some of his work is presently being heard on the Great White Way in this season’s revival of THE WHO’S TOMMY.) For the past decade, Steve has been composing and assembling an original “Oz Song Cycle,” drawn from the fabled books and combining his own inspired gifts with their fantasy, whimsy, joy, and philosophies. He’ll debut and reprise some of this work for program attendees.

Finally, we two resident hambones (I say this affectionately about him and honestly about me) will be on-hand as well! Gabriel Gale is the conceptualizer of the AGES OF OZ novels for middle-school students (and children of all ages), as well as the wondrous talent behind the beautiful THE ART OF OZ coffee-table book. The latter, published three years ago, showcases his own inventive, exciting portraits of citizens of Baum’s Oz and “Borderland of Oz” titles. (Additionally, THE ART OF OZ juxtaposes the Gale drawings with those by Denslow and John R. Neill from the original editions of Baum’s work.) Gratefully and proudly, I’ll add that I was selected to write the text for Gabe’s book, adding that title to the seven others I’ve been privileged to do about the OZ movie, Judy Garland, and the greater Oz franchise in the past thirty-five years:


In addition to comments about our current projects – separately and together – I can tell you that Gabe has just returned from Hollywood and will also share advance and special news about the forthcoming WICKED movie.
[Please note: Once again, the Friday and Saturday presentations begin at 6 p.m. On Friday, the rundown includes Gita Dorothy Morena and Robert Welch; on Saturday, the speakers will be Steve Margoshes, Gabriel Gale, and Jane Lahr. I’ll be the master-of-ceremonies and sometime interviewer on both occasions.]
And – believe it or not! – the 1,300+ words through which you’ve just read offer only the lightest touch of the hours and hours of magic and fun awaiting every generation at OZ-Stravaganza! The Celebrity Tent will also boast the presence of other writers, illustrators, and creators who carry on the legends, myths – and realities! – discovered by Baum and his associates. This year, we welcome:

Also, for the first time this year, Stickles Park – at the head of Chittenango’s Saturday parade route – will open at 10 a.m. that day with diverse food treats, special entertainment, and costumed characters on hand. It’s the perfect way to launch “a day in Oz”!

I reiterate — with no sense of exaggeration but with hopefully pardonable exhilaration – that if you’re seeking “The Land of Oz” from May 31st – June 2nd, we’ll have it for you in Chittenango, NY. As ever, we anticipate the pleasure and exhilaration of YOUR company.
Many thanks for reading – and as I can’t possibly do justice to all of it here, please check www.oz-stravaganza.com for the complete OZ-Stravaganza! schedule!
Gratefully and happily, as ever,
John
