By John Fricke One plain and simple fact should come as no surprise to anyone reading here: L. Frank Baum had a limitless imagination and — to be sure — extraordinary real-life adventures. That combination led him to write not only about Oz and its countless unique citizens and hamlets, but to pen dozens of […]
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POSTERS & HERALDS & ADS . . . OH, OZ! (PART TWO)
By John Fricke Across the last three decades or so, I’ve been the very, very grateful recipient of a number of kind comments about the books I’ve written. (The current THE ART OF OZ is number eight.) What I’ve heard across the boards, more than anything else, is a sort of glowing estimation: “The pictures […]
POSTERS & HERALDS & ADS . . . OH, OZ! (PART ONE)
By John Fricke A picture, we hear, is worth a thousand words. Well, if that be true, the purpose of this blog is to spare you (most!) of ten thousand words . . . and simply provide some Ozzy art that it’s hoped will spur joy, nostalgia, curiosity, and memories. Most of all, may it […]
THE “ALL THINGS OZ” EXCLUSIVE! A PREVIEW OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND TEXT-EXCERPTS FROM THE NEW GABRIEL GALE/JOHN FRICKE BOOK, “THE ART OF OZ”!
One of the introductory special features of Rizzoli’s new and gloriously illustrated book, THE ART OF OZ, is a “royal proclamation extraordinary” from Princess Ozma — and perhaps it best explains the celebratory nature of this new volume from artist Gabriel Gale. In her decree, directly addressed to Gale, Ozma “hereby and happily sanctions the […]
MGM’S “WIZARD”: IT JUST KEEPS ROLLIN ALONG!
by John Fricke One of Chittenango’s most loyal boosters — and OZ-Stravaganza! attendees — sent me an email this past Wednesday, August 25th, that simply said: “Happy WIZARD OF OZ Day!” He, like so many others on social media, was celebrating the fact that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s extraordinary movie of L. Frank Baum’s story, THE WIZARD OF […]
MISCELLANY-OZ! CELEBRATING PAST & RECENT JOYS ALONG THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
By John Fricke In recent months, these All Things Oz blogs have discussed the Ozcot Lodge in Indiana; the Ozcot home of L. Frank Baum in Hollywood; the extraordinary range of virtual guests at last month’s OZStravaganza! in Chittenango, NY; Ms. Margaret Pellegrini — that most beloved of MGMovie Munchkins; the writings of Baum and […]
THE “OTHER” OZCOT – AND THE FIRST OZ CONVENTIONS
By John Fricke A few months ago, this blog celebrated “Ozcot,” the Hollywood, California, home built for themselves by L. Frank Baum (Royal Historian of Oz) and his wife, Maud, in 1910. Other recent blogs about the Baums have referenced that property, as well. But there was another Ozcot – a small summer lodge maintained […]
OZ-STRAVAGANZA! 2021 COMES TO YOU!
By: John Fricke Last year, for the first time in forty-three years, there was no annual Chittenango OZ-Stravaganza! The glorious festival in the birthplace village of L. Frank Baum – “Royal Historian of Oz” – was initially launched in 1978 and, by 2019, had spanned five decades. In the process, OZ-Strav! triumphed over rain, snow, […]
MORE ABOUT OZ, MR. BAUM!
By: John Fricke I guess everyone has recurring dreams, and some of those I’ve heard or read about from fellow Oz fans are certainly . . . well, I guess the catch-all word would be “interesting”! Meanwhile, I only have one of my own, but it’s popped up over multiple nights and across multiple decades […]
“MISS MARGARET”
By John Fricke About six months ago, the monthly blog here was devoted to Meinhardt Raabe: “My First Munchkin.” The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer “Coroner” initially came into my Oz life sometime around 1980 and was the third cast member of THE WIZARD OF OZ movie I encountered in person. (I’d met Judy Garland in 1967 and Margaret […]