For the Holidays!

A KIDNAPPED SANTA CLAUS by L. Frank Baum AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE May I first, please, extend to one and all my very best wishes/wish-Oz for a healthy, joyous, blessed, and memorable holiday season! I know you were promised that this month would bring the third and final reminiscence about the 1989 50th Anniversary celebrations of …

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO “THE GREEN BOOK”!

“THE WIZARD OF OZ — THE OFFICIAL 50th ANNIVERSARY PICTORIAL HISTORY” IS NOW 35 😊 Part One – By John Fricke Above: This is the front dust jacket cover of the book that celebrated the golden anniversary of MGM’s THE WIZARD OF OZ just 35 years ago this summer . . . and on into …

“L. Frank-ly, My Dear, We WILL Give a Fest!”

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 …

“ILL-OZ-STRATIONS” — DIVERSIFIED! Part Two

by John Fricke A bit of background to begin! Part One of this two-part series may be found by simply scrolling down past this entry; therein discussed are some of the early artists who pictured L. Frank Baum’s book, THE WIZARD OF OZ. There were comparatively few such illustrators, however; from its initial publication as …

“ILL-OZ-STRATIONS” — DIVERSIFIED! Part One

By John Fricke Even occasional visitors to these blogs – or to Oz in general – will recognize the name William Wallace [W. W.] Denslow. It was his dazzling color pictures, artful book design, and character and setting concepts that helped make L. Frank Baum’s THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ the best-selling children’s book of …

OZ-STRAVAGANZA! BIGGER & BETTER &
“CLOSER & PRETTIER THAN EVER” —
AND 46 YEARS OLD!

by John Fricke Let the JOY-OZ news be spread: OZ-STRAVAGANZA! is JUST ahead! I know that isn’t at all the way “Yip” Harburg put it in his “Munchkinland” lyric in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s THE WIZARD OF OZ movie. Back then, however, he was “only” proclaiming the passing of the Wicked Witch of the East; WE’RE here today …

GOING GLOBAL WITH THE FIRST “AMERICAN FAIRY TALE”: OZ ABROAD – PART TWO

By John Fricke In last month’s entry, we shared brief history about — and multiple illustrations from — four overseas translations of L. Frank Baum’s THE WIZARD OF OZ. It’s worth noting, however, that the reaction of the blog’s All Things Oz adherents (while always graciously expressed) seemed even more than customarily enthusiastic when we …