This Week's Oz Political Cartoons

When The Wizard of Oz makes the news, you know the editorial cartoonists are going to use it. Sure enough, the recovery of the Ruby Slippers stolen in Minnesota in 2005 prompted cartoons from both David Granlund and Joe Heller. Granlund just did a straightforward one, but Heller added a little political twist.

The Most Important Kickstarter Campaign Oz Fans Can Ever Back!

Occasionally, I will post a Kickstarter campaign here, because there are a lot of good Ozzy ones out there. But there are also so many that I don't dare try to look at them all, or encourage you to back them. But this is probably the one Ozzy campaign that I can most emphatically say you must contribute to if you are at all capable of doing so: The Ruby Slippers.

Let me just say that again to make it real clear what this is: Conserving and preserving the Ruby Slippers, the pair used in The Movie at the Smithsonian Institution.

One more time, in case you still don't understand:

Conserving. The. Actual. Screen-Worn. Ruby. Slippers.

Have I made it clear now?

This is one of only four known pairs of the slippers in existence, and probably the most famous. They were the first pair auctioned off, at the famed 1970 MGM auction where they went for a then-astonishing price of $15,000 (that sure seems like a bargain today). They were later donated to the Smithsonian, where they became one of their most popular and visited exhibits. It turns out that being on display for thirty years under hot lights is taking its toll, and the sequins are deteriorating and discoloring. The Institution wants to conserve and restore the slippers, and create a state-of-the-art display case for them to preserve them for a long, long time to come. I got to see them a few years ago in Portland when the Smithsonian went on tour for its 150th anniversary, and it was a pretty special moment. The rest of the items were cool, too, but there is something about the Ruby Slippers that just made the whole thing that much better (but I may be biased).

The Smithsonian is looking for $300,000 over the next thirty days, and it looks like they're already off to a good start. But one can never assume anything with something like this. So if you can contribute, please do so. Then spread the word! We need not only Oz fans, but anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood or American pop culture in on this. Let's get them that money ASAP so we can see what kind of stretch goals they offer! Just click your heels together three times right here to watch the video and see what kinds of goodies they have to offer.

Oz in Jeopardy!

Two more Ozzy incidents on Jeopardy!, and they happened to be two consecutive days in March. The first one was on the show for March 24, and sadly, I had some technical problems that kept me from successfully recording it. But that's okay, as it was a video clue anyway. I just had to find the painting in question online. So in the Double Jeopardy! round, when the $400 clue in American Art & Artists was uncovered, we saw this while Alex read the clue:

There's no witch and no rainbow in
John Steuart Curry's painting "Tornado Over" this state

Derek, the challenger on the right, rang in first and correctly responded with, "What is Kansas?" of course. It was a very tight match with a difficult Final Jeopardy! so he did not go on to win. Instead, Nancy, the challenger in the middle won, which meant she got to pick the first clue in the next day's show. She chose It's At the Smithsonian for $200, which gave us this clue:

Matt, the challenger in the middle got in first and said, "What are Dorothy's red shoes?" Close enough! But Nancy won again.

And that catches us up with the Oz clues on Jeopardy! so far this season.

Ruby Slippers found? Er...

Almost five years ago, a pair of the Ruby Slippers were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. So far, they haven't turned up, but...well, just read this story. It appears they may be getting closer to finding them at last.

And now for a word from our sponsor

Whoever put together this ad sure did their research into the history and development of a certain famous pair of shoes!