The latest Oz reading

Well, a couple more books down to close out the year, so let's see what I can say about them.

First up is The Wizard of Oz Code by Mich Hancock. This was actually a complimentary copy for review, so I'm working on the review now, and it should turn up on my review page very soon. But very quickly, it's a spiritual guide using The Wizard of Oz (The Movie) to improving your life. There are an awful lot of these now...

The other book is another of those books that I can't tell you much about because too many elements are not yet in public domain, and so the publisher could conceivably be in some legal trouble (although not the author, as he passed away some years ago now). I will say that this is one of the more unconventional stories by this writer, who is already pretty unconventional, but it was also a lot of fun, and a little more straightforward than some of his other books. The story also involves an interesting magical application of twentieth century technology. And I'm afraid that's about all I can say.

Next time, I should actually be able to talk about the books I'm reading!

Help kids ace the SAT with Oz!

My buddy Lynn, who's also vice-president of the International Wizard of Oz Club, often finds interesting Oz-based school projects looking for assistance on donorschoose.org. Well, here's a good one she alerted me to recently that involves getting a bunch of copies of The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder to get high school students ready for the SAT. Great idea, and a worthy project. So if you can, you'll be helping out a bunch of needy students and spreading the word of Oz by donating. And while you're there, feel free to poke around and see if there are other schools looking for help, possibly even in your area!

Oz in cake!

One of my favorite blogs to check out every day is Cake Wrecks, which showcases bad or weird or just plain inexplicable, professionally-made cakes. It's pretty funny, and Jen, who runs the joint, always has a great spin on how to present it. However, she also balances the bad with the good in her weekly Sunday Sweets column, showing how to do cakes right. Well, yesterday's was a movie-themed column, and I'll bet you can guess one movie that was highlighted. (Otherwise, why would I be telling you this?) So Go take a look, and if you're just impatient to get to Oz, scroll down to the fifth picture. If you're more patient, read them all and enjoy the trip.

The (Silent) Wizard of Oz

Mark Evanier, a writer out in Hollywood whose terrific blog I read, had a post today about the silent 1925 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and its star, Larry Semon. I knew Semon, although not well-known today, was a big star back in the '20s, and Mark explains a little bit about why. So, feel free to go over and take a look. And if you want to see the movie, and don't already have it on DVD (and if you have any recent multi-disc release of that other version of The Wizard of Oz, you very well might), it's on Turner Classic Movies tonight at midnight EST.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

In a flash, I decided that I would blog today by sharing this. It's not Oz, but it's Judy Garland at her very best (and that's saying something), which is close enough:

Yes, this is the debut of the song, with its original, more cynical lyrics. You can read more about the history of the song and how it's changed over at Wikipedia (including, it turns out, a surprising contribution from my friend and fellow Oz fan John Fricke).

Holiday Oz television

I just thought I'd let you know that, if you have the right channels on your cable or satellite system, you can see an awful lot of Oz movies and specials over the next few days. Here's the rundown:

• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, December 24, 7:00 a.m., ABC Family Channel. This is the 1985 Rankin-Bass adaptation of the story by L. Frank Baum.
  
• The Wizard of Oz, December 25, 8:00 p.m., TBS. It's apparently not enough that TBS showed this, the most famous film version of the story (you know, the one with Judy Garland as Dorothy), last month, or that sister station TNT showed it last week. This showing follows TBS's annual marathon showing of A Christmas Story — twelve consecutive times over the previous twenty-four hours — which is a movie that also features the characters from The Wizard of Oz in the going-to-see-Santa-at-the-department-store scene. Coincidence? (I doubt it, actually...)
  
• The Wiz, December 26, 12:00 noon and midnight, TVOne. This is a relatively recent channel that I wasn't familiar with until I saw this listing, but it seems to cater towards African-American audiences. And yes, this is The Wiz with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
  
• The Wizard of Oz, December 27, 12:00 midnight, TCM. This is not the famous version that TBS is also showing for the season (and TCM will show in February during their annual Oscar salute). Nope, this is the 1925 silent version, probably most famous now for Oliver Hardy playing the Tin Man. It has a character named Dorothy and a tornado, but otherwise it bears little resemblance to either the book or the more famous movie version that everyone knows about.
  

So, if you don't already have these on DVD, this is your chance to see a lot of Oz stuff for the holidays. Enjoy!

The latest Oz reading

I'm back on an Oz reading cycle (and since I'm on winter vacation right now, it may go quick), so here are two more Oz things I've just read:

• Dunkiton Press #19 (2010). This is the annual anthology of little known writings and illustrations by Oz contributors, put together by Ruth Berman. This year's theme is "Valentine's Day I" (so I bet there will be a follow up next year), and includes the story "Bunny of Hippety-Hoppety Village" and the poems "The Perhappsy Chaps Send a Valentine", "The Teddy Bear's Song", and "The Perhappsy Chaps and Miss Pozy and Derry Dan" by Ruth Plumly Thompson, all from her pre-Oz time writing for the Philadelphia Public Ledger. The illustrations are by John R. Neill, all from February 1914 edition of The Ladies' Home Journal. If you are interested in the non-Oz work of Oz authors and haven't already discovered the Dunkiton series, I suggest you take a look. For what you get, they're very affordable.
  
• The Road to Oz: Twists, Turns, Bumps, and Triumphs in the Life of L. Frank Baum by Kathleen Krull. This is a short, picture-book biography of L. Frank Baum, charmingly illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. It's a nice summing up of Frank's life up until writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (and with quite a bit after that as well), and paints a positive picture of the man, as we would expect. The order of a few events are juggled a bit, but nothing serious. This is a nice little book, a perfect introduction to who L. Frank Baum was and how he came to write The Wizard of Oz.
  

Quick! Go check these out!

There are a few items in this ebay auction that you might be interested in. Even if you don't want to buy anything, go take a look at what the great Fred Hembeck has done with his sketches of Oz characters. But hurry! The auction is only running for about three more days.

We are definitely not in Kansas anymore!

According to the American Film Institute, it's the fourth most memorable quote from any movie ever made. It's so memorable, in fact, that it's been used (and corrupted) in numerous other movies and television shows. Which one am I talking about? Here, take a look. It's first utterance is right at the very beginning. (WARNING: Some naughty language that you may not want your grandmother to hear. If she's not around, go ahead.)

So, where did they all come from? Go take a look at the list on the creator's blog.

Oz on "The Simpsons"

I'm a week late with this, but as The Simpsons is on holiday hiatus right now, the episode should be up and available for a few extra weeks now. When you click on this link to watch The Simpsons on the Fox website, make sure you're watching the episode "Donnie Fatso". WARNING: There will be ads at the beginning. Pay careful attention to when Moe takes Homer into the bowels of his tavern to get some privacy. Notice where they end up. That's all I'm saying, except someone on the staff of The Simpsons is clearly a fan of a certain musical play, as they got the details just right. Plus, an homage to a famous Marx Brothers routine!

Today's Oz comic

So what happens when Dorothy and the gang go to the beach? Well, it might look something like today's edition of The Argyle Sweater. (But isn't what the Scarecrow doing dangerous — in more ways than one?)

Oz at the Royal Variety Show

I owe you all a big set of posts, and I'll get to some very soon. But I found this one and decided to share with you now, as an early holiday treat. It's an Oz medley at this year's Royal Variety Show in London, with Danielle Hope singing "Over the Rainbow". I also like the kids playing Munchkins in their colorful outfits. Take a look.

(And on a non-Oz note, is that the fourth Doctor Who, Tom Baker, announcing?)

Oz in the comics

Our latest comic book order arrived last week. And yes, there was some Oz in it. In fact, three of them were Ozma of Oz #1. Yes, I bought all three variants. (Those of you who already have #2, indulge me, okay? We have no local comic shop, so we have to buy them mail order. And with our current financial straits, we've limited shipping to once a month. So I'm a little behind.) Yup, just what I've been expecting from Eric and Skottie, it's great. And it ends with our first good look at the Wheelers. You thought they were creepy in Return to Oz, wait until you get a look at Skottie's interpretation! (Oh, wait, you can!) Yup, they have another winner here (was there ever a doubt?)

But the most interesting bit was JSA All-Stars #12. Long-time readers of my blog will know of my infatuation with one of the All-Stars, Maxine Hunkel, AKA Cyclone. Here's what she looks like, as illustrated by one of her creators, the great Alex Ross.

She's tall, a redhead with freckles, smart (she's a student at Harvard), and a Wizard of Oz fan! All qualities I find quite endearing. I love my wife dearly, and wouldn't leave her for any reason, but why can't Max be real, and why couldn't I have met her about twenty years ago??? True, she also has wind-control superpowers and a motormouth, but I could live with those. (What? Oh, right, the blog.) So in JSA All-Stars #12, we not only get a rare issue centering around Max, we get to see inside her dorm room! Take a look!



How cool is that??? She's obviously been buying a few dolls from my friend Karyl. I'd be interested to see what books those are the Scarecrow is sitting on. Incidentally, that may not be a stuffed winged monkey. That is very likely her real pet monkey-with-wings, Frankie.

So yes, I quite enjoyed that issue. Too bad we won't be getting more for a few weeks now.