History and Background

Thursday November 14, 2008

A woman who loved her family sadly passed away. With a heavy heart I write these words. Donna Jean Johnson was a female child actor back around the 1930's. In 1939 she was a 7 year old extra Child Munchkin in the movie The Wizard of Oz one of the most beloved movies and novels of all time. When she grew older she had changed her name to Donna Stewart Hardway. Her husband Nelson has been one of her greatest supports in helping her along the hardships which comes with facing the inevitable. But, the inevitable isn't about leaving this world, it's about joining once more with the people in your life who once were here. With fond thoughts, prayers and wishes Donna is loved and cherished by all in and around her life. Her friends, family and acquaintances cherished the times they shared with this extraordinary woman. Her friends from the EverythingOz group will miss her terribly. Her family shall mourn for the loss of her love back to them. Sadly, all will feel a tiny tug in heart for her and all who have been taken from us as well. She is above us now, at least I know with both of my grandfathers and both of my wonderful, crazy grandmothers. She is still with us in spirit, she is in our life, and our hearts forever, she is Donna Stewart Hardway. Forever our friend, forever with us now and always. I dedicate this web site to her. This is for you Donna :)

1939's ORIGINAL OZ BY L. FRANK BAUM:

Since its publication in September 1900, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale. The first totally American fantasy for children, it is one of the most-read children's books. It has also engendered a long series of sequels, stage plays and musicals, movies and television shows, biographies of Baum, scholarly studies of the significance of the book and film, advertisements, and toys, games, and other Oz-related products.

The Oz story has become a classic because it blends elements of traditional magic, such as witches, with ones from early twentieth-century American reality, such as a Kansas cyclone, a scarecrow, and a man made of tin. And, despite its many particularly American attributes, including a wizard from Omaha, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has universal appeal, demonstrated by numerous non-American translations and dramatizations. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this timeless American classic, the Library of Congress has supplemented its unparalleled collections with costumes and other memorabilia borrowed from museums, other libraries, and private collectors.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ~ DID YOU EVER NOTICE...... ?

* . . .small angle gaps don't match up in certain scenes ? This was because the editors were told to knock out specific lines or scenes from the film so it could stay under 2 hours NOTE: originally UNDER THE RAINBOW was cut from the film. Good sense was prevailed and it was restored.

* . . .Frank Morgan shows up 5 times in the film !

First as Professor Marvel, The Doorman, Cabby Driver, Guard at the Gate and the FIRST WIZARD, DELUXE !

*. . .that the Witch's castle was either a matte painting or a miniature set during a view of a long shot.

* . . .that none of the film was shot on location ? Production at 1060 was filmed entirely on set stages !

* . . .when the Wizard tells them to GO! The Lion runs out of the throne room and BERT LAHR's STUNT DOUBLE runs into th window and crashes it !

* . . .Judy Garland's stand in Bobby Koshay, opens the door into Munchkinland in a GREEN GINGHAM DRESS ? Judy THEN stepped OUT of the HOUSE !

* . . .the Lion's bottom, when climbing the rocks to get to DOROTHY and set her free, is STRAIGHT ? THE TIN WOODMAN is holding his tail-watch this CLOSELY, it's funny !

* . . .for a Scottish Terrier, Toto is SMART !

* . . .when trying to understand Dorothy's monologue at the end of the film, it makes NO SENSE ! ***But, we all understand the meaning of the film and excuse it :o)

* . . .periodically, throughout the film characters are MISPLACED in sequence. EXAMPLES: Hail to Dorothy for Klling the Wicked Witch of the West - pay CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LION ! THEN, when the Lion, Scarecrow and TIN WOODMAN confront Oz to get their medals - WATCH CLOSELY AT THE LINE UP. Out of sequence once more !

* . . .the Scarecrow's MATH equation is WRONG !

* There is no hanging man in the back of the Tin Woodsman scene. Inside of one of the behind the scenes books of this movie it specifical tells you a story f of how animals in their cages got loose on the set. Therefore, in the background you see a bird flapping it's wings, thee is no hanging man!

* A deleted scene was cut from the movie, The Jitterbug, is mentioned when the Wicked Witch tells the Flying Monkeys : " I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out pf them ! " Unfortunately, it was never fully shot because Buddy Ebson was the Tin Woodsman at the time, and Jack Haley eventually took his place. Only rehearsals of this scene still exist in the documentary of the 1939 dvd and video.

Email or IM me at NessaRose1939@aol.com

108 YEARS OF INFORMATION ON THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ

Folklore, legends, myths and

fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.

Yet the old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as historical in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer wonder tales in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident.

Having this thought in mind, the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.

L. Frank Baum - - - Chicago, April 1900

TIMELINE OF OZ:

Oz has to be the most imaginable place where virtually every fan wants to go. From Dorothy's first steps into this magical fairyland to the forty sequels, this novel has spawned. Oz became one of the most quintessential stories of the young at heart for over 105 years.

1900, 1902, 1925, 1939, 1949, 1956,1998, 1999, and the year 2000 were milestones in the history and saga of THE WIZARD OF OZ. All of these different years represent 9 distinct moments of one of the most beloved novels and movies ever made. It's author, L. Frank Baum, published this story nationwide in the year 1900. 1902 was the very first theatrical performance of Oz that Baum had produced. In 1925, Baum also produced the silent movie, The Wizard of Oz. Then, in 1939 a whole new evolution of Oz expanded tremendously worldwide with Technicolor's new extravaganza, THE WIZARD OF OZ, a true, inspirational, masterpiece of it's time. 10 years later in 1949

OZ would be rereleased to theatres, creating more generations of people to fall in love with this endearing classic and under it's endearingly, magical spell. Seventeen years later marked the first visual concept put into the family home, the first black and white television set. In 1956, 1939's Wizard of Oz debuted on television for the first time, eventually color television made a huge impact with this spectacular film in the 60's. Thus, OZ made history once more, it was the very FIRST movie to ever be seen on television, Since 1956, this movie has become an annual classic, an icon for the twenty and what is now, twenty-first century. Back in 1999, The Wizard of Oz celebrated 60 years of television enchantment. This annual classic had been on television for 60 years, and it's no wonder that the year before in 1998 THE WIZARD OF OZ went BACK into theatres !

5 years ago, in the year of 2000, The Wizard of Oz shown brightly, and consequently it was known that 100 YEARS of OZ had passed since it's FIRST publication in 1900. Many fans of every generation from young to old and the young in heart followed this timeless masterpiece down the Yellow Brick Road one more time on television on the cable network TNT. Now, in January 2005 we can begin to celebrate the 105 years of OZ officially into the 21th century. The HISTORY to this story is magificent, and it is here within my world of OZ, I will share with you the reader, everything I know, and MORE about the ULTIMATE BEST NOVEL & MOVIE ON EARTH, PLUS THE REASON WHY I LIVE, AND LOVE The inspirational WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ !

Step inside to the magic, behind the scenes, all about the authors and illustrators, sequels, deleted scenes, Academy Awards, comparisons to DISNEY FEATURE FILMS ( my other passion) and MY FIRST OZZY EXPERIENCE at the tender age of 3!

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WICKED vs Wizard of Oz

There are many similarities in Gregory Maguire's Wicked to L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. But, where in fact do they lie? The very first Oz book by Baum depicts a crochety old woman patched with one eye, drawn by W. W. Denslow. In Wicked, the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West described by Gregory Maguire himself is a green woman from birth to death. She was scorned, defeated, and internally incomplete within herself. So where do the similarities lie? It's not only a story about Oz. It's a story about friendships and heartaches, along with what makes Oz such a wonderful place to understand where you be.

Both Wicked and The Wizard of Oz share the bond of friendship. Galinda and Elphaba find solace within each other as do Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Lion. But one thing sets each story different. Their destiny. Dorothy longed to return home. Elphaba died. Elphaba's story is tragic, but it's true no one mourns the wicked. But, was she wicked? Gregory Maguire proved she wasn't just really messed up and misunderstood. However, 1939's movie proved otherwise. You see a truly horrible menacing creature emerge from a utopia of Oz. Still, in both versions Elphaba demands the shoes belong to her. In the Broadway play Wicked's ending is depicted as a suicide attempt to rid herself to get what she wants, her love of Fiyero. In the Wizard of Oz it is clear the bucket of water in the background was there, yet did not seem intentional when Dorothy spilled the bucket of water on the Scarecrow when it accidentally hit the witch of the west.

Munchkin Boq in the 1900 book of Oz was where Dorothy stopped and asked to stay the night. In Wicked Munchkin Boq transformed into the Tin Man. Wicked also suggests the Scarecrow is Fiyero when in fact the 1939 film states the Scarecrow is to rule the Emerald City after the Wizard leaves. Such stories of truths we'll never know. There are more to divulge and talk about. Tell me about what you have noticed in these stories, let's talk and share Oz, get down to the fact of it. Oz is an amazing country.

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The Wizard of OZ was a novel written by L. Frank Baum in 1939, this wonderful novel became a beloved movie that generation after generation still loves to watch over and over time and time again. I am part of a new generation that fell for this timeless masterpiece. The year 1980 marked my very first showing of this movie. It enchanted me in every way possible. I was 3 years old at the time and it was the very first movie I ever watched with my mother beside me. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie and I have read the entire series of books by L. Frank Baum from cover to cover many times. I also found myself involved with Oz and its magic, imagination & creativeness, the authors and their many works. Truly these masterpiece Oz series is one of the best children's books of all time !

1999 marked the movie's official anniversary. 60th years in running and 2000 made another anniversary for OZ. THE STORY WAS 100 years old ! (now 108) Next year marks the 70th Anniversary of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz on the big screen. May another 100 years hold a TREASURED classic forever.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ

OZ MOVIES :

1925 ~ The Wizard of Oz

silent film starring OLIVER HARDY

L. Frank Buam's Compnay makes 4 Oz films in the 1930's

1933 Oz cartoon featurette

1939 ~ The Wizard of Oz

CAST :

Dorothy ~ Judy Garland

Toto ~ Terry ( later changed name to Toto )

Aunt Em ~ Clara Blandick

Uncle Henry ~ Charlie Grapewin

farmhands ~ Ray Bolger,Jack Haley,Bert Lahr

Scarecrow ~ Ray Bolger

Tin Woodman ~ Jack Haley

Lion ~ Bert Lahr

Miss Gulch and Wicked Witch of the West ~

Margret Hamilton

Glinda ~ Billie Burke

Munckins ~ Singer Midgets ( Leo Singer)and freelances

Wizard ~ Frank Morgan

Winged Monkeys ~ 6 foot men hired to play the parts, plus munchkin men

1960's ~ Journey Back to Oz

Liza Minnelli provides voice of Dorothy guest voices: Ethel Merman as Mombi, Paul Lynd as Jack Pumpkinhead, Margaret Hamilton as Aunt Em, Milton Berl as Lion, Danny Kaye as Tin Woodman, Mickey Rooney as Scarecrow plus others !

1970's The Wiz

( all black cast )

FILMED IN New York

Starring :

Dorothy ~ Diana Ross

Scarecrow ~ Michael Jackson

Tin Woodman ~ Nipsey Russel

Lion ~ Ted Ross

Good Witch of the North ~ Lena Horne

Oz ~ Richard Pryor

plus many others!

1985 Return to Oz

Starring :

Fairuza Balk as Dorothy

Emma Ridley as Ozma

Piper Laurie as Aunt Em

plus many others

Matt Clarke as Uncle Henry

Jim Henson Productions provides all of the animatronics .

Directed by Walter Murch.

Loosely based on The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz .

late 1980's The Dreamer of Oz

starring John ritter as L. Frank Baum and

Rue McLanahan as Matilda Gage Baum

This movie is about the author L. Frank Baum and how The Wonderful Wizard of Oz got started

2007's Tin Man Mini Series

Zooey Deschannel asDG

Alam Cumming as Glitch

Neal McDonough as Wyatt Cain

Raoul Trujillo as Raw

Richard Dryfus as The Wizard/Mystic Man

Kathleen Robertson as The Witch

Oher Oz Movies

The Continuing Story of OZ animated

one on DVD, another on VHS

HBO's 4 Wizard of Oz set

Dorothy Meets Ozma Of OZ

Dorothy in the Land of OZ

Many castings of the Broadway Play: WICKED

a selection of many Wicked Casts:

Idina Menzel was Elphaba

Kristin chenoweth was Galinda

Joey McIntyre was Fiyero

Rue McLanahan was Madame Morrible

Joel Grey was The Wizard

Norbert Leo Butz was Fiyero

Helen Dallimore was Galinda

DeeDee MAgno Hall was Nessarose

Carol Kane was Madame Morrible

Shoshana Bean was Elphaba

Christina Decicco was Galinda

Michelle Federer was Nessarose

Eden Espinoza was Elphaba

Sebastian Arcelus was Fiyero

George Hearn was the Wizard

Megan Hilty was Galinda

Ana Gastyre Was Elphaba

L. Frank Baum

Tentative Timeline:

1856 Lyman Frank Baum is born in Chittennango, NY

1881 Publishes a successful musical play, The Maid of Arran

1882 Marries Maud Gage

01/01/1887 Baum`s father dies. The Baum family moves to Aberdeen, South Dakota.

1891 Moves to Chicago with his family and works as a reporter for the Evening Post.

1891 Works as a traveling salesman for a china company

1897 Publishes Mother Goose in Prose; illustrated by Maxfield Parrish

1899 Publishes Father Goose, His Book; illustrated by William Wallace Denslow

1900 Published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; illustrated by William Wallace Denslow

1902 Produced the musical version of the Wizard of Oz with William Wallace Denslow, Paul Tietjens, and Julien Mitchell (1902 through 1911)

1904 Published The Marvelous Land of Oz

1907 Published Ozma of Oz

1908 Produces the traveling film show Fairylogue and Radio-Plays

1908 Published Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz

1909 Published The Road to Oz

1910 Moves with his family to Hollywood, California

1910 Published The Emerald City of Oz

1913 Published The Patchwork Girl of Oz

1914 Forms the Oz Film Manufacturing Company

1914 Published Little Wizard Stories of Oz

1914 Published Tik-Tok of Oz

1915 Published The Scarecrow of Oz

1916 Published Rinkitink in Oz

1917 Published The Lost Princess of Oz

1918 Published The Tin Woodman of Oz

1919 Published The Magic of Oz

05/05/1919 Passed away on May 5th

1920 Published Glinda of Oz

SELECTED WORKS:

THE MAID OF ARRAN, 1882 (play, music and lyrics by Baum)

MATCHES, 1882 (play)

KILMOURNE, OR O'CONNOR'S DREAM, 1888

THE BOOK OF HAMBURGS, 1896

MOTHER GOOSE IN PROSE, 1897

BY THE CANDELABRA'S GLARE, 1898

FATHER GOOSE, 1899

A NEW WONDERLAND, 1900

THE ARMY ALPHABET, 1900

THE NAVY ALPHABET, 1900

THE ART OF DECORATING DRY GOODS WINDOW AND INTERIORS, 1900

THE SONGS OF FATHER GOOSE FOR THE KINDERGARTEN, 1900

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, 1900 - Ozin velho/Oz-maan taikuri - Film adaptations: The Wizard of Oz (1925), dir. by Larry Semon, adapted by Semon and L. Frank Baum Jr,. starring Dorothy Dwan - The Wizard of Oz (1939), dir. by Victor Fleming, starring Judy Garland. It has dwarfs, music, Technicolor, freak characters, and Judy Garland. It can't be expected to have a sense of humor as well - and as for the light touch of fantasy, it weights like a pound of fruitcake soaking wet. (Otis Ferguson in the New Republic, September 20, 1939) - The Wiz (1978), dir. by Sidney Lumet, written by Joel Schumacher, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. - Under the Rainbow (1981), starring Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher, dealt with the backstage misfortunes of the filming of the 1939 classic. - Walt Disney's Return to Oz (1985) was based on The Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz.

DOT AND TOT IN FAIRYLAND, 1901

AMERICAN FAIRY TALES, 1901

THE MASTER KEY: AN ELECTRICAL FAIRY TALE, 1901

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS, 1902

THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1902 (play, music by Paul Tietjens)

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND OF YEW, 1903

THE MAID OF ATHENS, 1903

THE SUPRISING ADVENTURES OF THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO AND HIS PEOPLE, 1903

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND OF YEW, 1903

THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ, 1904

A KIDNAPPED SANTA CLAUS, 1904

THE WOGGLE-BUG, 1905 (play, music by Frederic Chapin)

THE FATE OF A CROWN, 1905 (as Schuyler Staunton)

QUEEN OF ZIXI OF IX, OR THE STORY OF THE MAGIC CLOAK, 1905

JOHN DOUGH AND THE CHERUB, 1906

ANNABEL, 1906 (as Suzanne Metcalf)

DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY, 1906 (as Schuyler Staunton)

SAM STEELE'S ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA, 1906 (as Hugh Fitzgerald)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES, 1906 (as Edith Van Dyne)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES ABROAD, 1906 (as Edith Van Dyne)

FATHER GOOSE';S YEAR BOOK, 1907

OZMA OF OZ, 1907

SAM STEELE'S ADVENTURES IN PANAMA, 1907 (as Hugh Fitzgerald)

TAMAWACA FOLKS, 1907 (as John Estes Cooke)

BAUM'S FAIRY TALES, 1908

DOROTHY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1908

THE FAIRYLOGUE AND RADIO-PLAYS, 1908 (screenplay)

THE LAST EGYPTIAN: A ROMANCE OF THE NILE, 1908

THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN EGYPT, 1908 (as Floyd Akers)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES AT MILLVILLE, 1908 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE ROAD TO OZ, 1909

THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN CHINA, 1909 (as Floyd Akers)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES AT WORK, 1909 (as Edith Van Dyne)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES IN SOCIETY, 1910 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE EMERALD CITY OF OZ, 1910

THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN YUCATAN, 1910 (as Floyd Akers)

L. FRANK BAUM'S JUVENILE SPEAKER, 1910

AUNT JANE'S NIECES AND UNCLE JOHN, 1911 (as Edith Van Dyne)

TWINKLE AND CHUBBINS, 1911

THE DARING TWINS, 1911

THE SEA FAIRIES, 1911

THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN THE SOUTH SEAS, 1911 (Floyd Akers)

PHOEBE DARING, 1912

SKY ISLAND, 1912

THE FLYING GIRL, 1912 (as Edith Van Dyne)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES ON VACATION, 1912 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE FLYING GIRL AND HER CHUM, 1912 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ, 1913

AUNT JANE'S NIECES ON THE RANCH, 1913 (as Edith Van Dyne)

TIK-TOK OF OZ, 1914

THE TIK-TOKMAN OF OZ, 1914 (play, music by Louis F. Gottschalk)

LITTLE WIZARD SERIES, 1914

AUNT JANE'S NIECES OUT WEST, 1914 (as Edith Van Dyne)

STAGECRAFT, THE ADVENTURES OF A STRICTLY MORAL MAN, 1914 (play, music by Louis F. Gottschalk)

THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ, 1914 (screenplay)

THE NEW WIZARD OF OZ, 1914 (screenplay)

THE MAGIC CLOAK OF OZ, 1914 (screenplay)

THE LAST EGYPTIAN, 1914 (screenplay)

VIOLET'S DREAMS, 1914 (screenplay)

THE SCARECROW OF OZ, 1915

THE UPLIFT OF LUCIFER, OR RAISING HELL, 1915 (play, music by Louis F. Gottschalk)

AUNT JANE'S NIECES IN THE RED CROSS, 1915 (as Edith Van Dyne)

RINKITINK OF OZ, 1916

THE YEALLOW HEN AND OTHER STORIES, 1916

ONCE UPON A TIME AND OTHER STORIES, 1916

THE MAGIC CLOAK AND OTHER STORIES, 1916

LITTLE BUN RABBIT AND OTHER STORIES, 1916

SONGS OF SPRING, 1916

THE UPLIFTERS MINSTRELS, 1916 (play, music by Byron Gay)

MARY LOUISE, 1916 (as Edith Van Dyne)

MARY LOUISE IN THE COUNTRY, 1916 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE LOST PRINCESS OF OZ, 1917

THE GINGER-BREAD MAN, 1917

MARY LOUISE SOLVES A MYSTERY, 1917 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE ORPHEUS ROAD SHOW, 1917 (play, music by Louis F. Gottschalk)

THE TIN WOODMAN OF OZ, 1918

MARY LOUISE AND THE LIBERTY GIRLS, 1918 (as Edith Van Dyne)

THE MAGIC OF OZ, 1919

MARY LOUISE ADOPTS A SOLDIER, 1919 (as Edith Van Dyne)

GLINDA OF OZ, 1920

THE LAUGHING DRAGON OF OZ, 1934 (by Frank Joslyn Baum)

L. FRANK BAUM'S 'OUR LANDLADY", 1941

JAGLON AND THE TIGER FAIRIES, 1953

THE MUSICAL FANTASIES OF L. FRANK BAUM, 1958

THE HIGH-JINKS OF L. FRANK BAUM, 1959

THE VISITORS FROM OZ, 1960 (heavily rewritten by Jean Kellogg)

ANIMAL FAIRY TALES, 1969

A KIDNAPPED SANTA CLAUS, 1969

THE PURPLE DRAGON AND OTHER FANTASIES, 1976

ANIMAL FAIRY TALES, 1989

THE ANNOTATED WIZARD OF OZ: A CENTENNIAL EDITION, 2000 (ed. by Michael Patrick Hearn)

When I saw this movie I was razzled and dazzled by how richly enchanted it truly was, the heroine's name was Dorothy Gale and I secretly wanted to be her. A few years later I found found my very own grandmother's name was Dorothy, and actually believed she was the real Dorothy who did go to Oz. That's why now, I want to dedicate this webpage in honor of her, my first favorite Dorothy in my life, Nana I love you.

L. Frank Baum Biography -

American journalist and writer, whose best-known book is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum's stories about the imaginary Land of Oz belong to the classics of fantasy literature. The Oz series was long shunned by librarians, and neglected by scholars of children's literature. Baum has often been compared to Lewis Carroll - they both had a girl as a protagonist in their most famous works.

L. Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, New York, as the son of the oil magnate Benjamin Ward Baum and Cynthia (Stanton) Baum, a women's rights activist. He was privately tutored at home and spent two years at Peekskill Military Academy (1868-69).

In 1873 Baum became a reporter on the New York World. Two years later he founded the New Era weekly in Pennsylvania. He was a poultry farmer with B.W. Baum and Son and edited Poultry Record and wrote columns for New York Farmer and Dairyman. In New York Baum acted as George Brooks with May Roberts and the Sterling Comedy in plays which he had written. He owned an opera house in 1882-83, and toured with his own repertory company. In 1882 he married Maud Gage; they had four sons.

Baum returned in 1883 to Syracuse to the family oil business and worked as a salesman in Baum's Ever-Ready Castorine axle grease. His own endeavor was not successful - Baum's Bazaar general store failed in South Dakota, and from 1888 to 1890 he ran the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. He moved to Chicago, and tried sales positions. In 1897 he founded National Association of Window Trimmers and edited Show Window from 1897 to 1902.

Baum made his debut as a novelist with Mother Goose in Prose (1897). It was based on stories told to his own children. Its last chapter introduced the farm-girl Dorothy. In 1899 appeared Father Goose: His Book, which quickly became a best-seller. Baums next' work was The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a story of little Dorothy from Kansas who is transported by a twister to a magical realm. The book, which was illustrated and decorated by W.W. Denslow, was published at Baum's own expense.

The first of the Oz books was made into a musical in 1901. Since its appearance the story has been filmed many times. Other novels in the series were The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), Ozma of Oz (1907), Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (1908), The Road to Oz (1909), The Emerald City of Oz (1910), The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913), Tik-Tok of Oz (1914), The Scarecrow of Oz (1915), The Lost Princess of Oz (1917), The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918), The Magic of Oz (1919), Glinda of Oz (1920), and The Visitors from Oz, which was adapted from a comic strip by Baum and appeared in 1960. Baum's former illustrator W.W. Denslow produced stories with Oz characters in the early 1900s. In 1914-15 Baum was the founding director of Oz Film Manufacturing Company (later Dramatic Features Company) in Los Angeles.

During his career Baum wrote more than 60 books, some of them for adults, including The Last Egyptian (1908). He gathered material for works aimed at teenagers during his motoring tours across the country and travels in Europe and Egypt.

Born with a congenitally weak heart, Baum was ill through much of his life. He died on May 6, 1919, in Hollywood, where he had moved to a house he called Ozcot. The Oz series was continued by other writers, among them Ruth Plumly Thompson and Baum's great-grand son Roger Baum.

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I am not affiliated with any official Ted Turner business with anything pertaining to the Wizard of Oz, Ozma, Glinda the Good or Dorothy of Oz. However, I do call myself an Oz Enthusiast and Ozian Collector I am also part Historian on the Wizard of Oz and anything pertaining to Baum, Maguire & Oz itself. The information on my website will only be for fun fan based usage from all official, behind the scenes books, musicals, Oz books, dvds and novels on or about this classic story and it's sequels. This is a completely fan based unofficial archive, from my point of view . . . . . but, does Oz really exist? Imbedded into our subconscience subliminally. Am I a double agent for Oz Security? One may never l know. Aha! YOU figure it out :)

"Seen Through Dorothy's Eyes of Innocence."