Author: Jane Albright

The Oz Club’s calendar for 2019 celebrates our publication of Bibliographia Baumiana in two ways.  Images and textual points from Baum non-Oz books used in the calendar come from the new collector’s guide. And each month a different collector shares the story behind how they came to have that month’s featured book. Oz and Baum book collecting emerged early the Oz Club’s history as a common interest of most Club members.  The Baum Bugle frequently provided bibliographic details of different books that establish publishing priority; details that clarified first and other editions. Because Baum’s publishers rarely indicated printing history on copyright pages, these details could only be found through extensive comparison of any given book. Dick Martin, David L. Greene, James E. Haff are credited with much of the earliest bibliographic work, which Douglas G. Greene and Peter E. Hanff expanded upon to publish Bibliographia Oziana in 1976. As more information was found, a revised edition was published in 1988. Thirty years later, Bibliographia Baumiana is now available, too. This book (details here) establishes the publishing history of all L. Frank Baum’s non-Oz books. W. Neal “Bill” Thompson is responsible for making this happen, building on earlier research by Peter Hanff and the late Patrick Maund. But back to the topic at hand; our 2019 calendar. Each year we pick a different theme for the calendar and this year Bib Baum was the hands-down favorite. I solicited a dozen collectors about the copies of these books in their collections, and asked them to share their stories.  We have Peter Hanff finding a Denslow-inscribed Father Goose: His Book decades ago, and Bob Baum loaning his inscribed copy of Mother Goose in Prose to the set of DREAMER OF OZ.  Bill Campbell found his first edition Sky Island in its dust jacket at an antique show.  Anne Corner’s John Dough and the Cherub has been passed through her family for generations. (Anne lives in Austria now, but her husband is from Wamego, Kansas, home of the Oz Museum!) Gifts, bargain buys, and the sense of triumphant discovery mark each story, making it an inspiring read. As in past years, the dates in the calendar include all the trivia I could find tied to the theme. (By they way, sorry about that text block slip in June!) The Oz Club calendar is not available for sale. It is our gift, with great thanks, to those who join the Club at membership rates of $100 or more. Thank you, again, to those supporters, as well as to those who contributed their stories, helped with proofreading, or otherwise contributed to the completion of the calendar.  Top of that list? Bill Thompson, who’s incredible work on Bibliographia Baumiana will serve as an invaluable resource to Baum collectors as far into the future as any of us can see.

Kansas City Ballet premiered a lavish new ballet of The Wizard of Oz. Since KC is my hometown, I was there for opening night, but also for a number of local events designed to promote the production. There was a kick off at Union Station, a talk at the library, a rehearsal, and a book club discussion leading up to opening night. Every event was memorable. It was hard to focus on remarks by Artistic Director Devon Carney and Mayor Sly James at the kick-off event at Union Station, because the area was teaming with Poppy Girls and Emerald Citizens. The costumes were lovely, and the promise of great things to come.  The company gave us a taste of the choreography and our first chance to hear some of the original score written for this ballet. Afterwards they shared the dance floor with the public during a flash mob to Ease on Down the Road. Great fun! Photo ops included posing with a pair of Ruby Slipper ballet shoes. Posters were handed out to the crowd. Choreographer Septime Webre joined Carney at the Public Library for a packed audience. Costumed mannequins allowed us to get up close to the Tin Man, the Wicked Witch of the West, Munchkins and Yellow Brick “Roadie” costumes. This time the stories held my attention. Webre grew up with the Oz books and first produced the story as a child with hand-costumed marionettes.  His desire to bring a fresh new version of the story to the stage has been with him for decades; only now did he feel really prepared to create his vision of Oz.  He shares some of that story online here. I was invited to a rehearsal (the perks of being president of the Oz Club!) and took my friend Paul Schneider with me. It was a working rehearsal, so we held our desire to burst out in exclamations and applause. It wasn’t easy.  The company was rehearsing the Muchkinland scene, giving me an idea of how Dorothy, the two Witches, and an absolutely scene stealing Toto would appear on stage. We met many of the dancers at a reception afterwards, including Amanda DeVenuta who dances the role of Dorothy. Just days before opening night the KC Public Library’s Book Club met to discuss Baum’s original novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. We compared the book to the classic film, and when Devon Carney joined us with his laptop to show us costume and set designs, our collective enthusiasm grew. There was an article in the paper about our discussion you can read if you’re interested. (Link) And finally it was opening night. But that was so incredible a night it calls for a blog all its own….

OzCon International (Aug. 10-12) offered a wonderful program packed with enough great Oz activity to appeal to all kinds of Oz fans. The year marked the centennial of The Tin Woodman of Oz, so our friend Nick Chopper received extra attention. James Ortiz, for example, joined us to talk about his fascinating and critically acclaimed off-Broadway production of THE WOODSMAN. David Maxine presented what we know about Broadway’s first Tin Woodman, actor David Montgomery.  Eric Shanower walked his audience through different ways the character’s been illustrated.  Jack Haley’s grandson Barry Bregman shared family stories about the MGM star. And Dina Schiff Massachi’s talk brought us clear up to Todrick Hall’s Tin Man. That was just the Tin Woodman; there were roughly two dozen other presentations, too. Baum sites in Los Angeles, JOURNEY BACK TO OZ, Marriages in Oz, MGM special effects, Animated Oz, and Ray Bolger each had a spotlight. Authors shared new books about Matilda Joslyn Gage, Gay Fans of Oz, and newly published Oz fiction.  It was a glorious abundance. There was much more than presentations, of course. The dealer’s room offered rare book specialists, collectibles and fine art.  Dramatics included the delightful Raymond Wohl’s one-man performance as L. Frank Baum, and a “readers’ theater” skit about Baum’s Tin Woodman of Oz. The costume contest, “It’s the Baum” game show, after-hours karaoke, and much, much conversation keep the adrenaline going all weekend. If you’ve never attended an Oz convention, 2019 is the perfect time to change that!  The Club will host Oz: The National Convention outside New Orleans in June, and OzCon International will return to Pomona, California, in July. Conventions attract fans of all ages, and with all interests. There are always first-time attendees as well as those who make it an annual event. We’d love to have you join the fun!

The new Oz Club exhibit at the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas, offers a sampling of merchandise from the 50th anniversary of the 1939 MGM film. 1989 was a big year for the Oz collectibles market. Not only were many new collectible formats introduced, but manufacturers made variants for each character. Groundbreaking new books about the film were published.  And organizers put extra effort into annual Oz events.   Although the display case can only hold the tip of the Ozzy iceberg that was 1989, museum visitors will get a glimpse at the variety of products and activities created both for fans and the general public. It was great fun to have the display up during Oztoberfest, the museum’s annual Oz event. I always enjoy the opportunity to talk about Oz with others, and there’s no better time than festival weekend when thousands of people flock to Wamego, and hundreds of fans pack the museum. Future plans will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the film with merchandise from the film’s initial release.

The Oz Club’s board of directors’ meeting and OzCon International timing gave me a perfect excuse to stay in the Los Angeles area and attend the unforgettable wedding of Emma Ridley.  In 1985 she was the young actress cast as Ozma in Disney’s live-action film, RETURN TO OZ.  Since an invitation to Ozma’s wedding doesn’t come along every day, I determined to accept. I’m so glad I did. Emma and I have been Facebook friends since I stumbled into her page when looking for her birthday to include in an Oz Club calendar.  I finally met her in person at Oz: The National Convention in 2017. (Actually, I helped her get into her Ozma costume for the event, but that’s another story.) She was thoughtful enough to include me with a handful of Oz fans on her guest list.  Of course, my first problem was finding a wedding present. How does one shop for Ozma? Nothing I thought of pleased me until I contacted Bill Campbell. He and Irwin Terry make wonderful stained glass through Century Studios in Minneapolis.  In the film, Ozma was trapped in a mirror; there had to be something Bill could do with that. I loved the result, and when a delighted Emma shared it on Facebook it was clear she did, too. Cut to the wedding day. Morning dawned bright and beautiful in sunny California. I arrived and slid into a pew with other Oz fans. The church was filled with flowers, friends and family wearing their finest. Darling flower girls came down the aisle in Ruby Slippers. Soloists and choirs sung. I remember “Amazing Grace,” “At Last,” “Young and Beautiful,” and of course, “Over the Rainbow.” Vows were shared, rings exchanged, man and wife were pronounced and kissed. Emma couldn’t have looked lovelier, nor her groom Michael Carter more pleased. We showered them with rose pedals and sent them off in a horse-drawn carriage fit for a princess. A fantastic party followed at their home that lasted well past midnight. The living room, like the church, was alive with pink flowers. The dining room was a buffet of cakes for high tea. The bar was stocked and drinks kept coming.  Emma’s personal dance studio was transformed into a photo booth.  Dinner was served in a sprawling outdoor tent. Music was everywhere — a pianist in the front room, a harpist playing on the veranda, a live band and soloists set up near the pool house.  “Over the Rainbow” was performed again, once as a song and once as an aerial performance. Emma changed dresses a time to two. I gave in to my curiosity and — often with an Oz friend or two in tow — looked around the house for signs of Oz.  Success!  The Ozma doll Ace Genaro made for her, which was presented last summer at the Oz Club’s convention, was in the dance studio off the bar. Photos of her from RETURN TO OZ were in the hallway. Her Ozma glass panel was high in a living room window. It was a wedding — and party — we’ll all remember. All my thanks to Emma and Michael for giving your guests such a marvelous day. And a toast to your future happiness!  

The Oz Club’s board of directors met Thursday, August 9, 2018. These annual all-day meetings give us time to hear from each officer, editor, appointee, and committee chairman.  It’s our chance to learn—in person—how various directors and other volunteers have been assisting the Club. We bring to the group plans and ideas for what we’d like to introduce in the year ahead, propose nominees for the next term’s board, and approve the budget. Picture 20+ people around tables that line a big room, with an open phone line in the center that allows those unable to join us in person to at least dial in, report, and participate.  While we’re all friends and Oz fans, we do take Board service seriously. Roberts Rules of Order are followed; minutes are recorded.  There are regular needs to refer to our bylaws and to make, second, and vote on various motions from the floor. By the time we wrap up we’ve solved some problems, shared our ideas for reaching new members, and made suggestions for what more we can do as a Club. We’ve tapped a few new volunteers, and inspired one another to volunteer our time in the months ahead. You can see a list of who currently serves on the Board and in what capacity in the About Us section of the Website.

Bill Thompson was presented with the 2018 L. Frank Baum Memorial Award Aug. 11 in Pomona, California. The auction Bill led had just ended before dinner, so his expertise and energy was top-of-mind for the cheering crowd. Scott Cummings (2017 LFB recipient) made the presentation following a traditional format that hints at the winner with increasingly revealing details. As a past recipient I knew what name was coming and kept sneaking looks at Bill. Scott was well into the speech before Bill caught on, responding with genuine surprise and emotion. Wondering why we chose Bill this year? Well let me tell you…. Bill has served as our auctioneer for many years, which is nothing at all like most fundraising auctions where some paid, fast talker shows up for a couple of hours then disappears at the last bang of a gavel. Within the Club, our volunteer auctioneer manages all aspects of this job from start to finish. He advises people who have material they want to donate or consign, fielding emails, phone calls and visiting their homes. He regularly packs donations, organizes and stores them in his own home, and personally drives them across country to be available at our auction sites. Of course the auction income is important to the Club, but it’s also important to our educational mission to identify and describe everything for collectors in both the auction and the silent auction. Bill does all that—and he’s introduced absentee bidding, expanded to accept PayPal payments, and writes the descriptions for the auction lists that he distributes in advance. He maintains the database of listings and bidders, working with two helpers to tally up winner totals, and get us through payments efficiently. When Bill first attended our Oz Centennial convention in Bloomington, Illinois, he lost no time jumping right in. That year he helped decorate the hotel for the event. Soon he was contributing to bibliographic research and writing articles for the Bugle. I recently blogged about his piece describing the Wonderful Game of Oz. His interest in collecting material by W.W. Denslow resulted in the most extensive checklist of Denslow material available. He’s served on our Board of Directors, and we’ve recently nominated him for that service again. Bill’s bibliographic research led to his developing an extensive personal research collection that he generously shares. And this year his expertise evolved into the publication of his massively comprehensive Bibliographia Baumiana. It was a milestone in many ways and provided a perfect moment to recognize Bill for his outstanding contributions, as the plaque reads, to the saga of Oz. Congratulations, Bill!