Author: Jane Albright

If ever there was an exhibit I wish could last forever, it would be the one that brought Oz to El Segundo, California, for the summer of 2019.  Just minutes from the Los Angeles International Airport, the El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA), installation showcased original Oz illustration between five original Aiseborn and Copyison murals. Digital features completed the plan. I blogged about the June opening, but after seeing it myself, I wanted to follow up with another report. Local collector Freddy Fogarty, who was instrumental in the development of the exhibit, asked if I had original art I could loan. Sure! I sent reference photos and they asked for my Neill piece of the Wizard’s Workshop from Wonder City of Oz, a page from the 1970s Marvel comic of The Wizard of Oz, and some Skottie Young work from the more recent Marvel graphic novels. A local fine art shipping company packed my pieces and off they went. I couldn’t make it out right away, but then they scheduled Brady Schwind to talk about the artwork on display in context of his Lost Art of Oz project. It was a quick trip, but worth it. Right off the bat I realized that the poster for the exhibit was using a detail from a piece I’d loaned!  Too fun.  The entrance area was dominated by a graffiti wall surrounding a presentation of the Oz books. Many of the notes and illustrations visitors had left behind were charming, and I spotted many friends work on that wall. At the desk, I got my Oz passport stamped. An advance peek at the murals while the exhibit was being mounted didn’t prepare me for the drama of walking into the space. They were fascinating! One in each of the five Oz colors, they captured imagery from Denslow, the 1903 musical, the film version of The Wiz, and the artist’s own imagination. The Emerald City, which you see from the entrance, was being constantly swept with projected animation that added detail and sparkle. Then there was Freddy’s Corner.  Astonished at Freddy Fogarty’s Oz-packed home, the museum opted to replicate it in the gallery using both photography and collectible material. They brought in cases, shelving to hold pieces, and covered the wall with edge-to-edge Oz. The resulting mix combined Oz books with the Wonderful Game of Oz, Oz peanut spread, foreign Oz material, Return to Oz pieces (Freddy’s rare Heart to Heart plush Tik Tok from Japan was showcased in a spot of its own) posters, all kinds of Oz ephemera…  It was just an eye-catching,  eclectic outpouring that shared the joy of Oz.  Polychrome’s costume from Disney’s 1985 film Return to Oz clothed a mannequin.  A selection of books that emphasize Oz illustration were added to a sitting area completing the living-with-Oz presentation. Digital stations around the room allowed visitors to call up any piece in the exhibit to learn more about it. That feature, called the Grid, was available on their website, too, so I’d already gone through it at home. It was wonderful to see the names of so many collectors I know supporting the exhibit. After taking endless photos I popped back to my room to change and found the El Segundo tourism magazine waiting for me with a two-page spread about the exhibit. Then I met Freddy and Bill Graff for drinks at a tiki bar before the scheduled presentation. Brady’s talk was well attended, and in the crowd I found several friends; we posed in front of the Emerald City.  Such a treat to see Howard Dorre, who was just a kid when I met him in the 1990s. John Coulter, one of my favorite modern Oz artists, was a wonderful surprise. Robyn and Dana Knutson, and Barbara Boehm from the ESMoA team joined us in a group photo at the Emerald City. It was both a wonderful exhibit, adventure, and opportunity to celebrate Oz with other fans.    

Each year the Oz Club provides our Sustaining, Patron, and Wizard’s Circle Members an Oz calendar for the coming year. It serves as our thank you gift; we appreciate your financial support and hope to express it without incurring substantial expense. Each year the calendar has a different Ozzy theme. I do the majority of the work on the calendar and particularly enjoy finding and designing the full-color layouts for each month. Some years I have members contribute personal stories to fit the theme — for 2019 we featured different L. Frank Baum books outside the Oz canon with members sharing how they came across favorite copies. This year the calendar focuses on the decade of the 1920s. The 1920s were rich in Oz milestones. Oz had a new author who brought us new books and new characters. It was a decade of firsts, like the first Oz film made after Baum’s lifetime, the first Oz Club, and the first Oz toys. It was also the decade in which Judy Garland was born. From Jean Gros’ French Marionettes to the Junior League plays of Elizabeth Fuller Goodspeed, Oz found its way to new audiences during this period. These topics and more filled the 12 months. Scattered across the dates are bits of trivia tied to Oz. I generally always include publication dates of the Oz books as well as birth and death dates of important contributors to the world of Oz. But then I try to add anything I can find tied to the theme. So, for instance, this year I added the birth dates of actors from the 1925 film, dates of the 1927 coloring contest using Oz maps, and the 1929 read-aloud radio program that featured the Oz books. Of course dates for 2020 Oz events also are marked! Next year’s calendar will feature animals of Oz as they’ve appeared in Oz books and productions. From the earliest appearances of Toto and Imogen, to Billina’s starring roll in Return to Oz and the Sawhorse rolling across the Wicked stage, our 2021 calendar will revisit Oz through the appearance of some of its most beloved non-human characters. Join or renew at one of the supporting levels and we’ll acknowledge your generosity with the 2021 calendar.

Those of us who can’t get enough Oz fiction, look forward to Oziana, the Club’s annual magazine of creative writing written and illustrated by Club members. First introduced in 1971, Oziana often includes work of first-time Oz writers and artists. Our Patron and Wizard’s Circle level members receive an exclusive hardback copy as a thank-you gift for their financial support of the Club, but anyone can order a softcover copy.  Editor Marcus Mebes makes it available on Lulu.com. This year’s issue is available now. If you search Oziana you can find past issues, going back to 2009, available for order, too. Order Oziana 2019 here Marcus tells me the 2019 issue of Oziana brings together Oz Club members as writers and artists from around the world.  It includes four stories and one poem. Here is how he describes the 2019 contributions: “An Odd Transformation” by Sara Philips, relates what happens when uniqueness comes into question, and an adventure brings about some revelations about feelings and self-esteem. “Bitsy, the Patchwork Cat of Oz” by Jane Albright, (me!) is an adorable tale about Scraps’ carelessness and how a clever Ozian turns treasure out of mishap. “The Epiphany of Miss Gulch” by Paul Dana shows that even the coldest of personalities can melt with the right kind of love. “The Giant Weasel of Oz” by Nathan DeHoff finds Dorothy, Betsy, Button-Bright, Trot and the Wizard of Oz mean to find out what’s happening to all the eggs in and around Oz. “At the End of the Road.” by E.J. Hagadorn is a sweeping poem about life’s journey Profusely illustrated with glorious color covers, this issue will delight fans of Oz for years to come. My own copy arrived recently and I’m eager to read it. I had such fun writing the story I contributed. It’d been years since I’d had an idea for one I thought was good enough to write, and I was awfully happy that my friend Steve Smith offered to illustrate it. (If you read it and figure out who Bert is, let me know.) I’m sure every contributor shares that sense of satisfaction when this lovely annual publication arrives–and hope that readers will enjoy our work. If you write or illustrate original Oz stories, consider submitting material to Oziana! Marcus receives all the submissions we receive for our annual creative contests, but he accepts direct submissions, too.

Expanding Oz, an exhibit that used material from my collection, recently closed here in Overland Park, Kansas. On the last day I walked through the exhibit and talked about it as a live video feed on Facebook.  I’ve since uploaded it to Youtube so anyone can see it. I hope you’ll enjoy this 20 minute trip.  Just click this link and follow along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeOPCLZFrkk&t=294s

Enter and Win! Thanks to Newsweek, four of our US/Canadian 2019 Club members can win the 80th anniversary Wizard of Oz issue.  To enter the contest, send a photo of yourself celebrating the 80th anniversary to [email protected].  You’ll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of this special edition. Submission deadline is midnight (central daylight time) Oct. 14; winners will be announced Oct. 15 on Facebook and here (I’ll update the blog with winner names). Winners also will be notified by email.   UPDATE 10/15/19: Congratulations to our winners: Andrea Ely Louis Berrillo Kelly Pepin  Suzi Wooldridge Only one photo per member, please, and do include your mailing address in case you win. We’re creating an online gallery of photos from the year’s events; use your name in the file name if you’d like it to appear in the caption there. Issues will be on newsstands in US and Canada Oct. 18. A Newsweek editor recently asked me to provide an introduction to this Wizard of Oz 80th anniversary tribute.  I was as delighted by the opportunity as I was intimidated by the short turn around. But I met the deadline (and the word count) with a piece I hope represents more than just my Oz experience. As our Oz Club president, I approached it as a chance to represent all of us. Sincerest of thanks to my two friends, Sarah Crotzer and Laura DeNooyer, who gave me the constructive criticism I asked for pretty much on demand. (As in, “Can you read this and get back to me, um, now?”)  The intro is considerably better for their improvements and I am confident both women will spot their specific contributions. For the intro I tried to capture much of what defines Oz today. Fans are sure to spot my nods to The Wiz and Wicked, All Things Oz and the Banner Elk’s Land of Oz Yellow Brick Road. I started with Frank Baum’s Oz books and the Oz Club, and ran from there. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t work in attending Todrick Hall’s Straight Outta Oz, mention Denslow Island, or spell out “The Oz Museum” in Wamego, Kansas. So much Oz, so little space on the page! But I think I met my goal to express how diverse and far-reaching Oz has become for those of us who hold it close to heart. Collectors who pick it up, enjoy!  Fingers crossed that it will lead more fans to discover that there is a thriving community of Oz fans eager to welcome them to the fold.  

The Oz Club has published three Baum Bugles every year since 1957. That’s more than 180 issues.  Until now, the most popular icon of Oz, the Ruby Slippers, has never appeared on our cover.  The image used for our current issue was provided by the Smithsonian to illustrate a feature story about the famous shoes. At the eleventh hour, that article’s writer, Jonathan Shirshekan, was contacted about an additional interview. Bugle editor-in-chief, Sarah Crotzer, opted to publish his work in two shorter pieces so Jonathan could incorporate the new material without further delay of this issue. Personally, I’m thrilled the Ruby Slippers are finally the “cover story” of the Oz Club’s journal and astonished that it didn’t happen many years ago. One of Sarah’s intents as editor is to always have the front cover illustrate a feature story, and to use the back and inside covers to extend other content.  For this issue’s covers, there’s also a stage set designed by our “Adventures in Oz” contributor, a page advertising books Bill Thompson has covered in an extensive bibliography, and one of the fun pieces of original art recently exhibited at the Animazing Gallery in Las Vegas. Additional stories include a report from a 1939 MGM publicity tour. Did you know the two ponies that pulled Dorothy’s carriage through Munchkinland toured the country? Jay Scarfone and Bill Stillman did, and they’ve provided Bugle readers with previously unpublished photos from the tour. Past Bugle editor Scott Cummings continues his Oz Under Scrutiny series with an intriguing look at a “tea party” Reilly and Lee hosted for Ruth Plumly Thompson. You’ll also find the conclusion to some research I did a while back about Oz puppetry (Part One was in the Spring 2018 Bugle*), as well as timely news and reviews sections—although one review by Michael Patrick Hearn, of Behind the Iron Curtain, is as long as a feature story! Included in the mailing are two other pieces.  The Oz Gazette is our children’s newsletter edited by Nick Campbell, and Dave Kelleher  provides another delightful children’s project in an ongoing series of hands-on fun. You’ll find an apology from Sarah in her letter from the editor tied to this excruciating delay. As president, I believed for the best while she climbed hurdle after medical hurdle these past months. We’ve never tried to institute a “Plan B” to keep the Bugle on schedule when its editor is down for the count. Shared files, more rigid deadlines, and “stocking up” on finished content that to use as needed are steps we’re taking behind the scenes in that direction. For now, we are working to get the Autumn and Winter 2018 Bugles on the fast track. You’ll be relieved to know a good 20 pages of Autumn is already in layout, and Sarah has lots of content for Winter in hand. Wish a little Oz magic our way and we should have delivery lining up with appropriate seasons before your 2019 memberships are up. If you have an idea for an article to contribute—be it one page or 10—drop Sarah a note at [email protected] and make the suggestion.  We want the Bugle to appeal to our wide and diverse Oz-loving membership; your contribution might be exactly what will help that happen. *Puppet fan?  There could be an entire book about Oz puppetry!  I had no idea how much there’d be to share. Too much, it turns out for the Bugle. We uploaded a few topical pieces as Baum Bugle Extras to our website if you’d like to read more.

I’ve been hearing about Ryan Jay’s condo in Milwaukee for a bit more than a year.  He’d describe the Oz colors going on the walls, or the arrangement of Oz art. It all sounded like a magical must-stop. This was my chance.  When we first met, Ryan was a 10-year Oz enthusiast attending his first Oz Club convention. Today he’s is a film critic, syndicated radio host, and all-round on-camera personality in Milwaukee. Through the years his profession has allowed him to interview some amazing performers and personalities associated with Oz; he’s often written about those interviews in the Baum Bugle or shared footage with Oz festival and convention audiences. He’s currently working on a documentary about “Over the Rainbow.” I’m grateful to have him on the Oz Club board of directors.  We met for lunch and quickly fell into our usual pattern of non-stop Oz talk about Oz collecting, Club business, mutual friends, and our most recent individual Oz experiences.  My Oz adventures aren’t quite so celebrity-studded as his, but I live vicariously through his visits with Lorna Luft, Kristin Chenoweth, and Todrick Hall. Before the day was out we’d also Skyped with Emma Ridley and Aaron Harburg. Eventually we headed home.  There is no place like it. Stepping over the rainbow rug inside the door, I was stopped in my tracks. There was the Sawhorse!  Centered happily in the living room was a wooden sawhorse Ryan bought at that first Zion, Illinois, Oz convention in 1985.   I tore myself away to let Ryan lead my tour through his collection, which is tastefully displayed throughout his home. Much of it was in his office which would double as my guest room, but from Oz mugs in the kitchen to paintings in the bathrooms I spotted Oz everywhere.   He is also a Harry Potter enthusiast, and has posters and ephemera from his career and favorite films all cheerfully displayed. It was just a mini-immersion into his passions and profession to visit his home—a Winkie spear from a local stage production, leaning against a poster quoting him as a film critic. Ryan fired up the massively large wall-mounted television to let MGM’s classic Wizard of Oz roll as background to our conversation.  We watched a few unusual Oz films he’d recently uncovered online. Back home we consolidated three partial Return to Oz games I had with me into one complete playable game for his collection, because it always comes back to Oz. A late night ensued.  I needed to get started on the long drive to Kansas City, but Ryan first wanted to show me that portion of his collection that was still at his childhood home.  We headed that way after brunch at a nearby restaurant.   Passing walls lined with framed photos of Ryan performing in stage musicals, we worked our way to the basement and were laughing in no time. Ryan hadn’t looked at some of these boxes in years, and once we got started it was just too amusing.  We had to open more. “My Life” one would be labeled. “$MILLIONS WORTH OF OZ” in screaming all caps on another—that turned out to be old Baum Bugles, well-worn Mego dolls, an Oz lap robe, and some of his own early Oz art.  “$5000 in Oz Merchandise” read another, clearly aimed to keep his parents from tossing the contents as worthless.  Most were prominently marked to “Never Throw Away!!!” with a series of exclamation marks. Rummaging through the games, books, toys, and memorabilia, Ryan found a few things to take home. When I admired a piece of artwork he promptly gave it to me. We consolidated things a bit more efficiently, and I found myself eyeing the clock.  I was facing a 10-hour drive home with just one more stop. To paraphrase Dorothy, it’s always hard to say “goodbye.”

Road trip Day 3 started with a detour. Garry Parrett had encouraged me to see the antique mall in Appleton where there was a Glinda figurine I’d likely want. He started listing other things he’d just seen there and I was a goner. Once Glinda was safely in the car—along with a Denslow plate, a couple foreign translations, three Ruthellen Oz dolls, and a random OzKin of the soldier with green whiskers who looked too lonely to leave on the shelf—I was back en route with a lighter wallet. In my next stop, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, I had plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the classic MGM film with Laura DeNooyer. I met Laura when something led me to a lovely entry on her blog about her visit to one of my favorite places, Chittenango, NY, birthplace of L. Frank Baum and now home to the All Things Oz museum. We’d exchanged a few pleasantries online and I’d encouraged her to stop in KC if she visited the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas, too. She was researching a book she’s writing that includes L. Frank Baum as a character, so Oz/Baum research trips were in her crosshairs.  Her KC “stop” turned into a wonderful visit of many hours. We discovered much common ground and I found I had a new friend. She even spends some of each summer in Baum’s old summer stomping grounds, Macatawa! I was delighted when a short story version of her forthcoming book won the Oz Club’s 2019 Oz Fiction Contest. After dropping my bags at her home, and digging into a delicious lunch of bratwurst grilled by Laura’s husband, we headed to Oconomowoc armed with folding chairs, water bottles and lap robes for after-dark. The town’s main street was blocked off and there were already thousands of chairs lined up. I mean a daunting, curb to curb crush of chairs as far as the eye could see.  We took a risk and kept moving forward hoping to find a spot closer to the screen. Eureka!  There it was, only about a third of the way back from the screen. Claiming space with our chairs we then wandered through the vendors and activities filling the street and surrounding area. People in costumes — some outlandish — were everywhere. So many excited kids! A stage was set up for competitive games, and for a costume contest scheduled just before the film. Some booths offered hands-on activities for kids. Lots of reporters milling around and cameramen logging B-roll. Yes, I posed for a photo with the city’s Oz marker. Yes, I got the t-shirt. The main event before the main event was the unveiling of outdoor Oz sculptures. The Wizard was already unveiled and pressed into service as a photo op.  We did our best to position ourselves to see the ribbon cutting, but it was a losing battle. The speaker had a microphone and was saying something, but from our spot I’ve no idea what. My guess is thanking everyone who raised funds or otherwise made it possible. They cut a large ribbon, then pulled away tarps that were covering Dorothy and friends.  Lots of cheers. Lots of photos snapped.  The crowd regrouped to pose for keepsake photos. I ran into my friend Sue Boland briefly who just moved to Wisconsin from the Chittenango area.  Fun to see her; it had been some years.  Finally it was film time. The announcer described Oconomoc as the site of the film’s “midwest premier,” perpetuating, with a fresh twist, the town’s less-than-accurate claim to Oz fame. Then he called Wisconsin’s own Meinhardt Raabe the “Mayor of Munchkinland.” So … well… hmm.  It’s all about family fun, right?  Everyone was too busy eating kettle corn to take notes for an Oz history test.  Great movie, by the way. (Spoiler: she wakes up in the end.) We stopped for frozen custard on the way home—another Wisconsin specialty I’d happily have again. For the third night in a row I was up late jabbering away about Oz. Eventually sleep was in order and morning called for me to get back on the road. After coffee outdoors on the deck (beautiful weather this entire trip), I pulled a bunch of Bugles Laura didn’t have out of my packed car for her, and set my GPS for destination Day Four: Ryan Jay.