The Spring 2018 Baum Bugle features two Oz puppetry pieces by Jane Albright, one about a particular show here in Kansas City, and another that reaches back into the earliest Oz puppet shows to tell you a bit about their history. The historical piece will be continued in Autumn; even just selecting highlights, there is much to tell. Also in this issue is Bill Thompson’s feature about the Wonderful Game of Oz. There’s a review of the Charles Santore retrospective at the Woodmere Art Museum and Dave Kelleher provides a thorough report from that gallery. You’ll also find Oz Gazette pages inside this issue provided by Nick Campbell, as well as a delightful finger puppet project designed for us by Dave “Krofty” Kelleher. Reviews of performances, books and more round out the issue that ends with a fabulous first-person account of life as a wicked witch. In this Adventures in Oz story, Kurt Raymond talks about how he came to perform the character as so memorably played by Margaret Hamilton.
The Winter 2017 Baum Bugle contains 76 pages of Ozziness inside a gorgeous cover that’s a colorization of a black-and-white still from the 1939 MGM classic. Victor Mascaro has done a masterful job of making Dorothy, Scarecrow, Toto and one red apple really pop off the page. Contents include feature stories about WICKED, the making of Bibliographia Baumiana, and the conclusion of editor John Fricke’s extensive research into Wizard of Oz stage productions at the Muny in St. Louis. Michael Patrick Hearn shares a serialized “Wonderland of Oz” comic strip of The Lost Princess of Oz, a Baum book now celebrating its publication centennial. The Oz Club’s 60th anniversary prompted interviews with four of the Club’s founding members, a report on last summer’s marking of Jack Snow’s grave, and reports on summer conventions. Five Oz fans also give us a look at how Oz has worked its way into their lives. As always, news and reviews help fans stay in touch with what’s happening in Oz.
The Autumn 2017 Bugle features an article on the new animated Oz series Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, new information on the Wonderful Stories of Oz comic strip, a re-visitation of The Lost Princess of Oz along with early reviews from its initial publication, Shirley Temple’s telecast of The Land of Oz, a behind the scenes look at NBC’s Emerald City series, an a special celebration of club member Robin Olderman.
The Spring 2017 issue of the Baum Bugle reviews the recent NBC-TV series Emerald City (courtesy Sarah Crotzer); presents the first published interview with Gabriel Gale, conceptualizer and coauthor of A Fiery Friendship, the initial title in the new “Ages of Oz” trilogy (from an imprint of Simon & Schuster); and offers part 2 of John Fricke’s “Magical, Musical Muny,” a detailed look at the Wizard of Oz production commissioned and launched by the St. Louis Municipal Opera in 1942. This was the premier stage amalgamation of Baum story and MGM songs, and it has since been produced all around the world. The ongoing series “Adventures in Oz” highlights the personal or professional impact of Oz on five fans (ranging in age from teen to senior citizen), while the return of “The MGM Scrapbook” provides rare, behind-the-scenes paperwork, newsprint, and illustrations attendant to the 1939 film. The magazine concludes with book reviews; an account of the current Oz exhibition at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures in Kansas City; and a memorial to cherished Club officer, contributor, and participant Robin Olderman.
The Winter 2016 issue of the Baum Bugle features part 1 of John Fricke’s “Magical, Musical Muny,” a detailed look at the St. Louis Municipal Opera’s Wizard of Oz stage musical that debuted in 1942. The centenary of Rinkitink in Oz is celebrated with “Prince Inga and the Magic of Pingaree” by Peter E. Hanff, “Oz Under Scrutiny” edited by Scott Cummings, a selection of interesting Rinkitink images from artists other than John R. Neill, a puzzle, and a front cover by artist Daniel Horne. Reviews of “Lost in Oz,” “Chasing Rainbows,” and a Thai Oz stage show, as well as reports on the summer Oz conventions, round out the issue.
The Autumn 2016 issue of the Baum Bugle features multimedia Oz. “Timeless Appeal” by John Fricke celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first television broadcast of MGM’s The Wizard of Oz. “The Wonderful Wizard of Menlo Park” by Scott Cummings takes a look at Thomas Edison’s phonograph and other influences on the Oz series, and Sean Barrett is interviewed about his online video The Oz Project. Anne F. Walker’s reminiscence “Locating Glinda of Oz” describes her using a reel-to-reel tape player, and other “Oz & Ends” describe Ozzy uses of cell phones and virtual reality. Also included are a look at department store Oz displays in the 1920s and a little-known essay by L. Frank Baum, “What Children Want.” Reviews of new Oz books, DVDs, and stage shows; reports on Oz event and conventions; and a memorial to Jean Nelson round out the issue.
The Spring 2016 Baum Bugle is the 10th and final issue edited by Craig Noble before he stepped down from his post as editor-in-chief. The main feature article is Barbara Koelle’s “The Boys from Philadelphia,” which examines the characters and histories of Button-Bright, Peter Brown, and Bob Up, all of whom hail from the City of Brotherly Love. The issue also includes a preview of the International Wizard of Oz Club’s 2016 National Convention in Philadelphia by Ryan Bunch; information about Walter Krueger’s new blog, Unknown Oz; an “Oz Illustrator” column featuring an interview with and art by Vincent Myrand; and a review by Bill Thompson of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s two-act musical stage play The Wizard of Oz. The front cover is a stunning composite image created by Marcus Mébès showing Button-Bright, Peter Brown, and Bob Up, who never actually appeared together in any of the original “Famous Forty” Oz books.
The Winter 2015 Baum Bugle nods to the centennial of the first publication of The Scarecrow of Oz with Eric Shanower’s essay on “The Five Origins of the Scarecrow” and Alyse Rall Benjamin’s essay on re-reading the book for the first time since her childhood. The issue also includes two valuable checklists for collectors: Paul R. Bienvenue and Robert E. Schmidt’s piece about library binding issues of Oz and Baum books, and Michael Riley’s comprehensive bibliographic essay on “How to Distinguish between the First and Second States of the Text” of the Hill edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The Autumn 2015 Baum Bugle commemorates the 30th anniversary of the release of the Disney film Return to Oz. It includes David and Karen Diket’s article, “Did Dorothy Return to Oz?” Freddy Fogarty’s “Return to Return to Oz,” Nate Barlow’s interview of Emma Ridley (who played Princess Ozma in the film), and a second addendum to the Return to Oz merchandise checklist by Freddy Fogarty. Other notable pieces include Ruth Berman’s “Baum’s Spectrum of Pearls” and an article about “Dorothy’s Journey as a Metaphor for Spiritual Awakening” by Dorothy Gita Morena, a transpersonal psychotherapist who is a great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum. The front cover is a behind-the-scenes shot from the set of Return to Oz from the Willard Carroll/Tom Wilhite Collection that had never previously been published.
The Spring 2015 Baum Bugle is a special double issue celebrating the life and art of W. W. Denslow, who famously collaborated with L. Frank Baum to create America’s greatest fairy tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Some argue that the book’s runaway success owes as much to Denslow’s design as to Baum’s writing. Bill Campbell traces the evolution of Denslow’s style from illustrations for periodicals to poster art and from trading cards to picture books. Jane Albright tells how, at the peak of his fame and fortune, Denslow crowned himself king of his very own island in Bermuda. Cindy Ragni relates the story of Denslow’s literary adventures with Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters, and has an adventure of her own in her “Little Journey” to East Aurora, New York. Collectors rejoice—this issue includes detailed checklists of Denslow’s Roycroft work, picture books, trading cards, post cards and much more. The issue also features “How Art Saved the Wizard of Oz,” a brand new Oz story written and illustrated by Donald Abbott.
The Winter 2014 issue of the Baum Bugle marks the diamond anniversary of the MGM masterpiece The Wizard of Oz with a gorgeous wraparound cover featuring Billie Burke as Glinda the Good. In his cover story, Anthony Tringali tracks down surviving alumni who reminisce about their experiences seventy-five years after the film’s release. In “A Tale of Two Wizards,” Jared Davis compares and contrasts the screen classic with the original tale by L. Frank Baum. Yearbook teacher Linda Thurston recounts how her students at San Leandro High School in San Leandro, California, created a Wizard of Oz-themed yearbook and encourages other schools to find their own Ozzy inspiration. Also, Zachary Turpin shines a light on L. Frank Baum’s “Der Hyphen,” a long-forgotten poem that is one of the author’s few overtly political writings.
The Autumn 2014 issue of the Baum Bugle celebrates the centennial of L. Frank Baum’s eighth Oz book, Tik-Tok of Oz, and his musical extravaganza The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. The front cover reproduces an unused dust jacket design by Dick Martin for Tik-Tok of Oz. In part one of “The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, the Fairyland Extravaganza of 1913-14,” Scott Cummings relates events leading up to the first full-dress rehearsal of the stage production. Michael O. Riley picks up where he left off in part two of his memoir, “The Story of the Pamami Press.” Freddy Fogarty shares a selection of favorite Tik-Tok items in “Tik-Tok-Tastic: Or, How I Fell in Love with a Mechanical Man.” “The Magic Picture” brings the Bugle up to date with reports on the 2013 and 2014 Oz conventions.
The front cover of the Spring 2014 Baum Bugle reproduces a color plate from Queen Zixi of Ix that was featured as a specimen of fine quality printing in the November 1905 number of The Printing Art, a specialty magazine devoted to fine printing and graphic design. The cover art complements Peter E. Hanff’s article about the serialization of Zixi in St. Nicholas magazine. This issue also features articles about two Oz “imitator novels,” The Amazing Land of Wew by John Kaufer and The Magical Land of Noom by Johnny Gruelle; part one of Michael O. Riley’s memoir about his adventures printing rare Baum works through his Pamami Press; an advance look at the animated film Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return; and an article about book restoration, which is the third in a series of three articles about collecting and caring for Oz and Baum books. The Spring issue also reprints the rare story “Joan of Arc,” which was illustrated by John R. Neill as part of Reilly & Britton’s “Children’s Stories That Never Grow Old” series, although this story never was published in book form.
The front cover of the Winter 2013 Baum Bugle features a photographic portrait of Dick Martin, the Oz illustrator, author, and early Baum Bugle editor, with a frieze of drawings of his characters superimposed. The back cover is a tribute to Margaret Pellegrini, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the MGM film, who passed away in August 2013. This issue is a long one (80 pages), with lengthy articles about the life and art of Dick Martin by Atticus Gannaway; the writing of Merry Go Round in Oz (on the fiftieth anniversary of its publication) by David Maxine; and a tribute to “Margaret: The Magical Munchkin” by John Fricke. Anna-Maria Cool’s “Oz Illustrator” column focuses on how she draws the Sawhorse.
The Autumn 2013 issue of the Baum Bugle celebrates the centennial of The Patchwork Girl of Oz with a feature tribute to Scraps, an analysis of the book’s elaborate art program, an article examining the influence of the turn-of-the-century circus on L. Frank Baum’s imagination, and a look at contemporary reviews. This issue also includes an article on do-it-yourself book repairs (the second in a series for collectors), the second installment of “The Oz Illustrator” by Eric Shanower, and a new bibliographic description of the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The Spring 2013 issue of the Baum Bugle explores Walt Disney Pictures’ film Oz the Great and Powerful. It includes a behind-the-scenes look at publicity surrounding the world premiere in Hollywood, a film review, a checklist of movie merchandise and collectibles, and an essay on other stories “Imagining Oz Before Dorothy.” This issue also features the first in a series of articles about collecting and caring for old Oz and Baum books. Rounding out the issue is the first installment of a new Bugle department, “The Oz Illustrator,” a tutorial for aspiring artists on how to draw Ozma by the creators of the Oz-related comic Namesake.