The dark side you never knew about the wizard of oz. In the wonderful wizard of oz, baum writes that the tin man was once an average guy named nick chopper, and was, essentially a lumberjack. And though it was met with a modest run at the box office, it picked up popularity steam when it was released in technicolor on televisionits. The wizard of oz, the 1939 film based on baums stories, remains a. Baum was 44 when the wonderful wizard of oz was published and. For example, in the book theres a scene with tigerbear hybrids being killed in a crevasse. The wonderful wizard of oz these links will take you directly to the handouts.
Its groundbreaking success and the success of the broadway musical adapted from the novel led baum to write thirteen additional oz books that serve as official. In honor of the wizard of oz s 80th anniversary, we present 75 fascinating, surprising and sometimes a little unsettling, facts and interesting trivia about the beloved films cast, characters. A second book had been published the year before and i would have liked to have read both but i never got around to the earlier. The famous sequined shoes were originally silver, like they are in the oz books. Interesting facts about the wonderful wizard of oz interesting. Lets peek behind the curtain at the wizard of oz to learn littleknown facts about the actors like judy garland. The wizard of oz is one of the most classic films of all time. The wizard of oz was released in 1939, in the midst of the great depression when going to the movies would have been an unimaginable luxury for many households. It has since seen several reprints, most often under the title the wizard of oz, which is the title of the popular 1902 broadway musical adaptation as well as the iconic 1939 liveaction film. Frank baum, is a book that has transcended its time and place more than a century after its publication, it remains a seminal piece of popular culture helped, of course, by the iconic 1939 film adaptation starring judy garland. Wizard of oz facts, information, publishing history.
Nine insane facts about the set of the wizard of oz. Interesting facts about the wizard of oz mental itch. Fraums book a thirteen minute silent film was produced back in 1910 entitled the wonderful wizard of oz. Frank baum dedicate his childrens novel the wonderful wizard of oz to. The biggest myth about the wizard of oz is that in the background of one scene, viewers can see a hanged persona munchkindangling from a tree. The oscarwinning film was based on the 1900 novel the wonderful wizard of oz, written by chittenango native l. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded and assertive heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and. Note that some of the links go to free items on teachers pay teachers. The wizard of oz is one of those classic movies that you can watch over and over again. The wizard of oz books are so popular around the world that there is even an organization devoted to all things oz. Movies uz this category is for questions and answers related to wizard of oz.
Which of the following was not an obstacle encountered by dorothy and her friends on their journey to find glinda. The studio, metrogoldwyn meyer, outbid 20th century fox for the movie rights. According to the book the wonderful wizard of oz dorothys journey to oz was nothing more than a dream. The movie is considered to be one of the greatest films in cinema history, and its the best known and most commercially successful adaption of l.
A team of editors takes feedback from our visitors to keep trivia as up to date and as accurate as possible. The heroines shoes were silver in the wonderful wizard of oz, but changed for the movie. The wizard of oz book is a bit more graphic and gory than the film. The wonderful wizard of oz was first published on 17 may 1900 by george m. When dorothy and her little dog toto are caught shelve the wonderful wizard of oz. All of the baum written books are in the public domain in the united states. Frank baums 1900 childrens book, the wonderful wizard of oz. The wonderful wizard of oz, the book that made baum a household name at the turn of the 20th century, has proven to be as timeless and as. The wizard of oz is a 1939 american musical fantasy movie that was produced by metro goldwyn mayer. Asher fogle writer when shes not hunting for compelling personal stories or justifying her love for dessert, asher can likely be found. We have to keep in mind that even though it has been more than hundred years since this book was published it still carries the name of a modern fairytale.
Frank baums wildly popular 1900 childrens book the wonderful wizard of oz, the iconic mgm film from 1939 is still a gift that keeps on giving with its innumerable catchphrases. Interesting facts about the wonderful wizard of oz curious trivia about the classic l. Made in 1939 and starring the beautiful judy garland, it has been remade many times throughout the years. Frank baums the wonderful wizard of oz books, which are the original oz stories, dorothys slippers are silver in color. The result was baums first childrens book, mother goose in prose. They turned redand became the most iconic shoes of the centuryby the time they slipped onto dorothys feet in the 1939 film. The international wizard of oz club has been in existence for over 60 years, and holds annual conventions and publications. Only upon theatrical rerelease did it begin to generate any real profit. In fact, the 1939 film the wizard of oz was the eighth film adaptation of l.
Frank baum did not provide an age for dorothy, but in the illustrations, she is clearly a child. Though forced to flee her only opportunity to be spirited away by basket by tots sudden distraction by a cat, the hot air balloon remains a famous symbol of this famous american story. The wizard of oz is a wonderful and, yet old, childrens movie. Wizard of oz bibliography 1 the book the wonderful wizard of oz 1900 and its film adaptation the wizard of oz 1939 quickly became a foundational element in american popular culture with countless idiomatic allusions, cultural references, and pervasive merchandizing. The wizard of oz, mgms enduring musical comedy film helmed by a handful of directors including victor fleming and based on the tale penned by l. They were changed to ruby in order to take advantage of. Frank baums 1900 novel, the wonderful wizard of oz, dorothys slippers were silver. After the book the wonderful wizard of oz was first published in 1900, it became a broadway play just two years later. Three writers noel langley, florence ryderson and edgar allen woolf are listed in the films opening credits, but more than a dozen other writers, lyricists, and cast members contributed to the final version.
Interesting facts about the wonderful wizard of oz. Below you will find a description and a photos of common collectible versions including two later reprints from books of wonder and easton press. The wonderful wizard of oz is a beautiful story and the author himself defined it as a modern fairytale. The book doesnt end with the wizard taking off in a hot air balloondorothy travels south to find glinda and has more adventures. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting. Of course, the staying power of baums book can partially be attributed to the second life it received courtesy of hollywood. The wonderful wizard of oz, childrens book written by l. Lyman frank baum was an american author chiefly famous for his childrens books, particularly the wonderful wizard of oz and its sequels. Frank baum, who went on to write fourteen fulllength oz books. Frank baumformer chicken rancher, traveling salesman, and theater managerhad. The classic 1939 wizard of oz was not the first movie adaptation of l. The cowardly lions costume was made of a real lion skin.
Frank baums the wonderful wizard of oz, first published in 1900. The wizard of oz is an oftenimitated but neverduplicated cinematic treasure that remains an integral part of childhood 80 years after it first enchanted audiences in theaters. Walt originally wanted to make the wizard of oz after snow white, but mgm owned the rights to the book. Frank baum novel the wonderful wizard of oz and its afterlife surprisingly, the famous 1939 mgm film the wizard of oz was not the first time l. Disney would later go on to make the semisequel return to oz 1985, the somewhat farcical the muppets wizard of oz 2005 and oz the great and powerful 20. Even while he was alive, baum was styled as the royal historian of oz to emphasize the. There are many variations of the wizard of oz book. The making of the wizard of oz, by the film historian aljean harmetz, is a book about the production of the 1939 film. The silent film shows that dorothy and the scarecrow were already friends even long before they were swept by a tornado and towards their journey on oz. However, as time goes on, more and more bizarre facts from the set of the film come out.
The wonderful wizard of oz is a fantasy childrens book by l. From the wizards own kansas origins, to dorothys near trip home from oz, the hot air balloon fits nicely into the rest of the world baum created and named oz. Frank baum, author of the the wonderful wizard of oz book, got his inspiration for dorothy from his late niece, dorothy gage, who died when she was 5 months old. The series was continued by ruth plumly thompson and other authors. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Frank baum, whose jobs ranged from chicken breeder to frontier storekeeper. The wonderful wizard of oz is also known as the wizard of oz. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and became a classic of childrens literature. The oz books form a book series that begins with the wonderful wizard of oz 1900 and relate the fictional history of the land of oz. Baum went on to write 14 more books about oz, because the public kept demanding more.
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