] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 2, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== (Can someone help out this person by private E-mail, though I would like to know myself? Is Dorothy's home town ever mentioned?) From: littlegrasshop@webtv.net (russell wilson) Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 22:10:08 -0400 (EDT) Subject: dorothys home town where did dorothy live i know in kansas but what part does it have a name or not i have a bet going on at work and no one seems to know it i hope that you do please help thank you so much SINCERELY R.A.WILSON ====================================================================== From: Ozoholic@aol.com Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 19:24:10 EDT Subject: Oz Update Content-Language: en Our family reunion is over and I am getting back to normal. We had a great family reunion of my husband's family, a total of 78 people were at our home for dinner and fellowship. The weather could not have been better and our West Coast family enjoyed our wonderful Michigan fall colors. Many of course were astounded with my Oz collection and of course I enjoyed talking about it. I have -The Wizardry of Oz books back in stock and autograph stickers for inside the books. I am mailing a sticker to those that have already purchased the books from me. I hope you have had a chance to read the book. I would love to hear your comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I thank Jay & Bill for all the time it took to gather all the information. The Warner store has several new items in-it is worth the trip. The Warner Christmas catalog has a couple catalog only pieces. San Francisco music box stores have a great ornament; musical figurines and a few other new items will be in before Christmas including an hourglass. A reminder about my next mail newsletter-If you have any doubles or older items for sale please let me know by the first of January. TBS November 21, 1999 ----Oz returns to cable TV THE WIZARDRY OF OZ - NEW BOOK by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman in stock now $25.00 each -book comes with an autographed sticker from both authors! OZ CELEBRITY BEARS---- these will be arriving next week and I will ship out immediately to those that have pre-ordered. ANIMATED WIZARD OF OZ-- Music & Motion Art -- should also be in next week-Pre orders will be shipped ENESCO ITEMS-UPDATE--- The individual tin wall plaques and the new PVC figures will be in shortly. The tin group wall plaque, banks, Salt & Pepper shakers, Ruby Slipper cookie jar & Toby jugs will not be arriving until late December --- (the company apologizes for all the Oz delays this year but they have been beyond their control. New Releases for 2000-Musical Figurines and additions to the PVC figure line in early 2000. KURT ADLER -The Polonaise boxed ornament sets are in stock now-and all of the individual polonaise ornaments-Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Monkey, Book & Rainbow group. The Badge ornaments and the new Table Top figurines are in stock now-These are just fantastic! The new large Ball ornaments have been delayed until spring of 2000. THROWS & PILLOWS-I have the YBR tapestry throw wallhanging and pillow in now. I also have the Click your Heels throw and the I'll Get You pillow in. I am waiting for an update from the company on the other two pillows - Not in Kansas & Click your Heels-it appears by the latest word just received about 1 hour ago------- that these have been delayed????? How long is the question??? I spoke with the company that is doing the Oz sheets & bedding items. The whole line has been delayed and we will not see them this year. They anticipate February of 2000. I will update this information, as I know it. I do not have pictures of these items. That is enough for now!! If you would like to see any pictures of any of the new items please let me know. Karen ====================================================================== From: "Jeremy Steadman" Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 21:45:01 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 10-26-99 Okay, I got the distraught message from Dave bemoaning the fact that no one's posted a message here yet, so I decided to do my part at rectifying the problem. Here goes-- Scott: I like your version of "The Oz Witch Project," with one reservation. You mention that "After the brainless Scarecrow looses the map to the yellow brick road, the group gets lost in the woods. In a hilarious sequence, in fighting begins with various profanities shouted at one another including much of the group ganging up on Scarecrow for screwing up. A frustrated Dorothy shouts out, "where the fuck is the yellow brick road?" Profanity in Oz???!! Yes, I realize that this is a parody, but even so, I see such language as too far away from the real Oz, which is not what is being parodied anyway. Perhaps I'm missing the point of a parody here, but it just wouldn't ring true for me. Until next time, Jeremy Steadman, Royal Historian of Oz kivel99@planetall.com http://www.geocities.com/kivel99/ ICQ# 19222665, AOL Inst Mssgr name kiex or kiex2 "A good example of a parasite? Hmmm, let me think... How about the Eiffel tower?" ====================================================================== From: Ozmama@aol.com Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 22:44:01 EDT Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 10-26-99 Ruth: Of course Harry Potter's not evil. While the books do put a positive spin on breaking rules, they also emphasize the values of loyalty, creativity, thinking things through, etc., etc. What's more, they have encouraged many kids who never liked reading before, to read! That includes my low-level high school students, btw. I wish I could put my hands on the RPT line about creativity, but she pointed out that there is no invention, no true productivity, without creativity. Why can't people recognize that fantasy is a genre with rules...that it's not a free-for-all wild area? Good fantasy espouses good values and promotes good thinking; it gets the synapses firing fast. Grrrrrr! Dave Hardenbrook: I wish I'd known the date for the S. Winkies this year. I actually could have made it down there! Oh well. Maybe next year. --Robin ====================================================================== From: "Kenneth R. Shepherd" Subject: Digest of 10-26 Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 09:29:46 -0400 Dave, The digest did come through all right. In answer to your question about _Sir Harold and the Nome King_, it's included in a collection of Harold Shea stories De Camp coauthored with Christopher Stasheff titled _The Enchanter Reborn_. It was published by Baen Books in 1992; I don't know how available it is now. I've been meaning to address a comment about _Grampa_ that came up several weeks ago about the house plant in Gorba's Garden causing Grampa to grow a chimney. The commenter suggested that this was a virtually irrelevant episode in the book. Actually, I think that this is the first place where the medicine bottle is used, and since the bottle is crucial to the resolution of the story, I had always considered it a relevant episode. Best, KRS ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 28 Oct 99 08:32:33 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: one oz David Hulan: I like your suggestion that "going to Jinxland" might be like "going to Timbuktu," as an idiom for "taking off for parts unknown." But it might also be possible to read the phrase literally as an accusative of direction rather than literally as a dative of arrival. That's to say, the soldiers might have set off in the direction of Jinxland (perhaps knowing there was a kingdom of that name in that direction, but not knowing there was a gulf isolating the place). The report that they were heading for Jinxland doesn't need to imply any knowledge about whether they got there. Nathan DeHoff: Yes, the medieval historian C. Warren Hollister and the longtime Oz Club member who wrote "Oz and the Fifth Dimension," were the same, the (alas) late Warren Hollister. Jeremy Steadman and Dave Hardenbrook: The Ozzes of the people who have written Oz books since Reilly & Lee stopped publishing them vary so much from the R&L Oz books and from each other that it's probably a useful term to talk about them as parallel universes, especially when the publishers are specifically interested in getting something quite different from the original to offer to a general, adult audience. Dave mentioned Maguire and Laumer, and other examples could be Farmer and Gardner. When what's published is by writers who are aiming at writing traditional Oz books (as with David Hulan, or Phyllis Karr, or Melody Grandy, for instance), I'm not so sure that the "parallel" terminology is helpful, although it may be. But with the R&L books, each writer knew the preceding books, and the publishers were specifically aiming at trying to keep the new material in line with the old (not always successfully, but, then, Baum wasn't always able to stay consistent with himself, either). So for the R&L books, I don't think it's particularly helpful to talk about Baum's Oz, RPT's Oz, and the others' Ozzes as "different" worlds, even though it is (obviously) often helpful to talk about the differences between Oz books by one and by another. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 17:51:28 -0500 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 10-26-99 Scott H.: > >(After all, water wouldn't have destroyed the rest of Mombi's clothes > > any more than her shoes.) >That's not how it appears in illos for Wizard, and the text implies >everything melted but the shoes. Interesting point, but it doesn't make a great deal of sense that Mombi's clothes should be dissolved but not her shoes. The silver shoe that the WWW had, being magical, would presumably be more immune to water than the rest of her clothes, but there's nothing special about Mombi's shoes; if they survived it would seem reasonable that so would the rest of her garments. Nathan: >Actually, the Gillikin Country is never mentioned in _Wizard_. The only >character who mentions the land of the north is the King of the Winged >Monkeys, who says that Gayelette had a ruby palace there. This may be >implying that Baum originally thought of the northern country as another red >land, but we don't know this for sure. Many rubies have a purplish color (more magenta, but with quite a lot of blue), so maybe that was the color of Gayelette's palace. >For my last comment and question of the evening, my English history >textbook, _The Making of England_, was written by someone named C. Warren >Hollister. Wasn't there a member of the Oz Club by this name? He wrote >that "Oz and the Fifth Dimension" essay, right? Since Warren Hollister was a history professor who wrote a number of books about English history, I'm sure it's the same one. He passed away rather suddenly about two years ago. He was a very active member of the Club, won the L. Frank Baum and Winkie awards both. (As I'm sure about ten other people on the Digest will tell you.) Ruth: >Nathan DeHoff and J.L. Bell: RPT's "There is no snow in Oz" is >probably similar to Baum's statements about the lack of horses >(Sawhorse excepted) or chickens (Billina and offspring excepted). The >"narrative voice" usually claims to be reporting information provided by >communication with Ozites or Oz visitors, and can be as forgetful and >otherwise unreliable as they are. "No" claims should perhaps always be >translated as "None, so far as I know/remember, and certainly not >many." Or, "not in the part of Oz that I've heard about so far." There seem to be quite a lot of horses in Corumbia and Corabia, for instance (once they're disenchanted), but until YK nobody in the EC knew about those places. (Glinda may have, but she tends to keep her knowledge to herself unless there's a real need to reveal it.) I'm not surprised that the Harry Potter books are drawing flak from the Religious Right. After all, they're books that kids actually like to read! And reading, as everyone knows, is dangerously likely to make them _think_ as well, rather than accepting the word of Authority. (I've read all the Potter books and enjoyed them immensely; I don't think they're any better than the rather similar Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones, but they're certainly more popular.) Dave: >Doesn't the GWN mention to Dorothy that she "rules in the North"? Yes, and she refers to the fact that the desert borders Oz on the north as well. But the name "Gillikin" isn't given for the country until _Land_. >REQUEST: >Does anyone know where I can find L. Sprauge DeCamp's _Sir Harold and >the Nome King_? The easiest place to find it is probably in _The Enchanter Reborn_, by L. Sprague de Camp and Christopher Stasheff. It's undoubtedly OP now (it was published back around 1994, IIRC), but you should be able to find it in a used bookstore with a good SF PB department. You might try the Book Baron, which isn't too far from you - if you don't know it already, it also has (or had, the last time I was there) a good selection of Baum/Oz books at fairly reasonable prices as such things go. I bought a lot of my collection there. (Unfortunately my mind is going and I don't recall the streets it's on for sure - something like Magnolia and Katella, thereabouts, but although I could drive there if I were in Orange County I'm not sure if I've got the streets right.) Wish I could have made it to South Winkies; I went to three or four of them before I left OC for Chicagoland and always enjoyed them, but since I'd just been out there the previous weekend it was hardly in the cards. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 22:20:40 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@iupui.edu cc: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 10-26-99 Nathan: > For my last comment and question of the evening, my English history > textbook, _The Making of England_, was written by someone named C. Warren > Hollister. Wasn't there a member of the Oz Club by this name? He wrote > that "Oz and the Fifth Dimension" essay, right? It's fifth Criterion, but it is the same one. He died. It was very unfortunate, since I never really talked to him at the first convention I went to, and I figured I could at the next one, but he died before then. My medieval history professor, Dr. Kenneth Cutler, told me he met him once and he seemed like quite a gentleman. Dr. Cutler is the kind of person you'd pay just to see lecture, but his exams are tough! > > I think the clothes not melting is an MGM thing... (In fairness, I note > that many editions don't have Denslow's illo of the Witch melting... My > edition when I was a kid didn't have any illos of either the WWW or the > GWN *at all*, even though it claimed to be "unabridged"!) I had the Paul Granger illos where the WWW's one eye was in the center of her forehead. I think Baum would have said that specifically if that was what he meant. > > Doesn't the GWN mention to Dorothy that she "rules in the North"? That's not the same as saying she rules "the Gilikin Country." We can interpret it that way, but the Gilikin Country as such is never mentioned by name. > > BANNING HARRY POTTER: > There seem to be many who are very frightened of fantasy... The Montessori > Method (at least the version of it that I was exposed to in kindergarten) > is staunchly opposed to children using their imaginations, lest it warp > their minds. Part of it is because fundamentalists think all magic is satanic, or at it does not bring people closer to God. And I'm paraphrasing a friend who is a fundamentalist. Scott ================================ Scott Andrew Hutchins http://php.iupui.edu/~sahutchi Oz, Monsters, Kamillions, and More! "Militaries are inherently the most corrupt organizations in the world, simply because their mission is to kill people and break things." ====================================================================== From: SeraMary@aol.com Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 01:47:23 EDT Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 10-26-99 (Re-send) I have a question. Where can I find information on how to find out more on L.Frank Baum's descendants ? I have no clue, whatever happened to his family whatsoever ! I have even tried looking on the internet for living relatives of BAUM but it is HARD. Can anyone help me ? Thank you, :) Lisa ====================================================================== From: "W. H. Baldwin" Subject: Winners Date: Fri, 29 Oct 99 22:09:04 PDT Congratulations to all those who knew that William J. Harmstead was Speedy's uncle. This doesn't win you a prize, but you realize the satisfaction which comes from possessing a deep and truly edifying fund of Oz lore. Or -- if what you really wanted was the chill of cold, hard cash crossing your palm -- not. W. Baldwin ====================================================================== From: "W. H. Baldwin" Subject: Digest 10/26 Date: Sat, 30 Oct 99 19:03:51 PDT Digest 10/26 . . . Nathan: True. I suppose they might have flown the island hither and thither for 800 miles in order to give the unjaded visitors a fillip; but I doubt it. D. Hulan: But how many landmarks could he see at night? Maybe not, but in one of the books -- it may have been Thompson _or_ Baum, and might have been _Pirates_ -- one of the characters describes how to make a map of Oz: namely, you take a rectangle, draw criss-crossing lines to the corners, etc. Not much room for speculation there. However, in general, none of the theories I put forward are meant to be a Final Solution. The flight of the Gump is wide open to other interpretations. I like mine pretty well, but I'm not really researching it all that deeply. And as far as multiple maps are concerned (you got into this briefly in a previous post), if you don't like the idea of one for Baum and one for Thompson because neither was consistent, how about one for "books using the general geographic scheme A" and one for "books using the general geographic scheme B"? This makes more sense to me than trying to twist, bend, move, interpret, or otherwise distort the clues we are given to try and "make" them fit in one map, particularly since the outrageous and notorious modification was only an east/west swap and left north/south undisturbed. Haff and Martin did a tremendous job, but they must have had to do a lot of fact-stretching; they _had_ to in order to put round pegs into square holes. Thanks for your kind words. We all (I think) appreciate some of those now and then. W. Baldwin ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 00:03:35 -0500 (EST) From: To: OzDigest@mindspring.com Subject: 1999 membership Has anyone else had any trouble with their 1999 IWOC membership? I tried contacting membership services at the site and haven't gotten a response. I renewed my membership in July after getting one of those forgot to renew slips, and I've had neither acknowledgment nor Bugle issues. Scott =========================== Scott Andrew Hutchins http://php.iupui.edu/~sahutchi Oz, Monsters, Kamillions, and More! "Militaries are inherently the most corrupt organizations in the world, simply because their mission is to kill people and break things." ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 01 Nov 99 11:50:47 (PST) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things SOUTH WINKIE: Robin wrote: >Dave Hardenbrook: I wish I'd known the date for the S. Winkies this year. >I actually could have made it down there! Oh well. Maybe next year. If you drop a line to Robyn Knutson or Louis Rhodes I'm sure they'll be happy to put you on the mailing list so you'll receive the flyers announcing the convention. (I give both addys because I'm not sure which of them actually sends the flyers out.) IT'S ALL RELATIVE: Lisa wrote: >I have a question. Where can I find information on how to find out more on >L.Frank Baum's descendants ? I have no clue, whatever happened to his >family whatsoever ! I have even tried looking on the internet for living >relatives of BAUM but it is HARD. I *met* one last week at the South Winkie Convention! Gita Dorothy Morena is Baum's great-granddaugter. She is the author of _The Wisdom of Oz_ and her web page is at: http://www.ozlovers.com That's a start, anyway... -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, NOVEMBER 3 - 5, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 14:47:17 -0500 (EST) From: cc: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-02-99 > rectifying the problem. Here goes-- > > Scott: > I like your version of "The Oz Witch Project," with one reservation. > You mention that "After the brainless Scarecrow looses the map to the > yellow brick road, That's not me. It's Michael Rotman. My Oz characters might cuss, I haven't decided, and even then it would be limited to Tip or Aubrey, but not with the rampantness of the characters of _Blair Witch_. When I use bad language in my writing, there's usually something significant about its use at that moment. Scott ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 16:54:06 -0500 From: "J. L. Bell" Subject: @%&#in' Oz! Jeremy Steadman wrote: <> I don't think THE OZ WITCH PROJECT is supposed to ring "Ozzy" (by either book or movie standards). The parody's humor is meant to arise from the disjunction (amd dysfunction) of seeing the beloved characters we know from childhood acting like grouchy film students. The last parody-video-du-jour in Hollywood, TROOPERS, tried for the same effect by shoving together the STAR WARS storm troopers and COPS-style cinema verite. I bet the real cleverness in these parodies shows up in the *second* minute, after you've gotten the obvious joke. Where else can the filmmakers take it? Ruth Berman wrote: <<"No" claims should perhaps always be translated as "None, so far as I know/remember, and certainly not many.">> Especially with Thompson, I usually such claims even more skeptically: "Not so far as I can remember, but that could change if I get a bright idea." David Hulan wrote: <> Does anyone know if Baum ever saw the Black Hills while he lived in Aberdeen? Those hit seven thousand feet, but they're on the other side of South Dakota. Kenneth R. Shepherd wrote: <> I commented on that moment in GRAMPA as the first when I detected Thompson's usual pattern of tossing in almost any adventure or joke she had thought of. Up until that point, all the action had seemed fairly unified. It's true that the house plant shows the efficacy of Gorba's medicine, but Grampa tests it earlier, just after he fell into the garden [64--yes, I have an edition of GRAMPA with original page numbering now]. Later episodes also show the medicine's powers, and those usually (a) arise naturally from the characters' quests, and (b) often have further consequences, which this one--for all the consternation about Grampa growing brickwork--doesn't. Thompson doesn't even bother motivating the moment by showing Grampa foraging for food before he tastes the house plant. Instead, "absently pulling a blossom from a nearby bush he popped it into his mouth" [88]. Oh, yeah, that happens to me all the time: suddenly I find myself chewing on a strange flower. Grampa's run-in with the house plant is no more extraneous than many of the village visits and other encounters Thompson puts in her books--indeed, using the medicine probably may make it a bit less so. And the image of the old soldier with a chimney for smoking and a bay window ruining his slim profile is fun. But for me that episode signaled a break in how thoughtfully Thompson was writing GRAMPA. R. A. Wilson asked: <> The Oz books never state where Dorothy lived, except that it was a short hike from a place called Butterfield, which no one can identify. In promotional material for an Oz spin-off which may have been written or approved by L. Frank Baum, but more likely was prepared by his publisher, a letter from Dorothy gives her farm's location as "near Topeka." J. L. Bell JnoLBell@compuserve.com ====================================================================== From: "Gili Bar-Hillel" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-02-99 Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 14:18:27 PST Hi Oz friends, It's been a good year or more since I've contacted any of you - I guess I drifted away from the Ozzy scene, though the very warm fuzzy spot is still in my heart. After my two years as visiting student at Harvard, I came back to Israel, where I spent the past year making up classes for my B.A. at Tel-Aviv University. I have also been working as a translator for the leading daily paper in Israel, translating reports from newswires and features from the world press into Hebrew - quite interesting work. And I also directed my first semi-professional production at an alternative theatre festival in Akko (Acre) which unfortunatly was disasterous for various reasons (such as funds not being released on time, lead actor quitting 3 weeks before opening, rennovation and power cuts in our rehearsal space without prior warning, and even worse nightmares I will not bore you with), but it was definitely *interesting*. I got big points for just surviving it. On the Ozzy front: good news and bad news and good news again. This is actually a pretty amazing story. I finally finished my translation into Hebrew of "The Land of Oz" about a month after my return to Israel, and called to schedule an appointment with the publisher who had expressed an interest in it. Between the day I called and the day of the scheduled appointment, a different publisher BEAT US TO IT!!! And released the first Hebrew translation of the book to shops in Israel. So my translation will not be in print anytime soon, though I was advised that it may make more sense to publish it in future, if I gain more of a reputation as a translator. The new Hebrew edition of "Land" is an attractive volume, that reproduces all of Neill's ink drawings and one of the color plates (I suspect copied from a BoW facsimile). The translation is fair but only just. Puns were dropped, I don't like some of the character names, like Wogglebug (his Hebrew name is "Harakrak" in the published edition, "Hipushpish" in my translation). I spoke to the translator and invited him to see my Oz collection, but nothing ever came of it. This was only the second book published by a press he founded with his wife, they were waiting to see how well it went before tackling further books in the series. He is not an officiando, but chose the book because it was a classic in public domain that had never been translated into Hebrew. However, renewing contact with my publisher over this "Land", and the manuscript I turned in, led to an unexpected windfall. I landed a contract to translate the Harry Potter books into Hebrew, before they became as much of a publishing phenomenon as they are today. The first one is to be printed in January, I'm well into the second, and have already been told they would like me to be the translator for the entire series. Maybe a jumping board to a very sweet career... which is already helping to fund my wacky theatrical aspirations. So much for what I've been up to. I'm overextended as usual, but have occasional lazy hours at work when I'm translator on call and news is slow, to check email, surf the web, daydream... Anyway, much love from the land of Israel, Gili ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 20:41:26 -0500 From: Michael Turniansky Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-02-99 David Hulan: > > Interesting point, but it doesn't make a great deal of sense that Mombi's > clothes should be dissolved but not her shoes. The silver shoe that the WWW > had, being magical, would presumably be more immune to water than the rest > of her clothes, but there's nothing special about Mombi's shoes; if they > survived it would seem reasonable that so would the rest of her garments. > Or ISN'T there something special about Mombi's shoes? Might make a great jumping-off point for a story. For example, in the spirit of the Mombi's "switcheroo" magic, perhaps her spirit is actually residing in her shoes, and she comes back, yet again, in "Mombi's Shoes in Oz" --Mike "Shaggy Man" Turniansky ====================================================================== From: Ozisus@aol.com Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 23:39:31 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-02-99 I emailed this directly to the "asker," but FYI, I published as complete a list of Frank and Maud's descendants as I could compile on the Oz Club site. My goal was to confirm relationships, however. Not to provide a short cut for tracking people down. Jane Albright http://12.16.163.163/reference/baumfmly.asp ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 3 Nov 99 14:10:56 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: gayelette in oz David Hulan, Nathan DeHoff, Scott Hutchins, Dave Hardenbrook, Warren Baldwin: Your point that the "Gillikin" name is not mentioned in "Wizard" is correct, although, as Dave and David pointed out, there's reference to a country in the north as ruled by the Good Witch. The idea that Gayelette had a ruby palace there is more doubtful. The way the King of the Winged Monkeys phrases it, Gayelette's palace in the north could have been in the north end of the Winkie country. David's suggestion of variable ruby colors, of course, would be helpful whether what's wanted is a purplish ruby castle appropriate to Gillikin preferences, or an orangey-yellowish ruby appropriate to Winkie preferences. I've sometimes thought that Baum meant it to be assumed that Gayelette was the Good Witch as a young woman or perhaps the GWN's mother, if "north" is taken as implying Gillikin residence. If it just means "northern Winkie," though, there wouldn't be any probable connection between them. A couple more geographical comments: the descriptions of how to see what Oz looks like by making a criss-crossed rectangle don't seem to imply that Oz is really shaped precisely like an exact rectangle divided into exact triangles -- they sound more like directions for getting an approximate idea when you don't have your printed Wogglebug map to hand. And on what geographical features are visible by night -- well, largish bodies of water could reflect enough starlight to be visible, and largish mountains could occult enough stars to be visible. Maybe also a cluster of a few lights at night would indicate a townlet visible by day. Might add up to enough for some sort of direction-finding. On having two geographical schemes for the categories of east-Munchkin and east-Winkies Oz books -- effectively, that's what the Haff-Martin map does, following the scheme of reading east-is-east for the former and east-is-really-west for the latter (and ever the twain shall meet). The alternative, of doing two sets of maps, each with only about half the locations, and each the mirror-image of the other, would be a good deal harder to use, I'd think. SeraMary/Lisa: In terms of looking up what happened to Baum's family, you might want to look up the biography of Baum by Frank J. Baum and Russell P. MacFall, "To Please a Child." Not current information, but gives an idea. It's long out of print, but a library near you might have it, or could borrow it for you on Interlibrary Loan. Frank J. was president of the IWOC during its first years, and if you buy the IWOC's reprints of the first years of the "Baum Bugle" (besides the other interesting stuff in the issues), you could see what he had to say about the family in his notes to the club. (iwoc@mailbox.neosoft.com should have information about what's available and prices.) Your message this time looks as if you've moved to more standard written-English format -- thanks. It's easier to read. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 23:39:34 -0500 (EST) From: "Mark Donajkowski" Subject: MAJOR OZ NEWS and this has started filming from AINT IT COOL NEWS www.aint-it-cool-news.com Monday, November 1, 1999 Mysterio gives us a look at Tim Burton's LOST IN OZ While coming out of this mist of Halloween, I ran into one last costumed denizen of the night.... He had one of those Pyrex microwavable bowls over his head and bizarre eye-like broaches fastening his cape.... greenish to him. He was stumbling about... slipped me a disk (computer not back) and I found the following report on the Tim Burton LOST IN OZ project... so read on... Hey Harry, Mysterio here materializing back onto the scene. So it's been a week or so since my last checking in, but alas have I got a special report for you! With all the much anticipated hype surrounding Tim Burton's "SLEEPY HOLLOW" (can't wait myself!), I thought I'd talk a bit about Tim's NEXT project, and guess what? It's NOT a film project I'm talking about, but a little television series of sorts from the ingenious and twisted mind of Burton himself! I'm talking about of course "Tim Burton's LOST IN OZ"! Yes folks, you heard it right and you heard it here. Tim Burton is doing a television series based on the dozen or so "OZ" books (so there's a lot of material to work with here) for presumably cable, due out sometime next year. ROAD SIGN SAYS: SPOILER ALERT! -- MAJOR OPENING SPOILERS AHEAD -- PROCEED WITH CAUTION! To describe what we might expect from the pilot script I read, I'll have to divulge a few spoilers. So here goes, for those of us curious to know what this is all about. To begin with, throw out what you may remember about those previous "OZ" movies such as "Return To Oz" and the recent surrounding sequel rumors attaching Rod Steiger and Elizabeth Taylor to such said project. Can't see it happening, ever! But what I can see happening, I like, even if it's on the small screen. To begin with, the story is set in current time, our time at a quaint little gas station, called the EMERALD CITY GAS & OIL, in the cornfields of Kansas. Here we meet a rather tired old native-American station attendant named PONCA, 43, who doesn't see much action around these parts - YET, and lives just round back in an old Winnebago. The station isn't so much a fully functioning station as it is a little tourist spot for passerby's to get gas, and such collectable trinkets as "flying monkey fridge magnets", "toto pencil sharpeners" "tin man toothpick dispensers" & "Auntie Em's muffins". On another part of the spectrum, at Cawker High, we are introduced to a Comparative Literature class, full of kids, being taught by MISS NANCY PURINTON, 32,whose in the midst of reading aloud from a textbook to a bunch of bored students. Inside this class, are JADE WELLING, 17, beautiful, cheerleader-type, and THEO ALRED, 16, whose madly, secretly, infatuated with Jade and her good looks. The two are somewhat opposites each a bit antagonistic with one another. Today's a special day, as after school, the class has agreed to take field trip to a local book museum in lieu of taking a final exam. That then takes us to a Corvette being driven down a two-lane highway, by the cool, free-wheeling VANCE MCCARVER, 29, whose currently in the middle of lecturing his younger brother, Vince on the greater evils of marrying his girlfriend, and throwing his life away. Vance suggests going to Vegas as a test and if within 48 hours he still feels the same way about her, he'll be his best man and give them both his blessings. Alongside the highway, they speed past KIMBER DENSLOW, 17, who's described as an "anti-dorthy of sorts" because of her piercings, dyed hair and such. She's hitchhiking alone to "wherever" and gets a quick lift from a trucker passing by. So this sets-up and introduces us to the series regular characters from the script listing. All strangers taking different path but ultimately converging down the same road together as they all meet by way of The Emerald Gas & Oil, where as luck would have they run smack dab into a wicked black tornado that's headed their way, and quick. Because of their situations, they all find and make quick shelter with Ponca in his winnebago, but soon enough does the tornado take it and within a surreal moment, it vanishes from the sky, leaving everything else behind but the 'Bago and it's reluctant passengers. When our travelers awake, they find themselves in the magical, mystical, bizarre world of "OZ", where through their differences, they must find a way to work together to find their way back home. Some of you may be thinking, "LAND OF THE LOST" here, but I can assure you, there's no dinosaurs or sleestacks here (although, that show did kick some ass back then). The imagery described within the pages, and the strange inhabitants of the world of OZ, just have to be seen to believe. It sounds VERY neat with a lot of strange, somewhat psychedelic eye-candy, and various areas into the land of OZ to be explored in each episode (the scripts even has two full maps included to help visualize the scope of OZ). In the pilot episode the characters are told to find the yellow brick road which will then lead them to Emerald City. They figure once there, they can find the Wizard, explain their situation, and have him help send them back home. But alas, it's not so easy, as their arrival into Oz has coincided with the sudden disappearance of the Wizard, and without him, the entire kingdom is slowly creeping into chaos. Adding to that, no one in or outside of Oz has EVER seen the Wizard, which makes the task at hand all the more difficult. The pilot is outstanding in it's setup of what I hope is to be a well-made, produced and long-running series to come. Props to writer, TREY ("I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"-but-hope-you-already-forgot-about-it) CALLAWAY. With the help of it's Story Creators: Tim Burton, Michael Katleman & Joel T. Smith, they have crafted a smart, fun-filled, clever script and story with lots of future possibilities. And yes, the script does have elements that are very "Burton-esque" such as an army of beings called Scoodlers who are described as "two-sided and two-toned black & white" with "round heads, skinny bodies, each one uglier than the rest". These guys are mean and have the ability to spin off and detach their heads, which they use as weapons, biting their enemies. Not exactly completely one for the kiddies, this project has "major-coolness" written all over it. Major-coolness, indeed. Reporting "just outside" the land of OZ -Mysterio e-mail @: Mysterio_9999@yahoo.com Technical Information: "Tim Burton's LOST IN OZ" Pilot Episode Written by: Trey Callaway Story by: Trey Callaway & Michael Katleman & Tim Burton & Joel T. Smith Executive Producers: Tim Burton, Trey Callaway, Michael Katleman & Joel T. Smith Second Draft: 8/18/99 ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 4 Nov 99 08:29:48 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: dorothy of oz hometown Maybe someone else has already commented on your question, but: None of the 40 Oz books mentions a hometown for Dorothy. In "Road to Oz," there is mention of a small town, Butterfield, in walking distance, but it is not necessarily the closest. In "Emerald City," Aunt Em compares Ozma's palace to the Topeka hotel. A place where you've stayed in a hotel is probably not your hometown, but perhaps Topeka is the closest large city. (Dick Martin, who illustrated the last of the 40 Oz books, "Merry-Go-Round in Oz, " by Elois McGraw and Lauren McGraw Wagner, wrote an Oz book published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, "The Ozmapolitan of Oz," and he has Dorothy refer to reading the Topeka "Times" newspaper, so probably he, too, was thinking of Topeka as the closest large city.) Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 05 Nov 99 15:59:06 (PST) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things TIM BURTON: Thanks for the "Lost in Oz" update, Mark. It sounds like it will be a rather bizarre cross between _H.R. Pufnstuf_ and _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_... How much of *Oz* (oh, *that*) there will be in it remains to be seen... PAGE UPDATE: I've updated my Oz Gallery with new pictures... If you want to see Oz through my eyes go to: http://www.mindspring.com/~daveh47/Oz_Gallery.html -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, NOVEMBER 6 - 11, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== From: Ozmama@aol.com Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 15:32:04 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 In a message dated 11/6/99 2:56:15 PM Central Daylight Time, OzDigest@mindspring.com writes: Gili writes:<< I landed a contract to translate the Harry Potter books into Hebrew, before they became as much of a publishing phenomenon as they are today. The first one is to be printed in January, I'm well into the second, and have already been told they would like me to be the translator for the entire series. Maybe a jumping board to a very sweet career... which is already helping to fund my wacky theatrical aspirations. >> That's great! Congratulations, Gili. I'm sorry that the Oz didn't pan out for you, but I know you'll land on your feet with this. I'll bet you'll translate and publish more of our favorite series later. I'm so glad you updated us on your doings. Thanks. Ruth writes: <> Write the story, Ruth! Either way, it's a great premise. :o) --Robin ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 6 Nov 1999 18:02:53 -0500 (EST) From: "Mark Donajkowski" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 > ====================================================================== > Date: Fri, 05 Nov 99 15:59:06 (PST) > From: Dave Hardenbrook > Subject: Ozzy Things > > > TIM BURTON: > Thanks for the "Lost in Oz" update, Mark. It sounds like it will be > a rather bizarre cross between _H.R. Pufnstuf_ and _Buffy the Vampire > Slayer_... How much of *Oz* (oh, *that*) there will be in it remains > to be seen... theres also a article about this in the uk mag sfx which im trin gto get a copy of ====================================================================== From: CruentiDei@cs.com Date: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 19:36:38 EST Subject: Oz John Bell wrote: > The Oz books never state where Dorothy lived, except that it was a short > hike from a place called Butterfield, which no one can identify. Not entirely. There is a very small town of Butterfield in the southwest corner of Missouri. Uncle Henry's farm could easily be in the SE corner of Kansas, since Dorothy mentions that she and Uncle Henry have driven there before. I assume that she means driven in a horse-and-buggy, as opposed to a Mercedes. :-) Gili: Welcome back! It's been a while (you last post was May 16, 1998), and we've missed you. :-) Too bad about the second-place finish for the Hebrew _Land_, but keep looking forward. Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Nov 99 10:22:51 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: Fwd: Re: Wizard of Oz query I was sorry to hear from a librarian friend, Denny Lien, of a new version of the Secret-Coded-Messages-in-Oz theory by people who don't seem to realize that Baum was quite overt about it when he wanted to make political comments (as in "Land" and "Emerald"), and that (as Tolkien kept complaining when people wanted to read "Lord of the Rings" as allegory) any fantasy will be applicable to lots of political situations, but it does not follow that the story is allegorical. ----- Forwarded message begins here ----- From: Dennis K. Lien Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 09:45:22 -0600 Subject: Re: Wizard of Oz query Ruth-- from Stumpers; fyi just in case you've not seen this one... / Denny >X-From_: stumpers-l-return@crf.cuis.edu Sun Nov 7 23:51 CST 1999 >Return-Path: >Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 00:46:44 -0500 (EST) >From: Aparker54@aol.com >Subject: Re: Wizard of Oz query >To: stumpers-list@crf.cuis.edu >Comments: STUMPERS-L - A Service of Dominican University > On hidden meanings in Oz, my father offers the following as the latest >he's seen (from a UT catalog): >AUTHOR: Ziaukas, Tim >ARTICLE TITLE: Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' as Gilded Age public relations. by >Tim Ziaukas >PERIODICAL: Public Relations Quarterly >DATE/VOL/PAGE: Fall 1998, v.43, 3, 7 / 5 page(s) >DESCRIPTION: ill. (0) >NOTES: Abstract: L. Frank Baum's 'The Wizard of Oz' is an excellent >example of early public relations writing. The book, written >mostly in 1899 and published in 1900, was part of the >movement that officially established the field of public >relations in the 20th century. It is argued that Oz is a >piece of promotional writing and is laden with 'complicated >propagandistic intentions.' It was written at at time when >American society was consumed by the debate over the >'financial question,' that is, the creation and circulation >of money. The burning issue during the latter half of the >1800s was the abandonment of bimetalism, with silver being >demoneyed and gold established as the official legal tender. >The characters of 'The Wizard of Oz' represented those >deeply involved in the debate: the Scarecrow as the >farmers,the Tin Woodman as the industrial workers, the Lion >as silver advocate William Jennings Bryan and Dorothy as the >archetypal American girl. >SUBJECTS: Baum, Lyman Frank--Criticism, interpretation, etc. >The Wizard of Oz (Book)--Criticism, interpretation, etc. >Public relations--History >Propaganda--Analysis >Gold standard--History >Silver coins--History >ISSN: 0033-3700 >============================== >Dear old Dad also notes: "Tim Ziaukas did a certain amount of homework, and >does a good brief presentation of a "revised Littlefield" thesis on the >Populists. (Littlefield, by the way, repudiated his own conclusions a few >years back, but that hasn't caught on. And the literature's bigger.)" >And he mentions that there's a bibliogrpahy on the Web site of the >International Wizard of Oz Club (www.ozclub.org). >Alison Parker >Springfield, MO >aparker54@aol.com> ------ Forwarded message ends here ------ ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 10:11:15 -0600 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-02 & 06-99 11/2: Warren: >D. Hulan: direction they'd come based on landmarks> But how many landmarks could he >see at night? Probably none, but I'm talking about setting a direction leaving the jackdaws' nest, and before they landed there it had been light for some time. "They flew over a village so big that the Woggle-bug declared it was a city; and then they came to a range of high mountains with many deep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly." So if, for instance, the Scarecrow remembered a particular peak that they'd flown over, and thought they were flying south at the time, then he'd have thought they were flying north if they flew back over that peak and continued in the same direction. >one of the characters >describes how to make a map of Oz: namely, you take a rectangle, draw >criss-crossing lines to the corners, etc. Not much room for speculation >there. I expect you're remembering the one in _Handy Mandy_ (p.101), when Nox was explaining Oz to Mandy, though there may be another case that I don't remember. However, as others said in the 11/6 Digest, what's useful in explaining the shape of a country in a general way doesn't mean that it's accurate in detail, or that the author intended it to be taken as such. It's clear in context that Nox was just trying to give Mandy an idea of what Oz was like, not to create an accurate map. As for the Haff-Martin map, I echo what Ruth said in the 11/6 Digest: they simply reversed east and west directions for all the books where the Winkie country is placed in the east, which seems more useful than making two separate maps depending on which way the author stated it. 11/6: J.L.: I suppose Baum might have traveled to the western part of South Dakota, but I've never heard of it if so. Even if he'd seen higher mountains, though, I think it's likelier he was thinking of lowish ones; after all, Mombi was growing corn and pumpkins and raising a cow, and while it's possible to do that on high mountains (I recently drove through part of the Alps and can attest to that) it seems unlikely in a country as sparsely inhabited as Oz; why not farm in the more fertile lowlands when there's plenty of unused land available there? Gili: Good to hear from you again! Sounds as if you've been busy and productive of late, and getting the gig to translate Harry Potter into Hebrew is quite a coup! Mike: Interesting idea for a new story! I may have to think about this... Mark: LOST IN OZ sounds like it could be fun, though it doesn't seem to have much connection to "our" Oz - even less than the Oz Comics or Barnstormer or even Wicked. If I hear about its appearing on a TV channel I can receive I'll probably watch an episode or two of it to see what it's like...if I can remember to. (About the only things I consistently watch on TV are Bears games; the only other things that sometimes induce me to turn it on are Xena and Hercules shows. Mostly I'd rather read or write. No knock on TV as such; just a matter of personal preference.) David Hulan ====================================================================== From: TheBBugle@aol.com Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 11:46:47 EST Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Wizard of Oz query Yikes---what bunk! There'll be an article by Ozma in the Spring 2000 Bugle refuting theories of this nature. Thanks for making us aware of this latest spin. Best, Bill ====================================================================== From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 11:21:06 PST >In the pilot episode the characters are told to find the yellow brick road >which will then lead them to Emerald City. They figure once there, they >can find the Wizard, explain their situation, and have him help send them >back home. But alas, it's not so easy, as their arrival into Oz has >coincided with the sudden disappearance of the Wizard, and without him, >the entire kingdom is slowly creeping into chaos. Adding to that, no one >in or outside of Oz has EVER seen the Wizard, which makes the task at hand >all the more difficult. If it takes place in "our time," though, shouldn't the Wizard's short, stout form be a common sight around the country? Also, shouldn't a certain fairy queen be in charge? I realize that the writers aren't going for canonical Oz here, but does EVERY mainstream Oz-based product have to take place in a _Wizard_-style Oz, rather than the Oz of later books? I think it might be interesting to see how the public would react to a film or television story based in a later-book Oz, without the Wizard ruling the land, and possibly even without any visitors from the Great Outside World. (It probably wouldn't be particularly well-received, but such a thing really hasn't even been tried.) >And yes, the script does have elements that are very >"Burton-esque" such as an army of beings called Scoodlers who are >described as "two-sided and two-toned black & white" with "round heads, >skinny bodies, each one uglier than the rest". These guys are mean and >have the ability to spin off and detach their heads, which they use as >weapons, biting their enemies. Yes, that Tim Burton is a genius. Why couldn't L. Frank Baum have ever come up with anything like that? Nathan ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ====================================================================== From: Tyler Jones Subject: Oz Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 12:39:13 -0700 Notes: I've been behind a little bit, but thanks to Dave, all of the Ozzy Digests are now available on my web site up through October. These files are backed up on three separate hard drives on two machines and are all set to Read-Only, so they're probably pretty safe. ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 15:56:09 -0500 (EST) From: sahutchi@iupui.edu cc: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 > in Hollywood, TROOPERS, tried for the same effect by shoving together the > STAR WARS storm troopers and COPS-style cinema verite. I bet the real > cleverness in these parodies shows up in the *second* minute, after you've > gotten the obvious joke. Where else can the filmmakers take it? That's _Troops_. I know some guys making a film called _The Bunk Witch Project_, which I am not involved with for various technicalities (I had to work when they shot the interviewee scenes, for example), and they added a fourth character, a cartographer who doesn't drink. In the hotel scene, the guys get drunk and shove a funnel in his mouth, forcing whisky down his throat so that he stops breathing. Then one of them cuts the cord on a hair dryer to stimulate him to conscousness and the other guy says something like "You idiot, he's not breathing, that's for if his heart stopped! > Alongside the highway, they speed past KIMBER DENSLOW, 17, who's described > as an "anti-dorthy of sorts" because of her piercings, dyed hair and such. > She's hitchhiking alone to "wherever" and gets a quick lift from a trucker > passing by. Any significance to "Kimber"? The Denslow part is obvious. Yesterday's _Mutts_ had a spoof of the original cover of _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_, and there were book-related Oz ornaments (Tretter illos) in the coupon section. I didn't find the TRU million dollar insert they had been advertising, but I did find one from Walgreens. Scott ====================================================================== From: Subject: Computer Virus Alert! (This is *NOT* a hoax/false alarm!) Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:53:55 -0800 Greetings friends of Oz, from the Royal Maid of the Emerald City Palace. I know this isn't Ozzy, but Dave and I thought you all should know about this new computer virus... Glinda found this info. on McAfee's web page, so we don't think it's just another hoax... ---- FORWARDED DOCUMENT ---- Virus Name: VBS/Bubbleboy Virus Characteristics: This is an Internet worm that requires Internet Explorer 5 with Windows Scripting Host installed (WSH is standard in Windows 98 and Windows 2000 installations). It does not run on Windows NT due to hard-coded limitations. The Internet worm is embedded within an email message of HTML format and does not contain an attachment. This worm is written in VB Script. There are two variants; the .b variant is encrypted. In MS Outlook, this worm requires that you "open" the email. It will not run if using "Preview Pane". In MS Outlook Express, the worm is activated if "Preview Pane" is used! In both the above, if security settings for Internet Zone in IE5 are set to High, the worm will not be executed. The vulnerability exploited by this worm has been addressed by Microsoft with a security patch. Installing this Internet Explorer patch will prevent the execution of this worm under default security settings. Network Associates recommends to apply this patch for all desktops running IE. Microsoft "scriplet.typelib/Eyedog" Patch After the VB Script executes, it writes the file UPDATE.HTA to the local machine and during the next Windows startup, the .HTA file is invoked. The UPDATE.HTA file is coded to do the following- * Change the registered owner via the registry to "BubbleBoy" * Change the registered organization to "Vandelay Industries" * Send itself embedded in an email message to EVERY contact in EVERY EMAIL ADDRESS BOOK of MS Outlook * Sets the registry key to indicate that the email distribution has occurred. (Email distribution will not be repeated.) The email is a message with the following information: From: (person who sent worm unintentionally) Subject: BubbleBoy is back! Message Body: The BubbleBoy incident, pictures and sounds http://www.towns.com/dorms/tom/bblboy.htm This is not a valid web page.To check your system for this virus, and to learn how to protect yourselffrom computer viruses, visit the McAfee PC Clinic athttp://clinic.mcafee.com.--- END MESSAGE ---If any of you in the Outside World has any additional info,please share it... We're kind of nervous here at the palace... -- Jellia Jamb, Royal Maid of HRH Princess Ozma ====================================================================== From: Nancy.Koupal@state.sd.usSubject: Ozzy Digest postDate: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:51:33 -0600J. L. Bell asked:Does anyone know if Baum ever saw the Black Hills while he lived inAberdeen? Those hit seven thousand feet, but they're on the other side ofSouth Dakota.Right you are--the Black Hills are about 300 miles west and south ofAberdeen as the automobile travels. It amused me to see them in thedistance at the foot of Aberdeen's Main Street in the TV movie, Dreamer ofOz, but that was but one historical and geographical inaccuracy in thatotherwise entertaining film. To answer your question, my research indicatesthat Baum never did see the Black Hills. When the South Dakota PressAssociation held its annual trip and meeting there in 1890, he claimed to betoo busy to go and stayed home to print newspapers and do "job printing" forlocal clients. He actually traveled quite a bit in 1889 as secretary of theAberdeen baseball team, but so far nothing indicates that he made it acrossthe Missouri River, which is still roughly 150 plus miles east of the BlackHills.Nancy Koupal ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 08:31:35 -0500To: DaveH47@mindspring.comFrom: Wally (Non-Digest member)Subject: March LaumerDear Dave,I hope you remember me. I'm Wally Hubbard, a friend of March Laumer.First the sad news: March has incurable cancer and expects to be placed ina hospice in Sweden soon for his last days. In this regard, he is treatedso well medically and personally in Sweden that he has decided not toreturn to the United States again. His spirits are unbelievably high,despite everything.I spoke to him this morning which is one of the reasons for this e-mail.March understands that a Mr. Sean Duffley did an "OZ" review of some ofMarch's works and that it appeared (or was to appear) in some magazine lastmonth. If this is so, could we prevail on you to AIRMAIL either themagazine or a print-out of the review to him at the following address?March LaumerPlaatslagarevaegen 4 E 122730 LundSwedenI'd be pleased to reimburse you for any expense. The second reason I'mwriting is to say that I know all of March's wishes and have full power ofattorney, plus his will and Codicil, to see that they are carried out. Ofparticular concern are March's manuscripts, his journal and large number ofunsold books he has written. While certain materials will go to thePopular Culture Library section of the Bowling Green State UniversityFoundation, I'd be interested in knowing if there may be any seriousfollowers of March's efforts who would be interested in receiving any ofhis work, or if you have any thoughts along these lines. I have simplyassured him that NOTHING will be thrown out and that his material will windup in the hands of people who would appreciate it the most. I'm leavingtoday for CA and NV for the computer show and will be back in two weeks.Feel free to use any part of the foregoing for your publication, plusproviding my e-mail address to any interested party. If any "OZ" devoteewould like to send a card to March at his home in Sweden, I know he'd bedelighted. He wouldn't be able to reply, but as I talk to him regularly,I'd make sure he knows how we feel about him. Thanks, Dave. Please knowthat both March and I appreciate your help.Best regards,Wally Hubbard ====================================================================== From: SlyverTear@aol.com (Non-Digest member)Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 17:19:21 ESTSubject: wizard of oz stuffumm... in the play are there such characters such as "the polishers"?thanx ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 11 Nov 99 17:36:58 (PST)From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy ThingsLOST IN OZ:Mark wrote: >theres also a article about this in the uk mag sfx which [I'm trying to] >get a copy ofTry Borders or Barnes & Noble (though they haven't got the November issuein yet)...David Hulan wrote: >LOST IN OZ sounds like it could be fun, though it doesn't seem to have much >connection to "our" Oz - even less than the Oz Comics or Barnstormer or >even Wicked.The idea of _Beverly Hills 90210_-type teenagers visiting Oz is disconcertingto me, but I suppose I should keep an open mind... >(About the only things I consistently watch on TV are >Bears games; the only other things that sometimes induce me to turn it on >are Xena and Hercules shows. Mostly I'd rather read or write. No knock on >TV as such; just a matter of personal preference.)I'm finding it increasingly impossible to find anything on TV(especially cable) that doesn't feature shooting and/or bedroomscenes.The only TV (where "TV" is defined as on the air and not recorded on video)I've watched recently is _Little Men_... Though not as much as the showbecomes less and less "Alcotty"Of course we all know that the original authors (whether L. Frank orLouisa May) didn't know what they were doing when they wrote theiroriginal stories...They need Hollywood to set them straight. :|Nathan wrote: >If it takes place in "our time," though, shouldn't the Wizard's short, stout >form be a common sight around the country? Also, shouldn't a certain fairy >queen be in charge? I realize that the writers aren't going for canonical >Oz here, but does EVERY mainstream Oz-based product have to take place in a >_Wizard_-style Oz, rather than the Oz of later books?Yes, it seems like they all consciously dodge the Oz of Ozma, as thoughthey were afraid of it.(From the posted article): >And yes, the script does have elements that are very >"Burton-esque" such as an army of beings called Scoodlers who are >described as "two-sided and two-toned black & white" with "round heads, >skinny bodies, each one uglier than the rest". These guys are mean and >have the ability to spin off and detach their heads, which they use as >weapons, biting their enemies.But if it has other things -- a ruler named Ozma, a mechanical creaturecalled Tik-Tok, and Oz divided into four quadrants, then Tim Burton isblatantly plagerizing from Gregory Maguire!!! :> -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, NOVEMBER 12 - 19, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== From: pauls@wauknet.com (Paul Smith) Subject: Wizard of Oz Movie general questions Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 06:02:46 -0600 Dear Group, Howdy! First of all, allow myself to introduce.. myself.. I'm an 19 year old from Waukesha, Wisconsin and I just re-discovered The Wizard of Oz on it's recent DVD re-release.. First some general questions. Apologies if they've been asked to death before- Don't kill the newbie please! :) 1. I recall hearing a different version of "The JitterBug" with Judy singing- It had video footage with it (it was on television) but I can't recall from where I saw it, nor if the footage was the same as shown on the DVD (but I think it was different then). Anyone know what I'm talking about, and/or where I can find the "Judy" version on CD? 2. I recall seeing this very cool Wizard of Oz Deluxe CD soundtrack. I already have the CD (Rhino) soundtrack. Does anybody have a tracklisting for the Deluxe set, and can you recomend it? 3. I recall seeing a clip on TV (probibly part of a larger special) about how they created the Witch's writting in the sky (with the black smoke, etc). It looked very cool, and I thought it was on the documentery that's on the DVD but it isn't. Where did I see this? I remember the effect was cleverly created.. just can't remember how.. 4. (Still with me?) :) Does anyone know where I can buy re-print posters of WOZ? Some of them would look nice framed. 5. Do any props from WOZ still exist anywhere, and who owns them (Other then the slippers I hear a lot about). Do any of the parts of the sets still exist? If so, who owns them and how did they get them? 6. Can anyone recomend some good books about WOZ (The Movie specificly)? 7. Are there any links to information about how WOZ was recently restored and re-mastered (I'm into that technical stuff) Thanks all- This should keep you busy. :) -Paul a.a #1353 http://www.infidels.org "If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace." -John Lennon ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 12 Nov 99 11:48:37 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: hills of oz Dave Hardenbrook: Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? Gili Bar-Hillel: Nice to hear from you again, and congratulations on the translating job for Harry Potter! A good series, and the more worth distributing because it has come under foolish attack (here, anyway -- maybe not in Israel?) Mark Donajkowski: A "beautiful cheerleader-type" and a "cool, free- wheeling" guy? Well, I'm not so sure about the lovelorn boy and the punk-rocker girl, but the first two (especially combined with "major coolness" for the whole) spell trendy and stupid. Sounds dreadful, but maybe it'll be better than it sounds, even though (as Dave points out) it's evidently being constructed to appeal to "90210" fans (i.e., teens obsessed over appearance). Robin Olderman: Making a story about Gayelette -- well, might be possible. I'll do some thinking about it. Nathan DeHoff: Your Scoodler comment ("Yes, that Tim Burton is a genius. Why couldn't L. Frank Baum have ever come up with anything like that?") -- clever! Nancy Koupal: Thanks for Black Hills information. It's sad to hear of March Laumer's illness. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 12 Nov 99 12:00:37 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: polishers of oz You asked if there are such characters as "the polishers" in "the play." It isn't really clear what polishers your mean or what play. I think maybe you mean the Emerald City salon-workers who polished the Tin Woodman in the 1939 MGM movie of "The Wizard of Oz," and you want to know if there were equivalent characters in the 1902 stageplay of "The Wizard of Oz." Or maybe you meant "book" when you said "play"? Anyhow, no, there are no equivalent characters in the book or in the play. In the book, there is a maid who acts as Dorothy's maid while Dorothy is a guest in the palace, and in the second Oz book, Baum's "Land of Oz," Jellia Jamb is the name of a maid in the palace who is quite likely the same character. She also shows up as a main character in a much later book, "Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz," by Ruth Plumly Thompson, who took over writing the Oz books after Baum's death. After she retired, a few other people wrote a few Oz books each, and John R. Neill, in his "Scalawagons of Oz," included as a character a Mifket (a mischievous little goblin-like creature) who gets assigned to work polishing the copper man, Tik-Tok. And that's about as close as it gets to any "polishers." Your nearest library may have these books, or, if not, can probably borrow them for you. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== From: "Jeremy Steadman" Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1999 20:40:22 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 Gili: Nice to hear from you again! The translating work you're doing sounds fascinating--I'm a foreign language major here in college, myself (though not Hebrew). Your theatrical endeavor sounds intriguing--what did it entail (besides the problems you mentioned)? "Mombi's Shoes in Oz": Sounds like a title of a horror film, if you ask me . . . "Lost in Oz": "Emerald City Gas & Oil"??! The Industrialization and Decline of the Ozian Empire" sounds like a better title if the book contains something like that . . . Oh, that was in the Kansas portion, I see now. Very RTO-esque, it seems, in terms of its bringing the worst of Kansas into Oz. Anyway, until the next Digest, Jeremy Steadman, Royal Historian of Oz kivel99@planetall.com http://www.geocities.com/kivel99/ ICQ# 19222665, AOL Inst Mssgr name kiex or kiex2 "A good example of a parasite? Hmmm, let me think... How about the Eiffel tower?" ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 13:38:40 -0800 From: ozbot Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-11-99 Nathan said sarcastically: > > >And yes, the script does have elements that are very > >"Burton-esque" such as an army of beings called Scoodlers > Yes, that Tim Burton is a genius. Why couldn't L. Frank Baum have ever come > up with anything like that? To be fair, he just said that the elements are very "Burton-esque," not that Burton or (more appropriately based on the sentance) the scriptwriter had created the characters. Of course, I do not doubt that most of the public will fail to recognize Baum behind it all, even with a "inspired by the books by..." credit. Let's not let the bitterness of not seeing "our Oz" cloud the opportunity to say "yes, but have you read about THIS character in THIS book?" danny (who, BTW, is a big-time Burton fan and looking forward to LiO.) ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 15 Nov 99 18:26:25 -0500 From: jwkenne@attglobal.net Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-06-99 J. L. Bell wrote: >Oh, >yeah, that happens to me all the time: suddenly I find myself chewing on a >strange flower. Unusual today. But not terribly unusual for someone brought up in the country over a hundred years ago. // John W Kennedy ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 10:19:57 -0500 From: "J. L. Bell" Subject: Oz and cruciverbalism charset=ISO-8859-1 It's not unusual to see allusions to Baum and Oz in the NEW YORK TIMES crossword puzzle. A coupla weeks ago, for instance, one answer was "EMERALD CITY." But the puzzle by Jim Page for Saturday, 13 November, pushed readers far into the Nonestic. The clue for 23-Down was "L. Frank Baum prince," in four letters. Granted, this was a Saturday puzzle (the clues get more difficult as the week goes on), but this clue seemed to require a rare level of literary knowledge. Congratulations to Gili Bar-Hillel for becoming Harry Potter's Hebrew translator! J. K. Rowling has mapped out seven books in that series, an especially ambitious plan which may keep Gili busy for years. Thanks, Nancy Koupal, for sharing your research on Baum's connection (or lack thereof) to the Black Hills. Thanks to Scott Hutchins for the correction on the title of TROOPS. Gili Bar-Hillel also wrote: <> It sounds like the publisher that did issue LAND in Hebrew is a small press. I never want to hope that a publisher will go out of business, but it's possible that it won't find enough of a foothold in children's books, or decide to concentrate on another area. In that case, that edition of LAND may become unavailable and a more established children's publisher may see potential in yours. Good luck! Ruth Berman wrote: <> I think Gayelette's headstrong character and magical power, as revealed in WIZARD, mean that we can't be sure she'd follow her neighbors' color scheme. I doubt Baum meant any connection between Gayelette and the Good Witch of the North. They come far apart in WIZARD, and Oz's geography wasn't yet as defined and hemmed in as we now see it. On the other hand, it's an interesting premise to explore in writing. Would it necessarily bump against Thompson's version of the Good Witch in GIANT HORSE? J. L. Bell JnoLBell@compuserve.com ====================================================================== From: Rhettlion@aol.com Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 14:58:35 EST Subject: New Oz Movie??? Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone has any information about this. The press release was released on October 7th and I just found it. You may already know about this one. Cine-Groupe Producing Animated Prequel to The Wizard Of Oz Lion Gate's Animation Partner Announces "The Lion of Oz and The Badge of Courage" as a new Telefilm, Produced In Associationwith Sony Wonder Vancouver, October 7,1999 - Cine-Groupe, Lions Gate's Montreal based animation partner, has announced the production in association with Sony Wonder, of "Lion Of Oz And The Badge Of Courage", a new animated musical telefilm celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of "The Wizard of Oz". This new telefilm, produced in association with Sony Wonder, is a prequel to the original classic, and is based on the book written by Roger S Baum, the great-grandson of The Wizard of Oz creator, L. Frank Baum. "Lion of Oz" is set to air on the Disney Channel in the US in the fall of 2000. Distribution for "Lion of Oz" is being handled by Cine-Groupe and by Sony Wonder's subsidiary Sunbow Entertainment. The project is being presented at MIPCOM 1999. The 75 minute tele-feature stars the voices of Jason Priestly as The Lion, and Lynn Redgrave as The Wicked Witch of The East. Other starring voives include Jane Horrocks, Kathy Griffen, Tim Curry, Bobcat Goldthwaite, and Dom DeLuise. Have Fun, Glen Cleveland ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 19:57:10 -0500 From: "J. L. Bell" Subject: new Oz musical? The BOSTON GLOBE for 13 Saturday 1999 has a report from novelist Gregory Maguire that Broadway and movie composer Stephen Schwarz is writing songs for a musical adaptation of WICKED. (Maguire's latest fairy-tale retelling for older readers is CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER.) J. L. Bell JnoLBell@compuserve.com ====================================================================== Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 08:20:58 -0600 From: Stephen Teller Subject: [Fwd: virus alert] Subject: Re: virus alert Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 06:43:01 -0500 charset="iso-8859-1" This is a hoax; please do not pass it on as it simply clogs the net. IBM maintains a page listing known virus hoaxes, and I strongly urge all to check it before passing messages of this nature along. ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Huber ; ; ; Tracy Mcewen ; Terry Riley ; Terence Platt ; Ted Taylor ; Ted Crockett ; Tamarkin New York ; Sue Van Dyn Hoven ; sue Ho ; Sue Belton ; Steve Viltoft ; Stephen J. Teller ; Stephen J. Lindberg ; ; ; Sheila Robinson ; Sheila Gray ; Sean Lally ; ; ; Robin Kanta ; Rob Simmons ; Rick Hughes Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 1999 10:17 PM Subject: Fw: virus alert > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > To: ; ; > Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 1999 9:41 AM > Subject: virus alert > > > > > PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE YOU HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR. If you receive an > > > > e-mail titled "It Takes Guts to Say Jesus" DO NOT OPEN IT. It will erase > > everything > > on your hard drive. This information was announcedyesterday > morning form > IBM; > > AOL states that this is a very dangerous virus, much > worse than > "Melissa,"and > > that there is NO remedy for it at this time. > Some very sick individual > has > > succeeded in using the reformat function > from > Norton Utilities causing > it > > to completely erase all documents on the hard > > drive. It has been > designed > > to work with Netscape Navigator and > Mircrosoft > Internet Explorer. It > destroys > > Macintosh and IBM compatible computers. > This > is a new, very malicious > virus > > and not many people know about it. > Pass this warning along to EVERYONE > in > > your address book and please share > > it with all your online friends > ASAP > > so that this threat may be stopped. > Please practice cautionary measures > and > > tell anyone that may have access > to > your computer. Forward this > warning > > to everyone that might access the > Internet. > > > > > > ====================================================================== Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 10:14:48 -0600 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-11-99 Tyler: >Not entirely. There is a very small town of Butterfield in the southwest >corner of Missouri. Well, it's in southwest Missouri, but not that close to the corner. I took a quick look at it with my "Street Atlas USA" software and by road (even today, and roads were probably fewer in the 19-oughts) the nearest point in Kansas is about 55-60 miles from Butterfield. That's an awfully long way to drive in a horse and buggy (it would certainly take more than a day); it's also a long distance for a road to be called "the road to Butterfield," since there isn't anything resembling a direct route and any of a dozen possibilities would offer about an equally good way to get between Kansas and Butterfield, MO. And Butterfield is quite a small place, unlikely to be thought of much by someone as far away as Kansas. Jellia: The Bubbleboy worm sounds like one more reason why smart people stick to the Macintozh! :-) Wally: I'm sorry to hear about March Laumer. Don't blame him for wanting to stay in Sweden in his circumstances, either. David Hulan ====================================================================== From: Pat81721@aol.com Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 15:18:14 EST Subject: Quick Question Hello, My name is Patrick Love and I have a girlfriend that collects Wizard of Oz memorabilia. We had come across some pictures from the movie which featured Dorothy in a red dress instead of the blue one we all know. Furthermore, we found one of the same pictures with her in a blue dress. The same scene, same picture. I was wondering if there was an explanation to this. I would very much appreciate an answer. Please notify me at Pat81721@aol.com Thank you for your time ====================================================================== From: Gmichael316@aol.com Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 19:06:04 EST Subject: (no subject) Hey, has The Wizard of Oz always been in color? Or was the Technicolor addad at a later date? I would deeply appreciate it if you could answer me that question. Thanx Michael O'Neal ====================================================================== From: Tyler Jones To: "Ozzy_Digest (E-mail)" Subject: Oz Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 09:43:06 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Non-Oz trivia Today is the last all-odd date on the Gregorian calendar for over 1000 years. Today is 11/19/1999, every digit odd. The next all-odd date will be 1/1/3111. Interestingly, the next all even date is 2/2/2000. The last all-even date was 8/28/888. The next all-odd date was 1/1/911, almost 33 years later. For someone to have lived both an all-even and all-odd date, they'd have to have been born before 8/28/888 and lived through 1/1/911. Since the life expectancy in those days was around 30, probably not many made it. Anyway, keep in mind, it will never be this odd again in our lifetimes. Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 19 Nov 99 11:03:04 (PST) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things OZ IN GLORIOUS SEPIA TONE: I E-mailed the person asking about Oz being in color... Is this the latest Oz urban myth? (I've gotten enough people asking it that I'm tempted to put it in the FAQ.) I dunno how it could have started -- even the poorest quality print of the film I've ever seen looks better than anything colorized... "BADGE OF COURAGE" MOVIE AND "WICKED" MUSICAL: Like someone else here said, anything but LFB's Oz... Is there such a thing as Ozmaphobia? I guess _Cats_ was the last original stage musical you can take your kids to see... BCF: Ruth wrote: >Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? I think you're right -- I'd suggest everyone start getting hold of _Lost King_ (that's the next one, right?)... CROSSWORD: John B. wrote: >The clue for 23-Down was "L. Frank Baum prince," in four letters. Did you mean to say "princess"? I don't know of any four-letter Oz *princes*... HARRY POTTER IN OZ: I've finished _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ and I just loved it, second only to Baum himself! Am I the only Oz/Harry fan who speculates on whether any of the Oz magic workers were at Hogwarts and which house? Here's my speculation: Ravenclaw: Glinda, Zim Griffyndor: Locasta, Gloma, the Adepts Slytherin: Ruggedo, Mrs. Yoop, Coo-ee-oh Hufflepuff: Ozma, Reera, Dr. Pipt Of course Ozma, being obliged to continue to rule Oz, was only an honorary member of Hufflepuff, and was granted special dispensation to take classes by correspondence. Also, I'm not sure whether the Wizard might have spent a term there or was taught solely by Glinda. How much is anyone here willing to bet that after J.K. Rowling writes the seven books, she'll have Dumbledore cast a spell that cuts Hogwarts off from the rest of the world, but the pleas from the "little tyrants" (Louisa May Alcott was more diplomatic -- she called them "insatiable Oliver Twists") will force her to restablish contact between the Magical and "Muggle" worlds (via the Internet, as the modern "wireless telegraph"), and force her to continue to write about Harry forever? :) "YOU FORCE ME INTO A CATACLYSMIC DECISION...": My continued woes with my 8 gig hard drive that my system insists is only 2 gigs has forced me to attempt to upgrade my BIOS. This seems very straightforward (famous last words!) -- just download the software and feed it into the system ROM. So wish me luck, and if you don't hear from me or get any Ozzy Digests for a while, but do hear about a large explosion in the residential area of southern Huntington Beach, you'll know why... -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, NOVEMBER 20 - 28, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-19-99 Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 13:17:56 PST Jeremy: >"Emerald City Gas & Oil"??! The Industrialization and Decline of the >Ozian Empire" sounds like a better title if the book contains >something like that . . . In _Wonder City_, doesn't the Wogglebug mention something about going to a gas station to get some midnight oil? Since this was before the invention of the Scalawagons, I wonder what the gas was being used for at that point. Anyway, there might very well be an Emerald City Gas and Oil in modern Oz, even if it is just a throwback to the old Scalawagon days. J. L. Bell, on Gayelette: >Would it necessarily bump >against Thompson's version of the Good Witch in GIANT HORSE? Well, not if you also accept Dave Hardenbrook's MOPPeT about the GWN (and there would probably even be a way to reconcile the two even without using Dave's theory.) Dave Hardenbrook: >BCF: >Ruth wrote: > >Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? > >I think you're right -- I'd suggest everyone start getting hold of >_Lost King_ (that's the next one, right?)... Yes, it is. I'm going home for Thanksgiving on Tuesday, so I'll probably be able to pick up my copy while I'm there. >CROSSWORD: >John B. wrote: > >The clue for 23-Down was "L. Frank Baum prince," in four letters. > >Did you mean to say "princess"? I don't know of any four-letter >Oz *princes*... Think harder, and think _Rinkitink_. (I've probably just given it away.) Nathan ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 19 Nov 99 15:46:25 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: color in oz Paul Smith: The only surviving footage of the "Jitterbug" sequence was the "home-movie" version shown on tv in recent years. But Judy Garland and Ray Bolger did the song as a duet on her tv show, so there may be videos of that around somewhere. Also, she sang it on an early audio-recording of the songs from the show. For good reading on the movie -- Aljean Harmetz's "The Making of the Wizard of Oz" is excellent. Some other good ones are "The Wizard of Oz" pictorial history by John Fricke et al, "TWoO" essay by Salman Rushdie, and the screenplay (ed. Michael Patrick Hearn). If they're not in print, a library should be able to provide copies to borrow. You might email Peter Glassman -- plgnyc@earthlink.com -- the owner of Books of Wonder, to ask him to send you his Oz catalog. I forget if he has posters specifically, but has a lot of Oz materials. While you're at it, you might want to start exploring the original books. You could start, obviously, with "TWoO." Books of Wonder combined with Morrow Books brought out a fine facsimile edition that includes all of Denslow's gorgeous color artwork, and they've also reprinted facsimile editions of a good many of the later Oz books. J. L. Bell: Yes, it was fun to see Prince Inga in the NY "Times." But I was sorry to see an obit article Nov 18 for Mabel King, who played Evilene in "The Wiz" both on Broadway and in the movie (complications of diabetes). Dave Hardenbrook: Schools of wizardry and our Oscar -- I had a short story published several years back, "Elem Alchem 101," that took place in a school for wizards, and made reference to one of the faculty members as Professor Diggs. It appeared in a small-press fantasy zine, so was not widely distributed. Someday I'd like to reprint it in some form or other, but no current plans. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== From: RMorris306@aol.com Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 00:17:11 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-19-99 In a message dated 11/19/99 6:13:47 PM, OzDigest@mindspring.com writes: << From: pauls@wauknet.com (Paul Smith) <<1. I recall hearing a different version of "The JitterBug" with Judy singing- It had video footage with it (it was on television) but I can't recall from where I saw it, nor if the footage was the same as shown on the DVD (but I think it was different then). Anyone know what I'm talking about, and/or where I can find the "Judy" version on CD?>> I wouldn't know about the DVD or the CD, but I saw some of the then-newly-discovered footage on 20/20 or some such show about 10 years ago, showing the characters dancing as the song (which I heard was taken from the movie soundtrack album, which I've never seen or heard) was played, not at all in sync. It sounded like Judy...at least, it was a female voice that definitely didn't belong to any of the other female characters in the movie (Aunt Em, Glinda, or the Witch)... From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: hills of oz Dave Hardenbrook: Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? Gili Bar-Hillel: Nice to hear from you again, and congratulations on the translating job for Harry Potter! A good series, and the more worth distributing because it has come under foolish attack (here, anyway -- maybe not in Israel?)>> Probably not. That sort of censorship seems to be mostly done by Christian (or Muslim) fundamentalists; it's not generally associated with Judaism. <> At least in my experience, the post-Baum Oz books were much harder to find...but, with the various reissues of more recent years (from Del Rey and Books of Wonder) the libraries might find them more acceptable. Glen Cleveland: <> Is this the Cowardly Lion? If so, why isn't he called that, given that this is a prequel? I know he never WAS a real coward, but that's what he always called himself, even AFTER getting courage from the Wizard... David Hulan, speaking of Butterfield, MO: <> Maybe they had relatives there? Or Aunt Em (assuming she wasn't the one who was Dorothy's blood relative) did? As for the Shaggy Man, he might not even have realized how far away he was...or cared, given that, by his own statement, he mostly wanted to avoid the place... From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things <Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? I think you're right -- I'd suggest everyone start getting hold of _Lost King_ (that's the next one, right?)...>> Sounds good! (I've already got it!) <The clue for 23-Down was "L. Frank Baum prince," in four letters. Did you mean to say "princess"? I don't know of any four-letter Oz *princes*...>> Oh, come now. RINKITINK alone features two of them: Inga and Bobo. <> Well, don't forget that Baum originally never meant to write more than ONE Oz book, unlike Rowling, who's said she'd had more Harry Potter books planned from the beginning. And not all writers end up following their original plans: Diana Wynne Jones had planned to write five books in the Dalemark series, but ended up writing only four (of which the last two were very different from her original plans; she's credited me with the idea that finally enabled her to finish the fourth!). But I suspect the parallel may be surprisingly direct; just as most of Baum's Oz books after his first six focussed on other characters than Dorothy, so I suspect Rowling might end up writing more books about Hogwarts, but focusing on other characters besides Harry (who's due to graduate in Book 7, anyway...) Rich Morrissey ====================================================================== Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 11:33:02 -0500 From: "J. L. Bell" Subject: Odds on Oz Thank you, Tyler Jones, for your odd bit of news for today. I've been getting "404" messages when I click on any of the Digest digests on your Web site, including the older ones. Is all well at apprentice.com? After my doubt that I would "suddenly I find myself chewing on a strange flower," John W. Kennedy wrote: <> In previous centuries more people indeed ate and healed with flowers, but is there evidence they acted like Grampa: "absently pulling a blossom from a near-by [sic] bush he popped it into his mouth" [88]? I think most people of any age would be more aware or careful than that, especially in a garden that's proven to be magical. Idly masticating strange flowers was not said to be one of Grampa's two bad habits. I'll repeat my question about the picture on GRAMPA, page 251. Who is the man in the background? Does this art depict any particular moment in the book? Why does Grampa have a shovel, and why does he seem so friendly with what appears to be Gorba? Dave Hardenbrook wrote: <> The crossword clue was "L. Frank Baum prince"--nothing about Oz, necessarily. Without doing a systematic survey of my bookshelf, I've come up with only one four-letter prince in Baum's books--probably the first prince most of us would think of (and indeed, that's the name that fit). In writing a Tik-Tok story, I began to wonder whether he's programmed to take off his hat indoors, as gentlemen of the time were supposed to. I haven't seen any pattern in Neill's drawings (the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow don't seem to follow that etiquette consistently, either). Has anyone else looked into this question? Dave Hardenbrook wrote: <> By calling CATS "original," aren't you writing off the writer, T. S. Eliot? J. L. Bell JnoLBell@compuserve.com ====================================================================== From: CruentiDei@cs.com Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 23:35:05 EST Subject: Oz Dave: This is at least the second or third time in recent memory that someone has posted to the Digest asking if the MGM movie was _"ALWAYS"_ in color. It may be a good idea to put that little tidbit into your FAQ, and could someone ask Eric Gjovaag to do the same? The IWOOC may also want to consider putting this info on their site as well. Thoughts on March Laumer: It is with a deep sadness that I learn of this illness, which may be his final experience on this earth. I've always loved his stories, and enjoyed corresponding with him. The best thing that I can say about him is that he brought a little bit of light into the world. Tyler Jones ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 13:15:34 -0500 From: "John W. Kennedy" Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-19-99 Does anyone know whether Volkov was ever translated into Croatian? It's impossible to research the subject by the usual Net means, because the word "Croatian" triggers an avalanche of hate literature based on the sad history of that country. -- -John W. Kennedy -rri0189@ibm.net Compact is becoming contract Man only earns and pays. -- Charles Williams ====================================================================== Date: Mon, 22 Nov 99 13:45:52 CST From: "Ruth Berman" Subject: souvenirs in oz A p.s. to comment to Paul Smith about Oz-related souvenirs. I mentioned Books of Wonder, but in the mail the other day I received a catalogue from an outfit called Best of Oz, and their stock might interest those who are looking for toys and wearables and the like (including some pictures or posters, also a set of napkins/plates/cups- and-stuff-for-an-Oz-party -- not an interest you mentioned, but people ask about party-stuff every so often). I haven't had dealings with them, so don't know how they are on time-to-respond and such, but their postmail address is Best of Oz, 6360 Kansas Ct, Wichita KS 67216; website www.bestofoz.com; phone (800)-593-5566. Ruth Berman ====================================================================== From: "Warren H. Baldwin" Subject: Two Queries Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 23:50:46 -0600 This week's Oz trivia question is: Who is Flipper, and what's he or it got to do with Oz? Also, I was wondering about _The Hidden Prince of Oz_, as the millennium will be upon us in a few weeks. I am assuming (and hoping) that since it will be a double whammy (both a centennial and a millennial novel) that the Club will be making it available to the general public. Can anyone tell me whether it will be available from the Club website? Will it be available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.? W. Baldwin ====================================================================== Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 13:00:35 -0500 From: "Lisa M. Mastroberte" Subject: And I keep coming back again .... Hi! Well, after a little time of being silent I've decided to actually hash the time out to write a message to the Digest. Did ya miss me? ;) <<6. Can anyone recomend some good books about WOZ (The Movie specificly)?>> Actually, this one book I read wasn't about the movie, specifically, but all about the ruby slippers ... called (surprise) "The Ruby Slippers of Oz." Basically it's about the ruby slippers, and how they were made, and where they ended up. :) On "Lost in Oz" .... Personally, I have no problem with it starting out in modern times ... except with them waking up *in* Oz is sort of silly. What would be an idea is that the friends go a library after school and find ninety year old Oz books, and yes, you'd be surprised on how many libraries actually have them in circulation. They read them ... and the rest is almost a la "Never Ending Story." Yes, unlikely, but hey, it would work! Also talking about Oz films and such ... does anyone know when the Hallmark/NBC "Land of Oz" is going to air? It says 1999 at the IMDB, and yet none of these channels say anything. Oh, well. Michael O'Neil: <> All the Oz sequences have always been in color ... it was never colorized at a later date, contrary to popular belief. Which brings up another thing that has always stuck in my mind: Why do many people actually believe this? Just because it came out in '39? Many earlier movies had color sequences, such as the 1925 silent film "The Phantom of the Opera." Dave: <> Yes, probably. :-) It's a Catch-22 here. Most producers don't use the books because people don't really know about them, and yet no one will know about them unless someone actually uses the books. --Lisa http://luna.faithweb.com -- "Every man is the painter and sculptor of his own life." - S. John Chrysostom (+407) ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 16:26:17 -0500 (EST) From: Subject: another Oz death (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 17:40:57 GMT From: "m. berezin" Subject: another Oz death Posted by BTR on November 23, 1999 at 01:02:15: Sadly we report that Mabel King who played Evillene from the original Broadway cast of "The Wiz" and later went on to play the same role in the film with Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson, passed away on November 9th after a long illness and complications from diabetes, she was 66 years old. Ms. King was born on Christmas day, 1932, in Charleston, South Carolina. She appeared in nine movies, among them, "Scrooged" (1988), "The Jerk" (1979), and "The Gong Show Movie" (1980). She is also fondly remembered for her role as "Mama" on TV's "What's Happening!" in the 70's Last spring, Ms. King contributed a family favorite recipe for "Cooking in Oz." Elaine@BTR ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 15:45:34 -0600 From: David Hulan Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-19-99 J.L.: >The clue for 23-Down was "L. Frank Baum prince," in >four letters. Granted, this was a Saturday puzzle (the clues get more >difficult as the week goes on), but this clue seemed to require a rare >level of literary knowledge. Very true. Of course, there are at least two possible answers, but presumably the cross-words would sort that out. There aren't all that many princes in Baum's books anyhow; there's Prince Marvel in YEW, but I don't recall any others in his non-Oz books, and in the Oz books there's only one I can recall in Oz itself - Prince Karver in Utensia. If they follow the usual practice for husbands of reigning queens then I suppose Pon would have become Prince Consort of Jinxland, but I don't think the title was ever explicit in that book. Otherwise there are the five princes of Ev in OZMA and the two who fit the four squares in RINKITINK - Inga (most likely) and Bobo. Easy for Oz fans, but I agree that it's a very obscure reference for the general public. Glen: Ironic that _Lion of Oz_, which isn't a particularly good book, is getting made into an animated feature when nobody wants to make one of any of the canonical books. Oh, well... Michael O'Neal: >Hey, has The Wizard of Oz always been in color? Or was the Technicolor addad >at a later date? I would deeply appreciate it if you could answer me that >question. I think this is something that ought to be added to all the Ozzy FAQ's, since it seems to turn up with some frequency. I suspect that what caused the error is that when CBS first started its annual broadcasts of WIZARD back in the Fifties, color hadn't come to TV, and even though it did a few years later color sets were expensive and people were slow to acquire them. (I didn't buy my first one until 1973, though I'll admit I was behind the power curve on that because I've never been a big TV watcher. But color sets didn't get 50% penetration until well into the '60s.) So people of a Certain Age (fortysomethings now) remember a b/w _Wizard_ from their childhood, though it was due to the limits of the medium rather than to how the picture was filmed. Dave: >Ruth wrote: > >Time to set a day to discuss next Oz book? > >I think you're right -- I'd suggest everyone start getting hold of >_Lost King_ (that's the next one, right?)... Yes, it's the next one. David Hulan ====================================================================== Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 16:24:51 -0500 (EST) From: To: Ozzy Digest Crossword: The L. Frank Baum prince was probably Inga. There are other Baum princes, Quelala for example, and the one in "The Queen of Quok," but Inga is the only four-letter one that I can think of. Scott ===================================================================== Scott Andrew Hutchins http://php.iupui.edu/~sahutchi Oz, Monsters, Kamillions, and More! "Militaries are inherently the most corrupt organizations in the world, simply because their mission is to kill people and break things." ===================================================================== From: pauls@wauknet.com (Paul Smith) Subject: Oz Wallpaper? Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 13:36:47 -0600 Does anyone know where I can get computer wallpaper (any resolution) based on the WOZ movie? Thanks! :) Does anyone have a picture (preferably high quality) of Dorthy as she's leaning into the haystack during Over The Rainbow? Thanks! -Paul a.a #1353 http://www.infidels.org http://www.ffrf.or ====================================================================== Date: Sun, 28 Nov 99 13:29:45 (PST) From: Dave Hardenbrook Subject: Ozzy Things Hi! I hope everyone had good Thanksgiving weekend! OZ IN COLOR: I have added a question concerning the MGM film and whether it was in color to the FAQ. Also, I ask that everone carefully re-read Section 1.3 on rules for Digest posting, as a few of you seem to have forgotten one or two... :) J.L. BELL: >In writing a Tik-Tok story, I began to wonder whether he's programmed to >take off his hat indoors, as gentlemen of the time were supposed to. I dunno... But it might be something he picked up... I seems to me that Tik-Tok has learning ability. (He wasn't *programmed* to be faithful to Dorothy or to Oz.) What I wonder is: Do Tik-Tok's thinking algorithms make use of Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic? >Dave Hardenbrook wrote: ><to see.>> >By calling CATS "original," aren't you writing off the writer, T. S. Eliot? In this case I intended the word "original" to mean "not a stage adaptation of an existing movie". (Because I forsaw that you were all going to jump on me and say, "What about the Wizard of Oz musical??") BCF: Any votes on when to start the _Lost King_ discussion? -- Dave ====================================================================== ] c/ \ /___\ *** THE OZZY DIGEST, NOVEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 10, 1999 *** |@ @| | V | \\\ |\_/| | ;;; \-/ \ ;/ >< ] ====================================================================== From: Ozmama@aol.com Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 20:01:16 EST Subject: Re: Ozzy Digest, 11-28-99 Warren:<< This week's Oz trivia question is: Who is Flipper, and what's he or it got to do with Oz?>> He's "our" orc (as well as being his very own orc, of course.) <