The Wizard of Oz

The Oz story has become a classic because it blends elements of traditional magic, such as witches, with ones from early twentieth-century American reality, such as a Kansas cyclone, a scarecrow, and a man made of tin. And, despite its many particularly American attributes, including a wizard from Omaha, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has universal appeal, demonstrated by numerous non-American translations and dramatizations.

Early Review of
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum's classic American fairy tale was an instant success and received positive reviews in numerous publications of the day. This review, (reprinted from the New York Times) hails the book for having "a bright and joyous atmosphere" and "not dwell[ing] upon killing and deeds of violence" and claims that "it will indeed be strange if there be a normal child who will not enjoy the story."

The Literary News,
pp. 296-297,
October 1900.

TO SEE THE WIZARD
Oz on Stage and Film

Although the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film is the best-known dramatization of the Wizard of Oz, it was not the first production. In June 1902, an extravagantly mounted stage version opened in Chicago to great critical acclaim. The 1903 New York production became one of the greatest successes in Broadway history at that time and continued as a road-show for another decade.

The first commercial films were four one-reel silent films produced in 1910 by the Selig Polyscope Company and based on the Wizard and some other Oz books. In 1914, Baum founded a Hollywood film company. Its five silent features and a few short subjects based on Baum's stories were not successful, and the studio closed in 1915. In 1925, Chadwick Pictures released a silent version of the Wizard,, which took great liberties with the book's plot and was a also a box-office failure

Next came the 1939 version, a rare instance in which a great book became a great film. Because of its many television showings between 1956 and 1974, it has been seen by more viewers than any other movie. In a recent People Magazine poll, it was chosen as the favorite movie of the twentieth century. Later Oz-related dramatizations include The Wiz (1975 and 1978), the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1987 stage production, an animated Japanese version (1982), Disney's Return to Oz (1985), and David Lynch's Wild at Heart (1990).

"The Scarecrow and Company."
Poster for Fred R. Hamlin's Musical Extravaganza,
The Wizard of Oz.
Cincinnati and New York: U.S. Lithograph Company,
Russell Morgan Print, 1903.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago: Carqueville Litho Company, 1900. Poster. Private Collection (10)

Advertising Poster for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900

This is one of two known complete, surviving posters printed by the Carqueville Litho Company to promote L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. With the exception of a few minor line delineations, the image is a faithful depiction of Denslow's colorful title page from the book. The book sold for $1.50 per copy, and the first edition of 10,000 sold out immediately.

Denslow's Original Artwork for the Wizard

W. W. Denslow's original artwork consists of black-and-white line drawings, but the illustrations were printed in color. Some appear in full color and others in only one. Each locale of the story has its own color scheme: Kansas is gray; East, blue; West, yellow; South, red; the Emerald City, green; and, the areas between sections, brown. Because their publisher was concerned about the expense of producing the book, Baum and Denslow paid the cost of including the full-color plates.

W. W. Denslow. The Lion ate some of the porridge, 1899. Pen-and-ink drawing. Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallace Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations (12)	W. W. Denslow. The Monkeys caught Dorothy in their arms and flew away with her, 1899. Pen-and-ink drawing. Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallace Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations (13)

Worldwide Appeal of the Wizard of Oz

Although the story, with its heroine from Kansas and its con man Wizard from Omaha, may seem quintessentially American, the Oz books have become popular worldwide. The Library of Congress collections include editions of the Wizard of Oz in most major languages, including the Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, and Polish editions shown.

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