HISTORY OF THE WIZARD
OF OZ
BY: Kevin Owen-Robison
Introduction:

“The Wizard of Oz” was created by L. Frank Baum, on January 21st, 1903

“The Wizard of Oz” has gone through many changes. It was released as a
novel

The movie would to the stage for the first time on August 25 1939. It has been
a movie with two remakes, bringing new ideas to the book, and a prequel.

The play is classic of American writing
Summary:

The play is about a young farm girl named Dorothy in Dewy old Kansas. She is
always wishing for a better life for herself and her dog, Totto. Her wish get
answered when a tornado comes to her home and transport her to the
wonderful land of Oz. On her way to find the wizard of Oz who can return her
to her home, she meets the Scarecrow with no brain, the Tinman who has no
heart, and a cowardly Lion who all go with her to get a wish too. But the
antagonist wicked witch is on her tail and wants the silver sleepers, or ruby
depending on interpolation she is wearing.

The morel of the story is that what you are looking for could be right in front
of you.
The Author

Created by L. Frank Baum in

He loved children stories

Frank got the idea of the name from seeing O-Z on one of his filing drawers.

Frank said that the “Wizard of Oz” is just supposed to be a child's story
Music

A. Baldwin Sloane and Paul Tietjens in 1903

They wrote the classic “song over the rainbow”

Most people don’t know that the song almost did not get into the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K2
58rOxIVk
Welcome to
Munchkinland
Origins

The Novel “Wizard of Oz” Created in 1903 by L. Frank Baum

The idea for the Novel came from Frank and William Jennings Bryan when
the west and east major bank took over Mid-Eastern farms

The banks easily took over farms because of little water and little to no
workers in the Mid-East

Dorothy represent the everyday-women
The First Time on Stage

The first theatrical release was staged by Julian Mitchel on January 21 1903

The main characters are Dorothy Dale, the Scarecrow, and Tin Man


It was performed at “Chicago Grande Opera House“
It traveled around the U.S. the audience loved it
Book v. Play’s and Movies

Originally the “Wizard of Oz” was a book published in 1900.

As with most book adaptations there was a lot of changes

There was no Cowardly Lion in he first play

Most of the book was cut

The ending was changed a lot

There was more creatures and animals we did not see

The true felling of the book is still found in the play’s and movies
How It Has Change Society

The Wizard of Oz has a great message; what you are looking for maybe right
infrount of you

Ruby slippers to Dorothy’s outfit of costumes for Halloween

The “Wizard of Oz” is such a good story and such an influxes on America that
it is apart of a exhibit at the Smithsonian American History museum
Famous Actors


Dorothy Gulch was twelve-years-old, four years younger than Judy Garland,
the actress who played her
David Montgomery played the Tin Man and the Scarecrow

He then became a hit and went on to be in such plays as Chin Chin an
“Aladdin” spin off

Montgomery died in 1917 at the age of 47
Movie Presentations

“The Wizard of Oz” has been around for so long that it has a lot of movie
adaptation

“The Wizard of Oz’s” first film was released August 25, 1939

In the film, the screen started in black and white, then turned to color

This movie was never a blockbuster but, it was increasingly popular
The Wiz

The play “The Wiz” is an almost
all black cast, and an African American look
on the play on October 24, 1978

It stared Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the scarecrow, Nipsey
Russel as the Tinman, Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion, and Richard Pryor as Oz

The “Wiz” would get it’s own remakes in plays becoming more of and
independent movie
Other Movies

There has been a prequel to the “The Wizard of Oz” called “Oz The Great
and Powerful” staring James Franco

“Return to Oz” is a much darker look at the “Wizard of Oz” with Dorothy
returning to a Oz in ruins

There is a more child friendly version called “Legends Of Oz” with new
characters and different looks on others
5 Things You Did Not Know
1.
The whole cast of the “Wizard of Oz” movie was injured on the job
2.
Most of the actors had long lasting physical injures
3.
L. Frank Baum was a travelling salesmen before writing the
“Wizard of Oz”
4.
Toto went on to be in 13 more films after the Wizard of Oz
5.
There was a sequel to the “Wizard of Oz” called the “Return to Oz which was
a more darker take on the story”
Bibliography

http://www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical016.html

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/15/174938147/following-the-yellow-brickroad-back-to-the-origins-of-oz

http://theozenthusiast.blogspot.com/2011/03/david-montgomery.html

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-things-you-may-not-knowabout-the-wizard-of-oz
The End