There is a saying: “All roads lead to Rome.” But one of the world’s most famous roads has its beginnings in the heart of Edinburgh, and anyone who embarks on a journey down this road finds themselves, not in Rome, but an entirely different kind of land: Oz.
Overshadowed by the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle is a small home with a blue door. It is here that a man by the name of George Gibson was born, a man who was one of two art directors for MGM’s 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz, a man who brought to life for the silver screen the Emerald City and the yellow brick road.
When The Wizard of Oz was first broadcast on television in 1956, it had an estimated 45-million viewers. To date, it holds the # 3 ranking in Film Four’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Films of All Time’. It has been named the ‘Best Ever Family Film’ by ITV1, and Vanity Fair lists it as one of ‘50 Greatest Films of All Time’.
But, before Judy Garland donned the ruby red slippers and before George Gibson was even born, Frank Baum’s fairy tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz bewitched audiences. Since its publication in 1900 and its Broadway debut in 1903, the story has been read all over the world, quoted by millions and analyzed by the academic society.
When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first written, Baum had no intentions of continuing the story; he wanted to explore other occupational avenues. But, his young audience was persistent, so Baum devised a challenge. He said he would only continue to write Oz stories if he received 1000 letters from children asking him to do so. With only word of mouth and newspapers spreading notice of the challenge, Baum did not believe that it could be met –he was wrong.
The author received such positive feedback and such a demand for more tales from Oz that he continued on to write 13 sequels; some of which were later adapted into film and theatre versions. Many other authors have expanded upon Baum’s fairy tales and written their own Oz stories. However, none of the Oz stories were nearly as successful as the original –until now.
The musical Wicked will make its UK premiere in London this September. The award wining show, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, tells the story of a green-skinned woman who the American Film Institute has named ‘the greatest screen villainess of all time’. Wicked the Musical is the highest grossing musical in the history of Broadway, and within one hour of tickets going on sale for the London premiere the show had raised over £100,000.
Film critic and author Andy Dougan said: “Villains are essentially rich characters. And [the Wicked Witch of the West] is just really good at what she does. She scared a whole generation of children and continues to do so. She’s nasty to Toto, too. We’re willing to forgive her for almost anything she does until she does it to the dog.”
Ironically, because of Baum’s dislike toward witches and goblins, in the first off-Broadway stage performance of The Wizard of Oz in 1902 the Wicked Witch did not make an appearance, and Dorothy’s tiny terrier was recast as a milking cow named Imogene.
Roger S. Baum, the great grandson of the fairy tale’s original author said: “Not everybody knows the complete history of Oz, they just know the movie. And, because of the popularity of the movie and its entertainment value, there are millions and millions of Oz fans out there who are curious to know more about what’s new –anything that helps challenge the imagination.”
Roger Baum has continued in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, writing 11 Oz sequels. In his most recent novel, The Oz Odyssey, Roger Baum has written about Dorothy’s adventure down the red brick road. This road was shown circling around the yellow brick road in the beginning of the 1939 film, and since its first appearance it has sparked curiosity from many Oz fans. The book is due out next month and is currently under consideration to be turned into a major motion picture.
Roger Baum said: “Oz is an institution around the world now. It has mass appeal. Recently, at a book signing I met a couple who had visited China. They were taking a tour, walking through the parks, and they came across a sculpture of the four Oz characters [Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin-Man, and the Scarecrow].”
He also said: “Oz appeals to the imagination of the young and old. People have grown up with this, and it’s become almost self-propelling. What it comes down to –in its most basic form- is love, courage, honesty and wisdom, and those are things people can relate to.”
The self-propelling Oz appeal also has some people dipping deep into their wallets to buy memorabilia from the 1939 film. In 2000 a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film was sold for $666,000 at a New York auction. Five years later, one of the blue-and-white gingham dresses worn by Garland was sold for £140,000 at an auction in London.
Stephanie Connell the junior specialist of the entertainment department at Bonhams auctioneers said: “With a film like The Wizard of Oz. It’s historically important to collect these things. It reflects people’s childhoods.”
Dougan agrees. He said that people spend such vast amounts of money on memorabilia, because they have a need to “touch the magic”.
He said: “It’s owning a little bit or your childhood –a little bit of innocence, because there’s not a lot of that in the world anymore.”
Overshadowed by the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle is a small home with a blue door. It is here that a man by the name of George Gibson was born, a man who was one of two art directors for MGM’s 1939 production of The Wizard of Oz, a man who brought to life for the silver screen the Emerald City and the yellow brick road.
When The Wizard of Oz was first broadcast on television in 1956, it had an estimated 45-million viewers. To date, it holds the # 3 ranking in Film Four’s list of the ‘100 Greatest Films of All Time’. It has been named the ‘Best Ever Family Film’ by ITV1, and Vanity Fair lists it as one of ‘50 Greatest Films of All Time’.
But, before Judy Garland donned the ruby red slippers and before George Gibson was even born, Frank Baum’s fairy tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz bewitched audiences. Since its publication in 1900 and its Broadway debut in 1903, the story has been read all over the world, quoted by millions and analyzed by the academic society.
When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was first written, Baum had no intentions of continuing the story; he wanted to explore other occupational avenues. But, his young audience was persistent, so Baum devised a challenge. He said he would only continue to write Oz stories if he received 1000 letters from children asking him to do so. With only word of mouth and newspapers spreading notice of the challenge, Baum did not believe that it could be met –he was wrong.
The author received such positive feedback and such a demand for more tales from Oz that he continued on to write 13 sequels; some of which were later adapted into film and theatre versions. Many other authors have expanded upon Baum’s fairy tales and written their own Oz stories. However, none of the Oz stories were nearly as successful as the original –until now.
The musical Wicked will make its UK premiere in London this September. The award wining show, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, tells the story of a green-skinned woman who the American Film Institute has named ‘the greatest screen villainess of all time’. Wicked the Musical is the highest grossing musical in the history of Broadway, and within one hour of tickets going on sale for the London premiere the show had raised over £100,000.
Film critic and author Andy Dougan said: “Villains are essentially rich characters. And [the Wicked Witch of the West] is just really good at what she does. She scared a whole generation of children and continues to do so. She’s nasty to Toto, too. We’re willing to forgive her for almost anything she does until she does it to the dog.”
Ironically, because of Baum’s dislike toward witches and goblins, in the first off-Broadway stage performance of The Wizard of Oz in 1902 the Wicked Witch did not make an appearance, and Dorothy’s tiny terrier was recast as a milking cow named Imogene.
Roger S. Baum, the great grandson of the fairy tale’s original author said: “Not everybody knows the complete history of Oz, they just know the movie. And, because of the popularity of the movie and its entertainment value, there are millions and millions of Oz fans out there who are curious to know more about what’s new –anything that helps challenge the imagination.”
Roger Baum has continued in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, writing 11 Oz sequels. In his most recent novel, The Oz Odyssey, Roger Baum has written about Dorothy’s adventure down the red brick road. This road was shown circling around the yellow brick road in the beginning of the 1939 film, and since its first appearance it has sparked curiosity from many Oz fans. The book is due out next month and is currently under consideration to be turned into a major motion picture.
Roger Baum said: “Oz is an institution around the world now. It has mass appeal. Recently, at a book signing I met a couple who had visited China. They were taking a tour, walking through the parks, and they came across a sculpture of the four Oz characters [Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin-Man, and the Scarecrow].”
He also said: “Oz appeals to the imagination of the young and old. People have grown up with this, and it’s become almost self-propelling. What it comes down to –in its most basic form- is love, courage, honesty and wisdom, and those are things people can relate to.”
The self-propelling Oz appeal also has some people dipping deep into their wallets to buy memorabilia from the 1939 film. In 2000 a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the film was sold for $666,000 at a New York auction. Five years later, one of the blue-and-white gingham dresses worn by Garland was sold for £140,000 at an auction in London.
Stephanie Connell the junior specialist of the entertainment department at Bonhams auctioneers said: “With a film like The Wizard of Oz. It’s historically important to collect these things. It reflects people’s childhoods.”
Dougan agrees. He said that people spend such vast amounts of money on memorabilia, because they have a need to “touch the magic”.
He said: “It’s owning a little bit or your childhood –a little bit of innocence, because there’s not a lot of that in the world anymore.”