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L. Frank Baum has a history as fascinating as the Land of Oz. Check out my brief recap of his life.
The debut of “Oz: The Great and Powerful”, Sam Raimi’s unofficial prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”, marks a tradition that is over 100 years old and filled with a very interesting history. Since L. Frank Baum’s first publication of the famous children’s book in 1900, ” The Wizard of Oz” has influenced countless people and interpretations.
Before you see the movie starring James Franco, check out this quick history and biography of the author who created one of pop culture’s favorite locations: the magical land of Oz. It is history that includes chickens, fireworks and woman’s suffrage.
L. Frank Baum lead an interesting life and accompanied it with a wild imagination. His parents, however, thought he was a bit too loopy, so they sent him to military school when he was a kid. Naturally, he hated every moment. Later, his father bought a cheap printing press, which consequently fueled Baum’s passion for writing. It was not his original career—he actually sold fireworks and Hambourgs (a rare type of chicken) for a while. He was apparently so interested in the fowl that he wrote a book about mating and raising them. He also wrote a book concerning the aesthetic display of store windows, stressing an importance on the use of mannequins.
Baum married the daughter of a famous women’s suffrage leader; they moved to South Dakota and lived there during a time of drought. This inspired Dorothy’s lackluster home of Kansas. Baum worked for a newspaper in Aberdeen, S.D., where he wrote a consistent column. He has been criticized for saying some terrible, awful things about the Native American people (which you can read here). Ancestors of Baum later apologized for his ridiculous accusations.
On a much more positive note, he and his wife Matilda Gage, wanted to improve the quality of life for women. She heavily influenced the subject matter of Baum’s writing, which is probably why Dorothy, a regular girl from the great plains of Kansas, is the main character of “The Wizard of Oz”. Baum and his wife also housed Susan B. Anthony at one time.
“The Wizard of Oz” was and still is a huge success. Tons of copies were made after its release and it has been wildly influential. It sparked a musical written and performed by Baum himself; Judy Garland played the famous role of Dorothy in the classic 1939 rendition. Songs have been written about the magical land of Oz and over 50 translations were made of the original book. Interestingly, writers and directors keep returning to Baum’s fantasy world, which inspired such adaptions as “The Wiz” (first a musical and then a film starring Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow and Richard Pryor as the Wizard) and the young adult-oriented, novel-turned-musical, “Wicked”, which still plays on Broadway today.
Now, Sam Raimi has brought us the newest adaptation, “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” It is the unofficial prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” and stars James Franco and Mila Kunis.
What’s really fascinating is the power of one person’s imagination—it has, for over 100 years now, influenced countless interpretations and the likes of people all over the world.
The question that remains: what’s next for the land of Oz?
(Information was taken from Katharine M. Rogers’ biography of the author).
