A Most Unusual Find

Lately, I've been browsing eBay, more for Halley's Comet items and animation cels. As I have mentioned before, the television machine did not rot my brain. In fact, animation played a major role in inspiring me to learn and pay off several debts. As such, I collect frames from great films by Bakshi, Disney and others. Yellow Submarine and Oz films dominate my collection of cels, which are individually-painted frames of a film. The "Sea of Whales" is my favorite cel.

The Halley's Comet items are for my son, James Halley Wallace, who is named in honor of that comet and it's appearance in 1986. When he turns 76 and sees it again, he should make a fortune on all this stuff I've been collecting. He better!

But now, Oz comes into view and I find the oddest things offered on eBay.

Offered now for your consideration is "a rare large original New York theatre program circa spring 1883 for L Frank Baum starring in The Maid of Arran."

What follows now is directly from the ebay listing. Citing privacy issues, I'll not reveal the sellers id. It is, however, currently available on eBay. Buy-It-Now price stands at $1000.00 at the time of this posting.

"*WIZARD OF OZ: L FRANK BAUM RAREST 1883 PROGRAM*"

"He loved the theatre. At age twenty six, he set himself up as an actor-manager, billed himself as Louis F Baum, and went out with a play he had written himself and for which he had also written the lyrics and composed the music. The Great 5 Act Melodrama The Maid of Arran was adapted from William Black's novel A Princess of Thule. Baum played the leading role, Hugh Holcomb, "the fair haired stranger," and his aunt Katherine Grey was among the cast. Later, of course, as L Frank Baum, he wrote the enduring Oz books. The stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz proved a great success on Broadway two decades later with David Montgomery as the Tin Woodman, Fred Stone as the Scarecrow, Anna Laughlin as Dorothy, and Lotta Faust as Tryxie Tryfle, and more than half a century after The Maid of Annan, the classic Wizard of Oz film was released with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Billie Burke. A rare large original New York theatre program circa spring 1883 for L Frank Baum starring in The Maid of Arran. Testimonials printed on the program include "Fascinating, Original and Comical" Detroit Free Press, "Certainly The Best Drama Produced Here This Season" Chicago Times and "The Best Dramatic Birth That Has Taken Place For Years" New York News. The program also features two reviews of the play. Dimensions twelve by nine and a quarter inches. Two pages front and back, with illustraions for a home gymnasium to the reverse in a style that prefigures W W Denslow. Light edgewear, a few small tears and light fold else fine. Extremely rare early Oz and Baum memorabilia. Offered for less than it would bring at Swann."

A fine description which is accurate, as far as I know. I've been wrong before though, as we all have.

The book, MAGICIAN OF OZ is pleased as signings, appearances and lectures are beginning to appear.

And so it goes...

James C. Wallace II

Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
magicianofoz (Twitter id)