A Gesture of Encouragment from Her Majesty

The command fulfilled, at least in part, I stand looking up at the heavens above while Sol wheels slowly into that long, dark night. Magician of Oz has done well so far.

A bat swoops effortlessly to and fro, seeking out his prey. Dragonflies whiz by, unaware of the impending doom that awaits them from above.

The sound of crickets fills the evening twilight as fireflies blink in the distance. What message do they carry in their blinking lights? Perhaps a message from Her Majesty, Princess Ozma?

Off in the distance, a train whistle pierces the silence. Its haunting refrain calls to all who long for escape.

Beyond, clouds spread rays of deep red sunlight into the deep, dark twilight as Sol takes on its bright pumpkin glow. The horizon reaches up to steal it away from our eyes and our hearts.



The sounds of Nature overwhelm me as the dusk of evening twilight grows deeper into shades of azure blue.

Off in the far distance to my back, the Moon rises majestically over fields of dark green, it's own pumpkin glow a mere shadow of its heavenly companion to the West. Its first quarter phase hints at the glory to come.

Soon, the call will sound and I return to Oz and report of my progress in the Great Outside. Will she be pleased at the progress of Magician of Oz?

I think so....

Carpe Noctum!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
magicianofoz (Twitter id)

They're riding Shetland Ponies....!

Last night, I watched Coraline, which turned out to be a darkly disturbing movie. The dancing mice were especially twisted and I thought how the Queen of the Field Mice would react seeing her subjects portrayed so bizarrely.


Afterwards, I did a bit of channel surfing, caught another episode of the Lance Armstrong Show (Le Tour De France) and came across a movie on TCM called "The Terror of Tiny Town."

Wow! What a strange and somewhat bizarre western, starring an all midget cast including Jed Buell's Midgets. Who knew Ol' Jed had a pack of midgets? Quite a few in fact.



Let's see now... There's miniature stagecoaches,



a hooker/dance hall girl who is listed as a vampire (?),




stepping stools for the bar...



and.. oh yea... they're riding Shetland Ponies!

And if that weren't enough, everyone sings...



Now I for one try my best to be an understanding person and not make light of others, but... My ribs still hurt today after the non-stop laughter from watching this movie. My wife is actually quite irritated with me for keeping her up late with my guffaws.

I bring up this movie because I'm sure most Oz folks know of this movie as it had been made in 1938 and released 9 months prior to MGM's The Wizard of Oz.

Here's a link for those who may be interested: The Terror of Tiny Town

I am curious if anyone who is familiar with this film has looked into matching up the individual actors from this film with their performance in MGM's The Wizard of Oz. I would be interested in knowing what roles each actor played in each movie.

One final note... Here's a still from a scene where the woman townsfolk is informed that the "villain is a comin'" and she replies... "I better git on down into the cyclone cellar!"



What a world!!!

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
magicianofoz (Twitter id)

A Tribute for Walter Cronkite

Normally, I would do a posting once per week, but when circumstances warrant, I modify the parameters. Such is the case here as Walter Cronkite has passed on to the Great Beyond.

I know of no connections with him and Oz, though I'm sure there is one somewhere. I know that he and I connected one day at Johnson Space Center in 1998.

I was employed at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, attending an educator's conference at JSC and happened upon Mr. Cronkite in building 9a one afternoon during the time of John Glenn's second space mission.
He was surrounded by a mass of Japanese reporters and glanced up to see me standing there dumbfounded.
He excused himself, with much bowing on both sides (I thought it would never end) and approached me, thanking me profusely for saving him"from the assault," as he put it.
We chatted for about half an hour with him telling several great stories I had heard before but was thrilled to hear it from the original source. I spoke of my vision for children and literacy issues and we parted company, both pleased for the brief respite.

I found him to be both genuine and honorable, and as such, I would remember him with fondness and love. He gave me my memories of the Moon Landing and I would be inspired to become an astronomer. That and Clyde Crashcup...

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
http://magicianofoz.blogspot.com/
magicianofoz (Twitter id)

A question of Lunar existance

With the upcoming 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the Moon only days away, I thought about my memories of that event, and of other things lunatic in nature. Naturally, Oz came to mind and I was wondering...


Is there a Moon over Oz? If so, what role has it played in Ozian lore?
I don't recall seeing a Moon last time I was there. But then again, I generally went to bed at sundown and rose at sunrise, so I didn't get many opportunities to look up. I do recall the stars taking on a very odd appearance though.

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma

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)

Has it really been a year?

I was looking at the calender today and observed that it has now been one full year since I began the process of fulfilling Princess Ozma's Royal Command to spread the word and write the story of her new Royal Magician.

I remember well that day last year when I found myself standing before the Great Red Brick Palace of Glinda in the southern Quadling Country. How I got there is still a mystery to me as I was merely exploring an old cemetery in rural Indiana and happened to turn around. Voila! Oz all around me.

Being my first visit, I was both stunned and amazed. The Great Sandy Waste in the far distance was both awe inspiring and HOT! To the north, the faint green glow of Emerald City could be seen at night, shining like a beacon to all of Oz. The flowing red and green vegetation of the countryside was incredibly beautiful. The polished red brick and marble of Glinda's Palace was as stunning and regal as I had read about as a child. In the Grand Courtyard was a wonderful fountain of clear blue water and it was there that I first met Glinda, Ozma, Dorothy and many other wonderous characters of Oz.

For two weeks, I sat in amazement as the stories came in rapid succession. Tales of friendship and love, family and truth, Good and Evil. All these I sat and took in while characters of old came and went.

I found Tik-Tok to be the most fascinating as he shuffled about, ticking and talking, his mechanical works seemingly in perfect working order. By his side was a most unusual pet, whom I'll describe later.
Jack Pumpkinhead and the Sawhorse were most unusual with their tree limb appendages and bark for skin.
And then there was Ozma, Princess and Royal Ruler of Oz. A more lovely ruler you'll never find in all of Oz, or on the Outside as well. Although she appears to be no more than a young girl, she has ruled for over a century and her wisdom, innocence and demeanor are that of someone much older. She rules with kindness, compassion and love. Who here on the Outside can claim to be as benevolent a Ruler.

She spoke to me for days on days, relating tales of Oz both fantastic and amazing. Many I recall from my youth, reading the great stories from her Royal Historian, L. Frank Baum, whom she still remembers with great fondness and love. In addition, she spoke of a young magician named Jamie Diggs, who now serves as her new Royal Magician. It seems the old Wizard of Oz, one O.Z. Diggs, who had served as Ozma's Royal Magician for many years had retired, leaving the post open and serving to pave the way for the young magician.

Upon my return to the Outside, by means just as mysterious as my entrance into Oz, I was commanded to tell the story of Jamie Diggs. One year later and I have fulfilled a portion of her Royal Command with the release of MAGICIAN OF OZ, the first of a three volume story about the great grandson of O.Z. Diggs and his grand adventures in Oz, and on the Outside as well.

The year that has followed has been filled with both triumph and frustration as I deal with process of publishing MAGICIAN OF OZ. From narrow-minded agents and publishing firms to journeys across the Outside, I have endured the process and now find myself looking back with pride and honor. The Royal Command is being fulfilled as we speak, or read as the case may be.

The task at hand now is to spread the word and shout to the heavens above... MAGICIAN OF OZ is here at last!!!

Carpe Noctum...

James C. Wallace II
Royal Liaison to Princess Ozma
magicianofoz (Twitter id)