In honor of Black History Month, I have put together a tribute to honor those from African American descent who have paved a way for all in the Land of Oz. Our first entrant was Spencer Bell, who played the Cowardly Lion in the 1925 Wizard of Oz. You can check out the whole movie here and keep it mind, it is very abstract compared to the book but still advanced for its day. Bell plays a farm hand who gets swept into Oz and ends up having to put on a Lion costume to blend in. After that, no African American stars appeared since him but then came the many iterations of The Wiz: the broadway stage show (1975), the live-action movie (1978), the follow-up stage show (c. 1980s) and the NBC reboot (2015). Of course, The Wiz got a reboot after the movie into another stage play but that was never as successful as the first run. Over 35 years later, in 2015, NBC put on the The Wiz LIVE! as a stage show being recorded live. It was really fun and if you have never seen the stage show, it shared many common elements like the fight scene between the Kalidahs and some of the original songs written for the Broadway show. After that, there have been numerous appearances of African American actors who have taken part and contributed to the different characters in the Land of Oz. In 2005, singer and actress Ashanti starred as Dorothy in the Muppet Wizard of Oz (2005). Also, appearing in the movie is Queen Latifah and David Allen Greir, who also both star in the NBC live production of The Wiz in 2015. A more recent example was in 2015 when Amazon Studios released its animated TV series, Lost in Oz that included a couple of famous pair of inventing brothers with a great new image. Smith and Tinker, known in Baum's books as brother inventors, had become African American brothers for this TV series, where one was an artist who could paint magical pictures and the other was an inventor who could create anything with the help of magic. Both brothers were voiced by actor Larry C. "Bumper" Robinson. If you get a chance to check out any of these adaptations, let me know what you think as well as who is your favorite African American actor/actress within the Oz universe? Let me know in the comments below and we'll see you all in the Land of Oz, where all are welcome and included!
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In the spirit of love for the month of February and Valentine's Day, I look back and think about the love in Oz and how that love comes to be in Oz. Well, one way is through the LOVE Magnet, which was obtained by the Shaggy Man in Baum's book, Road to Oz. The LOVE Magnet gives the wearer the power to be loved by anyone. However, love can come in many forms as is the extreme case of the Scoodlers and how they loved them so much that they wanted them in soup. GROSS! In Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (TV show), the LOVE Magnet had the same affect but it was too many people at once that loved the handler. Eventually the LOVE Magnet was placed at the entrance of the gates of Emerald City where all who entered would be impacted by its magic. So, who will you give your LOVE Magnet to this Valentine's Day? While you think, here's a clip from the TV show above regarding the LOVE Magnet. You can check out the full episode on the Boomerang app. #loveinoz |
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May 2024
AuthorMy name is Vinkus Ken and I have been a long time fan of many things in Oz and how their world truly does emulate much of ours. Did you know that they have a flag of their own? Or did you know that they have a law about only having 9 jurors in their courts? Also, Oz has a court system! I like to introduce facts that seem meaningless and bring meaning to them by comparing them to our world. So, come along on this journey and enjoy the ride. |