The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays was an early attempt to bring
L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's Oz books to the motion picture screen. It was a mixture of
liveTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, hand-tinted
magic lanternThe magic lantern or Lanterna Magica was the ancestor of the modern slide projector.*1558:Giovanni Battista della Porta describes projection with a lantern in his four volume, Latin publication entitled Magiae naturalis, Naples 1558. The etymology of the sobriquet lanterna magica may harken back...
slides, and film. Baum himself would appear as if he were giving a lecture, while he interacted with the characters (both on stage and on screen). Due to financial problems--the show cost more to make than sold-out houses could bring it--the show folded after two months of performances.
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays was an early attempt to bring
L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's Oz books to the motion picture screen. It was a mixture of
liveTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, hand-tinted
magic lanternThe magic lantern or Lanterna Magica was the ancestor of the modern slide projector.*1558:Giovanni Battista della Porta describes projection with a lantern in his four volume, Latin publication entitled Magiae naturalis, Naples 1558. The etymology of the sobriquet lanterna magica may harken back...
slides, and film. Baum himself would appear as if he were giving a lecture, while he interacted with the characters (both on stage and on screen). Due to financial problems--the show cost more to make than sold-out houses could bring it--the show folded after two months of performances. It opened in
Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River and is approximately 30 miles from Lake Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800, making it the 114th largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County,...
on September 24, 1908. It later moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where it reportedly closed December 16, 1908. It was scheduled to run through December 31, and ads for it continued to run in
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
until then.
Michael Radio Color
The films were colored (credited as "illuminations") by Duval Frères of
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, in a process known as "Radio-Play", and were noted for being the most lifelike hand-tinted imagery of the time. Baum once claimed in an interview that a "Michael Radio" was a Frenchman who colored the films, though no evidence of such a person, even with the more proper French spelling "Michel", as second-hand reports unsurprisingly revise it, has been documented. It did not refer to the contemporary concept of
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
(or, for that matter, a radio play), but played on notions of the new and fantastic at the time, similar to the way "high-tech" or sometimes "cyber" would be used later in the century. The "Fairylogue" part of the title was to liken it to a
travelogueTravel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
, which at the time was a very popular type of
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
entertainment.
Original film score
The production also included a full original score by Nathaniel D. Mann, who had previously set a couple of Baum's songs in
The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical play extravaganza based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900. It premiered in Chicago and later moved to Broadway in 1903, where it ran for nearly 300 performances from January 21, 1903 to December 31, 1904,...
musical. It debuted four months before
Camille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson and Delilah, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, and his Symphony No...
's score for
The Assassination of the Duke of GuiseThe Assassination of the Duke of Guise is a French historical film directed by Charles Le Bargy and André Calmettes, adapted by Henri Lavedan, and featuring actors of the Comédie Française and prominent set designers...
, and is therefore the earliest original film score to be documented.
Adaptation
It was based on Baum's books
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
,
The Marvelous Land of OzThe Marvelous Land of Oz, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published on July 5, 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is the only book in the series in which Dorothy Gale does not appear. This and the next...
,
Ozma of OzOzma of Oz, published on July 29, 1907, was the third book of L. Frank Baum's Oz series. It was the first in which Baum was clearly intending a series of Oz books...
and
John Dough and the CherubJohn Dough and the Cherub is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, about a living gingerbread man and his adventures.-The book:...
, with intermission slides showing previews of
Dorothy and the Wizard in OzDorothy and the Wizard in Oz is the fourth book set in the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill. It was published on June 18, 1908 and reunites Dorothy with the humbug Wizard from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, which was not sold in stores until near the end of the run.
Francis BoggsFrancis W. Boggs was a stage actor and pioneer silent film director. He was one of the first to direct a film in Hollywood.-Biography:...
directed the Oz material and
Otis TurnerOtis Turner was an American director, screenwriter and producer. Between 1908 and 1917, he directed 133 motion pictures and wrote 40 scenarios.He was born in Fairfield, Indiana, and died in Los Angeles, California....
directed
John Dough and the Cherub. Baum, in a white suit, would step behind the screen and into the film, pulling his actors off to appear on stage with him. Surviving production stills depict a very large cast of Oz characters.
Romola RemusRomola Remus portrayed Dorothy Gale in the multimedia stage/film production, The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays, in which she worked directly with author L. Frank Baum. She was the first ever to play the role on film, though not the first to play it on stage...
was the silver screen's first Dorothy. Will Morrison is credited with the role of Tip, but a
William GillespieWilliam Gillespie was a Scottish actor who started in Hollywood films from the silent era. Born in Aberdeen, he supported such comedians as Charlie Chaplin, Charley Chase and Laurel and Hardy, but was most prolific supporting Harold Lloyd in over 50 films.-Selected filmography:* The Cure * Easy...
was interviewed in
The Baum BugleThe Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz is the official journal of The International Wizard of Oz Club. The journal was founded in 1957, with its first issue released in June of that year . It publishes three times per year, with issues dated Spring, Autumn, and Winter; Issue No. 1 of Volume 50 appeared in...
about the role, and he introduced a discrepancy as to whether
OzmaOzma may refer to:* Princess Ozma, ruler of the fictional land of Oz* Ozma of Oz, the third book in the Oz series* Ozma , a 1989 album by the Melvins* Ozma , a rock band from Pasadena, California* DJ Ozma, Japanese pop singer...
was played by Maud Harrington as credited or Delilah Leitzell, as Gillespie remembers.
Cast
(listed in the order credited in the program)
- L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
: The Wizard of Oz Man, who will present his very merry, whimsical and really wonderful Fairylogue and Radio-Plays
- Frank Burns: His Majesty the Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
- George E. Wilson: Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and reappeared in many other Oz books...
- Wallace Illington: Tik-Tok
Tik-Tok is a fictional character from the Land of Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He has been termed "the prototype robot," and is widely considered to be the first robot to appear in modern literature, though that term was coined after Baum's death....
, the Machine Man
- Bronson Ward, Jr.: Jack Pumpkinhead
Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Oz book series by L. Frank Baum.-In Baum:Jack first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Jack's tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs...
, whose Brains are Seeds
- Paul de Dupont: The Nome King
The Nome King is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains , the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a main antagonist.-In the novels:The character called the Nome King is originally named Roquat the Red...
, a Master of Enchantments
- Will Morrison: Tip, a transformation, but a real boy
- Clarence Nearing: Prince Evring of Ev
- Sam 'Smiling' Jones:The Wizard (only a Humbug)
The Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as Oz the Great and Powerful, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs , a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
- Joseph Schrode: The Cowardly Lion
The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is a lion, but he talks and interacts with humans....
- Burns Wantling: The Hungry Tiger
The Hungry Tiger is a fictional character from The Oz books by L. Frank Baum.The Hungry Tiger is a massive beast who is friends with the Cowardly Lion. He is always hungry, no matter how much he eats, and longs to eat a "fat baby," though he never would because his conscience will not allow him to...
- The Yellow Hen
Billina is a character in the Oz books of L. Frank Baum.She is a yellow hen tossed overboard in a storm with Dorothy Gale in the novel Ozma of Oz, the third Oz book, and a sequel to L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
: Herself
- Toto
Toto is the name of a fictional dog in L. Frank Baum's Oz series of children's books, and works derived from them. The name is pronounced with a long "O", a homonym of "toe toe".-The classic books:...
, Dorothy's Dog: Himself
- D.W. Clapperton: Sir Rooster
A rooster, also called a cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels. The oldest term is "cock," from Old English coc. It is sometimes replaced by the term "cockerel" in the United Kingdom, and...
, Visitor at the Emerald CityThe Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.-Fictional description:...
- Charles W. Smith: The Hottentot, Visitor at the Emerald City
- Daniel Heath: The Buccaneer
The buccaneers were pirates who attacked Spanish and French shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century.The term buccaneer is now used generally as a synonym for pirate...
, Visitor at the Emerald City
- Joe Finley: Hans Hoch, Visitor at the Emerald City
- Dudley Burton: A Courtier
A courtier is a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together. Monarchs very often expected the more important nobles...
, Visitor at the Emerald City
- Samuel Woods
Samuel Woods may refer to*Samuel D. Woods , US politician*Sam Woods , British trade unionist*Samuel V. Woods , US politician*Sammy Woods , Australian cricketer*Samuel Kofi Woods , Liberian activist...
: Madame Toussaud, Visitor at the Emerald City
- Romola Remus
Romola Remus portrayed Dorothy Gale in the multimedia stage/film production, The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays, in which she worked directly with author L. Frank Baum. She was the first ever to play the role on film, though not the first to play it on stage...
: Dorothy GaleDorothy Gale is a fictional character, the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum and best friend of Oz's ruler, Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels. She also is the...
of KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
- Maud Harrington: Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional character in the Land of Oz universe created by L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the series except The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .- The classic books :...
of Oz
- Evelyn Judson: Glinda the Good, a Sorceress
- Josephine Brewster: Mombi
Mombi is a character from the L. Frank Baum Oz Books series. She appears in the book The Marvelous Land of Oz and is alluded to in other works. She also appears in Ruth Plumly Thompson's The Lost King of Oz, and a painted doppelganger of her appears in John R...
the Witch
- Joseph Schrode: John Dough
John Dough was a common name for a gingerbread man at the turn of the century, though the best-remembered John Dough is the character created by L. Frank Baum in his 1906 novel, John Dough and the Cherub; the character also makes a cameo appearance in Baum's The Road to Oz...
, the Gingerbread ManA gingerbread man is a cookie made of gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized human, as per the name ....
- Geo. Weatherbee: Mons. Grogande, the Baker who made him
- Frank Burns: The Rubber Bear, a Good Natured Thing
- George E. Wilson: The White Rabbit, Diffident, but not Shy
- Tommy Dean: Obo, Mifket who likes Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a sweet that can take the form of a cake or a cookie in which the predominant flavors are ginger and raw sugar.-History:Gingerbread was brought to Europe by the Crusaders....
- Lillian Swartz: Hogo, Mifket who likes Gingerbread
- Minnie Brown: Joko, Mifket who likes Gingerbread
- Daniel Heath: Tertius, an Islander
- Tom Persons: Hopkins, of the Village Fireworks Committee
- Grace Elder: Chick the Cherub, an Incubator Baby
- Annabel Jephson: The Island Princess
- Mrs. Bostwick: Mme. Grogand, the Baker's Wife
Production
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded in 1851 and published in New York City. The largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States, "The Gray Lady"—named for its staid appearance and style—is regarded as a national newspaper of record...
included a write-up of the show in a full-page article in a late 1909 issue, over a year after the show had come and gone, probably because they finally had space for it after it was no longer necessary but still of interest. When the production appeared in New York, the
Times listing for it appeared along with the plays, not with the films, drawing attention to the fact that Baum, not to mention the rest of the cast, would be appearing live on stage with the films as a major, though far from the only, component.
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays was produced by "The Radio-Play Company of America", John B. Shaw, Jr., general manager. The sets were designed and painted by E. Pollack. The costumes were designed by Fritz Schultz and Chicago Costuming Co.. Properties and
papier-mâchéPapier-mâché , sometimes called paper-mâché, is a construction material that consists of pieces of paper, sometimes reinforced with textiles, stuck together using a wet paste...
work by Charles van Duzen. Mechanical effects by Paul Dupont. Wigs by
HepnerHepner may refer to:* Jean Hepner , tennis player* Lee Hepner , orchestral conductor* Urmas Hepner , footballer-See also:* Hepner Hall* Hepner-Bailey Field at Adamson Stadium* Heppner...
. Shoes by Marshall Field & Co. Jewels loaned by C.D. Peacock.
The
Selig Polyscope CompanyThe Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago, Illinois. Selig Polyscope is noted for establishing Southern California's first permanent movie studio, in the historic Edendale district of Los Angeles...
was involved in the production of the films. This led to erroneous conclusions that
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the earliest surviving film version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, made by the Selig Polyscope Company without Baum's direct input. It was created to fulfill a contractual obligation associated with Baum's personal bankruptcy caused by The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays,...
and its sequels were derived from the materials of this film, which was disproven with the discovery of that film, which bears little resemblance to the surviving materials of Fairylogue. Otis Turner is believed to be the director of both film versions of John Dough and the Cherub
, both lostA lost work is a document or literary work produced some time in the past of which no surviving copies are known to exist. Works may be lost to history either through the destruction of the original manuscript, or through the non-survival of any copies of the work. Deliberate destruction of works...
. It may be possible that they were one and the same film, but highly unlikely, as Fairylogue was most likely the singular print eventually discarded by the Baum family after its decomposition.
External links