The International L. Frank Baum & All Things Oz Historical Foundation in Chittenango has announced that Wizard of Oz historian John Fricke will write a monthly blog for the foundation, officially launching on the website on March 30.
“I’ve been fascinated and captivated by Oz — and its authors, illustrators, films, stage shows, products, and events — for decades,” said Fricke, a Grammy award nominee, best-selling author and two-time Emmy Award winner. “I first saw the famous MGM the Wizard of Oz movie on television when I was five, and it happily changed the course of my life. I discovered ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as a book at age six and as a book series when I was seven. At eight, I began to research L. Frank Baum, who wrote the first 14 Oz books; as a result, I knew how to spell the name of his birthplace — Chittenango! — long before I could even pronounce it.”
Fricke began to correspond with Oz writers, artists and collectors at age 11 when he joined The International Wizard of Oz Club. Over the years, Fricke has met munchkins from the movie, as well as Judy Garland (Dorothy) and Margaret Hamilton (“Miss Gulch”/”The Wicked Witch of the West”). Additionally, he has presented Chittenango’s annual “Oz-stravaganza” festival, an early June celebration that started in 1990.
“All of this has led to their invitation to me to discuss ‘All Things Oz’ on the website on a monthly basis,” said Fricke, “I’ll do everything I can to make the blog entertaining, informative and fun for all who share, or are even just curious about, L. Frank Baum and the unforgettable characters and countries created by him and his compatriots.”
One of the group’s trustees, Marc Baum, said that the foundation is thrilled to get an official spokesperson for Warner Bros. — who owns the MGM rights to the 1939 film — to write something for their audience. “To have someone like Mr. Fricke join our foundation for this monthly series is amazing. It is like being able to host a short master class in the OZ universe,” Baum said.
To learn more about the organization, visit their website at allthingsoz.org.
