Oz before the Rainbow: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on Stage and Screen to 1939

by Mark Evan Schwartz

Swartz reminds us in that various stage and screen dramatizations of Baum's story preceded and influenced the 1939 film. This richly illustrated book contains many rare photographs, film stills, sketches, theater programs, and movie advertisements from the different productions. Piecing together the Chicago and Broadway stage productions (1902-3) from contemporary reviews, surviving script pages, and published song lyrics, Swartz shows how Baum and his many collaborators worked to transform the book into a popular theatrical attraction―often requiring significant alterations to the original story.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thoroughly researched, well sourced, well written book. It's clearly a history book, but it reads like a biography or a memoir. A must read for any student of Baum or OZ. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about the evolution of the Oz story from the book to the MGM film.

[Lumberland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oz Before the Rainbow is an illuminating, and engaging educational must read for die hard fans of Oz. While I adored the detail and specificity, readers looking for a broad overview will not enjoy this book as much, as most of it is a historical dive into the production of the 1902 musical.

I learned so much reading this book, and Swartz's attention to detail is greatly appreciated. His lavish descriptions of sets, effects, and costumes help modern readers understand what the play itself would have looked and felt like. And his historical context helps supplement a modern audience's understanding of Oz's place in pop culture from about 1902-1939. As a long time fan most of what I've heard about Stone and Montgomery was hearsay, and it was nice to finally read a book that explained their roles in the Oz legacy in depth. I also loved learning more about the 1910 and 1925 film versions. Despite seeing them previous I feel I was missing crucial historical context by not knowing much about the musical extravaganza. I now feel motivated to rewatch them.

My one and only complaint is that Swartz's familiarity with Oz begins with the 1939 musical, and focuses on adaptations of the first book exclusively. As a reader I was excited to read about the 1913 Tiktok of Oz musical, which got barely a paragraph in comparison to the 100 pages dedicated to the 1902 musical. I also looked forward to information on the silent films from 1914, which were mostly omitted from the book. While I can understand this as it was not the focus of the book, I feel later analytical sections of the construction of the 1925 and 1939 films are missing crucial context and pieces of Oz culture that originate in these movies. On very rare occasion this leads to the author stating incorrect information. None of it is egregious, but the later Oz books and the later musicals are so deeply entwined that knowledge of the silent films and later Oz books is needed to holistically understand Semon and Fleming's films.

All in all though, I had a great time reading this. I could not recommend it more for existing Oz fans. I got so excited reading my copy I ended up annotating it all the way through. I'd also recommend it for folks interesting in the history of the early film industry (another category I fall into). The information is incredibly well researched and presented. It is easy to read and understand without ever feeling overly simplified for mass audiences. Oz Before the Rainbow was a wonderful read, especially over a snowy weekend!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the light historical read I was expecting, but a very dense, slow, repetitive academic text. Recommend for stage historians, not for casual readers.