The Magic Cloak (1914)

The fairies of Oz gather in the forest of Burzee one evening and weave a magic cloak that gives the wearer one wish, so long as it has not been stolen. The man in the moon tells them that ... See full summary »

Director:

J. Farrell MacDonald

Writers:

L. Frank Baum (novel), L. Frank Baum (screenplay)

Stars:

Mildred Harris, Violet MacMillan, Fred Woodward

Cast

Credited cast:
Mildred Harris	...	Princess Margaret 'Fluff' of Noland
Violet MacMillan	...	King Timothy 'Bud' of Noland (as Violet McMillan)
Fred Woodward	...	Nickodemus
Vivian Reed	...	Quavo
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierre Couderc
Juanita Hansen	...	Queen Zixi of Ix
Jacqueline Lovell	...	Narrator of 1996 Version (voice)
Frank Moore
Bernadine Zuber	...	(as Byrdine Zuber)

Storyline

The fairies of Oz gather in the forest of Burzee one evening and weave a magic cloak that gives the wearer one wish, so long as it has not been stolen. The man in the moon tells them that their messenger should give it to the first miserable person she sees. Two children, Fluff and her younger brother "Bud" (a child's attempt at "brother," which stuck), have just lost their father and are taken by Aunt Rivette to live in Nole, the capital city of Noland, where the king has just died without heir. The messenger gives Fluff the cloak, who wishes to be happy again, while a legal loophole places Bud on the throne, and they empty the treasury to buy toys. Their pet mule Nickodemus is captured by robbers and puts together a small animal army (including the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger, the Lonesome Zoop, the Woozy, and others) to battle the Rolly Rogues that have invaded the city. The cloak is nowhere to be found because 683 year old bewitching Queen Zixi of neighboring Ix, has been ...

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Plot Keywords:

cloak | queen | wish | king | tiger | 

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Genres:

Short | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1914 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Magic Cloak of Oz

Filming Locations:

Oz Film Manufacturing Company Studios - Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Oz Film Manufacturing Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

38 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The L. Frank Baum source novel, Queen Zixi of Ix or The Story of the Magic Cloak, was first published as a magazine serial in 1904 and 1905.

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Connections

Featured in Like Babes in the Woods (1917)

User Reviews

The Magic of Childhood

Writing for children is arguably the hardest job for anyone. It involves so much speculation regarding the child's psyche, that the author, despite a richness of childhood experience, feels helpless at the task; that is if he/she intends to write good children literature. L. Frank Baum never seemed to have this handicap.

'The Magic Cloak of Oz', lost in its complete version, lacks the power of a great piece of work, and yet it is somewhat touching. The sets and the costumes are rich and beautiful; the cinematography is pleasant (Mildred Harris' mirrors scene deserves commending). On the acting front, Fred Woodward's physical performance is rather successful, and Juanita Hansen provides reasonable attempts not to overact.

The film is definitely dated, and it seems hard to imagine that the children of our times can really appreciate it. J. Farrell MacDonald, or Baum himself (according to some records), has provided a feeling of playfulness and sheer childhood joy in the story however. One has to imagine how great would it be for a kid to have the entire national budget spent on toys! Maybe, the film has the magic of the irresponsible days, a feature we learn to loose in time.