The Dreamer of Oz (1990)

The film is the biography of Frank Baum, the children's book author and creator of the fantasy world Oz.

Director:

Jack Bender

Writers:

David Kirschner (story), Richard Matheson (story)

Stars:

John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Rue McClanahan

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Ritter	...	L. Frank Baum
Annette O'Toole	...	Maud Gage Baum
Rue McClanahan	...	Matilda Electa Joslyn Gage
Charles Haid	...	Al Badham / Cowardly Lion
David Schramm	...	W.W. Denslow
Nancy Lenehan	...	Harriet Alvena Baum Neal
Courtney Barilla	...	Dorothy Leslie Gage / Dorothy Gale
Nancy Morgan	...	Helen Leslie Gage Gage
Pat Skipper	...	Charlie H. Gage
Ed Gale	...	Ned Brown / Farmer
Trevor Eyster	...	Frank Joslyn Baum (5-9 years) (as Tim Eyster)
Joshua Boyd	...	Frank Joslyn Baum (3 years)
Roger Steffens	...	Salesman (as Roger Steffans)
John Cameron Mitchell	...	Albert the Reporter
Frank Hamilton	...	Sullivan

Storyline

The film is the biography of Frank Baum, the children's book author and creator of the fantasy world Oz.

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Plot Keywords:

children's author | imagination | famous book | book | reference to william shakespeare | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

John Ritter (L. Frank Baum) and Jason Ritter (Harry Neal Baum) are father and son in real-life. Nancy Morgan (Helen Gage) is John Ritter's wife, and Jason Ritter's mother.

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Goofs

Kenneth Gage Baum, the Baum's fourth son, was omitted from the film, although he was present for much of the time period that the film shows.

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Connections

Featured in The Hollywood Road to Oz (1990)

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Soundtracks

Main Title
From the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Music by Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart
Arranged by Herbert Stothart
Orchestrated by Murray Cutter
Played offscreen in final scene by the M-G-M Studio Orchestra

User Reviews

Where's the DVD or Video?

This film deserves to available on video or DVD. As far as I know, this is one of the few versions of the life of Lionel Frank Baum, the author of the Oz series. The film, a made-for-TV film with John Ritter, treats the subject of L. Frank Baum's creating the Wizard of Oz book. The story is largely a fictionalized version of Baum's odyssey to creating the book and Baum purists (myself included) may be tempted to snort at the inclusion of issues that have been added into the mythology of the creation of the Oz books. However, this little slips are forgivable in the overall presentation of the life of a gentle man who truly loved children and whose works remain classics to this day. Baum was a complex individual whose works-- particularly the earlier ones-- were more complex than meets the eye. His themes touched on female voter issues (a hot issue in the turn of century, pre-feminist days), the ethics of creating life and the responsibility of science. This little movie does not go into these issues, nor should it have, for that matter. But, in any case, it should be available for those of us who would like to see it again.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bedrock Productions, Adam Productions, Spelling Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1