The Patchwork Girl has come to cinch the deal

I believe The Patchwork Girl of Oz was the one mostly-complete film made by L. Frank Baum that wasn't included on last year's DVD release of The Wizard of Oz. I think the reason why might have to do with the fact that it is only MOSTLY complete; the footage of Unc Nunkie, Margolotte, and Danx turning to stone is missing. I recently got a DVD of the movie from Netflix, which features this sleeve description: "In The Patchwork Girl of Oz, a boy named Ojo befriends a lively rag doll. Together, they journey to the magical land of Oz, where they encounter colorful characters and help save the citizens of Emerald City from the evil Queen Ozma."

While I'm sure anyone who's familiar with any of the post-Wizard Oz books can see the problem with that description, I do have to say that the film's Ozma look kinda nasty. I'm not sure what's up with that. Overall, though, it followed the book pretty well. It's probably my favorite of Baum's silent films, with more plot than His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, and more action than The Magic Cloak of Oz. It does have quite a bit of the drawn-out pantomime and people cavorting in cheap animal costumes that Baum apparently thought would attract movie-goers, but I was surprised by how much of the story Baum managed to work in, even though some of it looked rather pathetic (even by the standards of the time, from what I understand). The Hoppers, for instance, looked like they were participating in a potato sack race. The Tottenhots also appeared, and were, unfortunately, played by actors in blackface. The film did, however, portray a Tottenhot as part of a trial jury at a time when black jurors were very rare in the United States, so that's something, right? I didn't really mind the addition of Jesseva and Danx to the cast (although why Baum thought romance was a Bad Idea in a children's book but totally necessary in a dramatic production isn't entirely clear), but I have no clue why Ojo and Jesseva were accompanied to the Emerald City by a gang of random extras. So, yeah. It's not something I'd recommend to a non-fan, but it was interesting watching nonetheless.

Speaking of lesser-known Oz movies, I also watched Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz, a direct-to-video adaptation of Ozma of Oz from the late eighties. And you can TELL it's from the eighties, as it's hosted by Michael Gross from Family Ties, and includes a cheesy eighties theme song. The voice work was apparently done by anyone they could pull in off the street. Seriously, if you look at the IMDB page, only Dorothy's voice and the theme song singer are credited with anything else. Still, it's better than Journey Back to Oz, and that one had some big-name celebrities in it.

Okay, I might as well do this meme that I got from obsessical. She asked me to explain three interests and three icons, and I have to...well, do that.

8-bit theatre - A very funny comic strip based on the original Final Fantasy. Check it out!

bwoop bwoop - In Oracle of Ages, this is what Jabu-Jabu says when he's a baby. bethje listed it as an interest first, and I stole it from her.

chrono trigger - A really cool Super NES RPG made by Squaresoft, the company responsible for the Final Fantasy series. As the name suggests, it involves time travel.


See here for Frank's original quote about not being a dancing bear. I believe it was quoted on the front page of frankblack.net, which is how lozenger8 (who made the icon) learned about it.


It means exactly what it looks like. Unless it doesn't, that is. You'd have to ask bethje to be sure.


Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess. Since I like both cats and mythology, I thought it was a good fit.

If anyone wants me to pick some interests and icons of yours to explain, let me know.