On The Wizard of Oz, films new and old and the books

James Franco as The WizardIs James Franco right for the Wizard in Disney's new film Oz: The Great and Powerful -- that's a question Laura Kennedy asks when she interviews me in a podcast about The Wizard of Oz films and books.  Here's a link to the podcast on WGLT (our local NPR station), which aired Friday, March 8.  You can hear my answer as well as information about the film of the new Oz and my thoughts on political allegories in the original books.

I also chatted about The Wizard of Oz with Jim Fitzpatrick on WJBC, the Voice of McLean County, two weeks ago.  Jan Susina with The Wizard of Oz bok

The media interest reflects, I think, that there's a genuine excitement about a new film based on The Wizard of Oz books. So far, the film is getting mixed reviews -- see reviews by Richard Roeper in The Sun-Times (reviewing instead of Roger Ebert) or Mahnola Dargis in The New York Times.  Yet, as Laura Kennedy points out in the podcast, the original MGM film was also somewhat panned by the critics.  But it gained a following through its own technological twist, aired repeatedly at Easter time on TV networks, that Baum would have appreciated.  Those annual telecasts insured that the film was cemented in children's imaginations and subconsciousness.  So whatever the critics think, our family is still going to see the film and be captivated.

And, I'm looking forward to teaching The Wizard of Oz in my children's literature class this spring.

File under O-Z.

Interview about Lewis Carroll book on WGLT

Jim Browne's interview of me about Alice in Wonderland and my book, The Place of Lewis Carroll in Children's Literature is airing today (12/24).  Here's a link to the WGLT newsroom with the interview from the radio and another excerpt.  Thanks to Jim Browne for making me sound good!

And, as I said in the interview, Alice in Wonderland is a great Christmas gift.  Altho Carroll told the story first in July to the Liddell family in 1862, he gave an illustrated manuscript copy (Alice Underground) to Alice Liddell at Christmas in 1863. The book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with John Tenniel's drawings, was published for the Christmas season in 1865. And it's still available in bookstores

on WGLT

Listen to WGLT Christmas Eve as the local NPR station is going air an interview with me about me new book The Place of Lewis Carroll in Children's Literature. Jim Browne interviewed me and he was, as usual, a great person to be interviewed by. He does his homework and makes the people he's talking to feel at ease. So as long as there isn't some kind of big news, the interview should be on Christmas eve morning during the news.