The Dreamer of Oz (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jack Bender

Writers (WGA):

David Kirschner (story) &
Richard Matheson (story) ...

Release Date:

10 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

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

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

John Ritter	...	L. Frank Baum
Annette O'Toole	...	Maud Gage Baum
Rue McClanahan	...	Matilda Electra 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
Tim Eyster	...	Frank Joslyn Baum (5-9 years)
Joshua Boyd	...	Frank Joslyn Baum (3 years)
Roger Steffens	...	Salesman
John Cameron Mitchell	...	Albert the Reporter
Frank Hamilton	...	Sullivan

Also Known As:

The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G | Spain:T

Company:

Adam Productions

Trivia:

The film depicts Baum acting on the stage when his father's theatre burned down. In reality, the theatre burned down during a production of his drawing room comedy, "Matches", while Baum was on tour as the male lead in another of his plays, "The Maid of Arran", and hence did not actually witness the fire.

Goofs:

Factual errors: L. Frank Baum's niece Dorothy Gage who was the inspiration for the Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz died at 5 months of age.

Movie Connections:

References The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914)

Soundtrack:

Main Title

Beautiful Lies.

I remember this movie every time The Wizard of OZ is mentioned and was surprised to discover I was only six years old the one and only time I saw it. It is very clear in my mind still which is clearly a comment on the quality of the film. All of the performances were wonderful but I have one negative comment to make. I recently researched Dorothy Gage and discovered she died at only 5 months old, and although her name is the basis of Dorothy Gale's, the story was always meant to feature a girl not a little boy as the movie depicted.

The movie had the viewer believe that Baum had a strong attachment to a child when really Dorothy was an infant who his wife adored.

Even though the film is inaccurate the story is wonderful on it's own and I would recommend it to anyone as a partly non-fiction, partly fiction film.