The Magic Cloak of Oz
Encyclopedia
The Magic Cloak of Oz is a 1914 film directed by J. Farrell MacDonald. It was written
by L. Frank Baum
and produced
by Baum and composer
Louis F. Gottschalk
. The film is an adaptation
of Baum's novel
, Queen Zixi of Ix
.
The film had severe distribution
problems, owing to the box office failure of The Patchwork Girl of Oz
. Advertisements claimed that the film would be released September 28, 1914, by Paramount Pictures
, but this apparently never occurred, though it was apparently released in its entirety in 1917. It was eventually reduced from a five-reel film to two two-reel films known as The Magic Cloak and The Witch Queen. The current prints are assembled from these two films, and so the film is incomplete. All of its titles are missing, and The Magic Cloak title card, which is not in The Oz Film Manufacturing Company
style, is used without any additional credits. Its only allusion
to Oz
is a title card's claim that the fairies of Burzee are "fairies of Oz".
Intertitle
s confirm that the cast included Violet MacMillan
as Timothy, or Bud, who becomes king of Noland
due to a legal loophole; Mildred Harris
as his sister, Margaret, or Fluff; Fred Woodward as Nicodemus, the mule
, and possibly some other animals as well, and Vivian Reed
as Quavo, the minstrel. After Juanita Hansen
became better known, the fact that she portrayed the title role, Queen Zixi, was mentioned in many contemporary sources. The International Wizard of Oz Club
published Scott Andrew Hutchins' "An Oz Filmography" on their website, and in an edited form in the Spring 2004 issue of The Baum Bugle
, in which he postulated several other members of the Oz stock company in other roles. This information was submitted by a third party to the Internet Movie Database
and has been accepted by some commentators as fact, although there is no contemporary evidence of this.
16 mm prints of this film are distributed by Em Gee and have been released on home video
in various formats with different, and sometimes no, musical accompaniments. None include that which Gottschalk wrote for the film. Its highest profile release is on the third disc of the 2005 3-disc edition of The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
. The film consisted of 5 reels, which translates to 38 minutes runtime, at 24 frames per second).
In 2009, a longer version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray (though not in high definition) as part of the Ultimate Collector's Editions of The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
. The presentation runs about five and a half minutes longer than the 2005 version and does not contain musical score. Additional scenes and were included, and subplots were expanded upon, including the additions of Nicodemus getting help from 4 witches (from His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz ) the Roly-Rogues clapping hands on a hill and a sailor making a necktie of a piece of the Magic Cloak he bought. This version was only held in private collections and shown at private conventions prior to the home video release.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Baum and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Louis F. Gottschalk
Louis F. Gottschalk
Louis Ferdinand Gottschalk was an American composer and conductor born in St. Louis, Missouri. The son of a Missouri governor, also named Louis, he studied music in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father, a judge, was American consul.He came to attention as conductor of the U.S. premiere of Franz...
. The film is an adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of Baum's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, Queen Zixi of Ix
Queen Zixi of Ix
Queen Zixi of Ix, or The Story of the Magic Cloak is a children's book written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson. It was originally serialized in the early 20th century American children's magazine St. Nicholas from November 1904 to October 1905, and was published in book...
.
The film had severe distribution
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
problems, owing to the box office failure of The Patchwork Girl of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914 film)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz is a silent film made by L. Frank Baum's The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. It was based on the book The Patchwork Girl of Oz....
. Advertisements claimed that the film would be released September 28, 1914, by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, but this apparently never occurred, though it was apparently released in its entirety in 1917. It was eventually reduced from a five-reel film to two two-reel films known as The Magic Cloak and The Witch Queen. The current prints are assembled from these two films, and so the film is incomplete. All of its titles are missing, and The Magic Cloak title card, which is not in The Oz Film Manufacturing Company
The Oz Film Manufacturing Company
The Oz Film Manufacturing Company was an independent film studio from 1914-1915. It was founded by L. Frank Baum , Louis F. Gottschalk , Harry Marston Haldeman , and Clarence R. Rundel as an offshoot of Haldeman's social group, The Uplifters, that met at the Los Angeles Athletic Club...
style, is used without any additional credits. Its only allusion
Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
to Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
is a title card's claim that the fairies of Burzee are "fairies of Oz".
Intertitle
Intertitle
In motion pictures, an intertitle is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action, at various points, generally to convey character dialogue, or descriptive narrative material related to, but not necessarily covered by, the material photographed.Intertitles...
s confirm that the cast included Violet MacMillan
Violet MacMillan
Violet MacMillan , was an American actress in Broadway theatre productions, vaudeville, and silent motion pictures. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.-Tiny feet:...
as Timothy, or Bud, who becomes king of Noland
Noland (Oz)
The Kingdom of Noland is a fictional region neighboring the Land of Oz. Its capital is Nole and it is ruled by the boy King Bud. Bud, the orphaned son of a fisherman , is often aided by his sister, Fluff...
due to a legal loophole; Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
as his sister, Margaret, or Fluff; Fred Woodward as Nicodemus, the mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
, and possibly some other animals as well, and Vivian Reed
Vivian Reed (silent film actress)
Vivian Reed was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 36 films between 1914 and 1938. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Reed died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. She was married to director Alfred E. Green and they had three children—Douglas Green, Hilton A...
as Quavo, the minstrel. After Juanita Hansen
Juanita Hansen
Juanita C. Hansen was an American silent film actress. Beginning as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, she appeared in a variety of serials through the late 1910s. She was well known for her troubled personal life and struggle with addiction to cocaine and morphine. In 1934 she became clean and...
became better known, the fact that she portrayed the title role, Queen Zixi, was mentioned in many contemporary sources. The International Wizard of Oz Club
The International Wizard of Oz Club
The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc., was founded during 1957 by Justin G. Schiller, a then thirteen-year-old boy.The sixteen charter members, some of whom continue to make valuable contributions to the club, were garnered from the mailing list found among the papers of the recently deceased...
published Scott Andrew Hutchins' "An Oz Filmography" on their website, and in an edited form in the Spring 2004 issue of The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz is the official journal of The International Wizard of Oz Club. The journal was founded in 1957, with its first issue released in June of that year . It publishes three times per year, with issues dated Spring, Autumn, and Winter; Issue No. 1 of Volume 50 appeared in...
, in which he postulated several other members of the Oz stock company in other roles. This information was submitted by a third party to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
and has been accepted by some commentators as fact, although there is no contemporary evidence of this.
16 mm prints of this film are distributed by Em Gee and have been released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
in various formats with different, and sometimes no, musical accompaniments. None include that which Gottschalk wrote for the film. Its highest profile release is on the third disc of the 2005 3-disc edition of The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. The film consisted of 5 reels, which translates to 38 minutes runtime, at 24 frames per second).
In 2009, a longer version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray (though not in high definition) as part of the Ultimate Collector's Editions of The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. The presentation runs about five and a half minutes longer than the 2005 version and does not contain musical score. Additional scenes and were included, and subplots were expanded upon, including the additions of Nicodemus getting help from 4 witches (from His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz ) the Roly-Rogues clapping hands on a hill and a sailor making a necktie of a piece of the Magic Cloak he bought. This version was only held in private collections and shown at private conventions prior to the home video release.