42-540: 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 (to a subscribers' list of sixteen). It publishes three times per year, with issues dated Spring, Autumn, and Winter; Issue No. 1 of Volume 50 appeared in the Spring of 2006. The journal publishes both scholarly and popular articles on L. Frank Baum ,
84-592: A housekeeper in his 13 Ghosts horror film, in which 12-year-old lead Charles Herbert 's character taunts her about being a witch, including the final scene, in which she is holding a broom in her hand. In 1939, Hamilton played the role of the Wicked Witch of the West , opposite Judy Garland 's Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz , her most famous role, and one of the screen's most memorable villains. Hamilton
126-520: A part on the Wizard.' I said to myself, 'Oh, boy, The Wizard of Oz ! That has been my favorite book since I was four.' And I asked him what part, and he said, 'The Witch', and I said, 'The Witch?!' and he said, 'What else?' Hamilton's stand-in and stunt double for the Witch, Betty Danko , also suffered an on-set accident, on February 11, 1939. Danko made the fiery entrance to Munchkinland, not Hamilton. She
168-408: A second. Even adolescents. I guess for a minute they get the feeling they got when they watched the picture. They like to hear it but they 'don't' like to hear it. And then they go, 'Ooooooh ... !' The picture made a terrible impression of some kind on them, sometimes a ghastly impression, but most of them got over it, I guess ... because when I talk like the Witch, and when I laugh, there
210-487: A stint as a What's My Line? mystery guest on the popular Sunday night CBS-TV program. She played Morticia Addams's mother, Hester Frump, in three episodes of The Addams Family (1965–66). Hamilton had been offered the role of Grandmama, but turned it down. In 1962, Hamilton played Leora Scofield, a suffragette who arrives in Laramie, Wyoming , to bolster feminist causes in a territory where women had already obtained
252-526: A week. Hamilton co-starred opposite Buster Keaton and Richard Cromwell in a 1940s spoof of the long-running local melodrama The Drunkard , titled The Villain Still Pursued Her . Later in the decade, she was in a little-known film noir , titled Bungalow 13 (1948), in which she again costarred opposite Cromwell. Her crisp voice with rapid but clear enunciation was another trademark. She appeared regularly in supporting roles in films until
294-678: A weekend of Ozzy camaraderie. The Convention names usually reflected geographical locations or citizens identified in the Oz books. There are also smaller gatherings, most frequently South Winkie, Quadling, and Gillikin or Ozcanabans. The last group met in the banquet hall of a restaurant in Escanaba, Michigan , home of Fred M. Meyer , a founding member who served for decades as the club's secretary. Meyer also mailed out an annual Christmas card to all members each year, often with ideas for new Oz books, until his health put him at emeritus status that lasted to
336-488: A work farm. In 1945, she played the domineering sister of Oz co-star Jack Haley in George White's Scandals , comically trying to prevent him from marrying actress Joan Davis , even going so far as to throw a hatchet at her. Hamilton and Ray Bolger were cast members in the 1966 fantasy film The Daydreamer , a collection of stories by Hans Christian Andersen . A few years later, they were reunited on Broadway for
378-598: Is a hesitation and then they clap. They're clapping at hearing the sound again. Hamilton played two credited roles in the famous film: Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Hamilton also appears as an unidentified flying witch during the tornado scene, which may have been the Wicked Witch of the West or her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East. If the latter case, this would be Hamilton's third but uncredited role. Only co-star Frank Morgan played more roles (five) in
420-477: The 1970s), Edward Wagenknecht , Eric Shanower , John Fricke , and Meinhardt Raabe . Frank Joslyn Baum was appointed the club's first president. Robert Allison Baum Jr., a great-grandson of the author, currently serves on the board of directors. The club has published many of Baum's rarer books, including Animal Fairy Tales , Aunt Jane's Nieces , and Twinkle and Chubbins . It published two Oz books by Ruth Plumly Thompson and one each by Rachel Cosgrove and
462-557: The 2005 American Film Institute survey of the most memorable movie quotes . Her son, interviewed for the 2005 DVD edition of the film, commented that Hamilton enjoyed the line so much, she sometimes used it in her real life. A few months after filming Oz , she appeared in Babes in Arms (1939) as Jeff Steele's aunt, Martha, a society do-gooder who made it her goal to send the gang of child actors, led by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland , to
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#1732783195795504-759: The Bourgeoisie . Her other mid-1970s stage productions, as the producer, were The Three Sisters and House Party . Hamilton married Paul Boynton Meserve on June 13, 1931, and made her debut on the New York City stage in 1932. While her acting career developed, her marriage began to fail; the couple divorced in 1938. They had one son, Hamilton Wadsworth Meserve, whom she raised on her own. Hamilton had three grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, and Margaret. She never remarried. Her Gramercy Park neighbor Sybil Daneman reported that Hamilton loved children, but they were often afraid to meet her because of her portrayal of
546-512: The Land of Oz, as well as new editions of short stories by L. Frank Baum and Ruth Plumly Thompson. Its best-selling publication is Bibliographia Oziana by Douglas G. Greene and Peter E. Hanff, which provides bibliographical descriptions of the original Oz series. The Club owns a small but fine collection of original artwork and archival materials. Margaret Hamilton (actress) Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 – May 16, 1985)
588-698: The MGM film Another Language (1933) starring Helen Hayes and Robert Montgomery . She went on to appear in These Three (1936), Saratoga , You Only Live Once , When's Your Birthday? , Nothing Sacred (all 1937), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938), Mae West 's My Little Chickadee (with W. C. Fields , 1940), and The Sin of Harold Diddlebock , with Harold Lloyd , 1947. She strove to work as much as possible to support herself and her son. She never put herself under contract to any one studio and priced her services at $ 1,000, $ 21,200 in today's money
630-567: The Oz books written by Baum and other writers, and related subjects, plus reviews of Oz-related films and theater productions, rare photographs and illustrations, and similar materials. Among the range of articles and fiction published in The Baum Bugle : This article relating to " The Wonderful Wizard of Oz " or one of its derivative works is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . The International Wizard of Oz Club The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc.,
672-555: The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz . Daneman's nephew refused to meet Hamilton, because even though he understood she was an actress, he thought it was still possible she really was like the character in the movie. Hamilton remained a lifelong friend of The Wizard of Oz castmate Ray Bolger (who played the scarecrow ). Hamilton was a regular parishioner of the Presbyterian church. A Republican , she supported
714-436: The Wicked Witch role, as well as introducing Lynde to the rock group Kiss . When Hamilton reprised her role as the Wicked Witch in a 1976 episode of Sesame Street , "the show's producers were flooded with letters from parents saying it was too frightening for children." She appeared as herself in three episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , between 1975 and 1976, because Fred Rogers wanted his viewers to recognize
756-417: The Wicked Witch was just a character and not something to be afraid of. Hamilton continued acting regularly until 1982. Her last roles were two guest appearances as veteran journalist Thea Taft in 1979 and 1982, on Lou Grant . Throughout the 1970s, Hamilton lived in New York City's Gramercy Park neighborhood and appeared on local (and some national) public-service announcements for organizations promoting
798-585: The books were still being published annually, ardent Baumists, Oz collectors, and those interested primarily in the classic 1939 MGM movie . The society's major publication, The Baum Bugle , began with Schiller duplicating issues on his parents' mimeograph machine. It is now published three times a year and has been recognized as a scholarly journal by the Modern Language Association since 1983. It has reached 185 issues as of Autumn 2019, and its issues have more than doubled in size over
840-551: The campaign of Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election . Hamilton's early experience as a teacher fueled a lifelong interest in educational issues. She served on the Beverly Hills Board of Education from 1948 to 1951 and was a Sunday school teacher during the 1950s. Hamilton lived in Manhattan for most of her adult life, and summered in a cottage on Cape Island, Southport, Maine . In 1979, she
882-562: The early 1950s and sporadically thereafter. Opposite Bud Abbott and Lou Costello , she played a heavily made-up witch in Comin' Round the Mountain , where her character and Costello go toe-to-toe with voodoo dolls made of each other. She appeared, uncredited, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz 's People Will Talk (1951) as Sarah Pickett. In 1960, producer/director William Castle cast Hamilton as
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#1732783195795924-563: The end of his life. As large public Oz festivals grew in popularity, IWOC conventions in the Midwest and East Coast lost much of their support base; fans found the guest speakers attractive and the flexible accommodations more affordable. The Ozmopolitan and Munchkin conventions could not be sustained, although the Winkie Convention, re-branded as OzCon International, remains a robust, vibrant fan event attracting attendees from around
966-515: The film. Hamilton and Morgan never share any scenes in Oz . In By Your Leave (1934), she played his housekeeper, and in Saratoga (1937), she has a colloquy with Morgan regarding a cosmetic product he invented, with side glances and eye rolls by Morgan as to its effect on her "beauty"). Hamilton's line from The Wizard of Oz – "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" – was ranked 99th in
1008-455: The latter recuperated at home looking after her son. Studio executives cut some of Hamilton's more frightening scenes, worrying they would frighten children too much. Later in life, she would comment on the role of the witch in a light-hearted fashion. During one interview, she joked: I was in need of money at the time, I had done about six pictures for MGM at the time, and my agent called. I said, 'Yes?' and he said 'Maggie, they want you to play
1050-438: The right to vote, in the episode "Beyond Justice" of NBC 's Laramie . Having started on the stage in the early 1930s, Hamilton began to work extensively in the theater after leaving Los Angeles. She appeared on Broadway in the musical Goldilocks opposite Don Ameche and Elaine Stritch , gave a lighter touch to the domineering Parthy Anne Hawks in the 1966 revival of Show Boat , dancing with David Wayne . In 1968, she
1092-453: The set of The Wizard of Oz , Hamilton said her biggest fear was that her monstrous film role would give children the wrong idea of who she really was. In reality, she cared deeply about children, frequently giving to charitable organizations. She often remarked about children coming up to her and asking her why she had been so mean to Dorothy. She appeared on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1975 where she explained to children she
1134-411: The short-lived musical Come Summer . In the 1940s and 1950s, Hamilton had a long-running role on the radio series Ethel and Albert , or The Couple Next Door , in which she played the lovable, scattered Aunt Eva, with her name later changed to Aunt Effie. In 1957, she appeared in two episodes of The Phil Silvers Show . During the 1960s and 1970s, Hamilton appeared regularly on television. She did
1176-521: The team of Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw . In 2000, it put out its first new Oz book not linked to the original series: Gina Wickwar 's The Hidden Prince of Oz , with illustrations by Anna-Maria Cool . A Wickwar/Cool sequel followed in 2007, Toto of Oz. That same year it published The Collected Short Stories of L. Frank Baum. In addition, the Club has published a set of color-printed maps of The Marvelous Land of Oz and Countries Surrounding
1218-629: The unhappy niece Maude in "Noose of Pearls". In the early 1970s, Hamilton joined the cast of another CBS soap opera, As the World Turns , on which she played Miss Peterson, Simon Gilbey's assistant. She had a small role in the made-for-television film The Night Strangler (1973) and appeared as a befuddled neighbor on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters , a friend of the character played by Mary Wickes . In The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976), she portrayed Lynde's housekeeper, reprising
1260-428: The welfare of pets. Her most visible appearances during this period were as general store owner, Cora, in a national series of television commercials for Maxwell House coffee. On October 30, 1975, she guest-starred on the radio revival series CBS Radio Mystery Theater . In the episode, entitled "Triptych for a Witch", Hamilton played the title role. In 1973, Hamilton produced the stage production of An Evening with
1302-728: The world. Beginning in 2008, the Oz Club began to hold conventions with programs designed to appeal more broadly to the general public. They are frequently tied to geographic sites of special interest to Oz fans giving members a chance to visit these locations as a group. Information about all the conventions can be found at ozclub.org. Notable members of the Club past and present have included Ray Bradbury , Willard Carroll , Martha Coolidge , Rachel Cosgrove Payes , Martin Gardner , Margaret Hamilton , Michael Patrick Hearn , Eloise Jarvis McGraw , Bronson Pinchot (who organized conventions in
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1344-505: The years, typically running to forty pages plus full-color covers. Oz Club members originally organized three major conventions a year in the United States ( Munchkin (east) , Winkie (west) , and Ozmopolitan (central). The self-supporting events attracted members in that region of the country. Arriving with car loads of decorations, props, costumes, auction contributions and show-and-tell materials, attendees immersed themselves in
1386-633: Was a Junior League of Cleveland member. Hamilton made her debut as a "professional entertainer" on December 9, 1929, acting and performing vocals in a "program of 'heart rending songs'" in the Charles S. Brooks Theater at the Cleveland Play House . Before she turned to acting exclusively, her parents insisted she attend Wheelock College in Boston , which she did, later becoming a kindergarten teacher. Hamilton made her screen debut in
1428-412: Was an American actress, singer and educator, whose fifty year career in entertainment spanned theatre, film, radio and television. Hamilton was best known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz . A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actress in films for seven years before she
1470-410: Was cast after Gale Sondergaard , who was first considered for the role, albeit as a more glamorous witch with a musical scene, declined the role when the decision was made that the witch should appear ugly. On December 23, 1938, Hamilton suffered a second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand during a second take of her fiery exit from Munchkinland , in which the trap door's drop
1512-515: Was delayed to eliminate the brief glimpse of it seen in the final edit. Hamilton had to recuperate in a hospital and at home for six weeks after the accident, before returning to the set to complete her work on the film. She refused to have anything further to do with fire for the rest of the filming. After she recuperated, she said, "I won't sue, because I know how this business works, and I would never work again. I will return to work on one condition – no more fireworks!" Garland visited Hamilton while
1554-403: Was founded during 1957 by Justin G. Schiller , a then thirteen-year-old boy. The sixteen charter members were garnered from the mailing list found among the papers of the recently deceased Jack Snow , with whom Schiller and the others had discussed the work of L. Frank Baum . The organization today has hundreds of members from all over the world, including children, adults who were alive when
1596-415: Was free, making her soap opera debut as the nasty Mrs. Sayre on Valiant Lady , who schemed to prevent her daughter from marrying the heroine's son. In the 1960s, Hamilton was a regular on another CBS soap opera, The Secret Storm , playing the role of Grace Tyrell's housekeeper, Katie. For ABC's short-lived radio anthology Theatre-Five , she played a manipulative, ailing Aunt Lettie to Joan Lorring as
1638-522: Was offered the role that defined her public image. In later years, Hamilton appeared in films and made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials . She also gained recognition for her work as an advocate of causes designed to benefit children and animals and retained a lifelong commitment to public education. Hamilton was born in Cleveland , Ohio, the daughter of W.J. Hamilton and practiced her craft doing children's theater while she
1680-530: Was only playing a role and showed how putting on a costume "transformed" her into the witch. She also made personal appearances, and Hamilton described the children's usual reaction to her portrayal of the Witch: Almost always they want me to laugh like the Witch. And sometimes when I go to schools, if we're in an auditorium, I'll do it. And there's always a funny reaction, like 'Ye gods, they wish they hadn't asked.' They're scared. They're really scared for
1722-493: Was severely burned during the "Surrender Dorothy!" skywriting sequence at the Emerald City . Danko sat on a smoking pipe configured to look like the Witch's broomstick. The pipe exploded on the third take of the scene. She spent 11 days in the hospital and her legs were permanently scarred. The studio hired a new stunt double, Aline Goodwin, to finish the broomstick-riding scene for Danko. When asked about her experiences on
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1764-675: Was the tender Aunt Eller in the Lincoln Center revival of Oklahoma! . Hamilton toured in many plays and musicals, even repeating her role of the Wicked Witch in specially written stage productions of The Wizard of Oz . For her last stage role, she was cast as Madame Armfeldt in the Stephen Sondheim musical A Little Night Music , singing the song "Liaisons" for the national tour costarring with Jean Simmons as her daughter Desiree. Even with her extensive film career, Hamilton took roles in whatever medium she could get if she
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