The Wizard of the Emerald City The Wizard of the Emerald City The Wizard of the Emerald City () is a 1939 children's novel by Russian writer Alexander Melentyevich Volkov. The book is a re-narration of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Baum's name is sometimes credited in the book (in the appendix by Volkov, which is found in some editions, where Volkov describes the origins of his book). The names of most characters are changed, some elements of Baum's novel are removed, and some new elements are added. The book was illustrated by Leonid Vladimirski in 1959 and became quite popular in the
The Wizard of Oz on television during commercials. Angela Lansbury also narrated a documentary about the making of the film, originally entitled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic" and years later retitled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic". It was first shown immediately after the movie's 1990 telecast, and is included as a supplement on all the DVD releases beginning with the 1999 DVD release. Jack Haley, Jr., the documentary's director, was nominated for an Emmy Award for his work. When shown on Turner Classic Movies, "The Wizard of Oz" was usually hosted by TCM host Robert Osborne.