The Wizard of Oz (1942 musical) his new rocket ship. "The Wizard of Oz" was first turned into a musical extravaganza by L. Frank Baum himself. It was a loose adaptation of Baum's 1900 novel that had no Wicked Witch, Toto, magic slippers or yellow brick road, but had several new characters and subplots. It first played in Chicago in 1902 and was a success on Broadway the following year. It then toured for seven years. Other early stage and film adaptations and versions of the novel followed, including a 1925 film. The 1939 film adaptation of the novel bore a closer resemblance to the novel's
Wizard of Oz (character) Wizard of Oz (character) Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs (also known as the Wizard of Oz and, during his reign, as Oz, the Great and Terrible) is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. The character was further popularized by a stage play and several movies, most famously the classic 1939 movie, as well as the 2013 prequel adaption. The Wizard is one of the characters in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Unseen for most of the novel, he is the ruler of the Land of Oz and