1116 Lodi Pl.
1914-1915

L. Frank Baum wrote a series of 14 books that today are regarded as treasures.  Collectively they are known as "The Wizard of Oz."

Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856 in Chittenango, New York.  His father was a well-to-do businessman, so Baum lacked for nothing.  Baum was a sickly child.  He was homeschooled, which left him with time for daydreaming and developing his writing skills.  As a youngster, his father gave him a printing press and Lyman, as he was known as a child, created his own newspapers, beginning his prolific writing career.

In 1880, Baum's father built him a theater where he wrote, produced, and directed his own stage productions.  He also acted from time to time, and recruited friends and family to act in his productions.  He had a modicum of success, and further honed both his business and writing skills, which would serve him well later.

In 1900 Baum published his greatest work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  It was the best selling children's book for two years and spawned another 13 books about the land of Oz.  In 1902 it was turned into a stage musical under the name The Wizard of Oz, the first time the shortened name was used.  In 1910, Baum's first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," was put on film by Selig Polyscope Company over in Edendale.  Selig also made The Land of Oz, Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz, and John Dough and the Cherub (based on a non-Oz Baum novel) at his Edendale Studio. Only The Wonderful Wizard of Oz survives.

It took another 4 years and the building of his own studio for L. Frank Baum to get more of his books onto the screen.  This all took place well before the well-know Judy Garland version in 1939, and a decade before the second version starring Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodman was filmed in 1925.

The Oz Film Manufacturing Company was started by Baum and a group of friends. Baum was the company President, even though he actually invested none of his own money.  His contribution to the company was his Oz stories. Louis F. Gottschalk was company Vice President, Harry Marston Haldeman was secretary, and Clarence R. Rundel was treasurer.  The company saw its mandate as producing family-oriented fantasies to counter the violent Cowboy and Indian movies children were seeing at the theaters.

Constructed in 1914, The Oz Studio was one block long and half a block deep.  It was originally the estate of U.S. Senator Cornelius Cole, who owned one of the original Spanish land grants, an area he named Colegrove.  Today we know as Hollywood.

The Cole mansion's drawing-room was turned into a projection room and darkroom.  The dining room was converted into Oz Company offices.  The rest of the house was used for various parts of the movie-making process.  Outside, a 65-foot by 100-foot stage was built in the southwest corner of the lot. A two-story building was erected behind the stage.  A prop room, scene docks, paint frames, and a carpentry shop were on the ground floor of the new building, and on the upper floor were the stars' dressing rooms overlooking the stage.  The dressing rooms were outfitted with hot and cold running water (something we take for granted today but was a unique feature in 1914)  and in between the ten second floor dressing rooms, were restrooms and showers. Additional dressing rooms were adjacent to the stage for the minor players and extras.