Frank Joslyn Baum facts for kids

Frank Joslyn Baum (December 3, 1883 – December 2, 1958) was an American lawyer, soldier, writer, and film producer. He was the son of L. Frank Baum, the famous author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Frank J. Baum is known for writing The Laughing Dragon of Oz (1936) and a book about his father called To Please a Child (1962).

He also helped make early Wizard of Oz films in 1925 and 1933. Later, he sold the film rights for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to Samuel Goldwyn. Frank J. Baum was also the first president of The International Wizard of Oz Club.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Frank Joslyn Baum was born on December 3, 1883. His parents were L. Frank Baum and Maud Gage Baum. He was their first son and was called "Bunny" by his family. Frank and his brothers, Robert, Harry Neal, and Kenneth, went to the Society for Ethical Culture Sunday school. This school taught about good behavior without focusing on religion.

Even though his father often made fun of the military, Frank always wanted to be a soldier. He attended Michigan Military School in Orchard Lake, Michigan. He also briefly studied law at Cornell University. He sometimes worked as his parents' lawyer when they traveled. In 1904, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the Philippines.

On June 27, 1906, he married Helen Louise Snow. One of his first jobs in movies was as a projectionist for The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908). He also worked for his father's publisher, Reilly & Britton, and in advertising in Chicago. Frank J. Baum was the first person in his family to move to the Los Angeles area.

Creating Dramatic Feature Films

In 1914, L. Frank Baum started The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. Frank J. Baum became the business director for the New York City office. After this company didn't succeed, Frank J. Baum started a new group called Dramatic Feature Films. However, movie theaters were not interested in showing films related to Oz anymore.

Frank J. Baum likely wrote the scripts for two films made by this new company. One was The Gray Nun of Belgium, a longer movie set during World War I. The other was Pies and Poetry, a short comedy film. Both movies starred Betty Pierce. Soon after this movie project ended, Frank J. Baum joined the army again. He fought in World War I and became a lieutenant colonel.

Involvement with The Wizard of Oz Films

After L. Frank Baum passed away, Ruth Plumly Thompson was chosen to continue writing the Oz book series. Frank Joslyn Baum wanted to write the series himself. However, he represented his mother, who had gotten the rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz back.

In 1925, Frank J. Baum allowed I. E. Chadwick and Larry Semon to make a movie called Wizard of Oz. The movie's writing credit went to "L. Frank Baum, Jr., Leon Lee, and Larry Semon." This film was very different from the original book. It showed Dorothy Gale as an 18-year-old princess. The Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion were just men in costumes. This movie caused the film studio, Chadwick Pictures, to go out of business.

In 1933, Frank J. Baum, known as "Col. Frank Baum," may have helped write an animated short film called The Wizard of Oz. He might have also just helped with getting the license for the film.

Writing To Please a Child and Oz Club Leadership

On August 19, 1940, Frank J. Baum married Margaret Elizabeth Ligon Turner. After his mother, Maud, died in 1953, he was allowed back into The Baum Trust. However, his family still did not fully trust him.

He sometimes wrote articles about his father's work. One important article was "The Oz Film Co." This article appeared in Films in Review in 1956, when many people had forgotten about the early Oz films. When Justin G. Schiller started the International Wizard of Oz Club, Frank J. Baum became its first president. He stayed in this role until he died. He was friendly with the club's founders, who did not know about his family issues.

Frank J. Baum was working on a book about his father, which was later called To Please a Child. The title came from a message L. Frank Baum wrote in a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. His brother Robert was the only family member who gave him any information for the book. The book was published after Frank J. Baum died. It included some stories that Frank J. Baum made up about his father's life.

Frank J. Baum passed away from a heart attack on December 2, 1958.

Lasting Impact and Family Connection

Frank Joslyn Baum is the grandfather of Roger S. Baum. Roger S. Baum also writes Oz books, which have their own unique stories.

The movie The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story used Frank Joslyn Baum's book, To Please a Child, as a main source. In the film, Frank Joslyn Baum was played by three different actors at various ages: Joshua Boyd (age 3), Tim Eyster (ages 5–9), and Christopher Pettiet (teenage).