Frank Joslyn Baum

Frank Joslyn Baum (3 December 1883 – 2 December 1958) was a lawyer, soldier, writer, and film producer, though his attempts to continue the legacy of his father brought him lawsuit and estrangement from his family. Nonetheless, he became the first president of The International Wizard of Oz Club.

He is best known as the author of To Please a Child (a biography of his father, L. Frank Baum) (1962) and The Laughing Dragon of Oz (1936). He was also involved in the production of Wizard of Oz (1925), and The Wizard of Oz (1933), for which he also received writing credit, after which he sold the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to Samuel Goldwyn.

His attempt to trademark the Oz name distanced him from the rest of his family, and his biography has been suspect from before it was published, as most of his family would not let him confirm anything he didn't know, so he resorted to making things up and building a hero myth around his father.

Early life and work

Baum was born 3 December 1883 to Lyman Frank Baum and Maud Gage Baum, their first son, who was known in the household by the nickname "Bunny". Like his brothers, Robert Stanton, Harry Neal, and Kenneth Gage, he attended the Society for Ethical Culture Sunday school, which taught morality without religion, as the Baums considered religion a mature decision. Despite his father's unflattering caricatures of the military, Baum had always desired to become a soldier, and he attended Michigan Military School...
Read More