03 February 2025

“One day I showed up at the studio barefoot”

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In his 2001 interview with Richard W. Bann , Bud McDonald shared one memory from working at the Hal Roach Studio at age seven: We were supp...
29 January 2025

“They want boys like Farina”

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As I wrote before , the 1930 Our Gang short “Pups Is Pups” ( Lucky Corner ; IMDB ; Dave Lord Heath ) was set in a city, with big industrial ...
27 January 2025

“Trying to figure out what kind of a kid they had”

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As recounted back here , Buddy McDonald joined the Our Gang troupe in 1930 at the age of seven. He lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell...
21 January 2025

Two More Oziana Short Stories

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Last week’s posting about a mystery story in Oziana 2024 made me realize I’d never noted Oziana 2023, which contains two of my stories. ...
17 January 2025

A Mystery Tale from the Early Emerald City

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Oziana is the International Wizard of Oz Club’s creative magazine for fiction and art inspired by the Oz books. It’s been published annuall...
12 January 2025

When Buddy McDonald Arrived in the Neighborhood

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In the 1930 Our Gang short “School’s Out,” teacher Miss Crabtree calls on a boy named “Buddy O’Donnell.” This little guy had lots of freck...
04 January 2025

Bonedust and a Jug of Molasses

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“Helping Grandma” ( YouTube ; IMDB ; Lucky Corner ) was an Our Gang comedy filmed in the summer of 1930 and released in January 1931. Borr...
17 December 2024

Maps and More in the Fall 2024 Baum Bugle

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The latest triennial issue of the International Wizard of Oz Club’s Baum Bugle is the 200th. It’s arriving, wrapped in seasonal colors, at...
06 December 2024

“Finding Friendships: Middle Grade Comics” Panel at MICE 2024

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The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) takes place this weekend in the Fuller Building at Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Aven...
30 November 2024

“You can’t throw pies in comedies anymore!”

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Laurel and Hardy’s “The Battle of the Century” didn’t immediately rehabilitate the pie fight in Hollywood at the end of 1927. But here are t...