Day 1 - Wizard hosts dinner at evening ("the fall evening was quite
  cool and frosty") - Oztober launched prematurely
Day 2 - Jellia discovers Kit Bag - they meet the Spikers - Nick
  Chopper discovers the Strat - Strut forces Nick to pilot him to Oz
  - arrival of Ozpril with Wizard, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion - flight
  to Oz by stick - party imprisoned by Bustabo - Wizard meets Azurine
  - party flees to Glinda's castle, arriving at daybreak
Day 3 - Tin Woodman arrives with invaders in AM - palace inhabitants
  flee - Ozma confronts Strut - resolves Bustabo problem - Wizard &
  Tin Woodman leave to find Ozpril

Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 08:13:42 -0600
From: David Hulan <dhulan at wideopenwest.com>
Subject: Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz

IIRC yesterday was the day given for beginning discussion of this book,
so herewith a few comments to maybe get things going.

Overall, I think this was Thompson's worst book by a fairly healthy  margin, with only _Cowardly Lion_ being even
close. Almost its sole redeeming feature is that it gives Jellia her only major
role in the series, and she comes across very well - though it's not surprising
that someone who can keep Ozma's palace running smoothly is a highly competent
lady. But part of the reason she shows up so well is that all the other
characters from _Wizard_ (and we know that she wrote this book around them in
hopes of tying in with the MGM movie, though Jellia didn't appear in that) are
uncharacteristically _in_competent.

This is the only Thompson book in which Jellia, the Soldier, or the Tin Woodman
has a significant role, and while Jellia is consistent with Baum's version the
other two really aren't.

The Soldier is a total buffoon, whereas in _Wizard_ he was the one who sent
Dorothy to Glinda, in _Ozma_ (assuming that this is the same Omby Amby, which
is more or less stated in _DotWiz_) he's the only member of her army who's
willing to fight if necessary, and elsewhere, although he isn't shown as being
very brave, he isn't shown as stupid or incompetent.

And the Tin Woodman is if anything even worse - not that he's as idiotic as the
Soldier, but in the Baum books he's depicted as a wise and competent ruler of a
whole country, and in this book he's an arrogant chauvinist who gets himself
and Jellia and the Soldier in big trouble quite unnecessarily.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow don't really have enough to do in this book to say
much about them either way, but the Wizard also doesn't come across very well.
Of course, he never does in Thompson's books; she seems to see him as an
inventive but petty, childish, jealous little man, and shows it in _Lost King_,
_Purple Prince_, _Speedy_, and possibly other places that don't come to mind
right away. And this time he makes a really fundamental mistake (that was, however,
needed to produce the plot) - the ozoplanes don't apparently have anything like
an ignition lock that prevents them from taking off unless an authorized person
is at the controls. Maybe it's true that nobody in Oz would think of stealing
one, but accidents can (and did) happen.

Finally, the Cowardly Lion is really cowardly, although this is consistent with
Thompson's treatment of him in _Royal Book_, _Cowardly Lion_, and _Ojo_ - but
inconsistent with Baum's treatment of him. In Baum, the lion is afraid of
various things but always faces up to them anyway. In Thompson, he frequently
panics.

Of the new characters the Stratovanians aren't very interesting, Buzzub and his
henchmen are stock villains, and Azarine seems like a nice character but is on
stage so briefly that we don't really get a good look at her. _Ozoplaning_ is
better than the first two Neills, and on a par with _Shaggy Man_ and _Hidden
Valley_, but it's close to the bottom of my list of Oz books.

Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 12:46:37 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz

On rereading OZOPLANING for what may be only the first time, I was struck by
how poorly I'd remembered it. I'd amalgamated the two principal villains,
Strutoovius and Buzzub, in my mind. Both are, after all, typical Thompson
dictators: lordly, hot-tempered, selfish, bellicose, and ultimately defeated.

In one respect, however, Thompson treats them very differently. Strut is a monarch
when the story begins, and, even though he's held her close friends captive and
invaded her realm, Ozma lets him remain a monarch at the end. In fact, she says
that "for the kind of people he rules Strut probably is the best sort of
ruler they could have" [261].

In contrast, Buzzub is a usurper, removing a monarch (a youthful, beautiful,
and pleasant one, of course) from her throne. He therefore receives the
punishment that Thompson reserves for usurpers: transformation. "I've
already turned Bustabo into a red Squirrel!" Ozma announces [270].

Once again, in the Thompson books Ozma politically prefers to see stability under
friendly hereditary monarchs to all other forms of government, containment of
unfriendly monarchs while leaving them on their thrones, and harsh punishment
for people who try to take over thrones they can't claim by inheritance.

 

J. L. Bell

Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 10:12:28 -0600
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at tc.umn.edu>
Subject: ozoplaning

David Hulan: I'd have to agree with most of your complaints about
"Ozoplaning," but I think you overstate the Wizardly folly. Apart
from the (plot-necessary) folly of making the plane controls so easy to trigger
as to make accidental take-off possible, it seems to me he is basically
competent and quick-witted here -- thinking fast to follow the plane and get
the group off the skyland and kept from crashing, and heading up first the
rescue of those left with Bustabo and then the rescue of the Emerald
City/nation from Strut's invasion. He's also more sympathetic than is usual
with RPT (of course, there are no other wizards around to trigger his jealousy
- even Glinda is off in Ragbad during the crisis), showing considerable bravery
in setting off allegedly to bring Azarine back to Bustabo, and ethical thinking
in having decided (even before he finds out that she's cute) that he'll have to
try to find a way to rescue the others without letting Bustabo get Azarine. And
it's fun to see Jellia getting a lead role after so many years of picking up
after everyone else.

The Soldier is portrayed as an incompetent clown, but it's probably overstating
to say that that's a change from his portrayal in Baum. It's a change from his
"Wizard" appearance, and a vast change from Omby Amby (but RPT
evidently didn't catch the indications that Omby Amby and the Soldier are the
same person), but not so much of a change from his retreat before Jinjury's
army in "Land." (Barbara Koelle had an interesting article on the
Soldier in the "Bugle" several years back.)

"J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com> wrote:
> [Bustabo] is a usurper, removing a monarch (a youthful, beautiful, and
pleasant one, of course) from her throne. He therefore receives the punishment
that Thompson reserves for usurpers: transformation. "I've already turned
Bustabo into a red Squirrel!" Ozma announces [270].  >

Don't worry too much about the unkindness to Bustabo, though -- he gets his
human shape back and crosses the Deadly Desert (not necessarily in that order)
and gets himself a pleasanter position as the bowman-guard of Sissajig. (It
looks as if the "Sissajig and other surprises" collection may succeed
in getting published by the IWOC sometime this year, so perhaps people will
soon be able to get hold of it easily). I wonder if he told the Sissajig
magishowitch about the Wizard's kitbag -- her talking traveling bag is somewhat
similar (although sentient, as the kitbag is no)t. Maybe RPT took a cue for the
traveling bag from the face Neill showed on the kitbag in his illos of it.

Ruth Berman

Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 20:39:17 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: Re: Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz

David Hulan:
>The Soldier is a total buffoon, whereas in _Wizard_ he was the one who
>sent Dorothy to Glinda, in _Ozma_ (assuming that this is the same Omby
>Amby, which is more or less stated in _DotWiz_)

If he IS Omby Amby, it leaves the much-debated question as to why he is  referred to as "Wantowin Battles"
in this book.  The Oz-as-literature explanation is apparently that
Thompson either forgot the Soldier already had a name, or didn't think Baum
intended the Soldier and Omby to be the same character.  From an
Oz-as-history perspective, though, I know it's been proposed that "Omby
Amby" is actually a nickname.  The statement in OZOPLANING that he
was "christened" Wantowin Battles also suggests that he might have
decided to change his name for some reason.

>Finally, the Cowardly Lion is really cowardly, although this is
>consistent with Thompson's treatment of him in _Royal Book_, _Cowardly
>Lion_, and _Ojo_ - but inconsistent with Baum's treatment of him. In
>Baum, the lion is afraid of various things but always faces up to them
>anyway. In Thompson, he frequently panics.

In Thompson, the Lion's two major fears seem to be thunderstorms and magical
transportation (Wishing Pills, Flyaboutabus, Ozoplanes).  The McGraws pick
up on the latter in MERRY GO ROUND and RUNDELSTONE, in which the Lion dreads
travelling by Magic Belt.  Incidentally, I think the McGraws' Lion is a
good mix of the traits both Baum and Thompson gave him: he has the Thompsonian
sarcastic attitude and distaste for magical transportation, but lacks the
panicky personality Thompson tended to give him.

>Of the new characters the Stratovanians aren't very interesting, Buzzub
>and his henchmen are stock villains, and Azarine seems like a nice
>character but is on stage so briefly that we don't really get a good
>look at her.

I think you (and John Bell) mean Bustabo.  Buzzub is the Captain of the
Guard on Regos.

Nathan

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 14:35:15 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Tin Woodman

David Hulan wrote about the Tin Woodman:
<<in the Baum books he's depicted as a wise and competent ruler of a whole
country, and in this book he's an arrogant chauvinist who gets himself and
Jellia and the Soldier in big trouble quite unnecessarily.>>

I quite agree. I don't think Thompson uses Nick in a significant way in any
of her other books until ENCHANTED ISLAND, when he serves simply as a
welcome to Oz. And the characterization in OZOPLANING shows why: she didn't
really understand the character Baum had left her.

The Tin Woodman is a grown-up. Like the Shaggy Man and Cap'n Bill, two
other prominent characters in Baum's Emerald City who nearly vanish in
Thompson's, he's a mature authority figure with quirks rather than a
childish clown with strengths. Sure, he's vain about his shiny looks and
the advantages of metal, traits Thompson captures [87, 58]. And in TIN
WOODMAN he's misguided about the girl he left behind. But Baum's tin man
isn't selfish, jealous, egotistical, or (like the Scarecrow) playful.

Having decided to make OZOPLANING a tribute to WIZARD in the year of the
MGM movie, Thompson couldn't avoid giving the Tin Woodman a major role. But
the character we see in WIZARD hardly ever appears. As any American knows,
the Tin Woodman's most valued attribute is his heart. Yet in OZOPLANING
that heart seems to serve only as a measure of fear [242]. There's hardly a
moment when it seems to guide his actions.

The only time Thompson says Nick loves anything, she refers to an inanimate
possession: "Nick Chopper...already loved the Wizard's ship as if it were
his own" [77]. Although she assures us Jellia knows Nick's heart is
"the kindest in all Oz," it's actually his ego that's on view at that moment:
        "And remember, you have nothing to fear! I, the
        Emperor of all the Winkies, am with you. With
        kind words and courteous gestures we will win the
        friendship and allegiance of these strange
        airlanders for Ozma of Oz." [88]
The one character who gets called "kind-hearted" in OZOPLANING is Jellia
herself [269].

One strong trait in my picture of Nick is his ability to respect other
people's feelings. In OZOPLANING he doesn't grasp the "indignation and
fury" that claiming Stratovania produces in Strut [92-3], even though the
Stratovanians' emotions are visible on their foreheads. Jellia's glance has
to stop him from speaking undiplomatically [104]. And a few minutes later,
he "loftily" forgets all those feelings and launches into the same claim
again [111-3]. He has so little empathy that page 257 is "the first
time...Nick felt sorry" for Strut, whose island he invaded. (Compare that
behavior to his forgiveness for the Loons in TIN WOODMAN.)

Baum's Tin Woodman is strongly concerned with his duty--indeed, that's why
he makes the journey to find Nimmie Amee, whom he no longer loves. But
Thompson's tin man secretly puts his comrades in jeopardy for his own
desires. Once he gains mastery of the ozoplane he could steer back to the
Emerald City at any time. "But the truth of the matter was, the Tin Woodman
did not wish to turn back. And after all, who was to insist?" [65]

And what of Nick's duty to Ozma? He tries a few ways to slow the
Stratovanians' invasion of Oz, but nothing that would jeopardize either
himself or Thompson's plot. He actually tells Strut where to find Ozma's
magic [247]. Then he stands aside and watches the Stratovanians "with quiet
amusement" [251], trying to interfere only when the fuse under Ozma's safe
is already lit [252].

In Baum's books Nick pooh-poohs the work he has to do as Emperor of the
Winkies, as in TIN WOODMAN:
        "Why, the Country will run itself," answered the
        Emperor. "As a matter of fact, my people do not need an
        Emperor, for Ozma of Oz watches over the welfare of all
        her subjects, including the Winkies. Like a good many
        kings and emperors, I have a grand title, but very
        little real power, which allows me time to amuse myself
        in my own way."
Here, on the other hand, he boasts of his imperial mission:
        "Now just trust yourself to me, my dear Jellia.
        Remember, I am the Emperor of the East!" Nick
        smote his tin chest a resounding blow. "And
        after ruling the Winkies all these years, I
        surely can handle one small plane!" [62]

And, of course, the Tin Woodman shares the jealousy that Thompson also
assigns to the Wizard, Jinnicky, and other men. On seeing Stratovania, Nick
decides, "he could claim it for Ozma and win for himself as much honor and
renown as Samuel Salt, the Royal Explorer of Oz" [65]. Thus, the Tin
Woodman is motivated not simply by a wish to increase Ozma's realm but also
by his own ego. He's even "rather annoyed" when he thinks Jellia has found
directions for steering the plane, meaning his ability wouldn't be so
special [74].

I hope Nick's satisfied with Ozma's promise of a medal and title of
"official Pilot" [265]. But Jellia has it right: for the sake of kindliness
and love (remember those qualities?), "I do hope Nick doesn't start
claiming any more countries" [268].

Neill also portrays the Tin Woodman differently in OZOPLANING from his
earlier images. For the first time, I believe, he draws the top of Nick's
head as flat, like the end of a tin can, instead of domed [e.g., 55, 266].
He also continues a pattern of drawing the tin man's jaw joint without
showing that jaw as separate from his tin skull. Another interesting touch
is the heart-backed chair that Nick happens to sit in to pilot the ozoplane
[63].

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 22:19:38 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Ozoplanes

Since Thompson's Ozoplanes are in the public domain, I thought I'd note
down most of the details about them in case anyone wants to use them in a
new story. For the labels on many of these devices, see the OZOPLANING
text. (Any details Neill and his editor added to the Ozoplanes in WONDER
CITY are still under copyright.)

The Wizard stores the aircraft in a "shining glass structure"
equipped with
lights that switch on [41]. Its top lifts off to allow the planes to take
off vertically [46]. This building is beyond "the last fringe of trees"
outside Ozma's palace [40]. Somehow the Wizard was able to build his
Ozoplanes and this hangar within a short walk of the palace without anyone
knowing but his "faithful assistants" [40]. [This passing phrase implies
that Neill's Number Nine isn't the Wizard's first assistant, though we
never learn what happened to these earlier helpers.]

The Ozoplanes look like "silver-and-glass torpedoes" with "silver wings"
[43]. Each has its name outlined in emeralds on one side [44]. The Wizard
has equipped them with "my own patented balloon attachments":
        At the touch of a button, the wings are depressed
        and the balloon inflated with a magic gas, lighter
        than helium, that carries the ship as high and as
        far as desired. Then the balloon can be deflated,
        and the Ozoplane can continue under its own power.  [45]
Later, the Tin Woodman pilots the Ozoplane this way:
        he pressed the black bar, touched the button to
        deflate the Oztober's balloon and raise the wings.
        For now he wished to fly horizontally, and the wings
        would be faster than the gas bag. [66]
So an Ozoplane can move fairly swiftly in a desired direction even with its
balloons inflated, though it's faster to use the wings. With its wings
deployed, it has plenty of lift.

The Wizard seems to refer generically to his invention, as a combination of
balloons and airplanes, as "balloonaplanes" [45]. The Stratovanians, after
Strut misunderstands the Tin Woodman's greeting, call it a "Friend-ship"
[94, 162].

Inside, the Ozoplanes are furnished like small yachts:
        There were four seats upholstered in pale green
        leather along one side. The whole top was of
        thick glass, through which she could distinctly
        see the moon and stars winking down at her. The
        side walls of the Ozpril were of a silvery grey,
        with all trimmings in green. At the back was a
        small dinette with chairs and table locked to the
        floors as they are on seagoing vessels. A cabinet
        full of china, a wall full of charts, a bookcase
        full of books, and a tiny kitchen and dressing
        room completed the equipment. [48]
The cabin comes with a water cooler [71], and the dressing room has a
shower curtain, which implies a shower [77]. So there's some sort of water
supply.

The first seat is the pilot's. The Wizard has created a control panel that
resembles an organ's stops, with lots of bright buttons to push
sequentially [49, 57]. The buttons include: up, North, zig [49], zag, spin,
spiral, level-off [50], South [54], fast, slow, circle [58], down [59],
straight on, faster [66], down, and stop [86]. The button for inflating the
balloons (separate from "up") is green [49, 53]. A "flat bar," colored
black, under the control board clears all the buttons [60, 66]. In addition
to the buttons, there's a steering wheel, which Neill draws as on a
vertical axis [49]. As David Hulan noted, there's no system to prevent
accidental or unauthorized flights.

The navigator's table includes a "shining metal hypsometer" that reports
altitude [84-5] and a "magnetic compass" that actually "shows the exact
course taken by the [other Ozoplane], provided that both planes are in
flight" [154]. It's unclear whether this feature still works at the end of
the book, when one plane has been lost. At some point after a flight, an
Ozoplane automatically produces a chart of its journey so far [120].

To deal with the challenges of flying at high altitudes, Ozoplanes are
magically supplied with healthy air [74]. The Wizard has also provided a
triangular bottle of multi-colored "elutherated altitude pills," stored in
a table leg [76]. [This term may be inspired by the Caribbean island
Eleuthera, but it's hard to see the connection.] Travelers take one for
each mile up [74, 85], and they work for "several days" [170]. The pills
are "dry and rather bitter" [85].

Underneath the cabin's second seat is a chest of four "air helmets" that
"resembled cellophane,...belted in at the waist" [75]. Fortunately, the air
in Stratovania is thick enough to breathe, and Neill draws an air helmet
only once [86]. Since the Wizard quickly leaves his Ozoplane without his
helmet [140], that implies he knows some way to check the surrounding
atmosphere before disembarking.

Each Ozoplane appears to be equipped with a "small black kit-bag" that
meows like a cat, has "green eyes that turned off and on like electric
lights," and a tail that "curved over the back to form a handle" and has to
be pulled to open [88]. Neill draws the bag with wheeled feet as well [87].
The OZTOBER's kit bag includes:
        * a small green trumpet that puffs out the light-green vapor of
cheer gas, temporarily pleasing people --but only OTHER people [97-9]
        * a small black bottle of oily potion that freezes the air into ice
[171]
        * an envelope of seeds for "instant sprouting saplings" [172-4]
        * "four suits of blue pajamas with hoods and feet attached" that
protect wearers from falls [215]

The kit-bag undoubtedly contains other items as well. But it must not offer
devices for long-distance communication, transportation, or other tools
that the Wizard would otherwise have used to stop Strut's army. The kit-bag
on the missing OZPRIL may also hold different magic from what's in the bag
on the OZTOBER; the "falling-out suits" are experimental, after all.
Finally, it's unclear what happens to the kit-bag Jellia uses in
OZOPLANING; it's last mentioned before the party reaches Glinda's castle,
and at the end of the book the Wizard takes off with his more powerful
black bag.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 20:38:27 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Soldier with Green Whiskers

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<>The Soldier is a total buffoon, whereas in _Wizard_ he was the one who
>sent Dorothy to Glinda, in _Ozma_ (assuming that this is the same Omby
>Amby, which is more or less stated in _DotWiz_)

If he IS Omby Amby, it leaves the much-debated question as to why he is
referred to as "Wantowin Battles" in this book.  The Oz-as-literature
explanation is apparently that Thompson either forgot the Soldier already
had a name, or didn't think Baum intended the Soldier and Omby to be the
same character.  From an Oz-as-history perspective, though, I know it's
been proposed that "Omby Amby" is actually a nickname.  The statement in
OZOPLANING that he was "christened" Wantowin Battles also suggests that he
might have decided to change his name for some reason.>>

Jellia consistently refers to the Soldier as "Wanny" in OZOPLANING, which
would imply that if he'd decided to go by "Omby Amby" at some point in his
adult life, he'd later switched back.

OZOPLANING's remarks about the Soldier's history bring up some other
questions as well:
        Born in a small Munchkin village to a family
        named Battles who had promptly christened him
        Wantowin, he had applied as soon as he was
        grown for a position in the army of Oz. The
        Wizard, then Supreme Ruler of the Kingdom,
        impressed by the Soldier's height and long
        green whiskers, had immediately hired him. [72]
Thus, according to Thompson,
        a) a villager in the blue Munchkin Country could grow GREEN
whiskers.
        b) a young Munchkin could have a "long" beard "as soon as he was
grown."
        c) this man sought a position in Oz's army even though no other
book hints that there was such an army.

One way to explain these oddities is to assume that the Soldier was an
oddity himself in his village: for having green whiskers, perhaps for
having such fast-growing whiskers, and perhaps for being so tall. If he
felt out of place at home, he might well seek a more comfortable position
in the central green area, especially if he'd heard about a new ruler who
was hiring. That history might help to explain why for this Munchkin "Any
country that was not green like the land surrounding the Emerald City held
no interest for him" [102].

A couple of other aspects of the Soldier's previously stated history are
easier to reconcile with this passage. In WIZARD the Soldier tells us he's
never seen the Wizard, but the Wizard must have seen him to gauge his
height and whiskers--presumably through a peephole. In LAND Jinjur says,
"The Army is old and feeble"; since he's younger than the Wizard, having
joined Oz's service "as soon as he was grown," he must have become a
soldier early in the Wizard's reign and aged along with his ruler. Then
again, Jinjur might be blowing smoke.

It's harder to explain the connection between the Soldier's green whiskers
and the safety of Oz as shown in WISHING HORSE, but then that was always
hard to explain. In that book the Wizard refers to the Soldier's "sacred
beard," and the Scarecrow interprets the sudden change of its color to red
as "a warning [that] A danger from without threatens the Kingdom of Oz."
Significantly, both these men are former rulers of the Emerald City; have
they read things about the Soldier's beard that we're not privy to?

Just as significantly, however, the Soldier's beard had never turned red
before, despite numerous threats to Oz, including some from without. Though
Skamperoo's wish is one of the most powerful and magical threats, surely
the approach of the Phanfasms and other invaders in EMERALD CITY should
also have been enough to make Omby Amby's facial hair turn color in front
of Dorothy's eyes. Or does this magic only affect his beard, not his
mustache?

According to OZOPLANING, the Soldier arrived in the Emerald City with his
whiskers already long and green, and no hint or knowledge that they're
cosmically (or comically) connected to the overall fairyland. Did a
magic-worker lay a spell on them, unbeknownst to the Soldier himself yet
hinted at in records known to the Scarecrow and (maybe) Wizard?

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 11:46:16 -0600
From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at tc.umn.edu>
Subject: ozoplaning

I looked again, and I see that the article on the Soldier was not one of
Barbara Koelle's. It was "The Man Nobody Knows," by James E. Haff, in the
Winter 78 Bugle. His opening paragraph neatly summarizes the uncertainties
regarding the Soldier:

"In the long saga of oz, one character most shrouded in mystery, confusion,
and inconsistency is the Woldier with the Green Whiskers. Although he
appeared in twenty-eight books, he was seldom really noticed, usually just
taken for granted, and only infrequently played a major part in the action.
He had many titles, two separate names, and underwent at least two major
changes in appearance and character. He seemed to have been little
understood by his creator; Baum didn't appear to know quite what to do with
him or how best o use him. Baum's successors were at times equally unsure
about him, and made several incomprehensible statements regarding him that
are apparently outright blunders."

The article goes on to point out the difference between the cowardly Soldier
of "Land" and the fairly brave Omby Amby of "Ozma," "Dorothy/Wizard" and
"Emerald City," and the minor --and nameless --role he had thereafter (up
through "Ozoplaning"). His minor role in "Glinda" includes a return to
cowardliness. In addition to RPT's creation of a new name for him, the major
blunder is in Jack Snow's Oz books, where the Soldier is identified as Omby
Amby, but is also identified as the Guardian of the Gates and as the husband
of Tollydiggle.

Haff didn't suggest any Oz-as-history explanation for the double name of
Omby Amby and Wantowin Battles, but "Omby Amby" certainly *sounds* like a
nickname, and Baum doesn't anywhere say that it's his birthname, as RPT does
say WB is. (Haff did offer an Oz-as-history explanation, though, of the
Soldier's varying degrees of bravery -- he points out that they correlate
with his varying shaving habits, and suggested that the Soldier was a
reverse Samson, and lost courage in proportion to the length of his beard.)

Ruth Berman

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 20:45:27 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: OZOPLANING to Stratovania

Thompson's author's note in this book begins with: "I have often wondered
about the Strat, have not you?  Bet a bushel of peanuts you have!"  Was
interest in the stratosphere (and, for that matter, the nickname "strat") a
big thing back in the late thirties?  As proof that it might have been, the
MGM movie has the Wizard saying that he will journey to visit "the outer
stratosphere," while the WIZARD book simply has him visiting "a brother
wizard who lives in the clouds."

Anyway, Stratovania is an interesting new location, although the fact that
it is made of "solid air" shows that Thompson wasn't really going for 
scientific accuracy.  I'm pretty sure it would have to be very close to
absolute zero for air to solidify.  Of course, there was probably magic at 
work in constructing Stratovania, possibly of the same type as the WWE's
magic that Nimmie Amee used to make a wall of solid air around her house. 

Unlike Nimmie's wall, however, Stratovania's solid air is visible.

Strutoovious, the King of Stratovania, seems to be the first clear example
of a polygamist in the Oz books (although Prince Evered of Rash does offer
to make both Betsy Bobbin and Ozma his queens).  He takes Jellia as his
"Starina" (apparently a secondary wife), and says that he might make Ozma
another one (making either the third or fourth example of a Thompson
character wanting to marry Ozma, depending on whether you count Reddy's
offer as such, which I don't think I would).  Kabebe is never referred to as
"Starina," only "Queen," and she seems to be Strut's head wife.  Most of the
Stratovanians support Kabebe over Jellia, although this might be because
Kabebe is one of their own kind, and not a stranger like Jellia.

On p. 259, after Strut has been defeated, Ozma tells him, "Whether or not
you return to your Kingdom depends entirely upon yourself and how you treat
Kabebe."  This statement is somewhat confusing, as Kabebe is presented as
nearly as villainous as Strut, and presumably meaner, since the Cheer Gas
hardly works on her.  I also don't recall any indication that Strut has ever
treated Kabebe poorly, although I suppose it's possible that Ozma considers
his taking other wives to be poor treatment.  After all, most of Kabebe's
mean actions in OZOPLANING can probably be attributed to jealousy toward
Jellia.

Nathan

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 21:07:34 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: Re: OZOPLANING Tin Woodman

J. L. Bell:
>The Tin Woodman is a grown-up. Like the Shaggy Man and Cap'n Bill, two
>other prominent characters in Baum's Emerald City who nearly vanish in
>Thompson's, he's a mature authority figure with quirks rather than a
>childish clown with strengths. Sure, he's vain about his shiny looks and
>the advantages of metal, traits Thompson captures [87, 58]. And in TIN
>WOODMAN he's misguided about the girl he left behind. But Baum's tin man
>isn't selfish, jealous, egotistical, or (like the Scarecrow) playful.

Well, LAND does say that he claimed the title of Emperor, although the
Winkie Country is only a kingdom (actually, the fact that the country
contains several other kingdoms suggests that "Emperor" might not be that
inaccurate after all, but all of the other quadrant rulers are kings and
queens), which does show some hint of an ego.

>One strong trait in my picture of Nick is his ability to respect other
>people's feelings. In OZOPLANING he doesn't grasp the "indignation and
>fury" that claiming Stratovania produces in Strut [92-3], even though the
>Stratovanians' emotions are visible on their foreheads.

One way to view Nick's jingoism, and possibly the way in which Thompson
intended us to see it, is that he thinks the Stratovanians would be happy to
be Ozma's subjects.  This is certainly the case for most of the conquered
peoples in CAPTAIN SALT, especially the people of Peakenspire and Ozamaland.
  Being unable to tell that the Stratovanians are not so fond of the idea, 
though, is out of character for the Tin Woodman.

>And, of course, the Tin Woodman shares the jealousy that Thompson also
>assigns to the Wizard, Jinnicky, and other men. On seeing Stratovania, Nick
>decides, "he could claim it for Ozma and win for himself as much honor and
>renown as Samuel Salt, the Royal Explorer of Oz" [65].

It's kind of odd that a quadrant ruler and one of Dorothy's original
companions would be jealous of a relative newcomer to Oz.  On the other
hand, while Nick is probably more famous than Captain Salt within Oz itself
(as well as to readers of the Oz books), the Captain's voyages might well
have brought him more fame in foreign lands.

I can't recall where in the book it appears, but I believe it is OZOPLANING
that gives Nick an interesting new physical feature: a hook on his body on
which to hang his oilcan.

Nathan

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 21:49:08 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: Re: OZOPLANING Ozoplanes

J. L. Bell:
>Since Thompson's Ozoplanes are in the public domain, I thought I'd note
>down most of the details about them in case anyone wants to use them in a
>new story. For the labels on many of these devices, see the OZOPLANING
>text. (Any details Neill and his editor added to the Ozoplanes in WONDER
>CITY are still under copyright.)

Speaking of WONDER CITY and Ozoplanes, Jack Pumpkinhead's Ozoplane in that
book is "last year's model," yet it does not appear to be either the Ozpril
or the Oztober.  This would seem to me to suggest that more than a year
passed in between the events of OZOPLANING and WONDER CITY, and Jack's plane
was built in the interim.  The fact that OZOPLANING takes place in the fall
and WONDER CITY in the late summer seems to me to add evidence to my
position.

>The Wizard stores the aircraft in a "shining glass structure" equipped with
>lights that switch on [41]. Its top lifts off to allow the planes to take
>off vertically [46]. This building is beyond "the last fringe of trees"
>outside Ozma's palace [40]. Somehow the Wizard was able to build his
>Ozoplanes and this hangar within a short walk of the palace without anyone
>knowing but his "faithful assistants" [40].

Some kind of cloaking magic, perhaps?

>[This passing phrase implies
>that Neill's Number Nine isn't the Wizard's first assistant, though we
>never learn what happened to these earlier helpers.]

It's possible that they are temporary helpers, hired only for the Ozoplane
project.

>The Wizard has created a control panel that
>resembles an organ's stops, with lots of bright buttons to push
>sequentially [49, 57]. The buttons include: up, North, zig [49], zag, spin,
>spiral, level-off [50], South [54], fast, slow, circle [58], down [59],
>straight on, faster [66], down, and stop [86]. The button for inflating the
>balloons (separate from "up") is green [49, 53]. A "flat bar," colored
>black, under the control board clears all the buttons [60, 66]. In addition
>to the buttons, there's a steering wheel, which Neill draws as on a
>vertical axis [49].

Somewhat similar to the controls of COWARDLY LION's Flyaboutabus, actually.

>Underneath the cabin's second seat is a chest of four "air helmets" that
>"resembled cellophane,...belted in at the waist" [75].  Fortunately, the air
>in Stratovania is thick enough to breathe, and Neill draws an air helmet
>only once [86].

Or maybe the altitude pills allow the Ozites to breathe, even without the
air helmets.

Nathan

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 22:08:53 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: Re: ozoplaning with the soldier with green whiskers

J. L. Bell:
>Jellia consistently refers to the Soldier as "Wanny" in OZOPLANING, which
>would imply that if he'd decided to go by "Omby Amby" at some point in his
>adult life, he'd later switched back.

Or maybe Jellia knew him before he changed his name, and still calls him by
his old name?

>Thus, according to Thompson,
>         a) a villager in the blue Munchkin Country could grow GREEN
>whiskers.

One possibility is that his mother is from the green country (probably
before the building of the Emerald City), and green whiskers were passed
down from her side of the family.

>         c) this man sought a position in Oz's army even though no other
>book hints that there was such an army.

LAND suggests that the Soldier was the entire army under the Wizard and the
Scarecrow, just as he is under Ozma (after TIK-TOK, anyway).  It's
possible that the Wizard scaled down the army, since there's no indication of anyone
attacking the Emerald City after he was firmly established as ruler. 
Besides, maybe the idea that the Wizard didn't need a big army suggested
that he had more power than he really did, something we know the witches
believed.  As Jinjur indicates in LAND, the Soldier was a good army for
the Wizard because "people feared the Wizard."

Ruth:
>In addition to RPT's creation of a new name for him, the major
>blunder is in Jack Snow's Oz books, where the Soldier is identified as Omby
>Amby, but is also identified as the Guardian of the Gates and as the
>husband
>of Tollydiggle.

Snow seemed to think the Soldier, Omby Amby, and the Guardian of the Gates
are all the same character, which the last of those definitely isn't.  On
the other hand, it's possible that the Soldier isn't THE Guardian of the
Gates, but simply A Guardian of the Gates, possibly taking over while the
other one is on vacation or something.  After all, OZOPLANING reports that

the Guardian hadn't left his post in forty years (whether this means he was
hired forty years prior to OZOPLANING or just that he last took a vacation
back then is unknown), and SCALAWAGONS has Ozma say that the Soldier will
relieve him if he wants to take a much-needed vacation.  Maybe that's
exactly what's happening during the Snow books.

As for being married to Tollydiggle, the wife Jinjur describes the Soldier
as having in LAND certainly doesn't sound like the same person as the
kind-hearted jailor in PATCHWORK GIRL.  There are a few possibilities to
explain the inconsistency, however:

1. The Soldier divorced his old wife, and married Tollydiggle.
2. Tollydiggle is friendly to strangers, but mean to her husband (the
explanation favored by the author of the OZIANA story "The Merchant of Oz").
3. Tollydiggle is actually the wife of the Guardian of the Gates.  (Wasn't 
this Haff's suggestion?)
4. There's more than one Tollydiggle.  After all, MAGICAL MIMICS never
specifically says that the Tollydiggle who's married to the Soldier is the
jailor, and maybe "Tollydiggle" is a common Ozian name.

>Haff didn't suggest any Oz-as-history explanation for the double name of
>Omby Amby and Wantowin Battles, but "Omby Amby" certainly *sounds* like a
>nickname, and Baum doesn't anywhere say that it's his birthname, as RPT
>does
>say WB is. (Haff did offer an Oz-as-history explanation, though, of the
>Soldier's varying degrees of bravery -- he points out that they correlate
>with his varying shaving habits, and suggested that the Soldier was a
>reverse Samson, and lost courage in proportion to the length of his beard.)

I think that's a very clever explanation.

Nathan

Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2003 22:31:57 +0000
From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at tmbg.org>
Subject: WIZARD reminiscense in OZOPLANING

The catalyst for OZOPLANING, as well as Thompson's attempt to tie the book
in with the upcoming movie, is a party for the major characters from this
first book.  While the Wizard says his idea "was to have everyone
immediately associated with Dorothy's first visit," but there seems to be an
unspoken assumption that only those who live nearby were invited.  There
certainly isn't any indication that he tried to invite Queen Orin, Boq, the
Queen of the Field-Mice, the King of the Winged Monkeys, or even Glinda, all
of whom would seem to be of equal or greater importance than Jellia, the
Soldier, and the Guardian of the Gates.

On p. 20, the Wizard refers to the Guardian of the Gates as "Guardy." 
Dorothy calls the Cowardly Lion "Liony" on p. 48.  This continues Thompson's
tradition of giving unnamed characters stupid nicknames based on their
descriptions, which I believe started with her calling the Hungry Tiger
"Tige," and continues with Humpty calling the Lion "Cowy" in ENCHANTED
ISLAND.

Thompson does her usual directional mix-up throughout most of OZOPLANING,
occasionally referring to the Tin Woodman as "Emperor of the East."  On the
other hand, when the characters are talking about the events of WIZARD, they
correctly identify the Wicked Witches of the East and West [26, 29].  The
story also doesn't account for other discrepancies between WIZARD and later
books--it mentions the green glasses, but not why the Emerald City still
appears green without their being used; and the Lion mentions getting his
courage, but not that it had apparently worn off since then (as the Lion
himself indicates in COWARDLY LION).

Speaking of discrepancies, the Wizard seems to have programmed the
Tell-all-escope specifically to avoid embarrassment on his own part, since
it does not mention the Wizard's own involvement in Ozma's kidnapping by
Mombi.  Why the device goes into so much detail about things that do not
involve the Wizard is a bit of a mystery.  It would seem to me to make more
sense for the instrument to talk about what the Wizard did in between WIZARD
and DOTWIZ, rather than Jinjur's coup and Ozma's disenchantment.  How the
Tell-all-escope gets its information is also a mystery.  The idea that the

Wizard purposely created the device not to tell about his giving Ozma to
Mombi suggests that he programmed in this information, yet it knows things
that the Wizard does not, such as Jellia's being made a Starina by Strut. 

Why the Tell-all-escope doesn't say anything about Jellia's past before
being made a Starina can be added to the list of mysteries.  Maybe it just 
doesn't know much about her, for some reason or other.

Nathan

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 11:18:08 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING marriages

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<Strutoovious, the King of Stratovania, seems to be the first clear
example of a polygamist in the Oz books (although Prince Evered of Rash
does offer to make both Betsy Bobbin and Ozma his queens).  He takes Jellia
as his "Starina" (apparently a secondary wife), and says that he might make
Ozma another one (making either the third or fourth example of a Thompson
character wanting to marry Ozma, depending on whether you count Reddy's
offer as such, which I don't think I would).  Kabebe is never referred to
as "Starina," only "Queen," and she seems to be Strut's head wife.  Most of
the Stratovanians support Kabebe over Jellia, although this might be
because Kabebe is one of their own kind, and not a stranger like Jellia.

On p. 259, after Strut has been defeated, Ozma tells him, "Whether or not
you return to your Kingdom depends entirely upon yourself and how you treat
Kabebe."  This statement is somewhat confusing, as Kabebe is presented as
nearly as villainous as Strut, and presumably meaner, since the Cheer Gas
hardly works on her.  I also don't recall any indication that Strut has
ever treated Kabebe poorly, although I suppose it's possible that Ozma
considers his taking other wives to be poor treatment.  After all, most of
Kabebe's mean actions in OZOPLANING can probably be attributed to jealousy
toward Jellia.>>

There's some sort of sexual politics going on in OZOPLANING, but it's so
hazy and confused that I wonder whether Thompson was censoring herself, but
incompletely.

Then again, there's simple carelessness as well. For instance, on page 124
Thompson describes Jellia "straightening her crown," and several more
references to that crown follow. On page 259 Thompson writes:
        "By the way, here's that silly crown you
        made me wear!" said Jellia, handing over the
        star-tipped circlet she had been wearing
        since her visit to the Strat.
Yet Thompson never shows us Strutoovius giving Jellia this crown. Neill
portrays that on page 105, so he was either filling in action that the text
at that point omitted, or someone edited Thompson's original remarks.

As you note, Strut consistently uses the term "Starina" for Jellia and
Ozma, not "Queen," which remains Kabebe's title. On page 97 Jellia seems to
think of the position as some sort of family retainer, as she feels pride
in being chosen "Starina to [Strut] and his Queen." Yet it becomes clear
that Kabebe resents Jellia enough to pinch her, despite the cheer gas
[102]. And being Starina involves a crown, a throne, being addressed as
"your Stratjesty" [125], and ordering servants around. "Starina" is
reminiscent of "Tsarina," or empress, but in this case it seems to mean
concubine, official mistress, or trophy wife with some regal privileges.

Thompson confirms that Strut is Kabebe's "Royal Husband" [102]; otherwise,
we might be able to assume that a Stratovanian royal couple isn't
necessarily created by marriage. Yet the book also shows Strut snapping at
Kabebe and "giving the Queen a jovial shove to help her on her way" [103],
so their marriage clearly isn't a friendly one. Thompson picks up a
stereotypical image of an angry wife by giving Kabebe "an enormous crystal
rolling pin" [131].

Yet Thompson also seems implicate Kabebe in sexual/marital games of her
own. The queen becomes fascinated with the Soldier:
        he caught the Queen in the very act of pinching
        Jellia. Disgusted by such conduct, he sternly
        took her arm, and each time Kababe [sic] pinched
        Jellia, the Soldier would slap her fingers.
        After the fifth slap, the Queen peered at him
        with astonished admiration, for on this whole
        Tip-toposphere there was no man bold enough
        to strike a member of the reigning family.
        Soon Kababe [sic] was so fascinated by Wantowin's
        flowing green whiskers, she forgot all about
        pinching Jellia. [103]

There's a hint that Thompson means this fascination as more than momentary.
Jellia later seems to bring up the relationship:
        The little maid turned mischievously to the
        Soldier with Green Whiskers. "After all, you
        are a kind of King, too!" [155]
The Soldier's only claim on being "a kind of King" is the queen's
infatuation with him (though the last time we saw them together, she was
chasing him with her rolling pin).

But all this is so vague and confused that I suspect Thompson wanted her
readers to understand Strut and Kabebe were both NOT NICE without being so
explicit about adultery, concubinage, or polygamy as to get in trouble.

Oz is indeed a monogamous society; even Shagomar and Dear Deer are husband
and "wife." Bustabo tries to follow this custom, but through force:
        "The Princess whom I would marry is called Azarine,
        the Red. Not three days ago she was in this castle, 
        but on the morning of our wedding day she ran off
        into the forest." [190]
And men who try to force Ozian princesses to marry them, especially those
who aren't royal to begin with, come to a bad end in Thompson's Oz.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 11:33:41 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Tin Woodman

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<I can't recall where in the book it appears, but I believe it
is OZOPLANING that gives Nick an interesting new physical feature: a hook on
his body on which to hang his oilcan.>>

The "hook beneath his arm" is introduced on page 119, and seemingly
mentioned again on page 254.

Earlier, however, when Nick expressed worry about rusting, Jellia had put
his oil can "into the little bag that hung from her wrist" [85]. So the
idea of a hook under the Tin Woodman's arm came to Thompson sometime in
between those manuscript pages.

Thompson also says, "Nick had forgotten all about his oil can" [119],
showing how little she'd grasped his character.

J. L. Bell                 
JnoLBell at compuserve.com

From: Scott Andrew Hutchins <scottandrewh at ...>
Date: Thu Mar 6, 2003  11:40 am
Subject: OZOPLANING

I made it half way through this book
last night, and I honestly felt like I was reading a scenario for a Moonbeam
Entertainment (Charles Band's children's film arm) production.  Thompson
was surely writing for the money here.  Her descriptions, such as that of
Nicks hand along the console, suggest such cliché film shots from flying
adventure movies, dating at least back to _Wings_ if not earlier.

The characters are well-drawn and
quirky, though Nick did seem like he was being rewritten, and Thompson really
warps up her East/West contradiction in the first chapter, first saying
Dorothy's house crushed WWW and then WWE, and even after she had obviously
re-read WIZARD, she had Nick say he was "Emperor of the East." 
It's odd that we could go from the non-editing work of this book, to the
extreme editing of Wonder City (I hope I get that ETS job, so I can keep up by
buying the Neill books, which are the only canon books I don't have until
Merry-Go-Round).

I like Jellia, but she cries
excessively, particularly for a Baum creation.  She seems to cry much more
frequently than Ojo, and she's much older than he is.

I'm understanding already why it's
considered Thompson's worst book, though the idea to pastiche the SF of that
era into the Oz books is a good one, given the Oz books present-day
setting.  The Ozoplanes sound vaguely reminiscent of the balloon taxis in
Mary Shelley's _The Last Man_, which, given its non-availability at that time,
I seriously doubt Thompson had read.  I was six chapters from the end of
that book when I started reading this so I don't have a huge backup of unread
digests.  
 
Scott Andrew Hutchins 
scottandrewh at comcast.net

From: Joe Gardner <hermiemunster at ...>
Date: Fri Mar 7, 2003  12:28 am
Subject: Ozoplaning with the Wizard- THE WIZARD! - of Oz

This is the first book I'm able to participate in discussion about. I first
read in 1999, and when I reread it a few months ago, I decided I'd jot some 
stuff down.

Did anyone else notice this seems to have a lot of capital letters? On pg. 147,
Jellia says, "We need your growl-- and LISTEN!  ...Do everything I tell you 
or we are lost, LOST!" On pg. 152, she says "Oh, wasn't he WONDERFUL?" On
that same page, the Cowardly Lion says, "Not so hard for ME to play King." On 182,
the Wizard says, "This is awful, AWFUL!" On 184, Bustabo says, "But WHEW
are YEW?" On 216, Dorothy says, "Oh, Jellia, JELLIA--what shall we DO?" There
are many others for various sounds effects like BOOM and THUMPETY THUMP too. There
are more, and I know the capitals are just used for emphasis, but they seem to 
be rampant in this story.

With the RPT's dedication to Neill, I wondered if she knew it was her last book? If
not, what made her decide to dedicate a book to him in her 19th book?

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Rereading it, I realized I didn't remember
anything past Dorothy and the others from WIZARD having their party. The Tin 
Woodman's forwardness in claiming Stratovania for Oz kind of bothered me and I see
others definitely didn't like how he was either. I also didn't care for the 
Scarecrow's comments on page 52 on how he's complaining the others have no right to take off 
before them when their lives are probably in danger.

I did enjoy Jellia a lot though. I honestly can't say how different she is from the
other heriones, but she did feel different than Dorothy was in this book. I 
also liked how there seemed to be the two conflicts with Strut and Bustabo. Hmm,
I just realized I've been pronouncing it Bust-a-boo, when obviously it's not.  

That's all for now, 

Joe G

Ruth Plumly Thompson, John R. Neill (Cover by Eric Shanower)

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 15:07:38 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Ozoplanes

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<>The Wizard has created a control panel that
>resembles an organ's stops, with lots of bright buttons to push
>sequentially [49, 57].

Somewhat similar to the controls of COWARDLY LION's Flyaboutabus,
actually.>>

And not unlike the additions to the CRESCENT MOON in CAPTAIN SALT: "take a
look at my sail controls, Ato. We can hoist, trim and furl by just touching
different buttons nowadays." Thompson seems to have preferred to give her
vehicles infinitely flexible button controls to describing the actual work
of hoisting a ship's sails, pulling an airplane throttle, and the like.

<<>Underneath the cabin's second seat is a chest of four "air helmets" that
>"resembled cellophane,...belted in at the waist" [75].  Fortunately, the air
>in Stratovania is thick enough to breathe, and Neill draws an air helmet
>only once [86].

Or maybe the altitude pills allow the Ozites to breathe, even without the
air helmets.>>

That seems to be the implication of the "or" in the Wizard's
instructions:
        "On debarking, however, it would be well to
        don my patent protective air helmets, see
        chest beneath second seat, or to take one,
        for each mile up, of my elutherated altitude
        pills from the recess in the table leg." [74]
By using both pills and helmets, Jellia and the Soldier would have been
seeking double protection, which fits their characters.

In my earlier summary of how the Ozoplanes worked, I neglected to mention
that on taking off the OZTOBER produces a "terrific roar like the tearing
of a gigantic sheet" [nice metaphor] and "a sudden flash of silver smoke"
[50]. The OZPRIL's approach to Stratovania is heralded by a "fierce roar
and splutter from the clouds" [137] and a "whirr and sputter [as] its
engine died away" [140]. Inside, we see Nick "raising his voice above the
roar of the engine" [244]. So these machines roar like airplanes, and don't
float like balloons or Zeppelins.

Also, Neill draws the Ozoplanes with a large rudder [53], but while
Thompson mentions their tails a few time, she never explains how they
actually change direction.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 15:07:44 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING reminiscence of WIZARD

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<The catalyst for OZOPLANING, as well as Thompson's attempt to tie the
book in with the upcoming movie, is a party for the major characters from
this first book.  While the Wizard says his idea "was to have everyone
immediately associated with Dorothy's first visit," but there seems to be
an unspoken assumption that only those who live nearby were invited.>>

Thompson also uses an odd excuse for Toto, the character most closely
associated with Dorothy's first visit to Oz, not to be involved in this
adventure:
        "Oh, Toto's with Ozma," explained Dorothy... "You
        know how he dotes on traveling, so Ozma took him
        along for company." [22]
I don't recall any moment in Baum in which Toto is interested in traveling
except in Dorothy's company. Toto doesn't reappear with Ozma and Dorothy at
the end of the book, either. Given how little Dorothy has to do in
OZOPLANING after her initial suggestion of going after the OZTOBER right
away [52], there's no real reason why Toto couldn't have come along.

Thompson's determination to tie OZOPLANING closely to WIZARD in light of
the about-to-be-released movie produces quite a slow beginning for an Oz
book. A long scene of people talking in a cheery way, especially about
something they all already know, is hard to make dramatic. There are
several stretches of summarizing the earlier book [18-9, 27-30, 35-6], plus
a large cast of characters to reintroduce. It takes over twenty book pages
before we see something really new--the Ozoplanes--and not until page 50
does a crisis arise. Usually Thompson starts off with some sort of conflict
right away.

One coincidental connection to the MGM movie, which Thompson hadn't yet
seen, is Dorothy's remark on page 24:
        "Kansas, when I think of it, seems very far away,
        as much like a dream, I suppose, as Oz seems like
        a dream to boys and girls in Kansas who read Oz
        history."
Here Dorothy suggests Kansas is dreamlike to her, rather than Oz.

<<This continues Thompson's tradition of giving unnamed characters stupid
nicknames based on their descriptions, which I believe started with her
calling the Hungry Tiger "Tige"...>>

Especially since everyone knows Tige is a dog's name.

<<OZOPLANING reports that the Guardian hadn't left his post in forty years
(whether this means he was hired forty years prior to OZOPLANING or just
that he last took a vacation back then is unknown)>>

It's possible the gatekeeper may here [20] be referring to his enforced
retirement during LAND, when Jinjur replaced him with "a fussy little fat
woman"--not that the Guardian of the Gates could complain about anyone
being fussy, little, or fat.

Depending on how people date the events of the Oz books, Jinjur's revolt
may take place only slightly fewer than forty years before
OZOPLANING--easily close enough to forty for government work.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 15:07:40 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING timing

Nathan DeHoff wrote:
<<Speaking of WONDER CITY and Ozoplanes, Jack Pumpkinhead's Ozoplane in
that book is "last year's model," yet it does not appear to be either the
Ozpril or the Oztober.  This would seem to me to suggest that more than a
year passed in between the events of OZOPLANING and WONDER CITY, and Jack's
plane was built in the interim.  The fact that OZOPLANING takes place in
the fall and WONDER CITY in the late summer seems to me to add evidence to
my position.>>

OZOPLANING is unusual in being set in the fall. Thompson writes, "the fall
evening was quite cool and frosty" [17], and Dorothy and Jellia bring their
coats when they go outside [38]. (There are, of course, a lot of falls to
follow.)

In contrast, GIANT HORSE, PURPLE PRINCE, SPEEDY, and SILVER PRINCESS are
set in May; WISHING HORSE in the spring; and JACK PUMPKINHEAD in the
summer. [Thanks to Ken Shepherd's chronologies for most of that
information.] Most of Thompson's other books seem to take place in mild
midyear weather even when she doesn't name a season or month.

That may be linked to the books' publication schedules. SILVER PRINCESS
came out in the spring of 1938, the same season as most other recent Oz
books. Everyone knew that OZOPLANING was going to appear later in the year
because Thompson had trouble getting started.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

From: "Mark Amburgei" <endymionsobek at ...>
Date: Sat Mar 8, 2003  4:04 pm
Subject: Re: OZOPLANING

Unfortunately I only had time to read this in bits & pieces over a week's time,
but I actually liked this one & while it's not the best Thompson/Oz book I've ever read,
I'm absolutely mystified as to why this is considered her worst book...I might give
that honor to HANDY MANDY or CAPTAIN SALT(I Realize most will disagree with me on 
that.) I found it fresh & different, very entertaining & not bad at all.

I thought the Ozoplanes were a wonderful creation but I never found Jellia Jamb or
Wantowin Battles(Omby Amby) interesting enough to have major roles as they do here.
None of the new characters like Bustabo King of the Kudgers, Strut of the Strat, Princess
Azarine of Red Mountain or the Bug-Bear are especially interesting(except for maybe Shagomar.)

Nice cover, but I don't remember ever seeing Neill's illos vary in quality so much in
one book as they do here, from the very poor renderings of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Lion, especially
the Tin Man & Spiker(first page of chapter 5)...while he seems to have taken great care
& time in his drawings of the Wizard (who curiously resembles here at times the Mad Hatter)
Jellia Jamb & ozma.

~Mark Amburgei

From: Scott Andrew Hutchins <scottandrewh at ...>
Date: Sun Mar 9, 2003 7:27 pm
Subject: OZOPLANING

Well, I finished it, and I have to
say the best part is Michael Patrick Hearn's afterword to the club edition.

That said, I think it gets better
once Thompson gets out of Strat, but there are still massive problems. 
Dorothy seems dragged along out of obligation--she doesn't seem to know what to
do with her, as she seems more interested on the more demure and feminine
characters like Jellia and Azarine, though the latter is extremely flat despite
being likeable.  She ends the book in much the way a B-movie would end,
too, watching the Oztober fly up to the strat.  Had that book ever been
written, it might well be one of the purest sequels in the canon, being a
direct continuation of a storyline, something we don't find in the canon. 
On the other hand, I think we can applaud her for the open end.  It's an
enjoyable story, with some fun characterizations, although they often don't
feel true to Baum.  It's also quite well detailed for what I believe is
her shortest book.

The illustrations are a mixed
bag.  Some are quite fine, but others look like the characters' heads are
about to explode, and the Lion smashed flat against the ice is Neill going way
over the top--Thompson doesn't suggest he looks anywhere near that large. 
It's easy to tell which artwork received the most effort.  Somehow,
despite being the book's dedicatee, he seemed to realize the series was winding
down, as he still had a number of productive years in him.

I did like the way Strut reacts negatively
to being colonized.  It's hard to see him as a villain, since he obviously
feels attacked, but Thompson portrays him as such, which he pretty much
deserves considering how boorish he is.  Strat was a little difficult, for
me, to visualize, but maybe I just wasn't imagining the tents large enough for
the descriptions to make sense in my mind.

I still see it almost like a Moonbeam
Productions scenario.  Maybe if Charles Band believed in taking riskes,
he'd love it, but Band is the sort that likes cheapie sure-sells and rampant
sequelling of films that weren't that well-liked to begin with.

 
Scott Andrew Hutchins 
scottandrewh at comcast.net

From: Scott Andrew Hutchins <scottandrewh at ...>
Date: Sun Mar 9, 2003 8:34 pm
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] Digest Number 843

> The Soldier is a total buffoon, whereas in _Wizard_ he was the one who 
> sent Dorothy to Glinda, in _Ozma_ (assuming that this is the same Omby 
> Amby, which is more or less stated in _DotWiz_) he's the only member of 
> her army who's willing to fight if necessary, and elsewhere, although he 
> isn't shown as being very brave, he isn't shown as stupid or incompetent.

Actually, it's specifically stated that this is the one who advised them to 
go to Glinda (p.30 "'But don't forget it was I, who told you to go to the 
palace of Glinda, the Good Sorceress of the South,' interupted the Soldier 
with the Green Whiskers again."

> And the Tin Woodman is if anything even worse - not that he's as idiotic 
> as the Soldier, but in the Baum books he's depicted as a wise and 
> competent ruler of a whole country, and in this book he's an arrogant 
> chauvinist who gets himself and Jellia and the Soldier in big trouble 
> quite unnecessarily.

This book nearly made me hate Nick, but on the other hand, he does show 
competence flying the Ozopkane.

> Finally, the Cowardly Lion is really cowardly, although this is 
> consistent with Thompson's treatment of him in _Royal Book_, _Cowardly 
> Lion_, and _Ojo_ - but inconsistent with Baum's treatment of him. In 
> Baum, the lion is afraid of various things but always faces up to them 
> anyway. In Thompson, he frequently panics.

This didn't bother me as much, since he always managed to come through 
despite his fear.

I also think the Wizard is portrayed as largely competent, but I also 
expected the tell-all-escope to be used in the Bustabo situation.

Scott

From: Scott Andrew Hutchins <scottandrewh at ...>
Date: Sun Mar 9, 2003  9:29 pm
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] Digest Number 846

Nathan: 
     I can't recall where in the book it appears, but I believe it
is OZOPLANING that gives Nick an interesting new physical feature: a hook
on his body on which to hang his oilcan.

Page 252 gives him breath; page 254 says "'See! I told you!" cried Nick, and
unhooking his oil can the Tin Woodman let four drops of oil slide down his 
neck."

Scott

From: Scott Andrew Hutchins <scottandrewh at ...>
Date: Mon Mar 10, 2003  12:45 pm
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] Digest Number 848

 

Joe: > Did anyone else notice this seems to have a lot of> capital
letters? On pg. 147, Jellia says, "We need> your growl-- and LISTEN!
...Do everything I tell you> or we are lost, LOST!" On pg. 152, she says
"Oh,> wasn't he WONDERFUL?" On that same page, the Cowardly> Lion says,
"Not so hard for ME to play King." On 182,> the Wizard says, "This is awful,
AWFUL!" On 184,> Bustabo says, "But WHEW are YEW?" On 216, Dorothy> says,
"Oh, Jellia, JELLIA--what shall we DO?" There> are many others for various
sounds effects like BOOM> and THUMPETY THUMP too. There are more, and I
know the> capitals are just used for emphasis, but they seem to> be
rampant in this story. Thompson had been doing this a lot at least since
WISHING HORSE.  I thoughtof pointing it out then, but didn't bother. > I
did enjoy Jellia a lot though. I honestly can't say> how different she is
from the other heriones, but she> did feel different than Dorothy was in
this book. I> also liked how there seemed to be the two conflicts> with
Strut and Bustabo. Hmm, I just realized I've been> pronouncing it Bust-a-boo,
when obviously it's not. Jellia seems much more "feminine" than Dorothy, which
may have made iteasier for Thompson to write her.  She never seemed to like
Baum's strongwomen who were more "gender neutral" in their behavior. 

  Scott Andrew Hutchinsscottandrewh at ...

From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at ...>
Date: Mon Mar 10, 2003  4:47 pm
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] Ozoplaning with the Wizard- THE WIZARD! - of Oz

Joe Gardner: 
>With the RPT's dedication to Neill, I wondered if she 
>knew it was her last book?  

She did know.  Actually, she was planning on making CAPTAIN SALT her last Oz 
book, but she decided to continue the series for three more books, probably 
largely for financial reasons.  CAPTAIN SALT, although a somewhat stronger 
book than OZOPLANING, strikes me as an odd way to have ended the Thompson Oz 
books, considering that it doesn't take place in Oz itself.  Then again,
maybe that was intentional on Thompson's part, with Thompson wanting to 
provide a transition into her non-Oz fantasy.

>I also liked how there seemed to be the two conflicts 
>with Strut and Bustabo.  Hmm, I just realized I've been 
>pronouncing it Bust-a-boo, when obviously it's not.

I suppose "Bustabo" is a play on the words "bust-a-bow," since he's an 
archer.  Well, at least the "bow" part is play on words; I doubt an archer
as skillful as he is would bust his bow.

Nathan

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 23:08:55 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING island of air

Scott Hutchins wrote:
<<the Lion smashed flat against the ice is Neill going way over the
top--Thompson doesn't suggest he looks anywhere near that large.>>

This is indeed an odd illustration of a confusing moment. Thompson writes:
        The Cowardly Lion, completely deflated by his
        smack against the ice, was sprawled flat as an
        animal skin in the center of the berg. [172]

Neill seems to have read that as the deflated Lion being as flat as butter
spread across the top of the falling island [171]. However, since the text
makes no mention of him being reinflated (as the Loons were), I suspect
Thompson meant that he'd returned to his normal shape and size but was
hugging the surface. In other words, "flat as an animal skin" is an
exaggerated metaphor rather than an exact description. The Scarecrow, in
contrast, is truly "completely flattened out by his fall" [221], and needs
to be shaken and patted back into shape. But because Thompson was often a
careless writer, I don't feel sure about that distinction.

Another oddity about Neill's drawings in this part of the book: he
continues to show the Ozians dripping wet long after Thompson has given up
that detail [e.g., 226].

Incidentally, the "solid air" that makes up Stratovania and the Wizard's
"air directly beneath them froze[n] into a solid block of blue ice" seem
awfully similar. Of course, one floats and the other falls, one is far more
temperate than its rulers and the other is cold. But I suspect Thompson
would have put more daylight between the two ideas if she hadn't felt such
deadline pressure.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 23:08:43 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING dedication

Joe Gardner wrote:
<<With the RPT's dedication to Neill, I wondered if she knew it was her
last book? If not, what made her decide to dedicate a book to him in her
19th book?>>

The author's note seems to go out of the way to imply that OZOPLANING would
NOT be Thompson's last book: "You know--it's grand to get together over a
book once a year and have a good laugh, isn't it? I'd like to know what
makes you laugh loudest and longest. . . . Yours for fun--now, and OZ
always!" [11]

Hearn's afterword to the Oz Club edition says that although Thompson had
made noises about quitting the series for some time, she waited until the
last possible moment before making a definite decision about the 1940 book,
and even then held out a slim hope for Reilly & Lee [287].

As for the dedication to Neill, therefore, I suspect that after 17 previous
Oz books (did she get to dedicate ROYAL BOOK?) Thompson had run out of
relatives and close friends to thank. Or she might have been especially
grateful to Neill for illustrating OZOPLANING on a crash schedule and being
more of a friend than the current Reilly & Lee management and Baum family
had been.

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 22:37:13 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING Jellia

On the first page of OZOPLANING, Thompson refers to Jellia as "the pretty
little serving maid." Soon she gets a promotion to "a maid in waiting to
Ozma" [22], and her title continues to grow: "Ozma's little Maid in
Waiting" [64], "Ozma's Chief Maid in Waiting" [102], and eventually "First
Lady in Waiting to Ozma" [186].

The growth in titles mirrors how Jellia assumes more authority over the
course of the book. Early on she accidentally stops the OZTOBER's wild ride
[60], but then takes a literal back seat to Nick Chopper. She finds the
magical supplies inside the Ozoplane, but Thompson attributes that to, of
all things, phrenology: her "bump of curiosity was larger than most"
[74].

When Jellia seems to think that becoming a Starina means being a servant to
Strut and Kabebe, she feels a "small thrill of satisfaction" [97].  Jellia
herself tells Strut, "Ozma is a REAL Princess and much more beautiful than
I!" [117] She has to grow into her sudden authority on Stratovania.

In a very curious passage Thompson seems to give us Jellia's view of how a
ruler should act, nominally inspired by Ozma:
        How would Ozma act, for instance, if she were
        sitting on the throne of this singular airtry?
        Even thinking of the gentle and dignified
        little Girl Ruler of Oz steadied Jellia.
        Holding her head very high, she stepped down
        from the dais and began pacing slowly up and
        down the pavilion, switching her green skirts
        in such a regal manner that the two messengers
        who had returned quietly to their posts stared
        at her with new interest and admiration. . . .
                "You, Junnenrump, may send someone to
        amuse me, and you, Hippenscop, may bring me
        two of those winged staffs. . . ."
                The little fellow looked so distressed,
        Jellia was on the point of letting him off.
        Then, remembering just in time that she was
        bound to be obeyed, she raised her arm.
                "Go!" she commanded haughtily. "And do
        not return without two winged staffs!"
        Junnenrump already had started, and at Jellia's
        stern command Hippenscop backed dejectedly down
        the steps, his eyes bulging with dismay and
        consternation. [124-6]

Thus, even though Jellia thinks of Ozma as "gentle and dignified," her
portrayal of royal behavior is haughty, demanding, and stern. Thompson
never states that Jellia chooses this pattern because it's what the
Stratovanians would expect. Instead, the first paragraph above implies that
being "regal" involves nothing more than "switching her green skirts" in an
impatient way. (Jellia does leave an Ozma-like gift for her favorite
servant [162].)

Of course, Jellia never becomes real royalty like Ozma or Azarine, or even
Dorothy. Thompson assures us, "Though her cheeks were scratched and her
crown slightly askew, the little Waiting Maid looked every inch a ruler's
helper, if not a ruler" [134].

When Dorothy learns Jellia is an aristocrat on Stratovania, she assumes the
maid won't come home: "I don't suppose you'll EVER want to return to Oz
now. Why, you must be having a wonderful time!" [141--this only a few hours
after Dorothy had repeated the story of her first visit to Oz, with the
moral of how important home is.] Though Thompson would probably disavow
this conclusion, the implication of these passages is that being a ruler
        a) means haughtily ordering other people around and

        b) is clearly more fun than being a maidservant.

That lesson is reinforced in how Thompson describes Greta, the maid Jellia
and her comrades find at Glinda's castle. Thompson calls her "the sleepy
little castle-maid," and describes her stuttering, her eyes popping, her
bashful behavior. The Wizard pushes past her, and the Cowardly Lion roars
and springs at her, sending her "running off so fast she lost one of her
red slippers." Neill adds a picture of a chipmunk-cheeked girl in an
unbecoming skirt [234-5], a stark contrast to Azarine, whose beauty is
described over and over. Despite behaving perfectly soundly, Greta is
obviously meant to be a comic figure.

Over the course of OZOPLANING, Jellia becomes more active in steering the
plot. Her first use of the Kit Bag comes out of desperation [97]. Later,
however, Jellia has the idea of saying Strut has turned into the Cowardly
Lion [148]. [Why don't the Stratovanians wonder where the airmen are at
this moment--a thousand of their husbands, sons, and friends just gone off
to war?] Eventually the Wizard implicitly trusts in Jellia's scheming: "he
had the utmost confidence in Jellia Jam [sic]. The Young Oz Miss doubtless
had some plan in her clever little head and had chosen this way for him to
escape" [194].

After that point, however, it's up to the Wizard and Ozma to put everything
right. Toward the end of the book, Ozma teases Jellia about her experiences
as royalty. The maid insists she's "had enough of Kings to last me the rest
of my life!" [261] What's the ceiling of her ambition? Within minutes "she
already was flipping briskly over pictures and books" [265]. And while
Dorothy gets to introduce Azarine to the Emerald City crowd, "Jellia stayed
in the garden only a short while, for Jellia had other things to do" to
plan a banquet [271].

Thompson gives Jellia a number of unusual expressions of emotion in
OZOPLANING: "Thank gooseness!" and "My gooseness!"; "My pie!"; "For cake's
sake!" It seems significant that those all have to do with banquet food.
She even swears as a serving-maid.

J. L. Bell                 
JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:14:15 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: Glinda the Widow / OZOPLANING drill

Aaron Adelman wrote:
<<Glinda surrounding herself with women may be a psychological ploy to lull
her enemies into thinking she is highly susceptible.  (Women are
traditionally not warriors.)  On the other hand, it might also be a ploy to
make Glinda's enemies think that all Quadlings are dangerous, since she
surrounds herself with "relatively weak" women.>>

The women Glinda keeps around her include the most powerful army in the
land of Oz. Whatever stereotypes we might have about men and women, they
wouldn't last long in central Quadlingland.

It also wouldn't make sense for a ruler with Glinda's responsibilities to
portray herself as "highly susceptible." She benefits from presenting
herself as intimidatingly powerful, discouraging any attacks; that seems to
work since she has more longevity than any other major monarch in Oz. Other
rulers, such as Gloma, benefit from keeping very low profiles and not
threatening anyone else. But to show the world a society that's wealthy and
a pushover--there's no advantage there.

Speaking of Glinda's army, there's an interesting snatch of OZOPLANING
about it. When the party arrives at Glinda's castle, "Wantowin Battles had
at once gone off to waken an old Soldier Crony of his who drilled Glinda's
Girl Guard" [235]. I suspect, Thompson's notions of proper gender roles
being what they were, that she had in mind an old male soldier. And we
could put this together with her earlier statement that the Soldier with
the Green Whiskers "had applied as soon as he was grown for a position in
the army of Oz" [72] to theorize she was envisioning someone from the Oz
army who had gone south to help Glinda's "Girl Guard."

Baum's picture of the military in Oz is, of course, the exact opposite. The
Soldier with the Green Whiskers was the entire army of Oz in WIZARD and
LAND. Glinda's army moved north to seize the Emerald City back from
Jinjur's army after it had overwhelmed him. Knowing that, a more likely
Oz-as-history interpretation of Thompson's remark is that this "old Soldier
Crony" is a woman who drilled Glinda's army and also helped to rebuild
Ozma's, in which Omby Amby (Wantowin Battles) served.

J. L. Bell                 
JnoLBell at compuserve.com

Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2003 22:44:21 -0500
From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at compuserve.com>
Subject: OZOPLANING the war

Thompson started to plot OZOPLANING in the fall of 1938 and finished
writing in April 1939, according to Michael Hearn's afterword in the Oz
Club edition. The book was published in time for the release of the MGM
movie in August. That means Thompson wrote the whole novel before World War
2 officially started in Europe, with the invasion of Poland in September.

Nevertheless, I see signs that images and thoughts of war haunted
Thompson's imagination, and even became stronger as the work went on. Those
images would have been available to Thompson from Italy's invasion of
Ethiopia, Japan's invasion of China, and the Spanish Civil War. Most
ominous for her were probably Germany's move into the Sudetenland in late
1938, then the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 with simultaneous
threats on Poland.

The Oz Club edition of OZOPLANING quotes a summary of the book Thompson
wrote in Nov 1938 for Reilly & Lee to use in its early advertising [282-3].
Notably, at this point she made no mention of Strut's invasion of Oz, which
is the central plot thread in the final manuscript. Nor does the verse she
wrote for the front jacket flap around December hint at that threat to the
Emerald City [284-5].

At first the Stratovanian Blowmen appear like Thompson's other comic
forces, using horns to blow people away [94]. Jinnicky and Kabumpo met such
an army in PURPLE PRINCE, as I recall. But Strut's forces soon grow into "a
thousand young airmen" [119], truly frightening. At the end of the book we
learn that a "Swordsmith" is among them, though Thompson had never
mentioned any swords, and that their flying sticks contain a powerful
explosive [250].

Bustabo also commands, "An army!...Thousands of them!" [178], though that
numerical estimate comes from the frightened Soldier. Thompson may have
initially imagined these bowmen as primarily criminal rather than military;
in her summary she called Bustabo a "robber king."

Even the Soldier with the Green Whiskers actually fires his gun in this
book [96]. (Thompson assures us it's loaded only with "twenty marbles,"
which merely sting, but actually glass pellets in a musket could be quite
harmful.)

Appropriate for a book of sky adventures, however, air warfare seems to
have had the biggest influence on Thompson's imagination. Consider the
spikers' attack on the OZTOBER, explicitly like "the rattle of machine
guns" and at least reminiscent of the explosions of anti-aircraft artillery
around an airplane:
        evidently angered at what they saw, they began
        hurling and banging themselves against the sides of
        the Oztober till it sounded like the rattle of
        machine guns. . . . Nick Chopper, who already loved
        the Wizard's ship as if it were his own, shuddered
        as each spike struck the shining metal. Then, deciding
        that flight was the better part of valor, he hastily
        changed course, zooming up and up, faster and faster
        and FASTER! [76-7]

We've seen that image in countless movies made during and after WW2.

Or take how Dorothy and her friends bail out of Bustabo's tower jail in
their falling-out suits, which is a vividly written parachute jump:
        "Goodbye! I'm off!" Before the Scarecrow could stop
        her, Jellia was off indeed! Clutching the kit-bag to
        her bosom, she squeezed through the opening between 
        the bars and dove headlong into space! Next, the
        Scarecrow, with a sad little wave to Dorothy, dropped
        out of sight. . . .
                Trembling in every muscle, Dorothy climbed to
        the sill. Spreading both arms, she launched herself 
        into the air.
                She heard the grunt of the Cowardly Lion as he
        forced his way through the opening. Then the fierce
        rush of wind past her ears as she pitched downward
        drowned out all other sounds. At first she was sure
        the Wizard's falling-out suits were failures, for the
        lion plunged past her, falling like a plummet. She, 
        too, was whirling downward so fast she felt sure she
        would be crushed on the rocks below. Closing her eyes,
        she tried to resign herself to whatever was coming.  
        Then, suddenly, the pajamas filled with air, ballooning
        out till she floated lightly as a feather. . . .
                There was no moon, and in the faint starlight she
        could make out three other bulky shapes spinning through
        the air just beneath her. By kicking her legs and
        flapping her arms, Dorothy managed to miss several
        jutting rocks and tree limbs. As she floated lower, the
        suit began gradually to deflate, finally letting her down
        as softly as could be, on a strip of sand at the base of
        the mountain. [220-2]

Most strikingly, Thompson gives us the image of the Emerald City attacked
from the sky, its governors and elite fleeing (with Ozma's jewels but not
her magic, oddly) while its populace is left to fend for themselves:

        the Oztober and the swarm of flying warriors had been
        sighted almost as soon as they appeared above the green
        lands edging the capitol. Long before they reached the
        Emerald City itself, terrified messengers had brought
        word of the approaching airmen. Ozma being absent, Bettsy
        and Trot, the two little mortal girls who lived with
        Dorothy and the Supreme Ruler in the Emerald Palace, were
        in charge.
                After one glance at the flying army, they had called
        all the celebrities, servants and courtiers together and
        bade them flee for their lives. Then Bettsy, Trot, and the
        Patchwork Girl climbed into the Red Wagon. With the Saw
        Horse to pull them, they set off at a gallop to hide in the
        Blue Forests of the Munchkin Country till the invasion was
        over. Tik Tok, the Machine Man, carrying all of Ozma's loose
        jewels and valuables, marched rapidly after them.  The
        Medicine Man rode the Hungry Tiger, and the rest of the
        palace inmates ran helter-skelter down the yellow brick
        highway from the Capitol.
                The inhabitants of the Emerald City itself...were
        almost as afraid of the Oztober as of the Stratovanians.
        Pelting into their houses and shops, they bolted windows
        and doors and waited in terror-stricken silence for whatever
        was to come. Only the Guardian of the Gate stayed bravely at
        his post, waving his bunch of keys defiantly as the Ozoplane
        and the Airlanders swooped over the castle wall.  [244-6]

This militarization even affects some of our Oz favorites over the course
of the book. Early on, the Soldier reluctantly guesses that the Ozoplanes
might be meant for his military use, and that triggers this fervent
response from their inventor:
        "On, No! No! NO!" The Wizard frowned at the
        mere thought of war. [43]
At the end of the book, however, the Wizard has completely changed his
mind. He tells Ozma, "I hereby present your Majesty with my two splendid
Ozoplanes - for exploring, for pleasure, or for warfare!" [265]

J. L. Bell                  JnoLBell at compuserve.com

From: "Nathan Mulac DeHoff" <DinnerBell at ...>
Date: Sat Mar 22, 2003  11:33 pm
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] OZOPLANING the war

J. L. Bell:
>At first the Stratovanian Blowmen appear like Thompson's other comic 
>forces, using horns to blow people away [94]. Jinnicky and Kabumpo met such 
>an army in PURPLE PRINCE, as I recall.

The Double Up army was similar to that, but not exactly the same.  Their 
horns were "of the trick and sliding variety," and they slid out to knock 
out Kabumpo and Randy.

>Early on, the Soldier reluctantly guesses that the Ozoplanes 
>might be meant for his military use, and that triggers this fervent 
>response from their inventor: 
>         "On, No! No! NO!" The Wizard frowned at the 
>         mere thought of war. [43] 
>At the end of the book, however, the Wizard has completely changed his 
>mind. He tells Ozma, "I hereby present your Majesty with my two splendid 
>Ozoplanes - for exploring, for pleasure, or for warfare!" [265]

I noticed that oddity as well.  Of course, the whole idea of the Wizard 
building airplanes struck me as strange, when he hated "airships" in EMERALD 
CITY.  I suppose he must have changed his mind since then.

Nathan

From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at c...> 
Date:  Sat Mar 29, 2003  9:48 pm
Subject:  OZOPLANING jailbreak

When Dorothy, Jellia, and their companions escape from the tower where
Bustabo locks them, they benefit not simply from the Wizard's falling-out
suits but from some convenient illogicalities.

To begin with, "Some former prisoner had managed to saw through three
of the iron bars" [216]. Even before asking how a prisoner did
this without being detected, we should ask why anyone would even try
when the window is so high in the air.

Then it turns out that, as the Wizard explains, "Azarine, who was
imprisoned there before you, had an extra key. She said Bustabo would lock
you up in the tower!" [225] So Bustabo:
1) didn't search Azarine while locking her in that room, even
though it was her castle.
2) had so little security in the castle that she walked right out.
3) didn't test the bars on the tower windows after discovering
Azarine's escape.
4) despite having lost one princess from that cell, nevertheless
put another and additional prisoners into the same cell.

Eventually we learn that Azarine's castle also contains a dungeon, where
Bustabo has put Archibald the Archer [271]. Azarine either doesn't have a
key to this dungeon or doesn't care enough about her Archy to try to rescue
him. Bustabo chooses to lock his prisoners in the tower that he knows didn't
hold Azarine instead of the dungeon he knows is still holding Archibald.
And Azarine is certain that Bustabo would lock Dorothy and her friends
in the tower even though she knows about the dungeon.

J. L. Bell JnoLBell at c...

From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at c...>
Date:  Sat Mar 29, 2003  9:48 pm
Subject:  OZOPLANING nature of magic
 
On page 32, the Wizard says:
"Magic is like any other science: it takes
practice. Of course, if you are a born fairy
like Ozma and the former rulers of Oz, working
spells and charms just comes natural, like
playing the piano by ear. But if you are not a
Fairy, you must study witchcraft and sorcery
as I have done with Glinda the Good. It only
has been by continuous study and research that
I have managed to perfect myself in the arts
of wizardry."
This statement carries many implications of interest.

The notion of wizardry as a form of scientific learning goes back to Baum,
and connects with some other statements in OZOPLANING:
* Wizard: "I had not only the scientific knowledge of aeronautics
available to mortals, but the scientific knowledge of magic to help me as
well!" [42]
* "But a wizard without his books and equipment is almost as
helpless as a doctor without his pills and medicine bag" [195].

The Wizard's remarks about Ozma are more intriguing because I think this is
the first time any book says that rulers of Oz before Ozma were also
"born fairies," able to perform magic naturally. In ROYAL
BOOK Prof Wogglebug says she's "descended...from a long line of
fairies," but LOST KING doesn't present Pastoria as fully fairy
himself.

OZOPLANING repeats its characterization of the rules of Oz before Ozma when
it discusses the Wizard's arrival:
When the balloon bearing the name OZ on its
side sailed out of the clouds, the inhabitants
instantly hailed the traveler from America as
their ruler, supposing him to be another
member of the famous fairy family of Oz. [36]

(In contrast, the explanations in DOROTHY & WIZARD are, from the
Wizard, "When the people saw me come from the sky they naturally
thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before me"; and
from Ozma, "Many years before you came here this Land was united
under one Ruler, as it is now, and the Ruler's name was always 'Oz,'
which means in our language 'Great and Good'; or, if the Ruler
happened to be a woman, her name was always 'Ozma.' . . . That was why
the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from your
initials that you were their rightful ruler.")

OZOPLANING also returns to what LAND says about Ozma's grandfather being
the last king of Oz before the Wizard, rather than what LOST KING says
about Pastoria: "the rightful King of the Country and his son had been
destroyed by Mombi the Witch, who also had enchanted and hidden away Ozma,
the little Granddaughter of this unfortunate monarch" [35]. For what
it's worth, this statement comes with the authority of the Wizard's
tell-all-escope.

Thompson also seems to be making a distinction between "fairy"
and "Fairy," with the latter being a synonym for "born
fairy." That implies that there are some fairies who are made,
not born, as we'll see in WONDER CITY.

J. L. Bell JnoLBell at c...

From: "J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at c...>
Date:  Sat Mar 29, 2003  9:48 pm
Subject:  OZOPLANING stratigraphy

Neill labels his endpapers for OZOPLANING "Map of Oz," but they really show a stratospheric view of
the country, with Dorothy and Jellia (?) riding flying sticks above
it. The geography and stratigraphy of the book's adventure is a bit
more knotty.

When the OZTOBER lands on Stratovania, its hypsometer reports that it's
101,867 feet up in the air, or approximately 19.3 miles [84]. That matches
the actual stratosphere, which extends between 7 and 31 miles above sea
level.

Later the Cowardly Lion, "a trifle sarcastically," says that he and his
friends are falling back to the ground "at one hundred and forty miles
an hour" [175]. If that were true, the return journey would take
less than nine minutes. The flying sticks evidently do their job to
brake the party's descent.

Most of that return journey to Oz appears to be straight down, and it ends
only one or two miles from Glinda's castle [207]. Even if we assume that
the flying sticks pulled the party laterally away from the edge of Stratovania
for a reasonable distance, that still implies that the sky kingdom was
somewhere above Oz when they left.

If Stratovania moves about the atmosphere in relation to Earth's surface,
it would be a tremendously handy coincidence that Dorothy and her friends
could basically step off the sky island and land in their home country. If
not, that means Stratovania is always above Oz, implying additional interaction
between the kingdoms.

J. L. Bell JnoLBell at c...

From:  "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at t...>
Date:  Tue Apr 1, 2003  1:18 pm
Subject:  Toko, Eureka, & jumps in Oz

"J. L. Bell" <JnoLBell at c...>
Interesting comments on inconsistencies in the tower jailbreak. Sounds as
if RPT had a couple of different ideas about how to handle it, and wound up
switching among them without noticing it.

> [in the fall from Stratovania] the Cowardly Lion, "a trifle
sarcastically," says that he and his friends are falling back to the ground
"at one hundred and forty miles an hour" [175]. If that were true, the
return journey would take less than nine minutes. The flying sticks
evidently do their job to brake the party's descent. >

Or considerably less than nine minutes, if Ozian physics resembles Earthly
physics enough to increase the speed of the fall 32 feet per second per
second.

Ruth Berman

From:  "John L. Bell" <JnoLBell at c...>
Date:  Thu Apr 3, 2003  10:00 am
Subject:  OZOPLANING falling down

Ruth Berman wrote:
<<> [in the fall from Stratovania] the Cowardly Lion, "a trifle
sarcastically," says that he and his friends are falling back to the ground
"at one hundred and forty miles an hour" [175]. If that were true, the
return journey would take less than nine minutes. The flying sticks
evidently do their job to brake the party's descent. >

Or considerably less than nine minutes, if Ozian physics resembles Earthly
physics enough to increase the speed of the fall 32 feet per second per
second.>>

At some point the falling disk of frozen air would hit terminal velocity, I
think. I tried looking up that speed to see how it might relate to the
Lion's 140 mph, and didn't succeed. Anyone? Anyone?

J. L. Bell JnoLBell at c...

From:  David Hulan <dhulan at w...>
Date:  Tue Apr 8, 2003  8:35 am
Subject:  Terminal velocity

J.L.:
> Ruth Berman wrote:
> <<> [in the fall from Stratovania] the Cowardly Lion, "a trifle
> sarcastically," says that he and his friends are falling back to the
> ground
> "at one hundred and forty miles an hour" [175]. If that were true, the
> return journey would take less than nine minutes. The flying sticks
> evidently do their job to brake the party's descent. >
>
> Or considerably less than nine minutes, if Ozian physics resembles
> Earthly
> physics enough to increase the speed of the fall 32 feet per second per
> second.>>
>
> At some point the falling disk of frozen air would hit terminal
> velocity, I
> think. I tried looking up that speed to see how it might relate to the
> Lion's 140 mph, and didn't succeed. Anyone? Anyone?

Terminal velocity for a falling object is a complex function of its
mass, configuration, and the air density, so there's no way of knowing
what it would be for, specifically, the disk of frozen air with several
people and a lion on it. At a guess, though, it would be considerably
less than 140 miles an hour. My recollection is that an average human
has a terminal velocity more on the order of 70-80 mph (parachutists
sometimes survive jumps when their chute doesn't open - not often, but
sometimes), and I'd think that the disk of frozen air would have a
considerably higher drag coefficient than a human body. Terminal
velocity would probably be higher than a jumper with a parachute but
lower than one without; I'd make a crude estimate of maybe 40-50 mph,
but wouldn't be surprised at anything from 30-60.

From: Tyler Jones <tyler.jones at ...>
Date: Tue Apr 8, 2003  11:00 am
Subject: Ozoplaning falling Terminal Velocity

> At some point the falling disk of frozen air would hit terminal velocity
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/airfri2.html#c5

> I tried looking up that speed to see how it might relate to the
> Lion's 140 mph
According to that website, a skydiver's T.V. is 134 mph. Also, larger
objects have a higher T.V., so that the Lion may well have had 140 mph.
The frozen disk of air would be somewhere around there.

Tyler Jones

From: "Ruth Berman" <berma005 at ...>
Date: Wed Apr 9, 2003  9:56 am
Subject: oz velocities

David Hulan and Tyler Jones:
Interesting to see that a couple of reasonable estimates on terminal
velocity vary so widely -- the large number of variables involved lead to a
wide range of estimates, evidently. An additional variable is that
the Lion's comment that their speed is 140 mph is obviously not a precise
measurement.

Ruth Berman

From: "John W.  Kennedy" <jwkenned at ...>
Date: Wed Apr 9, 2003  10:46 am
Subject: Re: [Nonestica] Ozoplaning falling Terminal Velocity

Tyler Jones wrote:

> According to that website, a skydiver's T.V. is 134 mph. Also, larger 
> objects have a higher T.V.,

_Larger_ objects have a _lower_ terminal velocity.  _Heavier_ objects 
have a higher.

--
John W. Kennedy

"Only an idiot fights a war on two fronts.  Only the heir to the throne of the
kingdom of idiots would fight a war on twelve fronts." 
    -- "Babylon 5"