The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical)
The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 musical extravaganza based on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, which was originally published in 1900. Much of the original music was by Paul Tietjens and has been mostly forgotten, although it was still well-remembered and in discussion at MGM in 1939 when the classic film version of the story was made. Although Baum is the credited bookwriter, Glen MacDonough was hired on as jokewriter after Baum had finished the script.
Musical selections in The Wizard of Oz
This album was quite a success, and after being reissued in a 45-rpm version and as a 10-inch LP, it was finally re-released in 1956 as one side of a 12-inch 33 rpm LP, the other side occupied by cover versions of songs from Disney's "Pinocchio" (1940), with Cliff Edwards, the film's Jiminy Cricket, as lead soloist. This is also the year that MGM Records first released an authentic soundtrack album of "The Wizard of Oz".