Copyright status of The Wizard of Oz and related works in the United States
"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published in 1900, and was the first to enter the public domain in "1956". This allowed Reilly & Lee, the publisher of all the other Oz books (as well as Baum's other books) to issue their own edition of "The Wizard of Oz", which had previously been published by George M. Hill Company and later by the Bobbs Merill Company after Hill went bankrupt..
The Wizard of Oz (1925 film)
According to Ben Mankiewicz, the host of Turner Classic Movies, the film was poorly received by critics and audiences in 1925. However, Mordaunt Hall of "The New York Times" gave it a favorable review at the time, writing "'The Wizard of Oz' can boast of being the type of rough and tumble farce that sends bright faces from the theatre." The Chicago-based publication "Photoplay", one of the first American film fan magazines, highly recommended the film to its large readership in 1925, warning "If you don’t take your children to see this, they will never forgive you." The magazine then adds in its review, "Nothing quite so funny as Larry Semon in the role of the "Scarecrow" has happened in a long time...and the biggest grouch in the world will get a laugh out of Larry's antics with the lions."