John Fricke
Encyclopedia
John Fricke is a historian/author on The Wizard of Oz
and Judy Garland
. He has been a major figure in the Oz community for many years. He recently served as consultant for every aspect of the new 2005 deluxe DVD set(s) of M-G-M's The Wizard of Oz, released by Warner Home Video. This includes his participation and appearance in the accompanying L. Frank Baum
documentary, The Man Behind the Curtain.
Fricke's four books include 100 Years of Oz (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1999)—an overview of both Baum's career and the entire Oz phenomenon—and The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History, most recently reissued in 1998 by Warner Books. Fricke has served as lecturer/moderator and/or master of ceremonies at all the major Oz and Baum festivals, celebrations, and conventions, from Frank Baum's hometown in Chittenango, New York
, to Chesterton, IN; Wamego, KS; Judy Garland's birthplace in Grand Rapids, MN, and at conventions, conferences, and symposia everywhere from New York to Chicago to California. He is an active member – past president and past editor – of The International Wizard of Oz Club
, frequently appearing on programs at Club events. He portrayed Tik-Tok in the first (and so far only) presentation of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
since its original run in 1913 at Club presentations in 1982 and 1984.
He has discussed Baum, Oz, Garland or all three on literally hundreds of international media outlets including the NBC-TV Today Show, the A&E cable network Breakfast With the Arts, the syndicated Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and National Public Radio. He has appeared on many occasions as spokesman for Warner Bros.
, Turner Entertainment
, Rhino Records, Capitol Records
, and MGM/UA Home Video.
For the International Wizard of Oz Club, Fricke has served as president, vice-president, a member of the Board of Directors, and as editor in chief and contributing editor of its magazine, The Baum Bugle
. He is a recipient of the group’s L. Frank Baum Memorial Award. He is presently consultant to both The Land of Oz Preservation Company in Syracuse, NY, and The Judy Garland Heirs Trust.
In 1999, Fricke assisted songwriter Hugh Martin
in writing new lyrics for Garland's classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
as a religious song, "Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas". The song was recorded by gospel vocalist Del Delker
and sung in concert by other Christian artists and is available in sheet music. Martin credits Fricke with the idea of writing a sacred version of the song in his 2010 autobiography "The Boy Next Door".
Fricke received a 2004 Emmy Award as coproducer of the two-hour, PBS American Masters
program, Judy Garland: By Myself. This was his second recognition by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; he won similar honors in 1997 as coproducer and cowriter of the A&E Biography special, Judy: Beyond the Rainbow, which was based on his acclaimed book, Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer (Henry Holt, 1992). His most recent book, Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art and Anecdote, was published in 2003 by Bulfinch Press and includes a foreword by Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft
. It was the first such participation in any author's treatise on their mother by one of Judy's children.
Fricke received a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Album Notes for the compact disc, Judy Garland: 25th Anniversary Retrospective (1996), which he produced for Capitol Records. In 2004, he served as DVD on-camera host for Warner Home Video, writing and delivering introductions to three classic Garland films (Love Finds Andy Hardy
, Ziegfeld Girl
, In the Good Old Summertime
); he also recorded complete historical commentary for the alternate audio tracks of two of other Garland titles in their DVD debut, Meet Me in St. Louis
and For Me and My Gal
, and is similarly heard throughout Easter Parade, which was released on DVD in March 2005. Earlier, he was co-producer of the highly acclaimed laser disc box sets, The Ultimate Oz (1993) and Judy Garland: The Golden Years at M-G-M (1995).
Between 1995 and 2002, Fricke wrote the extensive booklets for the Turner Classic Movie Music/Rhino Movie Music series of Garland Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
soundtrack compact discs, thus providing detailed histories of The Wizard of Oz, Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band, Babes on Broadway, For Me and My Gal, Girl Crazy, The Harvey Girls, The Pirate, Easter Parade, In the Good Old Summertime, and Summer Stock. Fricke provided similar notes for the 2004 Sony compact disc of Garland's A Star is Born.
Associate producer and writer for the two sold-out 1998 concerts, Carnegie Hall Celebrates the Music of Judy Garland, Fricke also co-produced the 1992 Garland exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
at Lincoln Center. That ten-week display drew the largest crowds for any such retrospective in the history of the venue.
Fricke was, respectively, associate producer and creative consultant for the CBS-TV documentary, The Wizard of Oz: The Making of A Movie Classic (1990) and the PBS-TV Great Performances program, Judy Garland: The Concert Years (1985), both of which received Emmy Award
nominations. He was consultant to virtually all production departments for Life With Judy Garland/Me and My Shadows (2001), the ABC television motion picture. Fricke also wrote, hosted, and codirected the Telly Award winning home video documentary, We're Off to See the Munchkins in 1992.
Most recently he compiled and annotated the Savoy Jazz CDs, That Old Feeling/Classic Ballads from The Judy Garland Show and Judy Garland and Friends: Duets, both of which were released in summer 2005. Fricke's profile about the career association of Garland and Oz/A Star Is Born composer Harold Arlen
appeared in the April 2005 issue of The Cue Sheet/Quarterly Journal of The Film Music Society. He has also written for TV Guide
, People
, and Memories magazines, among many others.
Fricke was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended John Marshall High School.
Fricke also appeared in the 2007 documentary Return To Oz: The Joy That Got Away.
In late 2008 and early 2010, Fricke picked out songs selections and achivial film material for the traveling Judy Garland in Concert where live performances were projected on huge screens as Boston Pops and many other state orchestras cued up music to her legendary voice.
Fricke wrote a coffee table book The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Classic, printed and released in 2009.
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
and Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
. He has been a major figure in the Oz community for many years. He recently served as consultant for every aspect of the new 2005 deluxe DVD set(s) of M-G-M's The Wizard of Oz, released by Warner Home Video. This includes his participation and appearance in the accompanying L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
documentary, The Man Behind the Curtain.
Fricke's four books include 100 Years of Oz (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1999)—an overview of both Baum's career and the entire Oz phenomenon—and The Wizard of Oz: The Official 50th Anniversary Pictorial History, most recently reissued in 1998 by Warner Books. Fricke has served as lecturer/moderator and/or master of ceremonies at all the major Oz and Baum festivals, celebrations, and conventions, from Frank Baum's hometown in Chittenango, New York
Chittenango, New York
Chittenango is a village located in Madison County, New York, in the United States. The village is in the south part of the Town of Sullivan. The population was 5,081 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, to Chesterton, IN; Wamego, KS; Judy Garland's birthplace in Grand Rapids, MN, and at conventions, conferences, and symposia everywhere from New York to Chicago to California. He is an active member – past president and past editor – of The International Wizard of Oz Club
The International Wizard of Oz Club
The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc., was founded during 1957 by Justin G. Schiller, a then thirteen-year-old boy.The sixteen charter members, some of whom continue to make valuable contributions to the club, were garnered from the mailing list found among the papers of the recently deceased...
, frequently appearing on programs at Club events. He portrayed Tik-Tok in the first (and so far only) presentation of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz
The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is a musical play with book and lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Louis F. Gottschalk that opened in Los Angeles, California on March 31, 1913. It is loosely inspired by Baum's book, Ozma of Oz , and the basis for his 1914 novel, Tik-Tok of Oz. It was promoted as "A...
since its original run in 1913 at Club presentations in 1982 and 1984.
He has discussed Baum, Oz, Garland or all three on literally hundreds of international media outlets including the NBC-TV Today Show, the A&E cable network Breakfast With the Arts, the syndicated Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and National Public Radio. He has appeared on many occasions as spokesman for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. is an American media company founded by Ted Turner. Now owned by Time Warner, the company is largely responsible for overseeing its library for worldwide distribution Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. (commonly known as Turner Entertainment Co.) is an American...
, Rhino Records, Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, and MGM/UA Home Video.
For the International Wizard of Oz Club, Fricke has served as president, vice-president, a member of the Board of Directors, and as editor in chief and contributing editor of its magazine, The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle
The Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz is the official journal of The International Wizard of Oz Club. The journal was founded in 1957, with its first issue released in June of that year . It publishes three times per year, with issues dated Spring, Autumn, and Winter; Issue No. 1 of Volume 50 appeared in...
. He is a recipient of the group’s L. Frank Baum Memorial Award. He is presently consultant to both The Land of Oz Preservation Company in Syracuse, NY, and The Judy Garland Heirs Trust.
In 1999, Fricke assisted songwriter Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...
in writing new lyrics for Garland's classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics, which has become more common than the original. The song was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane...
as a religious song, "Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas". The song was recorded by gospel vocalist Del Delker
Del Delker
Del Delker is an American contralto sacred music female vocalist who has sung on the Voice of Prophecy radio ministry since 1947.Delker has recorded over forty albums for Chapel Records since the early 1950s. Among the songs she is best known for are "The Love of God", "Ten Thousand Angels", and...
and sung in concert by other Christian artists and is available in sheet music. Martin credits Fricke with the idea of writing a sacred version of the song in his 2010 autobiography "The Boy Next Door".
Fricke received a 2004 Emmy Award as coproducer of the two-hour, PBS American Masters
American Masters
American Masters is a PBS television show which produces biographies on the artists, actors and writers of the United States who have left a profound impact on the nation's popular culture. It is produced by WNET in New York City...
program, Judy Garland: By Myself. This was his second recognition by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; he won similar honors in 1997 as coproducer and cowriter of the A&E Biography special, Judy: Beyond the Rainbow, which was based on his acclaimed book, Judy Garland: World's Greatest Entertainer (Henry Holt, 1992). His most recent book, Judy Garland: A Portrait in Art and Anecdote, was published in 2003 by Bulfinch Press and includes a foreword by Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...
. It was the first such participation in any author's treatise on their mother by one of Judy's children.
Fricke received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Album Notes for the compact disc, Judy Garland: 25th Anniversary Retrospective (1996), which he produced for Capitol Records. In 2004, he served as DVD on-camera host for Warner Home Video, writing and delivering introductions to three classic Garland films (Love Finds Andy Hardy
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Love Finds Andy Hardy is a 1938 romantic comedy film which tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Mary Howard and Gene...
, Ziegfeld Girl
Ziegfeld girl
Ziegfeld Girls were the chorus girls from Florenz Ziegfeld's theatrical spectaculars known as the Ziegfeld Follies , which were based on the Folies Bergère of Paris....
, In the Good Old Summertime
In the Good Old Summertime
In the Good Old Summertime is a 1949 musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It starred Judy Garland, Van Johnson and S.Z. Sakall.The film is a musical adaptation of the 1940 film, The Shop Around the Corner, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, and...
); he also recorded complete historical commentary for the alternate audio tracks of two of other Garland titles in their DVD debut, Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
and For Me and My Gal
For Me and My Gal (film)
For Me and My Gal is a 1942 American musical film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly – in his screen debut – and George Murphy, and featuring Martha Eggerth and Ben Blue. The film was written by Richard Sherman, Fred F...
, and is similarly heard throughout Easter Parade, which was released on DVD in March 2005. Earlier, he was co-producer of the highly acclaimed laser disc box sets, The Ultimate Oz (1993) and Judy Garland: The Golden Years at M-G-M (1995).
Between 1995 and 2002, Fricke wrote the extensive booklets for the Turner Classic Movie Music/Rhino Movie Music series of Garland Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
soundtrack compact discs, thus providing detailed histories of The Wizard of Oz, Babes in Arms, Strike Up the Band, Babes on Broadway, For Me and My Gal, Girl Crazy, The Harvey Girls, The Pirate, Easter Parade, In the Good Old Summertime, and Summer Stock. Fricke provided similar notes for the 2004 Sony compact disc of Garland's A Star is Born.
Associate producer and writer for the two sold-out 1998 concerts, Carnegie Hall Celebrates the Music of Judy Garland, Fricke also co-produced the 1992 Garland exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center houses one of the world's largest collections of materials relating to the performing arts. It is one of the four research centers of the New York Public Library's Research library system, and it is also one...
at Lincoln Center. That ten-week display drew the largest crowds for any such retrospective in the history of the venue.
Fricke was, respectively, associate producer and creative consultant for the CBS-TV documentary, The Wizard of Oz: The Making of A Movie Classic (1990) and the PBS-TV Great Performances program, Judy Garland: The Concert Years (1985), both of which received Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations. He was consultant to virtually all production departments for Life With Judy Garland/Me and My Shadows (2001), the ABC television motion picture. Fricke also wrote, hosted, and codirected the Telly Award winning home video documentary, We're Off to See the Munchkins in 1992.
Most recently he compiled and annotated the Savoy Jazz CDs, That Old Feeling/Classic Ballads from The Judy Garland Show and Judy Garland and Friends: Duets, both of which were released in summer 2005. Fricke's profile about the career association of Garland and Oz/A Star Is Born composer Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
appeared in the April 2005 issue of The Cue Sheet/Quarterly Journal of The Film Music Society. He has also written for TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, and Memories magazines, among many others.
Fricke was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended John Marshall High School.
Fricke also appeared in the 2007 documentary Return To Oz: The Joy That Got Away.
In late 2008 and early 2010, Fricke picked out songs selections and achivial film material for the traveling Judy Garland in Concert where live performances were projected on huge screens as Boston Pops and many other state orchestras cued up music to her legendary voice.
Fricke wrote a coffee table book The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Classic, printed and released in 2009.
List of Audio Commentaries
- Babes in ArmsBabes in ArmsBabes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:...
- Easter Parade, with actor Fred AstaireFred AstaireFred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
's daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie - For Me and My GalFor Me and My Gal (film)For Me and My Gal is a 1942 American musical film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly – in his screen debut – and George Murphy, and featuring Martha Eggerth and Ben Blue. The film was written by Richard Sherman, Fred F...
- Girl CrazyGirl Crazy (1943 film)Girl Crazy is a 1943 musical film produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Based on the stage musical of the same name, Girl Crazy stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in their ninth of ten pairings, partly filmed on location near Palm Springs, California...
- Meet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
, with actress Margaret O'BrienMargaret O'BrienMargaret O'Brien is an American film and stage actress. Although her film career as a leading character was brief, she was one of the most popular child actors in cinema history...
, composer Hugh MartinHugh MartinHugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...
, screenwriter Irving BrecherIrving BrecherIrving Brecher enjoyed early success as a screenwriter for the Marx Brothers; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film including At the Circus in 1939 and Go West in 1940...
, and producer Arthur FreedArthur FreedArthur Freed was born Arthur Grossman in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a Jewish American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer.- Biography :Freed began his career as a song-plugger and pianist in Chicago...
's daughter Barbara Freed-Saltzman - The PirateThe PirateThe Pirate is a 1948 American musical feature film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. With songs by Cole Porter, it stars Judy Garland and Gene Kelly with co-stars Walter Slezak, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Owen, and George Zucco.-Plot:...
- The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, with other participants