Tales of the Wizard of Oz



Tales of the Wizard of Oz is a 1961 animated television series, produced by Crawley Films for Videocrafts (later known as Videocraft and ultimately Rankin/Bass). This is the second animated series produced by the studio, and the first by Rankin/Bass to feature traditional animation.

The series features stories derived from characters created in L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Several characters are given additional names, including Dandy Lion, Rusty Tin Man, and Socrates the Scarecrow.

Artistic renditions of the Oz characters created for this series were later featured in the hour-long television special, Return to Oz. The series was also adapted to a comic book for a one-shot in Dell's Four Color #1308 [March–May 1962].

As of, this series has yet to be released on DVD. Ironically, both this series and Filmation's own animated project, Journey Back to Oz (which began production two years later and ultimately finished in 1971), are now owned by the same company, DreamWorks Animation.

In October 2010, the series was re-issued on the Retro Television Network.

Return to Oz, the 1964 specials, was use as a Season 4 series, for the series finale of Tales of the Wizard of Oz.

Cast List
Cast (C) 1961 Rankin Bass Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 * Carl Banas - The Wizard
 * Corinne Conley - Dorothy
 * Bernard Cowan - Munchkins, Various
 * Stan Francis - Various
 * Paul Kligman - Dandy Lion, Ham
 * Peggi Loder - Various
 * Larry D. Mann - Rusty Tin Man, the Wicked Witch, Topsy Turvy, Desmond the Dragon
 * Alfie Scopp - Socrates Strawman, Baker, Robby the Rubber Man

Season 1 (1961 - 1962)

 * The Witch Switch
 * Leapin Lion
 * The Magic Hat
 * Machine-Gun Morris
 * Movie Maid
 * The Big Cake Bake
 * Desmond's Dilemma
 * The Raffle
 * Be a Card
 * The Great Oz Auto Race
 * Well Done
 * The Do-It-Yourself Heart
 * The Hillies and Billies
 * Love Sick
 * The Wisdom Teeth
 * The Brain
 * Bake Your Cake and Eat it Too
 * A Fish Tale
 * The Last Straw
 * Plug-In Courage
 * Boomer Rang
 * The Family Tree
 * The Pudgy Lion
 * The Great Laruso
 * Beauty and the Beach
 * The Wizard's Magic Wand
 * The Balloon Buzz
 * Shadow Shakes
 * Misfire Miss
 * Gung-Ho Gang
 * Heart Burn
 * Stuffed
 * The Fountain of Youth
 * The Rubber Man
 * The Happy Forest
 * Dandy's Dilemma

Season 2 (1963 - 1964)

 * The Search
 * The Bag of Wind
 * The Music Men
 * To Bee or Not to Bee
 * Have Your Pie and Eat it Too
 * The Sound of Munchkins
 * The Count
 * Places, Please
 * The Green Golfer
 * The Flying Carpet
 * The Monkey Convention
 * The Cultured Lion
 * The Jail Breakers
 * The Reunion
 * The Sucker
 * The Bubble Champ
 * Too Much Heart
 * The Witch's Boyfriend
 * The Clock Watchers
 * Double Trouble
 * The O.N.
 * Going to Pieces
 * Mail-Order Lover
 * The School Marm
 * An Optical Delusion
 * Watch the Bouncing Bull
 * All in a Lather
 * The Green Thumb
 * Leap Frog
 * The Big Shot
 * On the Wing
 * To Stretch a Point
 * The Flipped Lid
 * Down in the Mouth
 * The Gusher
 * It's a Dog's Life

Season 3 (1965 - 1966)

 * The Munchkin Robin Hood
 * The Wizard's Tailfins
 * The Fallen Star
 * Friends of a Feather
 * Monkey Air Lift
 * Guaranteed for Life
 * The Skills of Bravery
 * The Coat of Arms
 * Roar, Lion, Roar
 * The Inferior Decorator
 * The Salesman
 * The Cat's Meow
 * The Yellow Brick Road
 * Rusty Rusty
 * The Scarecrow
 * The Invisible Man
 * Free Trade
 * The Bull Fighter
 * The Golden Touch
 * The Long Hair
 * Roll the Presses
 * The Big Brother
 * The Cool Lion
 * Gabe the Gobbler
 * The Strawman Twist
 * The Dinner Party
 * The Fire Chief
 * The Green Tomato
 * The Poet
 * The Three Musketeers
 * Get Out the Vote
 * The Mail Man
 * The Pony Express
 * Chowy Mein
 * The Super Duper Market

Season 4 (1967 - 1968)

 * Dorothy Returns to Oz
 * The Munchkins
 * Glinda
 * The Wicked Witch's Song
 * The Tin Woodman
 * The Scarecrow
 * The Cowardly Lion
 * Off to Emerald City
 * "I'am, I'am, I'am Better then You!"
 * Flying Alligators
 * The Storm
 * The Wicked Witch's Final Conformation
 * Dorothy and Her Friends's Promises
 * Dorothy Returns Home (Series Finale)