The Richard Driehaus Museum is a repository of decorative arts and Gilded Age treasures. I covered A Nativity Tribute last year at the Murphy Auditorium, featuring stained-glass windows and throne chairs donated by the American College of Surgeons. The museum, located in the former Nickerson mansion, is a beautifully restored Gilded Age treasure that perfectly showcases the wealth of early Chicago. One of the current exhibits is The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page, and for this Wizard of Oz fan, it was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill.
The prototype of the Flying Monkey suit has evolved into a more elaborate, military-style costume with a jaunty hat. It is more bellhop than evil primate. In the book, the Witch has a special cap that she wears to summon the Flying Monkeys with a special spell chant. In the movie, the leading Flying Monkey is the Witch's constant companion, ready to do her bidding. Who can forget the sky over Oz turning black with winged and screeching creatures.
I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz every year on black-and-white television, knowing that different colors represented the different counties of Oz. Munchkin Land was all blue, the Wicked Witch's county was yellow, which creeped me out every time I read it, and Glinda the Good's county was red. I didn't see the movie in color until the '70s, and was a bit disappointed when Dorothy's house landed in a Pink Floyd vision of Technicolor and little people. The good that came out of it was that my imagination had filled in what I knew from the book, and I fell in love with the movie.
The Wicked Witch of the West's castle is described in the book as sparse and guarded by her army, called the Winkies. The Winkies are all yellow, which now reminds me of Cousin Kevin's bathroom in Tommy (1975). In the movie The Wizard of Oz, the Witch's castle is a Brutalist structure with nothing comfortable. Note the giant crystal ball where Dorothy saw Auntie Em and then Margaret Hamilton mocking her. In the book, Dorothy tricks the Witch into tripping over an invisible bar meant to make the ruby slippers fly off of Dorothy's feet. The Witch fell headfirst into a bucket of mop water and melted. I thought it was very clever, but the movie was much more exciting when Dorothy saved her friend, the Scarecrow, from being set on fire.
As I learned more about the MGM production, I marveled at the special effects' detail before CGI was used. Flying monkeys! The Wicked Witch of the West flying on a broom and skywriting "Surrender, Dorothy" in black smoke? An iridescent bubble floating to Oz and turning into Billie Burke, aka Glinda the Good. There wasn't much of that in The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page, but there is a great exhibit of artifacts directly from the artists and writers at MGM. Some top-secret typewritten scripts and illustrations that served as set backdrops are on display. The next time you watch the movie, and the travelers can see the Emerald City, look at how it sparkles. In the painting on exhibit, tiny pinpricks create a sparkling effect. I could hear the dialogue in my head as I viewed each one.
Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion is still one of my favorite movie characters ever. I consider the speech that he gives outside of the Wizard's palace to be the first rap song. "What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the 'ape' in ape-ricot? Whatta they got that I ain't got?" This is a replica of the medal from the movie.
I highly recommend a trip to the Richard Driehaus Museum to see The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page. It's great for film buffs and readers of the L. Frank Baum Oz series. There are magical creatures and modes of transport that I wished were real when I was a kid. The other exhibits include an exquisite display of Tiffany lamps, glass, and pottery. Some of them decorated the Nickerson home. The Oz exhibit is on the third floor, so you can work your way down and see the silk wallpaper, elaborately carved walnut trimmings, and the largest sterling silver inkwell I have ever seen. Also, check out the Gilded Age menu in the dining room. You will see why gout was a plague on the well-fed barons of industry.
The Land of Oz: Beyond the Page runs through March 15, 2026, at the Richard E. Driehaus Museum, 50 E. Erie St. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday; check for holiday hours this season. Also the museum will be closed for annual care and maintenance January 5-16. For hours and information, please visit www.driehausmuseum.org.
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