On December 6, RR Auction sold a publicity photo from "The Wizard of Oz" signed to one Dana E. Clarke by actor Ray Bolger, calling himself "The Scarecrow of Oz." It is signed with a black felt tip pen.
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| Ray Bolger RR Auction ended December 6, 2023 |
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| Ray Bolger Nate D. Sanders Auctions |
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The surgical team has some news for Dorothy and Toto in the CartoonStock Caption Contest #172. The rules of the monthly cash prize contest haven't changed: five dollars buys up to three entries. Real cash prizes are $500 for first place and $100 for each of five runners up. As of this writing, I've put $85 into the first seventeen pay-to-play contests and this eighteenth one brings my total cash outlay to $90. But I've collected $200 from the previous contests, so I'm still doing very well. In fact, so few contestants enter that the odds are actually quite favorable. My three entries are shown below, above the break. The cartoonist of a different color is Robert Leighton.
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"We had to use anesthesia. We got nowhere with the poppies." "The tinsmith also forgot to give him health insurance." "Let me begin by saying ding dong." * * * "Yes, yes, yes, we were all there." |
October 29, 2023 Update: The Winner
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| https://www.cartoonstock.com/blog/dorothy-and-the-doctors-caption-contest-commentary-with-lawrence-wood/ |
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The deluxe limited edition of Oz: The Hundredth Anniversary Celebration is signed by an impressive array of thirty leading children's book authors and illustrators including cover artist Maurice Sendak. Originally selling for about $100, this handsome, slipcased edition is priced considerably higher today—that is, if you can find a copy at all.
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| Cover art by Maurice Sendak |
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| Oz: The Hundredth Anniversary Celebration Classic Editions listing accessed August 25, 2021 https://www.classiceditions.com/oz-the-100-year-celebration-signed-by-30-including-maurice-sendak-88-of-100/ |
Note: Thanks to illustrator and children's book fancier Stephen Kroninger for bringing me up to speed on this deluxe edition and steering me clear of the flying monkeys.
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I've always admired Michael Foreman's watercolor technique. Here he illustrates a familiar scene:
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| Michael Foreman Chris Beetles, Ltd., listing accessed January 20, 2021 |
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