1973 Winkie Convention

n 1973, Lois Newman, who had attended many of the one-day Winkie Conventions in Los Angeles, served as chairman. An Oz Research Table was set up so that writers in the group could share their essays, stories, and art related to Oz. As an evening event there was a special showing of Journey Back to Oz, a Filmation animated production, which Wikipedia reminds us was graced with the voices of a stellar cast. The movie features the voice and singing debut of Liza Minnelli as Dorothy Gale (played in the previous 1939 film by her late mother, Judy Garland). Other voices were by Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, Paul Lynde, Herschel Bernardi, Paul Ford, Danny Thomas, Margaret Hamilton (also from the 1939 film, but now playing Aunt Em rather than the Wicked Witch of the West), and opera singer Risë Stevens as Glinda. The challenging Winkie quiz was won by young Noah Seaman of New York City who had arrived in a mobile home driven by his parents Gideon and Barbara. Barbara, a journalist, was documenting a family journey to the West Coast, and Noah, clearly already an Oz enthusiast, realized that they would be in California at the right time for the Winkie Convention. Noah and his family retained a connection to the Oz Club from New York City for many years. New emphasis was put on the Winkie Oz Costume Contest (which, incidentally, had been won in 1968 in Santa Barbara by young Kevin Harris as Ojo of Oz), and the costumes became an increasingly important feature of the Winkie Conventions in subsequent years. The grounds around the lodge at Cambria served as an elegant and challenging environment for the Sunday morning Oz Treasure Hunt, which also became an annual tradition of the Winkie Conventions. Warren Hollister served as Winkie auctioneer, and Kevin Harris won the challenging Oz quiz.

From Winkie Newsletter Vol 2 #3, Written by Peter Hanff