This silent version of L. Frank Baum's classic children's book is nowhere near as good as the 1939 MGM masterpiece. The story is completely bizarre and instead of a sense of wonder we are given slapstick and utter silliness. The cast, at least, boasts Oliver Hardy as the Tin Woodsman, before he made history with Stan Laurel as one of the greatest of all screen comedy duos.

The mixed up plot has an eighteen-year-old Dorothy, with bee-stung lips and a flapper's pout, finding out she is really the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Oz. It seems she was left on the Kansas doorstep of Uncle Henry and Aunt Em by the evil Prime Minister Kruel in order to keep her from fulfilling her destiny by marrying the handsome Prince Kynd when she grew up.

Through several interspersed scenes, a narrator/ toy maker, reading to a small child, tells the story. There is no witch in sight, good or bad, and the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion are just people who don costumes. Although the Judy Garland version does steal at least one idea from this rather confusing flick, namely the fact that the characters are all hired hands that work on Uncle Henry's farm.

This movie does have one of the largest roles for an African American actor that I have seen in almost any silent movie. Unfortunately he is a walking Step N Fetchit stereotype, complete with knocking knees and silly, wide-eyed stare. The one redeeming feature about his role is that he is the one who puts on the Cowardly Lion costume, so a little known black actor named Spencer Bell played the original screen version of this classic character.

The man behind this failed attempt is almost forgotten today. Larry Semon, who plays the Scarecrow, wrote, directed and starred in dozens of silent comedies and was a well-known star of his day.

This movie is worth watching only as a curiosity. It does feature some somewhat inventive special effects but overall it is not a very good movie.

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