Vera Doria Poetry

In 1913, singer Vera Doria originated the role of Ozma in L. Frank Baum's stage musical The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. Later, she appeared in motion pictures, often in features starring Constance Talmadge. Doria spent many years in Shanghai, China, before returning to the United States in 1932. She published poetry, some of it in a religious vein.

I've published some of Doria's poems on this blog, here. You can learn more about Doria in All Wound Up, my book about The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, here.

The following poem by Doria, published in the magazine Southern Farmer in 1932 (and reprinted in the Lowndes Signal, Fort Deposit, Alabama, 20 October 1932, p. 5), starts out as if it's another religious one, but the ending may be a surprise. The publication credit lists Doria's married name, Vera Eyton Wavell, though by the time of publication, she was a widow.

FRIEND

Loyal and lovely,
Tenderly blind,
Splendidly selfless,
Willing and kind,
Wistfully eager,
Swift to comply,
Loving and guarding
And ready to die.

Oh, blessed companion,
Oh, friend for all time,
Oh, servitor gracious,
And soul pure and fine!
Supremely I trust you
And render your love,
My true-hearted comrade,
My beautiful dog.

I'd like the poem better if the last line actually rhymed.

Copyright © Eric Shanower 2025. All rights reserved.

New Review on Readers' Favorite

Randy B. Lichtman's five star review of All Wound Up: The Making of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz graces the Readers' Favorite website. Here it is:

Did you know that many years before the Marvel Universe, there was a Universe of Oz, started by author Frank Baum? Baum wrote many Oz books and turned them into films, stage plays, and musicals. In bringing his creations to the early screen and stage, he was the producer/director and sometimes actor who helped create some of the special effects for the works on stage. One of the musicals he wrote was The Tik-Tok Man of Oz which he co-created with American composer and music director, Louis F. Gottschalk in 1913. The musical was later revived by Eric Shanower for a convention of Oz enthusiasts in 2014, after which he wrote All Wound Up—The Making of the Tik-Tok Man of Oz: The Complete Story of the Spectacular Stage Musical.

The book is complete with history, photos, and behind-the-scenes information about the musical, but also provides a brief biography of Frank Baum and a very extensive biography of composer Louis F. Gottschalk. It is extremely well-researched and told in a very entertaining fashion, containing many fun stories including the challenges of the mechanics behind Hank the Mule (and the actor behind it). The book takes you into the era in which Baum lived, the challenges of bringing his piece to the stage, and includes the script of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (based on two surviving scripts). The author has done a remarkable job of bringing together a thorough history of the original production and the challenges of producing a revival today. If you enjoy reading behind-the-scenes production books and/or are a Wizard of Oz enthusiast, All Wound Up—The Making of the Tik-Tok Man of Oz by Eric Shanower is an enjoyable read.

Sounds super, doesn't it? If you want your own copy of All Wound Up, click here for the link.

Copyright © 2025 Eric Shanower. All rights reserved.

Hank Skips Out

Hank the Mule proved to be one of the biggest attractions of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. Well-known Canadian animal impersonator Fred Woodward (real name: Frederick James Warrington, Jr.), clothed in the furs of the celebrated mule, loved to make children in the audience laugh with joy. But offstage, Fred’s relationships with his own children lacked such benevolence.

His first known child presents a sad example. After nearly five and a half years of marriage, Fred's first wife Emily divorced him on February 5, 1906. About time—Fred had deserted Emily for the New York stage nearly three years previously. A primary reason for Fred’s desertion, Emily said, was that “he got another girl in trouble and had to get away in a hurry, I guess.”

Who was that other girl? Emily Warrington claimed the girl lived on Third Street in Detroit, Michigan. I haven’t found any other clues to her identity. But in birth records from Wayne County, Michigan, I found a possible trace of the child she bore. Is this Fred’s first offspring?

Birth record in question. Click to enlarge.

On April 4, 1902, a child with the surname of Warrington was born in Detriot. The surname of the parents, both Canadian, is also Warrington, suggesting that the mother was Fred’s first wife Emily. But Emily was pregnant at the time of this birth, so I strongly doubt this child is hers.

The child’s gender and skin color are unrecorded. Also unrecorded is the possibility that it was “illegitimate.” Other births recorded on the same page bear the notation “Ill” (illegitimate), but not this birth. If this child’s mother hid her own real name, she likely would have withheld the child's illegitimate status.

Did the child survive? Nearly five months later, Fred's wife Emily gave birth to his second child, a daughter Ethel, but weeks after being born, Ethel died of starvation. Could Fred's first child have died quickly, too? Or did it grow up to have offspring of its own? Does Hank the Mule have unidentified descendants living today?

Read all about Fred Woodward's life, career, and his problematic relationships with his other children in All Wound Up: The Making of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. Here's the link to buy a copy.

 

Notes

Hector Alliot, “For Children’s Joy; Gentle Art of Beast Portrayal,” Los Angeles (CA) Times, 8 April 1913, III 1. “Canada, Ontario, Marriages, 1869-1927,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZBC-F51 : Sun Mar 10 23:39:53 UTC 2024), Entry for Fred J Warrington and Fred Warrington, 23 Oct 1900. “Likes Tin Woodman,” Detroit (MI) Free Press, 6 February 1906, 10. "Wayne, Michigan, United States records," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QYS-GS?view=index : Jan 10, 2025), image 73 of 432; Michigan. Department of Vital Records; Film Number/Image Group Number: 004208780.

Copyright © 2025 Eric Shanower. All rights reserved.