The Other Side of Oz [Hardcover]

Buddy Ebsen (Author), Stephen Cox (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ebsen's career was launched when he and his sister Vilma danced in the Eddie Cantor Broadway hit Whoopee! and in Ziegfield Follies of 1934 . Later, in Hollywood, his co-stars numbered the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Temple and Audrey Hepburn. Ebsen's media have included stage, radio, movies and TV, but he is best known for his roles in the long-running TV series Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones . In this memoir, the performer, who was born in Illinois in 1908, the son of German immigrants, recalls his early film experiences, especially as the originally cast Tin Woodsman in The Wizard of Oz --before he was fired. Unfortunately, despite the obvious richness of Ebsen's career, fragmentary reminiscences and amateur writing do not make for an involving autobiography. Photos.

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Donovan Pub Co; First Edition edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880538083
• ISBN-13: 978-1880538081
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insights on the behind-the -scenes happenings., October 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Other Side of Oz (Hardcover)

I feel that Buddy could have gone more indepth on several occasions. That is why I rate this book a "4" star. Overall, the book is very good in that Buddy shares a lot of the frustrations of the happenings behind the scenes. Tells of his start in show business with his sister, to his alergic reaction to the costume of the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz", to his role in the Beverly Hillbillies, and beyond. Very interesting reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really awesome,and very helpful., November 3, 2002

By 

Don Morris (Douglasville, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Other Side of Oz (Hardcover)

I had to pick a book for school that was on an American autobiography. I decided to pick Buddie Ebsen. When I was younger I loved the wizard of oz. I never knew he was suppose to be the original tin man. His book made me laugh and really think about the real life of Hollywood. Buddie seems to be an awesome actor and man. My favorite movie he made was Davy Crocket. I would recommend his book to all ages young and old. I really enjoyed his book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but much too short, August 12, 2011

By 

Markku Ojanen (Lempäälä Finland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Other Side of Oz (Hardcover)

Buddy Ebsen seems to be a very nice person and writes fluently. The beginning of his life is quite well described, but I would like to know a lot more of his later TV series and movies. It was a bit irritating to get only a few stories about his later life. The font of the book was a large one. There are a lot of pictures, which are good but lessen reading. Thus one could read this book very fast. Maybe I am too harsh, but I believe he could have much more to tell about his life and especially about making those series and films. It is worth reading, though. But prepare yourself for a very short book.