Finding Dorothy

L. Frank Baum’s wife, Maud Gage Baum, arrives at MGM Studios for a meeting with the studio’s head. Her goal is to serve as a consultant for the movie The Wizard of Oz, which is based on her husband’s book of the same name. She wants to preserve his vision and the spirit of the story. She meets several people on her way to Mayer’s office, all of whom react with differing levels of excitement. Some have never heard of her, Baum, or Oz, while others have fond memories of reading the books as children themselves.

When Mayer’s secretary directs her into his office, he does not take her request to serve as a consultant seriously. He brushes off her concern for authenticity by having his secretary read a few of the thousands of letters they’ve received telling them how they should make the film. In a final effort, Mrs. Baum says she’s here to protect Dorothy—the character, not the actress. Mr. Mayer invites her to meet the actress, Judy Garland, to see that the character is in good hands.