Aunt Em
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Aunt Em is a fictional character from the Oz books. Jack Snow, ''Who's Who in Oz'', Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 10. She is married to Uncle Henry and the aunt of Dorothy Gale, who lives together with them on a
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
in
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
. In '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', she is described as having been a "young, pretty wife" when she arrived at Uncle Henry's farm, but having been " grayed" by her life there, implying that she appears older than her years. Baum writes that when Dorothy came to live with her, Em would "scream and press her hand upon her heart" when startled by Dorothy's laughter, and she appears emotionally distant to her at the beginning of the story. However, after Dorothy is restored to her at the end of the book, her true nature is seen: she cries out, "My darling child!" and covers her with kisses. There is no question about Dorothy's love for her aunt: her request to the magic Silver Shoes is "Take me home to Aunt Em!"


Oz books

Em spends most of her life working on farms. In ''
The Emerald City of Oz ''The Emerald City of Oz'' is the sixth book in L. Frank Baum's List of Oz books, Oz series. Originally published on July 20, 1910, it is the story of Dorothy Gale and her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em coming to live in Oz permanently. While they are t ...
'', she states that she has raised
chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
s for "nearly forty years". After confessing to Dorothy that their farm was facing imminent foreclosure, they all move to the
Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, the Gillikin Countr ...
to live for good in the Emerald City. Princess Ozma appoints Em "Royal Mender of the Stockings of the Ruler of Oz" in order to keep her busy. Her sister is married to Bill Hugson. It is never clarified in the books whether it is she or Uncle Henry who is Dorothy's blood relative. (It is also possible that "Aunt" and "Uncle" are affectionate terms of a foster family and that Dorothy is not related to either of them.) She and Henry have no children of their own. Whether this is through choice or
infertility In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to Sexual reproduction, reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, whi ...
is not revealed. She is featured slightly less than Uncle Henry in the Oz books, despite having a bigger role in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''.
Ruth Plumly Thompson Ruth Plumly Thompson (27 July 1891 – 6 April 1976) was an Americans, American writer of children's stories, best known for writing many novels placed in Land of Oz, Oz, the fictional land of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel ''The Wonde ...
gave her only two brief mentions in ''
The Royal Book of Oz ''The Royal Book of Oz'' (1921) is the fifteenth book in the List of Oz books, Oz series, and the first to be written after L. Frank Baum's death. Although Baum was credited as the author, it was written entirely by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It wa ...
'' and '' Grampa in Oz''. She had somewhat larger roles in John R. Neill's '' The Wonder City of Oz'' and '' The Scalawagons of Oz'' and Jack Snow's '' The Magical Mimics in Oz''. In ''The Emerald City of Oz'', she shows herself particularly unamenable to Oz, asking for a back attic room and simpler clothing, and is gauche enough to tell Billina that chickens are for broiling and eating (without realizing that such a conversation would be deeply offensive). Uncle Henry has seen more of the world than she has, and is much more prepared to accept Oz as it is. In this book, unlike in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', her speech patterns and accent indicators are very similar to Sairy Ann Bilkins, the title character of Baum's ''Our Landlady'' who was also shown to be quite set in her ways. Ultimately, though, Em comes to the epiphany that she "ha been a slave all erlife", and is ready for her life to change. She appears occasionally in the works of Baum's successors in Oz literature; one notable example is
Eric Shanower Eric James Shanower (born October 23, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his ''List of Oz books, Oz'' novels and comics, and for the ongoing retelling of the Trojan War as ''Age of Bronze (comics), Age of Bronze''. Early life Eric S ...
's '' The Giant Garden of Oz''.


Film adaptations


''The Wizard of Oz'' (1925 film)

Em was portrayed by Mary Carr in this production. As in Baum's 1900 novel, she is Henry's wife.


''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939 film)

In this film she is referred to as "Auntie Em" (real name Emily), and urges Dorothy not to bother them with her concerns when she and Uncle Henry ( Charley Grapewin) are counting chicks. Hickory ( Tin Man's alter ego) addresses her as "Mrs. Gale" just before she offers crullers to the three farmhands, and Hunk ( Scarecrow's alter ego) does so just afterward. As many women of her time, she is a knitter. The name "Gale" appears on the mailbox. Miss Almira Gulch ( Wicked Witch's alter ego) says to Henry: "Gale! I want to see you and your wife right away about Dorothy!" Since Dorothy's last name is also Gale, this implies that Henry is her blood-uncle, and Em is his wife. When Miss Gulch arrives to collect Toto which caused Dorothy to run off in tears, Aunt Em tells her off saying to her "Almira Gulch, just because you own half the county doesn't mean that you have the power to run the rest of us! For 23 years, I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now...well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it!" Baum's character never mentions anything about religion beyond the implications of Sunday best clothing. She is seen during the
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
calling for Dorothy after she ran away, but seeks shelter with Henry who ends up losing his hat when the storm approaches their farm. Unlike Zeke (
Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
's alter ego), Hickory and Hunk also lose their hats as they struggle to pry open the cellar door. Both Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are the only characters whose roles are limited to the Kansas sequence and do not make an appearance in the Oz sequence (though in the stage show Aunt Em is Glinda and Uncle Henry is the gatekeeper), but Aunt Em is seen again in the crystal ball at the Wicked Witch's castle still looking for Dorothy. She reunites with Uncle Henry, their three farm workers, and Professor Marvel ( Wizard's alter ego) when Dorothy awakens from being unconscious. Aunt Em was portrayed by Clara Blandick.


''Journey Back to Oz'' (1974 animated film)

Margaret Hamilton, who portrayed Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West, voiced Aunt Em. She and Uncle Henry (voiced by Paul Ford) have a farm worker named Amos (voiced by Larry Storch). He does not have an alter ego in Oz.


''The Wiz'' (1978 film)

Theresa Merritt portrayed Aunt Em in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical where the character was originally played by Tasha Thomas.
Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to stardom as Dorothy Gale in the original seven-time Tony Awards, Tony Award winning Broadway theatre, Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' ...
played the role in '' The Wiz Live!'' after playing Dorothy in the original Broadway cast and the 1984 revival. In a 2009 City Center Encores! production, Aunt Em's Oz parallel is Glinda and LaChanze played both roles.


''Return to Oz'' (1985 film)

Piper Laurie plays Aunt Em, portrayed as a comely, blonde woman of perhaps fifty years — a physical depiction very different from Baum's worn and grayed original character. This adaptation is where viewers see Aunt Em's character fleshed out most, especially after the tornado. She is worried and concerned of Dorothy's talk of Oz and presses that they are going to have two mortgages, due to the missing house and their new one being built. She is upset at Henry's laziness and lack of work ethic as she slaves around the farmyard. Aunt Em makes a comment on Dorothy not being much help to her from her lack of sleep at night, and scolds her for wasting time on Oz before taking her to shock therapy which is administered by Dr. J. B. Worley. Aunt Em mentions her sister, Garnet, who has offered to lend the money to pay for Dorothy's therapy. Dr. Worley calls her "Mrs. Blue", which contradicts the MGM film, in which Henry's last name is Gale. After Dorothy's return from Oz, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and those with her find Dorothy on the riverbank. She is the one who tells Dorothy about the fire at Dr. Worley's clinic and that he perished trying to save his machines. In a deleted scene, there is a newspaper clipping nailed to the farmhouse currently being built. It is titled "GIRL SURVIVES TORNADO: DOROTHY GALE, NIECE OF EMILY AND HENRY BLUE". This confirms Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's last name in this film to be "Blue" and implies Dorothy to be blood related to Aunt Em, not Uncle Henry.


Other adaptations

She was voiced by
Lurene Tuttle Lurene Tuttle (August 29, 1907 – May 28, 1986) was an American actress and acting coach, who made the transition from vaudeville to radio, and later to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's more versatil ...
in the 1980 TV special '' Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz''. Aunt Em was played by Queen Latifah in the ABC made-for-television movie '' The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' where this character owned a diner. In the '' VeggieTales'' episode '' The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's'', Aunt Em and her husband Uncle Henry were substituted by a father (Dad Asparagus) to retell The Prodigal Son, a biblical parable from the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...
. Lucie Arnaz performed this character in '' The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True'' (based on the 1939 MGM film) to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. Aunt Em appears in the '' Once Upon a Time'' episode "Ruby Slippers" portrayed by Gina Stockdale. Her being the aunt of Dorothy Gale is still intact with this show, but in this version, she, along with Dorothy, is from a fictional version Kansas and not from Earth (dubbed the Land Without Magic in the show). After Dorothy returns from her trip to Oz, Dorothy tells her family about her trip. While the rest of the family refuses to believe, Aunt Em was the only one who believed Dorothy and refuses to send Dorothy to an asylum after she was deemed insane by the others. Sometime later, Aunt Em dies, gifting Toto to Dorothy. In the Underworld, Aunt Em's tombstone says reads "Emily Brown", which reveals her maiden name is Brown, and she runs a diner called "Auntie's Chicken and Waffles" that the Blind Witch considers as the competition. Emma, Mary Margaret, and Red make an attempt to use a bottle given to them by the Blind Witch to have Aunt Em blow some kisses in there as part of an attempt for Ruby to wake Dorothy from the Sleeping Curse as part of her unfinished business of knowing that Dorothy is alright. Before she can do, Aunt Em's body turned to water before dissolving.
Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...
appears stating that he has spiked her soup with the River of Lost Souls as Regina stated that they were trying to help Dorothy. After mopping up the watery remains of Aunt Em and putting them in a jar, Hades informs the other souls present to let Aunt Em's fate be a warning to anyone who turn to the Underworld visitors for hope. Later on while meeting with Zelena, Hades dumped Aunt Em's watery remains into the River of Lost Souls. Red and her friends eventually found Emily Brown's tombstone cracked, an indication that Hades' actions had caused Emily to go in the Acheron river. Aunt Em was voiced by Frances Conroy in the direct-to-video animated film '' Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz''. Conroy also voiced Glinda. Aunt Em appears in the crossover video game '' Lego Dimensions'' voiced by
Karen Strassman Karen Strassman is an American actress who has provided English language voices for Japanese anime shows, animation, and video games. Some of her major roles are Kallen Stadtfeld in the '' Code Geass'' series, Miyuki Takara in '' Lucky Star'', N ...
. She appears as the character of an escort mission in which the player has to take her back home to the Gale farm. Aunt Em appears in '' Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz'' voiced again by Frances Conroy.


Comics

In the comic book ''The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles'' #1, Em takes Dorothy to Henry's grave in St. Ann's Cemetery. The gravestone has been snapped in two. Em later returned the slippers to Dorothy, having kept them safe at Glinda's insistence.


References

{{Oz Oz (franchise) characters Fictional characters from Kansas Literary characters introduced in 1900 Fictional farmers Fictional housewives Female characters in literature