Kiki Ebsen’s Scarecrow, a Tribute to Her Father Buddy Ebsen, Forever Part of The Wizard of Oz’s Legacy
By Seth M
No, this isn’t a review and it’s not the kind of article we’d usually post, but the information made its way to my Inbox and for one thing, I share my thoughts with you almost every day on a variety of music-related topics (most recent case in point, yesterday’s review of Don Jamieson’s “Hell Bent For Laughter” CD ~ check it out here), and for another, I (and probably most of you, too, even if you don’t admit it!) never lost my love for The Wizard of Oz and all things Oz…I mean, the wireless access point in my office is FlyingMonkey2112, and I’ll bet you can guess what my favorite band is, too.
Anyway, back to the point of this piece. Kiki Ebsen, daughter of Buddy Epsen, who was heavily involved in The Wizard of Oz but never appeared in the film (more on that in the next paragraph), followed in his footsteps as a performer and has toured the world with a host of well-known artists in addition to putting out numerous solo albums. The list of concert tours she’s been on include those with Boz Scaggs, Tracy Chapman, Michael Mcdonald, Wilson/Phillips, Colin Hay (Men At Work), Al Jarreau, Chicago, Christopher Cross, Belinda Carlisle, and Susannah Hoffs…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg ~ go HERE for a full discography, a list of festivals and conferences she’s played, and video and television appearances she’s made), but now Kiki is using her talents to honor the father she adored by recording the jazz music he loved best.
About Buddy’s contributions to the film (since I’m a still a sucker for Oz trivia): he was initially cast as the Scarecrow but opted instead to play the Tin Man, recording all the character’s music for the film. Due to an allergic reaction to the metallic make-up the Tin Man had to wear, though, he was ultimately unable to remain in the film and was replaced by Jack Haley. Although Haley re-recorded most of Ebsen’s vocals, Ebsen’s Midwestern voice (as opposed to Haley’s Bostonian accent), with the enunciated “r” in the word “wizard,” can still be heard on the soundtrack during several reprises of the song “We’re Off to See the Wizard.” Ebsen’s recording of the Tin Man’s signature solo song, “If I Only Had a Heart,” still exists and is included on the 2-CD Deluxe Edition of the film’s soundtrack, while a still photo recreation of the sequence featuring shots of Ebsen as the Tin Man was included as an extra with all VHS and DVD releases of the film since 1989.
Buddy did, of course, go on to star in the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s as well as in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “Barnaby Jones” and many other movies and TV shows. Until his dying day, though, Ebsen complained of lung issues from involvement in “that damned movie,” but ironically outlived all of the major cast members of The Wizard of Oz by at least 16 years. You can learn all about his illustrious career here.
Scarecrow’s a preliminary song list, truly a beautiful tribute from Kiki her father and their bond, is as follows ~ more songs will be announced soon:
“Missing You” (written by Buddy Ebsen/Zeke Manners)
“Moon River” (Breakfast At Tiffany’s)
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” (The Wizard of Oz)
“Codfish Ball” (Captain January)
“Easy To Love” (Broadway Melody 1938)
“St Louis Blues” (Banjo On My Knee, the first tune Buddy taught Kiki on piano)
“Laura” (his favorite song)
“Tea for Two” (his signature dance routine)
“Comes Love” (Yokel Boy)
Kiki’s Kickstarter campaign to raise the $12,000 needed to record the album in time for a Father’s Day release (June 15, 2014) is at the halfway point ~ if contributing is something that might interest you, whether as a way of honoring your father or someone else special to you, please go HERE.
To find out more about Kiki, called “…a world-class songwriter-performer…with a polished vocal style and songs of substance…” by Steve Wagner of American Songwriter, please visit these sites: