Noel Langley (25 December 1911 – 4 November 1980) was a South African-born (later naturalised American) novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director.
His finished script for the film was revised by Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf, the other credited screenwriters.
He attempted to write a sequel based on The Marvelous Land of Oz using many of the concepts he had added to its predecessor, but this was never released.
[2] Noel Langley attended his father's school (Durban High School- KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) until 1930.
His father, Aubrey Samuel 'Madevu' (the isiZulu word for mustache), was a sensitive artist, strict disciplinarian and rugby football enthusiast, and valued boys who were physically active.
He rejected his son, who was artistically inclined and physically weak (he was barred from sport and cadet drill by his doctor, Dr. George Campbell).
Langley wrote other plays for the West End stage in this period, which included For Ever and Farm of Three Echoes.
"[5] After World War II, during which he served in the Royal Canadian Navy,[5] Langley worked on many British films.
[9]) In June 1956, Langley was hired by Bryna Productions to re-write The Vikings for Kirk Douglas, but his script was not used.
[10] In 1964, Langley made a series of tapes for New York radio station WBAI, reading The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger in its entirety.
[11][12] He subsequently edited it down to fit on an LP, which was issued by the listener-sponsored station and offered as a fund-raising premium.