Oz

The classic film version of "The Wizard of Oz" only exists because of the genius of one man: L. Frank Baum, the extraordinary author of "The Wizard of Oz" books. The fact that Warner Bros./Turner Pictures actually omitted L. Frank Baum's name from the full page ad it placed in this newspaper and in newspapers across the country to promote the film's re-release is not only unethical but obscene. But, then again, this is Hollywood, a town that has no respect for living writers, let alone dead ones.

When it comes to creating uniquely delicious cocktails, Eric Alperin is one of the best mixologists in town. And this week his bar, the Varnish ? which is located in a warm, wooden speak-easy behind an unmarked door at Cole's in downtown L.A. ? is celebrating its two-year anniversary. Since the Varnish can be a tough room to get into (it's among the best and most exclusive cocktail dens in the city), we thought we'd share one of Alperin's signature cocktail recipes with you so that you can attempt to re-create his boozy magic at home.

Southern California in 1953 was a Mecca for pilgrims in search of the American dream. The Golden State seemed to promise a new beginning to those whose fortunes had withered in less sunny climes. Two new novels, both set in this inviting place 40 years ago, show young people struggling to sort the real from the unreal in a region where the confusion of fact and fantasy has always been a growth industry. "The Mortician's Apprentice," as its title suggests, is the more serious work.

IMAGINE our surprise here in Australia when you boldly proclaim Sydney as the best place in the world to eat ["Oz at the Head of the Table," Sept. 25]. Our surprise stems from the fact that everyone in Oz actually prefers Melbourne as the city of fine dining. Melbourne has a much richer culinary experience for food lovers. Melbourne's Flower Drum is classed as one of the five top restaurants in the world. WES ROSENBAUM Melbourne, Australia The Travel section welcomes letters.

Dozens of businesses opposed to a Connecticut bill that would ban unsolicited facsimile advertising decided to lobby Gov. William A. O'Neill by fax, thus jamming his machine for hours. The governor's office turned off its fax machine after the lobbyists, apparently organized by the National Fax Users Committee, stuffed the machine with more than 40 messages before 10 a.m. one day last week. When the machine was restarted the next morning, the messages were still pouring in. "You could not have done a better job of bringing home the problem addressed in the bill that you oppose," O'Neill aide Charles Monagan said in a letter--which he faxed to the fax users committee.

The story of the search for Dorothy's ruby slippers is a delight to all movie buffs. I used to haunt the hills of Forest Lawn in Glendale looking for the final repose of past Hollywood legends. Imagine my surprise when one day, while tramping through the oldest section of the cemetery, I stumbled upon the tomb of L. Frank Baum (author of the "Oz" series) and his wife. All this time I had thought he was buried in Kansas. STEPHEN M. CHAPOT Los Angeles

I recently read somewhere about a Hollywood shrink who has her clients dwell on "The Wizard of Oz" during sessions. This Yellow Brick Road therapy supposedly asks them whom they identify with most: Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion or the Wicked Witch of the West. Sorry, apparently Toto doesn't count, even on those shaggy, bad-hair days when you feel especially small and whiny.