pretty much anyone from any era since the silent generation can recall watching the wizard of oz
they can probably sing at least a few lines of most of the songs from the classic fantasy flick
2. there are tons of rumors swirling around the making of this candy coated film remember those
animated characters dorothy encounters right after she lands her house on the wicked witch of the
west some even say the wizard of oz is cursed due to all kinds of strange happenings on set
however few tales are as tall as those told by the wizard of oz munchkins in this video we dig
deep into cinematic history to uncover juicy tidbits and the sordid details surrounding the
wizard of oz munchkins so who exactly were the munchkins just as in the original the wonderful
wizard of oz by children's author l frank baum the munchkins inhabit a land aptly called munchkinland
it's one of the first places and they're some of the first people dorothy encounters on her
epic journey through the land of oz in the film the munchkins were depicted as short in stature
in fact little people and some children were hired to act as the various munchkin characters
most were professional performers or actors already including a group from germany called
the singer midgets the filming allowed them to flee germany right at the onset of world war ii
the munchkins were rumored to have behaved badly in the film the munchkins adored dorothy and did
everything they could to help her get a good start on her journey down the yellow brick road offset
however it was a different story altogether the munchkin actors all bunked together in the nearby
culver hotel according to numerous reports they spent their downtime getting drunk and engaging in
escapades of a sexual nature supposedly one actor was fired because he was so out of control in his
memoir judy garland's ex-husband sid luft wrote that the actors who played the munchkins would
also mercilessly harass dorothy going so far as to put their hands up her dress many munchkin actors
refuted the claims saying they were salacious rumors born of discrimination against little
people hey if you're enjoying this video so far be sure to give it a like and subscribe to facts
first if you haven't already and stick around for a lot more about the munchkins and wizard
of oz a munchkin was thought to have taken their life on set there was a dark rumor treading the
hallowed halls of hollywood that a munchkin hanged himself during the production of the wizard of oz
there's a scene in the movie where dorothy and the scarecrow try to pick some apples it's there
that they run into the tin man they all link arms and head off down the yellow brick road together
according to numerous viewers there's a dark shadow in the distance that supposedly
resembles a little person hanging from a tree so is there any truth to this rumor
apparently not as snopes reveals the quote unquote person is nothing more than a bird
most of the munchkins were paid less than toto terry the terrier was rewarded handsomely for his
work on the wizard of oz considering he's a canine apparently his trainer pocketed about 125 dollars
a week for terry's stellar performance as toto the munchkins on the other hand were paid around
50 a week for all their singing dancing acting and costume wearing the filming for the munchkin
land scenes took about eight weeks and many of the actors stayed on in hollywood afterwards for a bit
of sightseeing one such actor margaret pellegrini said she felt like the money was great at the time
she said her father worked in a hotel and earned about five dollars a week and she got paid 50.
at least one munchkin ad-libbed his oz performance one of the most successful munchkin actors jerry
maron was renowned for ad-libbing on set he played the part of the lollipop kid a member of the
utterly memorable lollipop guild a trio that has sung and danced their way into the hearts of many
a child viewer for generations surely you remember when a lollipop kid hands his giant lollipop to
dorothy she gratefully accepts it with a laugh and a smile apparently that was a totally off-the-cuff
action on the part of marin but the director liked it so much he told him to keep doing it
take after take and hence it's become one of the most memorable parts of the movie years later
when marin unveiled the 2006 exhibition of the movie's memorabilia at washington's smithsonian
institution he ad-libbed the scene again opening his speech with the line we wish to welcome you
to smithsonian institute munchkin actor jerry maron took issue with demeaning legends title
after filming rapped most of the munchkins left show business behind but jerry marin continued
to work as a performer he had parts in over 60 tv shows and films and even worked as a stunt
double for famous child actors like ron howard and jody foster to put it mildly marin wasn't a fan of
the rumors that darkened the performances of the wizard of oz munchkins for one he hated the label
demeaning legends that film critics and the press often used to refer to the munchkins marin also
said many of the tales of munchkin drunkedness and inappropriate behavior stemmed from judy garland
he noted in his memoir that garland wasn't exactly a reliable source of information given that she
was plied with drugs by mgm executives to keep her working to set the record straight he noted that
two specific actors from germany were simply a bit rowdy one night because they were young in a new
country and excited to be on set munchkin land was almost lethal for some wizard of oz actors
remember that dastardly wicked witch of the west she was the sister of the wicked witch of the east
who faced her untimely demise when dorothy's house landed on her what you probably remember
most about her was her vomit green skin right that stuff didn't just look toxic it turns out it was
margaret hamilton the actor who played the wicked witch of the west suffered from severe second and
third degree chemical burns on her hand and face during her quick exit from munchkinland
right near the beginning of the film the makeup contained copper which wasn't understood to
be poisonous at the time thankfully it was all removed right after the injury
judy garland was given a munchkin award the wizard of oz wasn't judy garland's first film
but it was the first blockbuster in which she played the lead and as it turns out it was the
performance of a lifetime garland was too young to bag any awards for her performance so in 1940
the academy awards revived their juvenile award category also known as the juvenile oscar the
award was created at the seventh academy awards to honor a six-year-old shirley temple garland
was the fourth of just 12 child stars to receive this now defunct award because the trophy was a
miniature version of the actual academy award she nicknamed it her munchkin award the movie led to
the creation of an advocacy group there were more than 100 little people on the set of munchkinland
and many of them formed fast friends remaining so well after filming their camaraderie led to the
formation of the first activist group for little people little people of america formerly midgets
of america was founded by actors billy barty and jerry maron the initial meeting in 1957 of just 21
people has today morphed into an active advocacy association with more than 8 000 members worldwide
they have 13 districts and 70 chapters across america and provide social events parent peer and
medical support and even scholarships and grants to their members the munchkins were recognized on
the hollywood walk of fame unfortunately it took decades for hollywood to pay the munchkins their
dues thankfully in 2007 seven munchkin actors including mickey carroll ruth duchini jerry marin
margaret pellegrini meinhard robb carl slover and clarence swenson were finally recognized with the
2352nd star on the hollywood walk of fame now it's time to hear from you do you believe any of the
nasty rumors still circulating about the little people who played the munchkins let us know in
the comment section below and before you go make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to
facts first if you haven't already click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content
you