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A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in Oz. The Munchkins are described as being the same height as Dorothy and they wear only shades of blue clothing, as blue is the Munchkins' favorite color. Blue is also the predominating color that officially represents the eastern quadrant in the Land of Oz. The Munchkins have appeared in various media, including the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, as well as in various other films and comedy acts.
John Lee Mahin was an American screenwriter and producer of films who was active in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was known as the favorite writer of Clark Gable and Victor Fleming. In the words of one profile, he had "a flair for rousing adventure material, and at the same time he wrote some of the raciest and most sophisticated sexual comedies of that period."
Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle, known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway plays from 1921 to 1933.
Toto is a fictional dog in L. Frank Baum's Oz series of children's books, and works derived from them. He was originally a small terrier drawn by W. W. Denslow for the first edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). He reappears in later Oz books and in numerous adaptations, such as The Wizard of Oz (1939) and The Wiz (1978).
Meinhardt Frank Raabe was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin-actors in The Wizard of Oz, and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film. He portrayed the coroner who certified the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.
William Bletcher was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Disney's Three Little Pigs.
Jerry Maren was an American actor who played a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz. He became the last surviving adult Munchkin following the death of Ruth Duccini in 2014, and was also the last surviving cast member with a specifically identifiable speaking or singing role.
Under the Rainbow is a 1981 American comedy film directed by Steve Rash and starring Chevy Chase, Carrie Fisher, Eve Arden, and Billy Barty. Set in 1938, the film's plot is loosely based on the gathering of little people in a Hollywood hotel to audition for roles as Munchkins in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Jerry Maren, who had a role as a Munchkin in the original film, also appears in Under the Rainbow. Filming locations include the original Culver Hotel, which was used by the Munchkins during the filming of The Wizard of Oz.
Billy Curtis was an American film and television actor with dwarfism, who had a 50-year career in the entertainment industry.
The Terror of Tiny Town is a 1938 American musical Western film produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield and starring Billy Curtis. The film was shot at a sound studio in Hollywood and partly at Placeritos Ranch in Placerita Canyon, California. The inspiration came when Buell overheard an employee jokingly say "If this economic dive keeps going, we'll be using midgets as actors".
Richard Theodore Adams was an American film actor who appeared in nearly 200 films between 1926 and 1952.
Seton Ingersoll Miller was an American screenwriter and producer. During his career, he worked with film directors such as Howard Hawks and Michael Curtiz. Miller received two Oscar nominations and won once for Best Screenplay for the 1941 fantasy romantic comedy film, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, along with Sidney Buchman.
Karl Slover was a Slovakian-born American actor best known as one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Only three other adult Munchkin performers remained alive at the time of Slover's death.
Margaret Pellegrini was an American actress, vaudeville performer and dancer, best known for playing one of the Munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Until her death in 2013, she was one of the three surviving munchkins, the other two being Jerry Maren and Ruth Robinson Duccini.
Midget is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like dwarf, midget long described anyone, or indeed any animal, exhibiting proportionate dwarfism. The word has a history of association with the performance arts, as little people were often employed by acts in the circus, professional wrestling and vaudeville.
Leopold von Singer was an Austrian-born American manager of an entertainment troupe called Singer's Midgets, that were a popular vaudeville group in the first half of the twentieth century. He was responsible for casting many performers in the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Karl Becker, billed as Charlie Becker, was a German American actor. He was 3'9" in height, and is best known for appearing as the Mayor of Munchkinland in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Billy Bletcher dubbed the Mayor's vocals in the film.
Jakob Gerlich was an Austrian-born American actor and circus entertainer with dwarfism.
Douglas Wood was an American actor of stage and screen during the first six decades of the 20th century. During the course of his career, Wood appeared in dozens of Broadway productions, and well over 100 films. Towards the end of his career, he also made several guest appearances on television. Wood died in 1966.
Frances Hyland was an American screenwriter active between the late 1920s and the late 1940s. She was the first woman hired as a "gagman" at a film studio, and she wrote dozens of comedic scripts over the course of her career.
References
- 1 2 "Vital Records: Deaths". The Los Angeles Times. 28 Jul 1967. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ "Broker Pleads Guilty to Theft". The Los Angeles Times. 13 Dec 1935. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- 1 2 "Convention Is Midgets' Plan". The Harrisburg Telegraph. 20 Feb 1941. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- 1 2 "Billy's a Veteran". The Journal Times. 24 Jun 1938. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ "Famous Midget Being Featured at Algiers". The Desert Sun. 17 Feb 1939. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ "Midgets Find New Field for Talents". Arizona Republic. 9 Jun 1930. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- 1 2 3 "Rough to Be a Midget". Sioux City Journal. 7 Jul 1964. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- 1 2 "Midget Is Center of Story". The Daily News. 29 Jun 1929. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ↑ "Big Hit by Little Billy". Yonkers Statesman. 8 Nov 1910. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
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