The Munchkin Hanging Himself? Hmm..?

Question

I've heard this story about The Wizard of Oz munchkin one too many times now. The munchkin got drunk, showed up late on the set, didn't get the job, and vowed for revenge and did that on the set.

I know in the remastered version, it's a bird, of course. But I've never seen the original and apparently the scene is in there. Anyone have a clip or something? -curiousness-

Answer 1

It's not real. The "hanging munchkin" is a bird spreading its wings.

Answer 2

Cecil Adams ("The Straight Dope") answered this one. He went straight to the source and spoke to one of the Munchkins. Seems there was a peacock on the set that walked in and out of frame pretty much at will, and that shot as they're leaving the ruined farm house (after the Wicked Witch has tossed her fireball and vanished in a puff of orange smoke) is just the old bird moving around in the background.
The Munchkins were a binch of cut-ups, no question. They lived at the studio for six months, raising Caine and other Biblical terror around the place. One Munchkin was found sleeping in a hotel urinal. Another did beat and threaten his Munchkin wife with a gun (he had to be arrested and removed from Oz!).
But no Munchkins hung themselves on screen.
The Pink Floyd thing does work, though. Pretty neat.

Answer 3

I know what scene in the movie its in, its in the very end on the Tin Man Scene with the witch and the cottage, you see it when there skippin down the yellow brick road onward to the emerald city, the place is when the camera zooms out look at that bunch of trees directly ahead and youll see it, its not actually a hanging munchkin but its a Emu or a Crane just simply stretching its wings

Answer 4

In the original, it's actually a deer walking by. It's quite amazing, really...at first, I thought it was a munchkin too. Then when someone pointed out it was a deer, I was amazed to see how two things so dissimilar from each other can look like each other.

Answer 5

Strange...I was actually thinking about that one earlier today, I guess since Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
I read that it was really a bird, and that there were wild birds roaming all over the set b/c that's what the director thought it would be like Over the Rainbow.
But a hanging midget is a much juicier story.
My advice is to pop on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" & turn down the volume of your TV for a truely interesting story. ;-)~

Answer 6

I am not sure that the story is true. However, you might want to try You Tube.

Answer 7

i once knew a plastic surgeon who hung himself

Answer 8

DO YOU DO LSD, SHROOMS, ACID or XTC.

thats who watches the wizzard of ozz....damn hippies