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May 9, 2005

Munchkin Memoir

"As coroner, I must aver
I thoroughly examined her
And she's not only merely dead
She's really, most sincerely dead!''

The munchkin coroner who made that familiar recitation in "The Wizard of Oz'' - a confirmation that the Wicked Witch of the East was killed - was played by Meinhardt Raabe.

The 4-foot-7 90-year-old Raabe has published a memoir about his adventures, including his time on the set of the 1939 film, which he says helped eliminate derogatory terms for little people.

The book, "Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road,'' describes what it was like to be on the "Oz'' set - real trees rooted in the ground, mushroom-shaped Munchkinland houses supplemented with backgrounds painted on muslin and, of course, the yellow brick road. Raabe's tenacity and ability to speak German - a boon to a company that worked with German-speaking butchers - helped him get a job as an accountant with Oscar Mayer at age 23. He worked there for three decades, eventually traveling across the country with the famed Weinermobile and giving motivational speeches in schools. Raabe said appearing in the film didn't transform his life, but did increase his confidence and helped him build a career in public speaking. Raabe, who lives in a retirement community in Florida, said he decided to write the book in part to spread the message he's brought to schoolchildren as a public speaker: "There's a job for everybody. It's just a matter of you working hard enough and watching out for the right spot.'' - ABC News/AP

Cindy

Comments

Brain matter deposited by: Kat on May 10, 2005 4:34 PM