Karl Slover, one of the last surviving cast members of the 1939 hit "The Wizard of Oz," has passed away at age 93, reports the BBC. Slover was one of the smallest male Munchkins in the movie. He played the lead trumpeter, a townsman in Munchkinland and a soldier.
John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz," tells the BBC, "Of the 124 little people, he's one of the handful who got to enjoy this latter-day fame, to have people know who he was and be able to pick him out of the crowd in the movie."
In 2007, seven of the survivor Munchkins were honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. One of them, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner, passed away in April 2010. Slover is in the below picture, which is from the Walk of Fame ceremony. He is in the middle wearing a brown suit. Raabe is on the far left.
John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz," tells the BBC, "Of the 124 little people, he's one of the handful who got to enjoy this latter-day fame, to have people know who he was and be able to pick him out of the crowd in the movie."
In 2007, seven of the survivor Munchkins were honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. One of them, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner, passed away in April 2010. Slover is in the below picture, which is from the Walk of Fame ceremony. He is in the middle wearing a brown suit. Raabe is on the far left.
- 11/17/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
As today's Google doodle celebrates 71 years of The Wizard of Oz, we present 71 things you might not know about the musical classic starring Judy Garland
1) So frightening was Margaret Hamilton's performance as the Wicked Witch of the West that most of her scenes were heavily edited or cut entirely.
2) When the script was written, the part of the Wizard had been earmarked for Wc Fields.
3) Judy Garland's white dress was actually pink as it was easier to shoot in Technicolor.
4) A sequel using the original cast was mooted, but scrapped after Garland became such a big star and Hamilton expressed doubts over the feasibility of such a project.
5) The film has numerous lines in Premiere magazine's poll to find the 100 Greatest Movie Lines. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" came in at No 24.
6) "There's no place like home" came in at No 11.
7) "Toto, I have...
1) So frightening was Margaret Hamilton's performance as the Wicked Witch of the West that most of her scenes were heavily edited or cut entirely.
2) When the script was written, the part of the Wizard had been earmarked for Wc Fields.
3) Judy Garland's white dress was actually pink as it was easier to shoot in Technicolor.
4) A sequel using the original cast was mooted, but scrapped after Garland became such a big star and Hamilton expressed doubts over the feasibility of such a project.
5) The film has numerous lines in Premiere magazine's poll to find the 100 Greatest Movie Lines. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" came in at No 24.
6) "There's no place like home" came in at No 11.
7) "Toto, I have...
- 8/13/2010
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
By Wrap Staff
Meinhardt Raabe, the Munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz" who pronounced the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead" after Dorothy's house fell on her, has died. He was 94.
His caregiver, Cindy Bosnyak, told the Associated Press that Raabe died Friday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla.
He was one of the few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.
"He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday," Bosnyak said. "To me he was a walking history book, very alert."
<img src=...
Meinhardt Raabe, the Munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz" who pronounced the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead" after Dorothy's house fell on her, has died. He was 94.
His caregiver, Cindy Bosnyak, told the Associated Press that Raabe died Friday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla.
He was one of the few surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.
"He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday," Bosnyak said. "To me he was a walking history book, very alert."
<img src=...
- 4/13/2010
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
Morning Meme: John Barrowman's Super, Adam Lambert's a Coverboy, Prequels, Sequels, and Critter Cam!
Plus Mike Manning on his legacy, Mike Huckabee talks puppies, Glee at the grove, plus Emmerdale gets dark with Aaron.
This was just not a good weekend for gay entertainment buffs. Not only did we lose Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), but we lost one of the last surviving Munchkins. Word comes from Florida that Meinhardt Raabe, the Munchkin who pronounced the Wicked Witch of the East “most sincerely dead” has himself been pronounced at the age of 94. A last minute addition is the loss of Eddie Carroll, who had voiced Jiminy Cricket for Disney since 1973. He was 66-years-old.
Snippets of music from The Power of Madonna by the cast of Glee have surfaced online, and I’ve got to say, it sounds just awful. Maybe seeing the kids perform it and the emotional tie-in will sell it, but it’s just so over produced I’m not even sure who’s singing what,...
This was just not a good weekend for gay entertainment buffs. Not only did we lose Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), but we lost one of the last surviving Munchkins. Word comes from Florida that Meinhardt Raabe, the Munchkin who pronounced the Wicked Witch of the East “most sincerely dead” has himself been pronounced at the age of 94. A last minute addition is the loss of Eddie Carroll, who had voiced Jiminy Cricket for Disney since 1973. He was 66-years-old.
Snippets of music from The Power of Madonna by the cast of Glee have surfaced online, and I’ve got to say, it sounds just awful. Maybe seeing the kids perform it and the emotional tie-in will sell it, but it’s just so over produced I’m not even sure who’s singing what,...
- 4/12/2010
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Sad news hit a few days apart last week as Deadline reports actors Eddie Carroll and Meinhardt Raabe have passed away. Though you may not know them by name, you certainly know them by their most iconic characters. Raabe played the Munchkin coroner in the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz who so succinctly proclaimed The Wicked Witch of the West was "really most sincerely dead." Meanwhile, Carroll voiced quite possibly the most famous insect of all-time: the lovable Jiminy Cricket. Carroll inherited decades of work as the longest recurring Disney character after the original voice actor, Cliff Edwards, passed away in 1973. Yahoo says Raabe was 94-years-old and one of the last few surviving little people out of the 124 actors who appeared on-screen as the Munchkins in the original movie. On Friday, April 9th, the actor suddenly went into cardiac arrest at his retirement community before passing away ...
- 4/12/2010
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
His family tells me that Eddie Carroll, who touched countless people's lives as the voice of Jiminy Cricket for almost 40 years, died of a brain tumor on April 6th. He was 66. Jiminy Cricket is the longest recurring character voice actor in the Disney stable of characters, and Carroll took over from the late Cliff Edwards, the original voice, in 1973. "He absolutely loved performing the voice," Rick Dempsey, Svp of Disney Character Voices told the studio in-house newsletter. "He was so into the character and truly took to heart what Jiminy was all about." Also, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin official [...]...
- 4/12/2010
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
Meinhardt Raabe, one of the last surviving Munchkins from ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ died on the morning of April 9, the New York Times is reporting. The 94-year-old actor is presumed to have died from a heart attack. Cindy Bosnyak, Raabe’s caregiver, said he was taken to a hospital after he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest at the Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida. He had lived at the community home since 1986, and had complained of a sore throat prior to collapsing. Raabe graduated from the University of Wisconsin and was a World War II veteran. He also played Little Oscar, the mascot of Oscar Mayer [...]...
- 4/11/2010
- by karen
- ShockYa
One of the last remaining munchkins from The Wizard Of Oz has died from a heart attack at the age of 94. Actor Meinhardt Raabe, who played the munchkin coroner, was responsible for pronouncing the Wicked Witch of the East as "most sincerely dead" in the iconic movie. His caregiver confirmed that he passed away on Friday in hospital after going into cardiac arrest. At just 1.37m tall, Raabe was one of seven remaining munchkins who attended the 2007 unveiling of a Hollywood Walk Of Fame star in honour of the troupe. According to the BBC, he delighted fans (more)...
- 4/11/2010
- by By Sarah Rollo
- Digital Spy
Sad news arrived this morning. The Coroner from The Wizard of Oz (1939) passed away yesterday. I would tell you that "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" is one of my favorite scenes from The Wizard of Oz but the statement is meaningless; Every scene is "one of my favorite scenes" from The Wizard of Oz. I love that movie like it's a family member or body part.
Meinhardt Raabe (1915-2010)
As coroner, I must aver
I thoroughly examined her.
And she’s not only merely dead,
She’s really most sincerely dead.There are so few people of any height left alive from what's often regarded as cinema's greatest year. I don't know how many Munchkins are still with us from Oz but some must remain. After all, there were baby Munchkins, too.
According to the IMDb there are six cast members of Gone With the Wind still with us:...
Meinhardt Raabe (1915-2010)
As coroner, I must aver
I thoroughly examined her.
And she’s not only merely dead,
She’s really most sincerely dead.There are so few people of any height left alive from what's often regarded as cinema's greatest year. I don't know how many Munchkins are still with us from Oz but some must remain. After all, there were baby Munchkins, too.
According to the IMDb there are six cast members of Gone With the Wind still with us:...
- 4/11/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in the 1939 Judy Garland smash "The Wizard of Oz," proclaiming the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead," has died at the age of 94.
Raabe died Friday, April 9 in Orange Park, Fl from cardiac arrest. He was one of only a handful of survivor Munchkins from the film. His caregiver Cindy Bosnyak tells the Associated Press, "He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday. To me he was a walking history book, very alert."
Raabe was 22 years old and only 3'6'' ft tall when "Wizard of Oz" was filmed, eventually growing to 4'6'' tall. He was one of only nine speaking Munchkins in the movie, his full line being, "As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her, And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead."
He is preceeded in death by his wife Marie Hartline,...
Raabe died Friday, April 9 in Orange Park, Fl from cardiac arrest. He was one of only a handful of survivor Munchkins from the film. His caregiver Cindy Bosnyak tells the Associated Press, "He had a headful of hair at 94 and he ... remembered everything everyday. To me he was a walking history book, very alert."
Raabe was 22 years old and only 3'6'' ft tall when "Wizard of Oz" was filmed, eventually growing to 4'6'' tall. He was one of only nine speaking Munchkins in the movie, his full line being, "As coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her, And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead."
He is preceeded in death by his wife Marie Hartline,...
- 4/10/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner who proclaimed the Wicked Witch of the East dead in The Wizard of Oz, has died, according to The Associated Press. He was 94.
Raabe, one of the few surviving Munchkins from the film, died Friday morning at Orange Park Medical Center in Florida, his caregiver, Cindy Bosnyak, told the AP. Bosnyak said he...
Read More >...
Raabe, one of the few surviving Munchkins from the film, died Friday morning at Orange Park Medical Center in Florida, his caregiver, Cindy Bosnyak, told the AP. Bosnyak said he...
Read More >...
- 4/10/2010
- by Kate Stanhope
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Meinhardt Raabe, 94, considered to be the oldest living actor who played a Munchkin in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, died Friday in Orange Park, Fla., according to The New York Times. Raabe was 23 years old when he appeared in The Wizard of Oz as Munchkinland's coroner. During his brief speaking role, Raabe proclaimed the death of the Wicked Witch of the East by singing: "As coroner, I must aver/I thoroughly examined her/And she's not only merely dead/She's really, most sincerely dead!" Raabe was born in Watertown, Wis., in 1915. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in...
- 4/10/2010
- by John Young
- EW.com - PopWatch
One of the last surviving Munchkins from The Wizard Of Oz movie, Meinhardt Raabe, has died at the age of 94.
Raabe, who played the coroner of the Munchkin Country in the 1939 musical classic, passed away on Friday at a medical facility in Orange Park, Florida.
The veteran star was admitted to hospital after reportedly collapsing at his retirement home.
Raabe was plucked from obscurity at the age of 23 to play the famous role in The Wizard of Oz, which saw him declare the the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead".
After his appearance in the movie, he served in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II and worked as a spokesperson for American food company Oscar Mayer.
He also published a notable autobiography, titled Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road, and appeared at numerous Wizard of Oz conventions.
Raabe, who played the coroner of the Munchkin Country in the 1939 musical classic, passed away on Friday at a medical facility in Orange Park, Florida.
The veteran star was admitted to hospital after reportedly collapsing at his retirement home.
Raabe was plucked from obscurity at the age of 23 to play the famous role in The Wizard of Oz, which saw him declare the the Wicked Witch of the East "really most sincerely dead".
After his appearance in the movie, he served in the Civil Air Patrol during World War II and worked as a spokesperson for American food company Oscar Mayer.
He also published a notable autobiography, titled Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road, and appeared at numerous Wizard of Oz conventions.
- 4/10/2010
- WENN
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