EDITOR'S NOTE: The recent death of Jerry Maren, the last living Munchkin who appeared in the classic movie the Wizard of Oz, brought back memories of his connection to Crossville's Palace Theatre. Back in April 2002, Jerry Maren and Karl Slover appeared at the Palace Theatre in Crossville in connection with showings of the famous movie they appeared in. Below is the story I wrote about the Munchkin's appearance in Crossville.
Read Mr. Maren's obituary in the New York Times here.
Original members of the cast of munchkins
from the Wizard of Oz movie
Jerry Maren, left and Karl Slover, right,
appear on the Palace Theatre stage in 2002.
Karl died in 2011 and Jerry died May 24
and was the last surviving "Munchkin."
Jerry Maren and Karl Slover are two of only a handful of surviving Munchkins from the original Wizard of Oz movie made in 1938. 1938 was also the year the Palace Theatre was originally built. Maren and Slover were part of the troop of 124 “little people” as they like to be called who played the Munchkins in the popular sequence of the classic movie.
Maren, very friendly and talkative at 82 introduced each Palace showing of the Wizard of Oz singing the song he sang in the movie as the Lollypop Kid. “We represent the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild. And in the name of the Lollypop Guild, we welcome you to Munchkin Land.” Maren frequently carries a giant prop lollypop like the one he presented Dorothy at the end of that song in the movie. A teenage Judy Garland, of course, played Dorothy.
Slover, a spry 83 years old sang “We’re Off to See the Wizard” on the stage of the Palace, complete with choreography steps. Slover was the shortest of the Munchkins and was the first trumpeter in the production. He played a total of four Munchkin parts in the movie during the almost two months of Munchkin land filming.
Before each showing of the movie, the two friendly actors chatted with kids and fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures in the Palace lobby. They may be short of stature, but they are not short on either stories or humor.
Maren said all the Munchkin actors made $50 a week and expenses for their work on the movie. Quipped Maren, “Toto made $125 a week, but he had a better agent!”
The seven weeks of movie work included learning the choreography, being fitted for wardrobe and makeup that included an uncomfortable skullcap glued on with spirit gum each day of shooting.
“During production, we worked six days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM,” said Maren. He added that they get no residuals from the movie or any money from the dolls or other items sold by or licensed by the movie studio.
“MGM and Ted Turner made a lot of money from the movie, but we didn’t,” pointed out Maren.
Both men went on to other movies, entertainment, and commercial success. Slover worked in a number of other movies including Bringing Up Baby, Laurel and Hardy’s Blockhead, and even playing a child in a baby carriage that Ray Milland leaps over in The Lost Weekend because they couldn’t use a real child for the stunt. Slover was born in Germany and came to America as a teenager. He also worked in 1930’s and 1940’s as part of the largest touring midget show singing and dancing.
Maren also starred as Buster Brown in a series of TV commercials for the children’s shoe company and traveled some ten years making personal appearances as Little Oscar in the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile. Maren has appeared in some 39 films, often uncredited. Onc recent movie Maren was in and filmed in Tennessee was the Green Mile with Tom Hanks. He also was featured in TV episodes including The Lucy Show, The Odd Couple and Bewitched. He also appeared regularly on TV’s The Gong Show.
Elizabeth Maren travels with her husband Jerry. They met through an organization of Little People. Mrs. Maren said both she and her husband are the only little people in their families. Elizabeth is the oldest of 12 siblings while Jerry is the youngest of 12. Mrs. Maren pointed out that there won’t be many more little people midgets or pituitary dwarfs as they are more properly known because modern medicine can now provide human growth hormone allowing those born with the condition to grow to normal height.
