Jerry Maren, the last surviving munchkin from The Wizard of Oz, has died at the age of 98.
TMZ reports that Maren died last week at a San Diego nursing care facility, where the actor had spent the past few years as he battled dementia, and was laid to rest over the weekend at Los Angeles' Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Maren was 18 and newly arrived in Hollywood when he was cast along with over 100 other little people to portray "munchkins" in the big-screen adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
TMZ reports that Maren died last week at a San Diego nursing care facility, where the actor had spent the past few years as he battled dementia, and was laid to rest over the weekend at Los Angeles' Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Maren was 18 and newly arrived in Hollywood when he was cast along with over 100 other little people to portray "munchkins" in the big-screen adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
- 6/6/2018
- Rollingstone.com
Forgetting stars in the Academy Awards "In Memoriam" segment is almost as much a tradition as the fashion and speeches. But which stars missed out on live Oscars broadcast in 2014? Cory Monteith, Dennis Farina, Sarah Jones and Tom Clancy are among those not memorialized on TV.
Thanks to the Internet, the 86th Academy Awards can claim to honor just about everyone in film who died. Still, there's a bit of a slight felt by fans of those deemed unworthy for the telecast. Here are some of the biggest names left out of the video:
Jonathan Winters -- Died: April 11, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming," "The Smurfs"Gary David Goldberg -- Died: June 22, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "Must Love Dogs," sitcoms from "Family Ties" to "Spin City"Cory Monteith -- Died: July 13, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "Glee,...
Thanks to the Internet, the 86th Academy Awards can claim to honor just about everyone in film who died. Still, there's a bit of a slight felt by fans of those deemed unworthy for the telecast. Here are some of the biggest names left out of the video:
Jonathan Winters -- Died: April 11, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming," "The Smurfs"Gary David Goldberg -- Died: June 22, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "Must Love Dogs," sitcoms from "Family Ties" to "Spin City"Cory Monteith -- Died: July 13, 2013. Claim to Oscar fame: "Glee,...
- 3/3/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
There's no place like home, there's no place like... Hollywood.
"The Wizard of Oz" first introduced the world to the wonders of Technicolor on August 15, 1939, at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Last night, 74 years and one month later, Warner Bros. premiered "The Wizard of Oz: An IMAX 3D Experience" at the grand reopening of the theater, now Tcl Chinese Theatre IMAX, recently renovated to maintain that sense of grandeur.
Among the many guests on the ruby red carpet were Ruth Duccini (one of the two surviving Munchkins, pictured above), Molly Ringwald, Marcia Gay Harden, Mario Lopez, John Fricke (a "The Wizard of Oz" historian), Danielle Wade (Dorothy in the current national tour of the Broadway adaptation), and many more.
Take a trip over the rainbow and check out the world premiere photos below. "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D IMAX lands in theaters September 20.
"The Wizard of Oz" first introduced the world to the wonders of Technicolor on August 15, 1939, at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Last night, 74 years and one month later, Warner Bros. premiered "The Wizard of Oz: An IMAX 3D Experience" at the grand reopening of the theater, now Tcl Chinese Theatre IMAX, recently renovated to maintain that sense of grandeur.
Among the many guests on the ruby red carpet were Ruth Duccini (one of the two surviving Munchkins, pictured above), Molly Ringwald, Marcia Gay Harden, Mario Lopez, John Fricke (a "The Wizard of Oz" historian), Danielle Wade (Dorothy in the current national tour of the Broadway adaptation), and many more.
Take a trip over the rainbow and check out the world premiere photos below. "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D IMAX lands in theaters September 20.
- 9/16/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Washington, Aug 09: Margaret Pellegrini, who played a Munchkin named Sleepy Head in the original 'The Wizard of Oz' movie, has died. She was 89.
Ted Bulthaup, who owns a Chicago theatre where Pellegrini and other Munchkins have made special appearances, revealed that Pellegrini suffered a stroke on Monday at her Glendale home and died on Wednesday at a Phoenix-area hospital, the BBC reported.
With her death, only two of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie are still alive.
Bulthaup said that the surviving Munchkins are Jerry Maren, 93, who lives in Los Angeles, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who lives in Phoenix.
Meanwhile,.
Ted Bulthaup, who owns a Chicago theatre where Pellegrini and other Munchkins have made special appearances, revealed that Pellegrini suffered a stroke on Monday at her Glendale home and died on Wednesday at a Phoenix-area hospital, the BBC reported.
With her death, only two of the original 124 Munchkins in the movie are still alive.
Bulthaup said that the surviving Munchkins are Jerry Maren, 93, who lives in Los Angeles, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who lives in Phoenix.
Meanwhile,.
- 8/9/2013
- by Ketali Mehta
- RealBollywood.com
Margaret Pellegrini, one of the remaining Munchkins from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke in her Phoenix home. She was 89.
Pellegrini played one of the "Flowerpot" Munchkins who greet Dorothy upon her arrival in Oz. She was in attendance in 2007 when the Munchkins received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In an interview with Phoenix's CBS5 earlier this year, Pellegrini gushed about her experience filming "The Wizard of Oz" as a teenager: "It's wonderful to know that I had part of it, that I was in it," she said. "It showed that we were not only little, but we could do what big people did."
Of the 124 actors who appeared in the classic movie as Munchkins, two are still alive and kicking: Lollipop Kid Jerry Maren, 93, and Ruth Duccini, 95.
[via CNN, CBS5 h/t Yahoo!]...
Pellegrini played one of the "Flowerpot" Munchkins who greet Dorothy upon her arrival in Oz. She was in attendance in 2007 when the Munchkins received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In an interview with Phoenix's CBS5 earlier this year, Pellegrini gushed about her experience filming "The Wizard of Oz" as a teenager: "It's wonderful to know that I had part of it, that I was in it," she said. "It showed that we were not only little, but we could do what big people did."
Of the 124 actors who appeared in the classic movie as Munchkins, two are still alive and kicking: Lollipop Kid Jerry Maren, 93, and Ruth Duccini, 95.
[via CNN, CBS5 h/t Yahoo!]...
- 8/8/2013
- by Laura Larson
- Moviefone
Margaret Pellegrini, who played a "flower pot" munchkin in the classic 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz," died Wednesday (Aug. 7) at her home in Phoenix, Ariz., reports CBS Miami. She was 89 years old.
Pellegrini was also one of the "sleepy head" children in the movie, as in "Wake up, sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead."
The actress was only 15 when "Oz" was filmed, which made her one of the youngest actors in the film. There are now only two munchkin actors still living out of over 100 who appeared in the film -- Jerry Maren, 93, who was one of the lollipop guild, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who was a munchkin villager.
Pellegrini was also one of the "sleepy head" children in the movie, as in "Wake up, sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead."
The actress was only 15 when "Oz" was filmed, which made her one of the youngest actors in the film. There are now only two munchkin actors still living out of over 100 who appeared in the film -- Jerry Maren, 93, who was one of the lollipop guild, and Ruth Duccini, 95, who was a munchkin villager.
- 8/8/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
As The Wizard of Oz opened in 1939, it.s not so shocking that much of its cast has passed away since then, and many of them.including Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), and Bert Lehr (Cowardly Lion)--decades ago. But some of the film.s smaller stars have lasted longest, helping to maintain the legacy of the adaptation of L. Frank Baum.s beloved book The Wonderful World of Oz. Of course, I.m referring to the Munchkins, but with CNN announcing the death of Margaret Pellegrini, there are only two left. Survived by 93-year-old Jerry Maren, who played a Lollipop Kid, and ninety-five-year-old Ruth Duccini, Pellegrini passed away on Monday at the age of 89 from complications following a stroke she suffered in 2012. Pellegrini, who was only three foot five inches tall, made her screen debut in The Wizard of Oz, playing a villager...
- 8/8/2013
- cinemablend.com
As The Wizard of Oz opened in 1939, it.s not so shocking that much of its cast has passed away since then, and many of them.including Judy Garland (Dorothy Gale), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), and Bert Lehr (Cowardly Lion)--decades ago. But some of the film.s smaller stars have lasted longest, helping to maintain the legacy of the adaptation of L. Frank Baum.s beloved book The Wonderful World of Oz. Of course, I.m referring to the Munchkins, but with CNN announcing the death of Margaret Pellegrini, there are only two left. Survived by 93-year-old Jerry Maren, who played a Lollipop Kid, and ninety-five-year-old Ruth Duccini, Pellegrini passed away on Monday at the age of 89 from complications following a stroke she suffered in 2012. Pellegrini, who was only three foot five inches tall, made her screen debut in The Wizard of Oz, playing a villager...
- 8/8/2013
- cinemablend.com
Margaret Pellegrini, the actress who played the flowerpot Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, has died at the age of 89.
She passed away on Wednesday (August 7) in Phoenix after suffering a stroke. Pellegrini was one of only three surviving Munchkins.
The star, born Margaret Williams in Alabama, appeared in the movie aged 16 as both the flowerpot Munchkin and one of the sleepyhead kids in another scene.
Pellegrini regularly attended Wizard of Oz-themed events. She was present when the Munchkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
She was discovered at a state fair when she joined Henry Kramer's Midgets act. The actress later married Willie Pellegrini.
The two surviving Munchkins are Lollipop Kid Jerry Maren, 93, and Ruth Duccini, 95.
She passed away on Wednesday (August 7) in Phoenix after suffering a stroke. Pellegrini was one of only three surviving Munchkins.
The star, born Margaret Williams in Alabama, appeared in the movie aged 16 as both the flowerpot Munchkin and one of the sleepyhead kids in another scene.
Pellegrini regularly attended Wizard of Oz-themed events. She was present when the Munchkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.
She was discovered at a state fair when she joined Henry Kramer's Midgets act. The actress later married Willie Pellegrini.
The two surviving Munchkins are Lollipop Kid Jerry Maren, 93, and Ruth Duccini, 95.
- 8/8/2013
- Digital Spy
Two of the stars of The Wizard of Oz have blasted a campaign linking one of the 1939's iconic songs to Margaret Thatcher's death.
Munchkins Ruth Duccini, 94, and Jerry Maren, 93, told The Sun it was "terrible" that 'Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead' is on course to re-enter the chart after the former prime minister died this week, aged 87.
The pair, who were among the performers to sing on the track, said that it was wrong to hijack the song to celebrate someone's death.
Duccini said: "Nobody deserves to be treated in such a way. When we were filming the movie no-one intended it to be used in this way. I am ashamed, I really am."
She added: "All over the world The Wizard of Oz is cherished as a family film.
"Mums and dads and their children sit down to watch it together and enjoy the story,...
Munchkins Ruth Duccini, 94, and Jerry Maren, 93, told The Sun it was "terrible" that 'Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead' is on course to re-enter the chart after the former prime minister died this week, aged 87.
The pair, who were among the performers to sing on the track, said that it was wrong to hijack the song to celebrate someone's death.
Duccini said: "Nobody deserves to be treated in such a way. When we were filming the movie no-one intended it to be used in this way. I am ashamed, I really am."
She added: "All over the world The Wizard of Oz is cherished as a family film.
"Mums and dads and their children sit down to watch it together and enjoy the story,...
- 4/13/2013
- Digital Spy
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