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Hollywood said goodbye on Saturday to Meinhardt Raabe, one of the original Munchkins in the "Wizard of Oz." Flowers were placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame star for the Munchkins, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Raabe, 94, was considered the oldest living Munchkin and died Friday in Florida. Raabe was on hand with other cast members in 2007 when the Munchkin star was finally dedicated on the Walk of Fame. Many considered the honor long overdue. In the movie, Raabe portrayed the coroner. At the unveiling, he delighted the crowd by reciting his memorable |
In 2007, only seven Munchkins were still alive — most in their 80s and 90s. They were the last of the 124 diminutive inhabitants of fictional
Munchkinland who appeared with Judy Garland in the 1939 movie. They were
mostly midgets, with a few children thrown in.
— Shelby Grad
Photo: Former Munchkin Meinhardt Raabe attends the "Wizard of Oz" 70th
Anniversary Emerald Gala at Tavern on the Green in New York September 2009. Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in
"The Wizard of Oz," died. Friday at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla. Credit: Chalres Sykes / Associated Press
More: Explore The Times’ Hollywood Star Walk database.
A new Times database puts readers on the sidewalks of Hollywood, using more than a century of archives to track the lives of the stars, including current Oscar nominees Jeff Bridges, James Cameron, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep.