It is implausible to believe none of the production crew, actors, actresses, and other employees would not have observed or noticed a person hanging while filming the scene. Despite being shown to be false, the hype around it leads to many people being fooled by it to this day as it is occasionally discussed and even got debunked in a Snopes article first published in 1997 written by its founder David Mikkelson. The above-mentioned Meinhardt Raabe, who played the munchkin coroner in the film, asserts that what some people see as a hanging munchkin was actually a large bird brought on the set to add an open air ambiance. Its also unlikely that the filmmakers were not aware of the alleged body, as these wereprofessionals who aware of exactly what was portrayed in every frame of the film. The other has a large bird, either an emu or a crane, moving around at the back of the set and spreading its wings, as seen in the photo and clip below. The man originally cast to play the Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, ended up in an iron lung after his silver make-up, made up of aluminium powder, got into his lungs. Now lets look ata brief video of the fakeversion which allegedlydepicts the VHS footage showing a hanging munchkin. So, perhaps someone came up with the story by conflating these events and allegations with the glimpse of the bird spreading its wings looking a bit like someone hanging. Over the years and. the hanging version looks nothing like a bird. In this scene you can cleary see a Munckhin hanging themselves from a tree in the background. I'm checking the 1989 VHS to debunk the myth and prove the hoax wrong once and. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpqKO76P-Y. The Wizard of Oz Edit From 1968 to 1984, on NBC-TV and CBS-TV airings of the film, the film was edited to sell more commercial time. Million Eyes III: Ouroboros ebook outtoday! (LogOut/ The sculpture installation also features a looped video of the scene from the Wizard of Oz that inspired the rumor. Even with its success, the films popularity also led to morbid speculations and some viewers labeling it cursed. (LogOut/ Whoever is blocking this conspiracy is very smart. He became the last surviving adult Munchkin following the death of Ruth Duccini in 2014, and was also the last surviving cast member with a specifically identifiable speaking or singing role. Could it not be possible that what were seeing is a weighted CARDBOARD or WOODEN FIGURE just swaying back and forth? Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Yes, it is. I dont blame them, a tragic love story captured in a family movie does have an entertaining element. Classic Urban Legend: Wizard of Oz Munchkin Suicide. At some point,rumorsbegan to circulate that the hanging munchkin could be seen in the VHS version of the Wizard of Oz, but had been edited out for the version released on DVD. For Jerry Maren, the central member of the Lollipop Guild, it was also a career maker. Then he finally shows it to reveal it's just the bird. Theres also the fact that a whole bunch of nasty accidents happened, including a broomstick exploding and landing the Wicked Witchs stunt double in hospital with severe burns. In 2011, a YouTube user called SuicidalMunchkin posted the clip with the very obvious little person hanging. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Youtube user fallentwig has posted an excellent analysis of the two pieces above. Whether or not a munchkin hanged himself is not the question. The Wizard of Oz Was Aired on CBS Affiliate Station WFSB TV-3 Hartford, CT on February 20th, 1990. Although the rumor dates back to the '90s, it first blew up when a video was posted on YouTube in 2011by a now-defunct channel titled SuicidalMunchkin. One of the first places, they're the first people Dorothy encounters on her epic journey through the Land of Oz. It is fun to think something like this happened, but it is impossible. As the group walks down the road, something appears to swing out from behind a tree in the center of the screen. Come on, you bozos. Sponsored links, A photo shows a group of people who have unearthed two giant human skulls. Collected by Email, 2011 In the Wizard of Oz, on the scene where Dorothy is with the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man, in the background a Munchkin, is hanging. In 1989, for the 50th anniversary MGM released an Anniversary Edition of the film the scene has been removed. What Definitive Proof Is There for the Hanging Dwarf in the Original Wizard of Oz Movie? Quora.com, 2020, https://www.quora.com/What-definitive-proof-is-there-for-the-hanging-dwarf-in-the-original-Wizard-of-Oz-movie. Although tragic love stories always have a way of capturing headlines, research has proven this story to be another result of fake news. Now, the legend goes that the hanging munchkin is the original sequence, and that MGM, who made the movie, later edited the munchkin out and replaced it with a bird. Whats weird is that some people have claimed to have an 80s VHS tape of the bird version, while others have claimed to have an 80s VHS tape with the hanging munchkin version. Anytime you stream or view the film, the scene will have also been cut. 1939, Metro Goldwyn Mayer. This clip is a direct capture from a 1980's VHS tape of the Wizard of Oz bought as part of a video lot from a collector. The Alleged Sighting, Theories, and Explanation. This demonstrates that the bird version came first, the hanging munchkin superimposed over the top. We also know that the rumour of a munchkin actor committing suicide on set can be traced back to at least sometime before that 1997 Snopes article. Seth MacFarlane Missed a Doomed 9/11 Flight, 1990s Odd News: Too Cool to do Drugs Pencils, About That To All You Hunters Newspaper Clipping, City Council: Library Cat Is Evicted From Home Of Six Years, British Firm Creates Putrid Comet-Smelling Perfume. They put an Australian emu in the background for atmosphere, he said while marveling on the concept of perception. They argue that he edited the bird footage and then copied it onto a VHS tape to make it look legit. With all the proven facts, there are still conspirators who believe a cast member killed himself during the making of the 1939 Wizard of Oz. And yet, after the 1998 version overpowered the original in popularity, people completely decided that it was in fact a bird, not even glimpsing at the very original. What the "hanging person" actually is a film crew person who got caught in the shot and quickly . I'm checking the 1989 VHS to debunk the myth and prove the hoax wrong . Check out our prop wizard of oz selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Million Eyes II: The Unraveller now available as apaperback! Tom Dunn. Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill . He swears he has the real hanging on the original 1980 vhs. According to Snopes David Mikkelson, writing in 1997, the forest scenes in The Wizard of Oz were filmed before the Munchkinland scenes, so none of the munchkin actors wouldve been present at MGM. It's free . $3.65 shipping. Heres Which Stories Are True. Time, Time, 14 Aug. 2019, https://time.com/5647491/wizard-of-oz-curse/. That means lots of Judy movies every Friday, including The Wizard of Oz on June 10, her birthday (followed by the 1990 behind-the-scenes documentary, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic) in the United States. ( brian_rowe@me.com) Follow. SPONSORED. It was concluded that the video which showed a hanging munchkin was a hoax. In the grainy video, however, it appears to be a small person hanging from a rope. MGM have said that in order to give the indoor set a more outdoors feel, birds of various sizes were borrowed from theLos AngelesZoo and allowed to roam the set. The anomaly present in the Wizard of Oz footage is a large bird stretching its wings, and not a munchkin whocommitted suicide. 40 Best Behind-the-Scenes Photos From the Production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. There is no way to circumvent the iron giant, and only the Nome King holds the key to its . Yes. The Wizard of Oz was never envisioned to play on a screen as small as a TV set, so confusion has arisen about the unusual motion in the background as Dorothy skips away with the Scarecrow and Tin Man. Supposedly, the directors son is the one hanging there. Its also impossible that an actor couldve hanged himself on a set with dozens of people present actors, directors, cameramen, sound and light technicians and nobody goddamn noticed. Photograph. Often termed the 'munchkin suicide,' one of the 124 dwarf actors involved in making the film supposedly committed suicide by hanging, and the corpse can be seen swinging from a tree in the movie. Another "hanging munchkin" rumor is that the munchkin had lost his love and was so devastated that he took his life. The guy with the vhs tape is comedian Greg Turkington. Although we dont know the origin of the rumour, a lot of people assume that the SuicidalMunchkin YouTuber was at least responsible for the hoax version of the scene. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes, Husband Put Pop-Rocks In Wifes Vagina To See What Would Happen. Movie and TV show scenes are not filmed in order. No munchkin actor committed suicide while filming, nor was his suicide captured on film. Wicked Witch Margaret Hamilton also spent time in the hospital, suffering second-degree burns on her face and third-degree burns on her hand. Over 82 years ago, The Wizard Of Oz came to the silver screen. Sponsored links. The suicide was said to have accidentally been captured and released in the 1939 original film played in cinemas. Is this film real or fake? Okay, scratch that last one.). In this case, its been proven (many times) that the scene with the bird is the original. Today well see what the experts say and take a closer look at the possible dangers. Go over to your parents and grandparents houses and look at their VHS library. The installation also included Robert Evans: 'King of the Mountain' 1966 1974 (2012) and two video works, Polanski's Baby (2013) and Barbra Streisand Portrait Bender, Las Vegas: Fear and Loathing Returns to the Flamingo (2014). So what I've learned is that in like 1982 or whatever a vhs version was released, which had what CLEARLY appears to be a human like figure hanging him/her self. Is the photo real or fake? The Wizard of Oz: Directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Mervyn LeRoy, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, King Vidor. This opportunity was made possible by the Torrance Art Museum and the Director Max Presneill. However, back in the 80s, this wouldve looked pretty darn weird on a grainy VHS, and even now, its not especially clear. Was SuicidalMunchkin bullshitting us all? Proponents of this story claim that during the 1988 restoration of the movie, the horrific incident was edited out and replaced with the bird seen in all modern versions of the movie. Wizard of Oz 2011: Hanging Munchkin Found on VHS Tape MrAvgnfan12 7.06K subscribers Subscribe 431K views 4 years ago (SuicidalMunchkin, 2011) This clip is a direct capture from a 1980's. He swears he has the real hanging on the original 1980 vhs. Posted on February 22, 2022 by . Belowis a brief video of the original footage. this is one of the biggest hollywood conspiracies. It is all over the scene. Because the hanging munchkin in this footage is a HOAX. People have said that those trees are much smaller than they appear and that they wouldn't let something like that slip up in a movie. Hanging Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz Movie. YouTube, YouTube, 23 Sept. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH9U9RbQp1c&list=PLKRqEacf90e3tmcu3CsD0_gqJpiouxpMw. If a viewer watches the scene on a digital copy of the film and looks in the background, they actually will see some sort of bird. SuicidalMunchkin then posted a video of him opening his original VHS tape dated 1986 and playing it, revealing the hanging munchkin. Im getting tired of people using the REMASTERED version of the film to debunk this How many times do people have to prove to you that the bird was added to those versions? Your email address will not be published. Several birds of varying sizes were borrowed from the Los Angeles Zoo and allowed to roam the indoor set in order to grant it a more outdoorsy feel, adding to the magic that cemented Oz as a staple of pop culture ( Loki 's Wizard of Oz references being a prime example). Myna birds? Search you attics and basements. Since its release in 1939, the famous film, The Wizard of Oz has become an iconic movie winning two Academy Awards. Theres really no reason to believe this isnt true thanks to the very obvious peacock seen wandering about outside the Tin Woodsmans shack while Dorothy and the Scarecrow attempt to revive him with oil, as shown in the clip above. What we know is that the strange movement you see just as Dorothy et al are going past is the emu or crane spreading its wings. I dont think that version existed before 2011, particularly now Ive found that 2009 Metro article. It has been alleged that this version has been digitally remastered to remove the suicide in the background. SuicidalMunchkin then fabricated his clip to prove it, which reignited the legend and now has scores of dummies (you know, the ones who dont do any research before they believe something) convinced that his video is the real deal. When the revised version aired, it showed an enhanced alteration that changed the scenes imagery replacing the munchkins swinging shadow with a bird that appeared in a different place to where it first appeared (McMahon). Marilyn Manson Is Now A Woman With Going By The Name Marilyn Manson, Man Has Sex For The First Time, Wishes He Would Have Done It Sooner. Members receive three annual issues of the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle, plus deals on the Club's literary journal, Oziana, and other publications, and news on Club conventions and other events. Not a shock, as the month marks the centennial of her birth. Want to know who Jesus REALLY was? Bret, because that is not true at all https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpqKO76P-Y. Although the image is grainy and suffers from slight jittering you can see in the background what can only be described as a hanging figure. Clearly people thought the bird looked like a person hanging before 2011. MGM has worked hard to sweep this whole debacle under the rug. Goes to show, not everything is as it seems and even the brightest of things have hidden darkness. Nothing Is there except a bird. Sponsored Links, Today we look at the claimthat a rare condition exists in which people are born without fingerprints. Warner Bros. re-released the film in 1998 where they had restored and remastered it all. In 1989 the movie was released for its 50th anniversary on VHS. Hang on, you say. Word quickly spread and soon it was said that a munchkin who was part of the film had committed suicide by hanging himself from one of the prop trees. Your email address will not be published. Although the story is fake news, viewers will continue to believe the production was altered to cover up its original mistake of releasing a suicide into cinemas. Also find news related to Wizard Of Oz Hanging Munchkin Debunked Using Vhs Tapes which is trending today. 5 Ways to Connect Wireless Headphones to TV. But the munchkins were small and so it is very possible that a munchkin or rather one of the actors playing a munchkin had hanged himself. Here, Fricke shares 17 moments that fans should watch for on the big screen, and dispels one grand myth surrounding The Wizard of Oz. Change). https://time.com/5647491/wizard-of-oz-curse/. Sponsored links, Today we look at thequote attributed to Henry Kissinger in which he allegedly stated that military men were dumb, stupid animals. Sponsored Links, James Hydrick was a so-called psychicwho rose to fame with his ability to move objects, only to be exposed as a fraudon national television. It also stands to reason that a suicide on the set would not have gone unnoticed by the actors, crew, and post-production personnel. The X Factor 2011 Live Show 2 - Has Sophie Habibis found her Calling? Sponsored links, A film allegedly shows a living woolly mammoth filmed in Siberia in 1943 by a Nazi photographer. Its crazy like watching clouds in the sky People see all sorts of things in Oz.. Clearly thats a hanging munchkin! 17 Wizard of Oz Moments to Watch For: The Cyclone: The on . We havewatched both the VHS version and the DVD versions, andcan confidently say that both are the same. Wizard Of Oz Hanging Munchkin Debunked (Using VHS Tapes) 1,757 views Mar 1, 2022 42 Dislike Share JudyGarlandFan22 506 subscribers In this video I show the original home video release. People love to think there is some deep dark secret and hundreds of people from the movie were threatened to keep quiet for 80 years. It is a symbol of the non passive ways audiences consume and participate in narratives. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-munchkin/. The story goes that he was driven to despair over his unrequited love for a fellow munchkin actress and decided to end it all right there on set. Thatclip is known to have been digitally manipulated.