Meinhardt Raabe

Birth : 1915-09-02, Watertown, Wisconsin, USA

Death : 2010-04-09

History

Meinhardt Frank Raabe was an American actor. He was one of the last surviving Munchkin-actors in The Wizard of Oz (1939), and was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film. He portrayed the coroner who certified the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.

Profile

Movies

I Married a Munchkin

Himself

Chesterton, Indiana's annual WIZARD OF OZ parade (as well as their many Oz-themed festivities) provides the backdrop for I MARRIED A MUNCHKIN, Tom Palazzolo's study of the life and career of Mary Ellen St. Aubin. Self-described as "normal, but little," Mary Ellen details her early start in show business as a performer in an all-dwarf vaudeville act, her brief appearance in 1946's THREE WISE FOOLS, her 1948 marriage to former Munchkin Parnell St. Aubin and their subsequent retirement from entertainment to run a bar (called the Midget Club) in the South Side of Chicago. Two other former Munchkins (Margaret Pellegrini and Clarence Swensen) briefly appear among the day's revelry. Also included is a postscript (shot some time after the initial film) featuring Mary Ellen briefly describing the original size of her role in THREE WISE FOOLS, which originally featured a line and an ill-fated "flying" effect. - Tom Fritsche

We're Off to See the Munchkins

Himself

The last eight surviving Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz share their memories in this 1993 documentary hosted by Oz historian John Fricke.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic

Self

Documentary about the making of the 1939 MGM classic film The Wizard of Oz. Includes interviews of cast and crew members, their families and fans of the film.