The memoirs of Judy Garland‘s third husband, Sid Luft, claim she was repeatedly assaulted by some of the actors who played the Munchkins on the set of The Wizard Of Oz. There were 225 Munchkins in the cast.
Sid Luft, who was married to the actress from 1952-1965 described the alleged abuse in a new posthumous biography titled Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland, in which some of the actors put their hands up her skirt as Garland, then 16-years-old, filmed the 1939 Oscar-nominated classic musical.
In The Wizard of Oz, the lovable Munchkins help Dorothy follow the yellow brick road to find her way home. But just like Oz himself, it turns out some of the Munchkins may not have been all they seemed. ‘They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress. The men were 40 or more years old,” wrote the producer and business manager, who died in 2005.
Many of the Munchkin actors have denied the claims, arguing that they worked hard for little pay. Munchkin actress, Margaret Pellegrini remarked, “There were a lot of them who liked to go out and have a few drinks, but nothing got out of hand. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves. There was no rowdiness or anything like that, and those stories are very upsetting.”
Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin, age 97, reportedly asked, “How could you get drunk on $50 a week?” He added, “There were a couple of kids from Germany who liked to drink beer. They drank beer morning, noon and night, and got in a little trouble. They wanted to meet the girls, but they were the only ones.”
Hm, fishy fishy. In addition to the Munchkin allegations, Luft’s memoir details his love affair with Garland, including her drug addictions and multiple suicide attempts.
