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Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road
Meinhardt Raabe, Daniel Kinske
Memoir of the film -- The Wizard of Oz
Backstage Books
April 2005
288 pages ISBN: 0823091937 Hardcover
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Historical
Dear Readers,
I will never forget the morning that Meinhardt Raabe’s
agent called me and insisted on stopping by my office that
very same day. "I’ve got a Wizard of Oz project that you
have to see to believe." From the moment I looked at Mr.
Raabe’s charming memoir and his remarkable collection of Oz
memorabilia, I knew this would be a book unlike any that I
have published. Memories of A Munchkin, written by Meinhardt Raabe with
Daniel Kinske, almost feels like three books in one. Part one is a memoir by Raabe who stepped into film history
at the age of 23 when he played the Munchkin coroner in THE
WIZARD OF OZ. It’s a charming and inspiring story that
begins on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, moves to his
appearance in a special "Midget Village" exhibit at the
1934 World's Fair and on to Hollywood. Through an agent,
Raabe was cast in THE WIZARD OF OZ and much of the memoir
is devoted to his account of working on the most beloved
film of all time - enduring tough auditions, watching as
the glorious Munchkinland set was built, putting up with
long days of rehearsal, being costumed by legendary MGM
designer Adrian, hob-nobbing on the set with the stars,
witnessing various mishaps during filming, being visited on
the set by curious Hollywood royalty such as Spencer Tracy
and Clark Gable, and much more. Here, too, is Raabe's life
after THE WIZARD OF OZ: His career as an accomplished pilot
with the Civil Air Patrol during World War II; more than 30
years as "Little Oscar," spokesman for the Oscar Mayer
ompany; his charity work and his role as advocate and
kindred spirit to Little People everywhere. Mr. Raabe’s
memoir is lavishly illustrated with the most incredible
material such as! blueprints of the Munchkinland set,
Adrian’s costume sketches, MGM’s original Oz matte
paintings, and many rare, behind-the-scenes photos from
director Victor Fleming’s personal scrapbook. Part two of the book is the most complete collection of OZ
movie posters and lobby cards ever published. Included are
a beautiful watercolor painted by the legendary Al
Hirschfeld, and the jumbo window card that was originally
displayed in Mr. Raabe’s hometown theater of Watertown, WI! Part three is a collection of specially commissioned Oz art
from some of the world’s best-known and best-loved
illustrators – people like Al Hirschfeld, Frank Frazetta,
Mort Drucker, Jack Davis and Frank Kelly Freas. I
especially like Ron Dias’ painting of what he imagines the
interior of a Munchkin house would look like, and Philo
Barnhart’s piece that combines the main characters of Oz
with those of Snow White. Duck Edwing’s piece, Hearse of a
Different Color, could not be more colorful or more
charming. And you won’t believe all the detail – and clever
humor – in Tom Bunk’s piece depicting the Kansas tornado at
the beginning of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Put it all together and you have a treasure trove of Oz
stories and memorabilia. No fan of this beloved Hollywood
classic will want to be without Memories of A Munchkin. Mark Glubke Senior Editor Back Stage Books
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