Fake News: TheWizard of Oz Hanging Munchkin
Introduction:
Since its release in 1939, the famous film, The Wizard of Oz has become an iconic movie winning two Academy Awards. Even with its success, the film’s popularity also led to morbid speculations and some viewers labeling it cursed. One of the most infamous fables was about an actor who played a munchkin committing suicide by hanging himself during the film’s production. The suicide was said to have accidentally been captured and released in the 1939 original film played in cinemas. Viewers devised this tale after observing a shadowy figure that mimicked a person dangling in the forest as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man skipped down the Yellow Brick Road while singing, “we are off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz.” The story claimed that the munchkin actor hung himself after falling in love and being rejected by another cast member. Although tragic love stories always have a way of capturing headlines, research has proven this story to be another result of fake news.
Research Results:
After researching “hanging munchkin” on Google and viewing other fact-checking sites, such as Snopes, the report was confirmed to be fictitious. According to Snopes, “The logistics of this alleged hanging defy all credulity. First of all, the forest scenes in The Wizard of Oz were filmed before the Munchkinland scenes, and thus none of the munchkin actors would yet have been present at MGM” (Mikkelson). 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. Based on research, it is unreasonable to believe the suicide was recorded and not detected before the film’s release.
According to an article published by Time, the rumor started circulating “around 1989, the time of the 50th anniversary of the film’s release.” (Waxman). When the revised version aired, it showed an enhanced alteration that changed the scene’s imagery replacing the munchkin’s swinging shadow with a bird that appeared “in a different place to where it first appeared” (McMahon). This alteration began the conspiracy that the original version depicted the suicide, and the new version covered it up. During this time, no viewer considered all of the changes needed to improve the resolution of a cinema film released in 1939. These enhancements were crucial to providing an experience that allowed viewers to fast forward, rewind, and pause their VHS at home.
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. Because of this minor alteration, this hoax will forever gain the attention of conspiracy theorists and those looking for a ghoulish story. 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. I don’t blame them, a tragic love story captured in a family movie does have an entertaining element. This hoax confirms, although captivating, people should not believe everything they see on the internet.
Works Cited:
Krisler, Daniel. “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.
McMahon, James. “Unpacking the Myth of the Wizard of Oz’s Hanging Munchkin.” Little White Lies, 11 Aug. 2019, https://lwlies.com/articles/the-wizard-of-oz-munchkin-hanging-scene/.
Mikkelson, David. “Fact Check: Does ‘the Wizard of Oz’ Include a Munchkin Suicide?” Snopes.com, 13 Dec. 1997, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-munchkin/.
tretten1234. “Hanging Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz Movie.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Sept. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH9U9RbQp1c&list=PLKRqEacf90e3tmcu3CsD0_gqJpiouxpMw.
Waxman, Olivia B. “Was ‘the Wizard of Oz’ Cursed? Here’s Which Stories Are True.” Time, Time, 14 Aug. 2019, https://time.com/5647491/wizard-of-oz-curse/.