Mickey Carroll, one of the few remaining actors who portrayed the Munchkins in the classic film, The Wizard of Oz, died in his sleep Thursday night at age 89. Carroll got his start in Vaudeville. In 1939, he was cast to play multiple roles in what would become an American cinema classic. In The Wizard of Oz, Carroll was the town crier, one of the infamous Munchkins, and also one of the candy-striped companions who led Judy Garland down the yellow brick road. He, along with the other Munchkins, was paid $125/week for his work on the film.
While The Wizard of Oz was to be his only movie, Carroll had an illustrious career in the entertainment industry, mostly in radio. He appeared on many radio shows, working with such greats as George Burns and Gracie Allen and the irrepressible Jack Benny. However, Mickey Carroll eventually settled in St. Louis and went into the family business: fashioning cemetery monuments.
While it received good reviews, several Academy Award nominations (as well as a win for Over the Rainbow), and other accolades, The Wizard of Oz was not considered a classic until the 1960s. Carroll re-entered the entertainment business at that time, attending Oz-related events and charity functions throughout the rest of his life. In 2007, Carroll and other, surviving members of the Lollipop Guild represented when the Munchkins were granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Family members said Mickey Carroll had heart problems and had received a pacemaker in February.
© C Harris Lynn, 2009
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