The Matina Brothers (a.k.a. ''Matina Midget Troupe'') were a Hungarian-born trio of American entertainers known for their short height.

History

Lajos Matina, the eldest, was born in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

on September 12, 1893, followed by twin brothers Bela and Matyus in 1901. The trio of brothers later moved to America where they became naturalized American citizens. The brothers soon joined a troupe which was led by an individual named ''Prince Ludwig'' who dubbed them the "Matina Midget Troupe". In 1915, Lajos married Elise Broek who was a

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. Each brother played a munchkin villager in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz where Bela was billed as "Mike Rogers" (Matina), and Matyus "Ike Rogers" (Matina). Lajos also became known as "Leo" Matina while working beside his brothers "Mike" and "Ike". There is a possible but unverified connection that came from the nicknames with the candy

Mike and Ike Mike and Ike is a brand of fruit-flavored candies that were first introduced in 1940 by the company Just Born, Inc. The origin of the candy's name remains unknown, but there are many conjectures. Mike and Ikes were originally all fruit flavore ...

which first appeared in 1940. Author ''Dean Jensen'' writes that the younger twin brothers became very popular in America to an extent that a boxed candy was named after them. Various other theories exist however, as the company does not provide a last name for the two founders of the brand. The brothers continued in show business after the movie, and Leo eventually filled in as a chef for the troupe. The first brother to pass away was Mike Matina (''Bela''), who died on June 12, 1954. It is unknown what happened to Leo or Ike Matina; the last mention of the remaining brothers in

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

is from March 30, 1957 mentioning a birthday party for "Ike" Matina. Bela and Matyus (''Mike & Ike'') currently hold the world record for the "shortest twins" at just each.

Controversy

Bela, and Matyus ("Mike & Ike") were described as problem drinkers, who tried to get fellow Munchkins to share in their overindulgence while the Wizard of Oz was in production (it is unclear if this was done on or off site). In a 1967 interview,

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

referred to all of the Munchkins as "little drunks" who got intoxicated every night to the point where they had to be picked up in "butterfly nets". These accusations were denied as fabrications by fellow Munchkin

Margaret Pellegrini Margaret Pellegrini (' Williams; September 23, 1923 – August 7, 2013) was an American actress, vaudeville performer and dancer, best known for playing one of the Munchkins from the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz.'' Until her death in 2013, she ...

, who said only "a couple of kids from Germany even drank beer".

References

Entertainers with dwarfism Sideshow performers {{Hungary-bio-stub

History

Controversy

See also

References