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Charlie Becker
Karl Becker (November 24, 1887 – December 28, 1968), billed as Charlie Becker, was a German American actor. He was 3'9" in height, and is probably best known for appearing as the Munchkinland Mayor in '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). Billy Bletcher dubbed the Mayor's vocals in the film. Biography Becker was born near Frankfurt, Germany in the town of Muschenheim. As a teenager, he worked as a butcher, but often struggled to use the knives and other equipment, and was ridiculed by his fellow workers. When he was about 19, he began performing in travelling "midget shows", and eventually joined the Singer Midgets, a famous troupe led by Leo Singer of Austria. The Singer Midgets moved to the United States during World War I, and became popular on the vaudeville circuits. Becker became friends with George Burns, Will Rogers, and other stars of the time. Becker appeared in a few films during the 1920s and 1930s. These included '' Spangles'' (1926), ''The Terror of Tiny Town'' (193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hessen
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Darmstadt and Kassel. With an area of 21,114.73 square kilometers and a population of just over six million, it ranks seventh and fifth, respectively, among the sixteen German states. Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Germany's second-largest metropolitan area (after Rhine-Ruhr), is mainly located in Hesse. As a cultural region, Hesse also includes the area known as Rhenish Hesse (Rheinhessen) in the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Name The German name '' Hessen'', like the names of other German regions (''Schwaben'' "Swabia", ''Franken'' "Franconia", ''Bayern'' "Bavaria", ''Sachsen'' "Saxony"), derives from the dative plural form of the name of the inhabitants or eponymous tribe, the Hessians (''Hessen'', singular ''Hesse''). The geogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spangles (1926 Film)
''Spangles'' is a 1926 silent drama film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Frank O'Connor and starred Marian Nixon, Pat O'Malley and Hobart Bosworth. at silentera.com A surviving print of the film was preserved at UCLA Film and Television and it is out on DVD. Cast * - 'Spangles' Delancy * Pat O'Malley - Dick Hale, Dick Radley * |
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 was one of the three surviving munchkins, the other two being Jerry Maren and Ruth Robinson Duccini. Biography Pellegrini was born Margaret Williams in Tuscumbia, Alabama. When she was helping a relative in a potato chip booth at the Tennessee State Fair, a group of little people came by and asked if she wanted to join their show, Henry Kramer's Midgets. "At that time I didn't think I was a midget," says Pellegrini (who then stood about ). In the film, Pellegrini played a "sleepyhead" flower pot and Munchkin villager. After the film, she married Willie Pellegrini (an average-sized ex-fighter) and had two children. Through the years, Pellegrini frequently appeared at surviving Munchkins of Oz festivities. Munchkins Walk of fame Pellegr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Maren
Jerry Maren (born Gerard Marenghi; January 24, 1920 – May 24, 2018) was an American actor who played a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film '' The Wizard of Oz.'' He became the last surviving adult Munchkin following the death of Ruth Duccini in 2014, and was also the last surviving cast member with a specifically identifiable speaking or singing role. Early life Gerard Marenghi, eventually known as Jerry Maren, was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of eleven or twelve children. His father, Emil Marenghi, worked at a shoe factory. His four brothers were six feet (c. 182 cm) or taller by 1939. At the age of 12, Maren started taking dancing lessons with his sister. He toured around New England with his dance instructor with an act called ''Three Steps and a Hop'' and was noticed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts who were looking for three little guys who could sing and dance. Career Maren received a telegram, just after graduati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruth Duccini
Ruth Leone Duccini ( Robinson; July 23, 1918 – January 16, 2014) was an American actress. Biography Ruth is best known as the penultimate surviving Munchkin from the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Her role in the film as a Munchkin villager was not credited. Her most recent appearances were when she and the other surviving Munchkins were presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 21, 2007, and attending the premiere of the film's 75th anniversary at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. She also was seen in ''Under the Rainbow'' (1981) and ''Memories of Oz'' (2001). While Duccini could not recall in 2013 what she earned filming ''Oz'', the Munchkin village actors were paid $50 a week during filming, plus room/board. She said of her World War II work: Duccini made the news again when Margaret Thatcher died, and critics of the former British premier tried to propel "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" onto the chart to celebrate her passing. Duccini and Jerry Mare ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mickey Carroll
Mickey Carroll (born Michael Finocchiaro; July 8, 1919 – May 7, 2009) was an American actor who worked in radio and film, and was one of the last surviving actors who portrayed a Munchkin in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Early life and career Born Michael Finocchiaro in St. Louis, Missouri, Carroll was the son of Italian immigrants. He was born along with a twin sister, who, unlike Carroll, was of average size. As a child Carroll began dance lessons at the Fox Theater in St. Louis. At 17 he was one of six bellhops in the "Call for Phillip Morris" live radio ads, and at 18 was appearing in shows with Mae West. While under contract to MGM, he went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. It was Garland herself who offered him a part in '' The Wizard of Oz''. Carroll was cast as Munchkinland's "Town Crier". His costume consisted of a purple cloak with a yellow flower sticking out of his striped vest. He also marched as a "Munchkin Soldier", and as one of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hollywood Walk Of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry, bearing the names of a mix of actors, directors, producers, musicians, theatrical/musical groups, fictional characters, and others. The Walk of Fame is administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who hold the trademark rights and maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust. It is a popular tourist attraction, with an estimated 10 million annual visitors in 2010. Description The Walk of Fame runs east to west on Hollywood Boulevard, from Gower Street to the ''Hollywood and La Brea Gateway'' at La Brea Avenue, plus a short segment on Marshfield Way that runs diagonally between Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea; and north to s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prince Denis
Prince Denis (January 26, 1900 – June 20, 1984) was a French-born American actor of sideshows and film with dwarfism, best known for his role as the Munchkin Sergeant-at-Arms in the 1939 film " The Wizard of Oz". Early life Originally from France, Denis moved to the United States and changed his name to Dennison before eventually legally changing it to Prince Denis. Career Denis toured various circuses, including the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, with his two sisters, Princess Marguerite and Lady Little. Denis would later go on to appear in the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the age of 25. His wife Ethel also had a minor role as a Munchkin in the film. He stated that he himself had played the role of the mayor of Munchkinland and that Charlie Becker, who had played the mayor, was selected for playing the sergeant-in-arms. It was later learned that Denis had lied for more publicity. Denis later went on to appear in films such as '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hayward, California
Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 34th most populous municipality in California. It is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census. It is located primarily between Castro Valley, San Leandro and Union City, and lies at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. The city was devastated early in its history by the 1868 Hayward earthquake. From the early 20th century until the beginning of the 1980s, Hayward's economy was dominated by its now defunct food canning and salt production industries. History Early history Human habitation of the greater East Bay, including Hayward, dates from at least 4000 BC. The most recent pre-European inhabitants of the Hayward area were the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairview, California
Fairview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. It borders on the city of Hayward and the census-designated place of Castro Valley. The population was 11,341 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, is land and (0.85%) is water. Demographics 2010 The 2010 United States Census reported that 10,003 people, 3,490 households, and 2,512 families resided in the CDP. The population density was . There were 3,642 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 45.0% White (36.2% non-Hispanic), 21.0% African American (20.5% non-Hispanic), 0.8% Native American, 15.2% Asian, 1.3% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 7.6% from two or more races. 21.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The Census reported that 98.5% of the population lived in households, 0.8% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.7% w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lone Tree Cemetery, Fairview, California
Lone Tree Cemetery is a , active, nonprofit cemetery, mausoleum and columbarium complex in unincorporated Fairview, California, adjacent to the city of Hayward. The site was first established in 1868. The cemetery has hosted, since 1903, the oldest continuous Memorial Day celebration in southern Alameda County. It contains a memorial to 73 soldiers from Hayward, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo who died in the Vietnam War, and a memorial to Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies and police officers from cities in the county. Notable burials * Medal of Honor recipients ** Robert McDonald (1822–1901), for action in the American Indian Wars with the 5th Infantry Regiment * Others ** Charlie Becker (1887–1968), actor who played the "Mayor of Munchkinland" in '' The Wizard of Oz'' ** William Dutton Hayward, namesake of the city of Hayward ** Bob Sweikert (1926–1956), racing driver, 1955 Indianapolis 500 champion ** Pete Knight (1903–1937), 1930s rodeo championBrian Brennan (May ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins allow the director of photography to light the set and the camera department to light and focus scenes while the actors are absent. The director will often ask stand-ins to deliver the scene dialogue ("lines") and walk through ("blocking") the scenes to be filmed. Stand-ins are distinguished from doubles, who replace actors ''on camera'' from behind, in makeup, or during dangerous stunts. Stand-ins do not appear on camera. However, on some productions the jobs of stand-in and double may be done by the same person. In rare cases, a stand-in will appear on screen, sometimes as an in-joke. For instance, the actress who pretends to be Ann Darrow in the stage show during the final act of ''King Kong'' (2005) is played by Naomi Watts' stand-in, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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