Because the hanging munchkin in this footage is a HOAX. He said in his videos description that the clip was from a 1980s VHS tape, which is what led so many to believe that it was the original scene. That "ghost" was actually a poster someone accidentally left there and even though it was clearly seen, it was left in the film. The suicide was said to have accidentally been captured and released in the 1939 original film played in cinemas. In reality, it was just a bird brought on set from the Los Angeles Zoo. I dont blame them, a tragic love story captured in a family movie does have an entertaining element. In the grainy video, however, it appears to be a small person hanging from a rope. Scour thrift stores and swapmeets. According to an article published by Time, the rumor started circulating around 1989, the time of the 50th anniversary of the films release. (Waxman). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); C.R. Whoever is blocking this conspiracy is very smart. The Munchkins are described as being the same height as Dorothy and they wear only shades of blue clothing, as blue is the Munchkins' favorite color. The alleged story to accompany this goes that is during the filming of the movie; one of the Munchkins died by suicide perhaps due to loss of love, and hung himself from the roof of the studio and the filmmakers later accidentally captured the aftermath of it on the film. This is the exact same thing munchkin believers have been doing all these years. Myna birds? Whats weird is that some people have claimed to have an 80s VHS tape of the bird version, while others have claimed to have an 80s VHS tape with the hanging munchkin version. 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. Million Eyes II blog tour so far, plus book launch venue changereminder. Even with its success, the film's popularity also led to morbid . If you have a sealed copy of the film, we have seen prices reach well over $5k in mint condition. be careful searching for the truth on this. Whoever had uploaded the video most likely had meticulously edited the hanging figure in place of the bird. The Hanged Munchkin. Theres really no reason to believe this isnt true thanks to the very obvious peacock seen wandering about outside the Tin Woodsmans shack while Dorothy and the Scarecrow attempt to revive him with oil, as shown in the clip above. They are the first Ozians to be introduced in Baum's story, making an introduction in the second chapter. I remember taping The Wizard of Oz when it was on TV in the 80s, and there is definitely a munchkin hanging in the background. Addeddate 2019-12-30 03:17:23 Identifier wizardofoz2201990 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4 Add Review A Munchkin from "The Wizard of Oz" followed the yellow brick road to Akron and found his heart's desire. Plus, the tree is a PAINTED background. By Charlotte Chilton. One of the most infamous fables was about an actor who played a munchkin committing suicide by hanging himself during the films production. Unlike the alleged digitally altered DVD version (also screening on this channel) the sequence where Dorothy and the others enter the forest can be seen in its unedited version. Whether or not a munchkin hanged himself is not the question. But its not like a play where the cast is present for the entire piece. Now, the legend goes that the hanging munchkin is the original sequence, and that MGM, who made the movie, later edited the munchkin out and replaced it with a bird. However, back in the 80s, this wouldve looked pretty darn weird on a grainy VHS, and even now, its not especially clear. Over 82 years ago, The Wizard Of Oz came to the silver screen. Sure, people lie, but everyone? the wizard of oz hanging munchkin original vhs tape richard kelvin autopsy report / perry township schools closed / the wizard of oz hanging munchkin original vhs tape At some point,rumorsbegan to circulate that the hanging munchkin could be seen in the VHS version of the Wizard of Oz, but had been edited out for the version released on DVD. Although the image is grainy and suffers from slight jittering you can see in the background what can only be described as a hanging figure.There have been many attempts to debunk this 'urban myth' but here for the first time is what appears to be evidence to the contrary. The sculpture installation also features a looped video of the scene from the Wizard of Oz that inspired the rumor. He swears he has the real hanging on the original 1980 vhs. Author / Teacher / MFA in Fiction. Launching Million Eyes II at Chandlers (and how brilliant itwas). The installation also included Robert Evans: 'King of the Mountain' 1966 1974 (2012) and two video works, Polanski's Baby (2013) and Barbra Streisand Portrait Bender, Las Vegas: Fear and Loathing Returns to the Flamingo (2014). McMahon, James. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. From left, original munchkin actors Jerry Maren, Margaret Pellegrini and Karl Slover attend the "Wizard of Oz" 70th Anniversary Emerald Gala at Tavern on the Green in New York on Sept. 24, 2009. Not a shock, as the month marks the centennial of her birth. They argue that he edited the bird footage and then copied it onto a VHS tape to make it look legit. That someone fiddled with the movie way back in the 80s, and managed to get the hoax print into distribution. 40 Best Behind-the-Scenes Photos From the Production of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Wizard Of Oz Hanging Munchkin Debunked (Using VHS Tapes) 1,757 views Mar 1, 2022 42 Dislike Share JudyGarlandFan22 506 subscribers In this video I show the original home video release. Others have claimed to have an 80s VHS tape of the film that shows the bird, not the hanging munchkin. https://time.com/5647491/wizard-of-oz-curse/. the hanging munchkin is the original and the bird is the fake, They had remastered it a few times before 1980s, could have taken it out, why would they add a random bird? Theres a reason Ive titled the article this way, and its not what you think. The bird in the renewed version is not in the exact same place as the "bird" in the original. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In reality, it was the same bird found in modern versions of the movie. Its also unlikely that the filmmakers were not aware of the alleged body, as these wereprofessionals who aware of exactly what was portrayed in every frame of the film. tretten1234. Why would a munchkin be around for that scene? Host virtual events and webinars to increase engagement and generate leads. In 1989, for the 50th anniversary MGM released an Anniversary Edition of the film the scene has been removed. Dick Kleiner, in a column dated January 16, 1996 responded to a reader asking about the rumor. All of them seem to talk about a love striken . Although we dont know the origin of the rumour, a lot of people assume that the SuicidalMunchkin YouTuber was at least responsible for the hoax version of the scene. Check out our prop wizard of oz selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-munchkin/. So, now that weve established that the bird scene is the original, the hanging munchkin clip a fake, the real mystery is the origin of the fake. this is one of the biggest hollywood conspiracies. Then apparently, a remastered version that was released in 98 or something has what clearly appears to be a bird. Save Article. The best evidence of a hanging they could find for this Amazon documentary is a 1980 vhs tape, which has the bird. What we know is that the strange movement you see just as Dorothy et al are going past is the emu or crane spreading its wings. Is this real or hoax? In this version, since it is a lot clearer, you can clearly see that it is in fact a bird in that scene. The rumor gained traction in the 80's when the film was released on VHS, The famous rumor is based on the figure in the background of the Tim . When I first wrote about this urban legend in 2015, this users accounts and videos were still live. Well, the "dead person hanging in the background" rumor is popular, but untrue. John Fricke is a historian and author who focuses on The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland.From Cursed films, Season 2: episode 1 on Shudder, Amazon.#1980 #vhs #original#hangingmunchkin#1980vhstape#debunked Seth MacFarlane Missed a Doomed 9/11 Flight, 1990s Odd News: Too Cool to do Drugs Pencils, About That To All You Hunters Newspaper Clipping, City Council: Library Cat Is Evicted From Home Of Six Years, British Firm Creates Putrid Comet-Smelling Perfume. Scrooge McDuck? Whether or not you believe in "the hanging munchkin" it is something that brings the whole movie down in to a darker light than what it is usually portrayed as. This opportunity was made possible by the Torrance Art Museum and the Director Max Presneill. Your email address will not be published. The Hanged Munchkin is an example of a fan generated narrative being projected onto a film. 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. Because Ive heard from multiple older people that the bird in the newer versions wasnt there. Photograph. So when I say whos to blame for the munchkin suicide, Im asking, who is responsible for this hoax. Word quickly spread and soon it was said that a munchkin who was part of the film had committed suicide by hanging himself from one of the prop trees. Your email address will not be published. Also, if you look closely, you can see that in the original there is some kind of rope connected to one of the branches. He wrote, No. A faked adaptation of the supposed VHS version was posted which had been altered from the original. Of course it is possible that it was a bird but it is just as possible that there was in fact, a hanging munchkin. Over 82 years ago, The Wizard Of Oz came to the silver screen. 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. In this scene you can cleary see a Munckhin hanging themselves from a tree in the background. Is the photo real or fake? After that a lot of weird stuff was said like CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is really a snuff film. Although tragic love stories always have a way of capturing headlines, research has proven this story to be another result of fake news. Over many years, our inbox has been filled with reports such as these. The "legend " if you want to call it that, says thay a munchkin . Change). It was faked in 2011 by one of these believers. Clip from The Wizard of Oz. the wizard of oz hanging munchkin original vhs tape; the wizard of oz hanging munchkin original vhs tape. Anytime you stream or view the film, the scene will have also been cut. 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). A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum.They first appear in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in Oz. Fact Check: Does the Wizard of Oz Include a Munchkin Suicide? Snopes.com, 13 Dec. 1997, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-munchkin/. The bird was already in the scene. Bret, because that is not true at all https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpqKO76P-Y. The first rumor I heard of this was way before the remaster came out. Today well see what the experts say and take a closer look at the possible dangers.