8th
>:-\ Seriously now
Okay, sooo..
Pop open the news to find this
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/39wizard-oz39-munchkin-mickey-carroll-dies-89-ap
And while saddened to hear of the loss of an actor whose contributions are unforgettable, what. the. FUCK.
At some point, someone out there made a list, presumably full of contact information, age, and health status, of all Oz munchkins, and has since spent a portion of their free time crossing names off the list.
I understand why we have lists of veterans from World War I/World War II/Vietnam War/etc. I understand why it’s news when we’re talking about the death of one of the last remaining people who could tell you what it was like fighting off the Kaiser. We’re essentially saying that we are losing any and all firsthand knowledge of one of the most significant events of recent human history. When we lose the last WWI veteran, we’ll have to trust that what’s written down in history books and museums is accurate.
But someone, somewhere is just counting the days until last few Munchkins kick it, and then his job will be done. Munchkin war stories about standing on each other’s shoulders to get a good look inside Judy Garland’s dressing room will be lost. What it was like to be one of the littlest people in one of the biggest movies will cease to be known.
We can only hope my script for Leprechaun 7: Pot o’Murder takes off in time to squeak out one last great performance from the few Munchkins we have left.
