There were rumors – thanks to the film's stars, no less – that the little people played by the inhabitants of Munchkinland ran amok in their free time.
“They were little drunks,” Garland. said in a 1967 interview With Jack Couple. “They were broken every night and the police caught them with butterfly nets.”
Jerry Marenwho played a member of the Green Caged Lollipop Guild and was the last one standing The Wizard of Oz Munchkin, when he died aged 98 in 2018, refused to characterize him and his colleagues.
“Judy said it that day, based on her pills and booze,” Maren wrote in his 2006 memoir (with Stephen Cox) Short and Sweet: The Life and Times of the Candy Munchkin. “She left behind a legacy of lies about us.”
And among the 120 or so little people in the film, “There were several children from Germany who liked to drink beer,” he wrote. “They drank beer morning, noon and evening, and they got into a little trouble. They wanted to meet girls, but they were the only ones.”
Margaret Pellegriniwho played village resident Munchkin, retains fond memories of the experience. “My father worked at a hotel and earned about $5 a week. They paid me $50 a week.” she remembered. “The scenes in Munchkin Land took eight weeks to create, after which I stayed in Hollywood for a month to see the sights.”
