Gerald Marenghi Wiki Biography
Gerard Marenghi (born January 24, 1920), known as Jerry Maren, is an American actor and the only confirmed surviving cast member of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, in which he portrayed a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild. He became the last survivor of the cast following the death of fellow Munchkin Ruth Duccini on January 16, 2014.
| Full Name | Jerry Maren |
| Net Worth | $300 Thousand |
| Date Of Birth | January 24, 1920 |
| Place Of Birth | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height | 4′ 3″ (1.3 m) |
| Profession | Actor, Stunts, Miscellaneous Crew |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Barrington |
| IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0546439 |
| Movies | Dahmer vs. Gacy, Where the Buffalo Roam, Little Cigars, The Terror of Tiny Town |
| TV Shows | Lidsville, Andy’s Gang, No Soap, Radio |
| Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| The Wizard of Oz (1939) | $50 per week |
| Quote | |
|---|---|
| 1 | For me, it was meeting all the little people from all over the world. Not only the United States but from all over. A few of them came from Texas. You’d never believe that. I always thought only big tall men came from Texas and there they had about 10 little guys from Texas–I couldn’t believe it. I met other little people from Germany, France, Italy–they were from all over. There were over 120! — JM, describing the “Munchkins” experience while filming The Wizard of Oz. |
| 2 | We represent the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild and in the name of the Lollipop Guild we welcome you to Munchkin Land. |
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | With the death of Ruth Duccini on January 16, 2014, Maren is the only surviving actor to have played a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz (1939). |
| 2 | In addition to the Lollipop Guild member (a part he was given because he had a singing and dancing background) in The Wizard of Oz (1939), he played a number of munchkin filler parts throughout the movie. |
| 3 | Claims that the Munchkins got paid only $50 a week while the dog Toto received $200 a week during the filming of The Wizard of Oz (1939). |
| 4 | The location of the Munchkins’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is 6915 Hollywood Blvd. |
| 5 | Played “Boko” the comedy assistant to Ms. Geraldine Larsen’s “Magic Lady” on “The Magic Lady TV Show” on The ABC TV network in the early 1950s. |
| 6 | Works as a stand in for child actors. |
| 7 | He was Little Oscar. |
| 8 | He played Buster Brown on television and radio during the 1950s and 1960s and did McDonald’s commercials under the heavy costume of Mayor McCheese or the Hamburglar for several years. |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dahmer vs. Gacy | 2010 | Mime | |
| Frankenstein Rising | 2010 | Manlon | |
| Bit Players | 2000 | Short | Oompa Loompa |
| Seinfeld | 1997 | TV Series | Dad |
| The Dreamer of Oz | 1990 | TV Movie | Mr. Munchkin |
| Short Ribbs | 1989 | TV Series | |
| The Great Outdoors | 1988 | uncredited | |
| Spaceballs | 1987 | uncredited | |
| The Twilight Zone | 1986 | TV Series | Creature (segment “Personal Demons”) |
| House | 1986 | Little Critter | |
| Petronella | 1985 | TV Movie | George |
| It Came Upon the Midnight Clear | 1984 | TV Movie | Elf 3 |
| Hot Moves | 1984 | Arcade Vendor | |
| The Being | 1983 | Monster (as Jerry Marin) | |
| High School U.S.A. | 1983 | TV Movie | Robot |
| Wizards and Warriors | 1983 | TV Series | Floyd the Feather |
| Something Wicked This Way Comes | 1983 | uncredited | |
| TRON | 1982 | uncredited | |
| No Soap, Radio | 1982 | TV Series | Morris |
| Under the Rainbow | 1981 | Hotel Rainbow Guest | |
| Side Show | 1981 | TV Movie | Tom Tiny |
| Where the Buffalo Roam | 1980 | Bell Man | |
| Americathon | 1979 | ||
| The Lord of the Rings | 1978 | ||
| The Bad News Bears Go to Japan | 1978 | Page Boy | |
| The Amazing Captain Nemo | 1978 | TV Movie | |
| Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | 1977 | TV Series | Dash |
| Switch | 1977 | TV Series | Shoe Shiner |
| The Odd Couple | 1975 | TV Series | Harry Tallman |
| Little Cigars | 1973 | Cadillac | |
| Outlaw Riders | 1971 | Bartender | |
| Lidsville | 1971 | TV Series | Boris / Rah-Rah |
| Here’s Lucy | 1970 | TV Series | Milton |
| Bigfoot | 1970 | Baby Creature | |
| Get Smart | 1970 | TV Series | Lower Gemini |
| Julia | 1970 | TV Series | Little Green Man |
| Hello, Dolly! | 1969 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| Planet of the Apes | 1968 | Child Ape (uncredited) | |
| The Wild Wild West | 1967 | TV Series | Coco |
| Bewitched | 1967 | TV Series | Gremlin |
| The Beverly Hillbillies | 1966 | TV Series | Spaceman #2 |
| Producers’ Showcase | 1956 | TV Series | |
| Andy’s Gang | 1955 | TV Series | Buster Brown (voice) |
| Smilin’ Ed’s Gang | 1954 | TV Series | |
| Superman and the Mole-Men | 1951 | Mole-Man (uncredited) | |
| Samson and Delilah | 1949 | uncredited | |
| When My Baby Smiles at Me | 1948 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| Are You with It? | 1948 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| Three Wise Fools | 1946 | Sir Boulder (uncredited) | |
| An Angel Comes to Brooklyn | 1945 | Midget Baby (uncredited) | |
| Duffy’s Tavern | 1945 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| That’s the Spirit | 1945 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| The Great John L. | 1945 | Midget (scenes deleted) | |
| Bring on the Girls | 1945 | Midget in Fireman Skit (uncredited) | |
| Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Anymore | 1944 | Gremlin | |
| Silent Partner | 1944 | Messenger (uncredited) | |
| Flesh and Fantasy | 1943 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| Beyond the Blue Horizon | 1942 | Native (uncredited) | |
| Fingers at the Window | 1942 | Small Boy (uncredited) | |
| True to the Army | 1942 | Col. Delaroy (uncredited) | |
| Maisie Was a Lady | 1941 | Midget (uncredited) | |
| At the Circus | 1939 | Little Professor Atom (as Jerry Marenghi) | |
| The Wizard of Oz | 1939 | Lollipop Guild Member (uncredited) | |
| Tiny Troubles | 1939 | Short | Light Fingered Lester |
| The Terror of Tiny Town | 1938 | Townsperson (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prophecy | 1979 | stunts | |
| Dirty Harry | 1971 | stunts – uncredited |
Miscellaneous
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here We Go Again | 1942 | body double: Charlie McCarthy in motion – uncredited / stand-in: Charlie McCarthy – uncredited |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond | 2009 | Video documentary special thanks – as Jerry Marin | |
| Tod Browning’s ‘Freaks’: The Sideshow Cinema | 2004 | Video documentary special thanks |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time | 2011 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Heroic Ambition | 2010 | Documentary | Himself / Superman and the Mole-Men |
| 78th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade | 2009 | TV Movie | Himself |
| Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars! | 2009 | Video short | Himself |
| The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond | 2009 | Video documentary | Actor / Munchkin (as Jerry Marin) |
| TV Land: Myths and Legends | 2007 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The 100 Greatest Family Films | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Best Ever Family Films | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Tod Browning’s ‘Freaks’: The Sideshow Cinema | 2004 | Video documentary | Himself – Actor |
| Memories of Oz | 2001 | TV Special short documentary | Himself |
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | 1999-2000 | TV Series | Himself |
| A Tribute to the Wizard of Oz | 1999 | Video short | Himself |
| Glorious Technicolor | 1998 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| E! Mysteries & Scandals | 1998 | TV Series | Himself |
| Biography | 1997 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| I Married a Munchkin | 1994 | Documentary short | Himself (uncredited) |
| In Search of Oz | 1994 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Bible According to Hollywood | 1994 | Video documentary | Himself |
| We’re Off to See the Munchkins | 1993 | Video documentary | |
| MGM: When the Lion Roars | 1992 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic | 1990 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Making of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ | 1979 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Hollywood Greats | 1978 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Charlie’s Angels | 1977 | TV Series | Himself |
| Van Dyke and Company | 1976 | TV Series | Midget Basketball Player |
| The Gong Show | 1976 | TV Series | Confetti Thrower (1976) |
| The Andy Williams Show | 1969 | TV Series | Himself |
| This Is Your Life | 1960 | TV Series | Himself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hollywood Shorties | 2015 | Documentary post-production | Himself |
| To Oz! The Making of a Classic | 2009 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Adventures of Superman | 1953 | TV Series | Mole-Man #3 |
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Action on Film Award | Action on Film International Film Festival, USA | Outstanding Cast Performance | Dahmer vs. Gacy (2010) |