Suburban Life -
Wishing Upon a Star!
Local Theater helps make dream of Munchkins come true!
Click here to see Ceremony
WOODRIDGE - There's no place like home. There's no place like home. Unless, perhaps, it's Hollywood. Tinseltown is where several of the actors and actresses who portrayed the Munchkins in 1939 motion picture classic "The Wizard of Oz" will converge this fall as inductees to Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The notion to honor the legendary cast was spearheaded by Hollywood Blvd. Cinema Bar and Eatery, the independently owned and operated movie theater at 1001 W. 75th St., Woodridge.
The road from the Land of Oz to Woodridge, then on to Hollywood began with theater owner Ted Bulthaup, who led the campaign to secure the nomination - with the help of many prominent Hollywood figures including Roger Ebert, Hugh Hefner, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Ted Turner. Bulthaup became acquainted with the Munchkins while at his Indianapolis theater location, which he closed last year. He built a friendship with many of the actors and actresses, who attend screenings of the classic film as part of "Wizard of Oz" celebration at the Woodridge location every November.
"I've known them for a number of years, but it never occurred to me that they didn't have a star on the walk of fame. When I realized it, I said something should be done about it," Bulthaup recently explained.
He filled out the application and necessary paperwork, and sent it with a nomination form in 2006. The request much to his surprise was rejected.
"That didn't make me happy, I'm seldom defeated in situations, so we started a full court press and arranged to have big book petitions signed. Even though the nomination forms clearly state that they won't take petitions, I though it needed to be demonstrated what classic characters the Munchkins are,"recalled the theater owner." I believe that's what was missing from the original application. We had books set out at ‘Wizard of Oz' festivals across the country with banners asking people to sign. In the end we had about 50,000 signatures."
He also made some calls to some friends who already had a star. Among them, actress Mickey Rooney, Tippi Hedren, who and Jane Russell. Russell, as luck would have it, was going to have dinner with Johnny Grant, the honorary Mayor of Hollywood, the very next evening and promised to discuss it with him.
"That sparked the idea that we should start calling friends or friends of friends to see what we could do," Bulthaup said. "I spoke to Mickey Rooney, who then called Johnny. We wrote to Steven Spielberg and spoke to people around him, and lo and behold he sent a letter of support. The same with George Lucas, Hugh Hefner, and Ted Turner. It took a little bit of elbow grease, but we got it done." He also spoke with representatives from MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and other studio executives, all of whom pledged their support.
"Out of the blue one day, Johnny Grant called me and said that they were in. That was it." Bulthaup said.
The official announcement was made June 20. The recipients were chosen from hundreds of nominations received by the Walk of Fame Committee.
Despite being turned down on his first try, Bulthaup was confident that a mammoth exertion of effort the second time around coupled with getting the show business community and the public behind the effort would make a difference.
"If a picture can live 70 years after the fact, and still mean that much to people, imagine the power of that picture. Who in the world doesn't know the Yellow Brick Road? Who doesn't know the Emerald City? Who doesn't know Toto or the Cowardly Lion? The Wicked Witch is the witch you think of in every instance. And, of course, who doesn't know what a Munchkin is? When your that iconic and part of a great American film who's meant something to just about everyone, how can you not have some type or recognition?" said Bulthaup.
"Godzilla has two stars (on the walk of fame). Erik Estrada has a star. Donald Trump even has a star. Donald Trump deserves to be on the cover of The Wall street Journal, but he's not a star just because he moved ‘The Apprentice' to L.A," Bulthaup said. "It was amazing how many people in the industry had no idea the Munchkins didn't have a star. I think everyone just assumed they did."
Of course, the diminutive cast members of the film knew what was missing from their resume. When they received the news, how ever, many responded with humility.
"They've said, ‘Oh that would be so nice' and have been profuse in their thank yous," said Bulthaup. "When (Munchkin) Margaret Pellegrini, who's recovering from a recent stroke, heard the news, she told me that it gave her a whole new will to get better. How can life be more rewarding then that?"
Jerry Maren, who portrayed a member of the Lollipop Guild and was the Munchkin who handed Dorothy a lollipop upon her arrival in Munchkin Land, said he believed the continued appeal of the film has to do its simplicity.
"It's unbelievable how much people love this movie, especially in the Midwest. After all, this is their story," said the 87-year-old Maren, who lives in Hollywood. "There are million fathers in the Midwest, and they all have a daughter like Dorothy. They can relate. It's their story. It's a great movie, a great sequence. One of the greatest movie sequences in movie history, and that's all there is to it."
The actor- whose commercial appearances include portraying Buster Brown (of shoe fame), Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar from McDonald's restaurants, and little Oscar (the Oscar Meyer Wiener spokesman) - relished the recognition of a star on the Walk of Fame.
"It's about time somebody did something about it. This is for all the little people who worked so hard on the movie. I was there. I know they deserved it," he said.
One of his fellow Munchkins, 88-year-old Mickey Carroll enthusiastically agreed. "This was the best picture ever made, and I think we deserved it," the St. Louis resident said.
With every little encouragement, Carroll was more than happy to share his tales of growing up and performing with Judy Garland, working in Vaudeville, and performing at establishments in Chicago owned by Al Capone. Like the theme of the film in which he co-starred, however, Carroll returned from his reminiscing to comment on Oz.
"Everybody in the world has seen this movie. It's a film about home. There's no place like home, and that's the truth," Carroll explained. "It's a movie that everyone should see. We all grew up with it. That's what makes it so great."
