I think the Munchkin hanging himself story has been disproven, but here's why I don't think it's real. There are always a lot of people on a movie set. Even when someone appears to be alone in the desert, you have the director, cameraman, sound man, boom operator, sound editor, lighting man, lighting technicians, gaffers, stagehands, a script girl, craft-services (the food cart), drivers, assistants and assorted hangers on on the set.

So given business as usual on any average day in 1939 Hollywood, someone on that set would have said something.

Particularly among the numerous munchkins who were not seeking to make Hollywood careers for themselves, and so could talk freely.

So I say it's all pretty much a made up story, but I'm willing to listen.

I was watching the Wizard of Oz and i saw the little munchkin body dangling from the tree. I was shocked! So to believe it I went to youtube.com and i saw it again as someone pointed it out on a video. I mean you could actually his body jerk back.

This story did not happen.It was really a bird that was reanted from the zoo that some how got on to a differnet set that it was not supposed to be on.And obviously it was too big to be a munchkin so it had to be a bird cuz of how the "ARMS" were shaped....So it obviously DID NOT HAPPEN!!!!END OF STORY!!!

So you're saying the bird was larger than the munchkin?

That still has to be one heck of a big bird.

Isn't he on Sesame Street?

I watched the movie last evening...and took careful note of the scene of which the hangman played his game.. I guess it has been digitally edited out. In it's place is a window, which was not on the side of the cottage in years prior.

I guess we will never know?

back when this movie was made, it was all over the news. and a bird, wtf? why would a bird be on the set of a wizard of oz. and another thing, it was stated edited. so you couldnt see it. but the original, unedited, probably is more see able. and it is a munchkin. but whether or not that is, there was a munchkin, that was very depressed, but no one knows if he killed himself on the tree. but.. then again, the trees were made from styrophome. not strong enough for a person, im geussing?

I honestly wish that something that exciting(Not that it is a good thing) would come along. I am not so sure that it happened though. I don't think it's a bird but it is not a munchkin. Really think for a second. Point one, How could someone hang themselves on a fake tree put up for the set? Obviously, it wouldn't be strong enough to support someone even half of your weight.Point two, something people say is, when they were finished filming the director still didn't know it happened and sold the movie. How is this possible? When taking down that set, if he did hang himself,
Don't you think they would come across the body? People, think what you want, but I think this is false.

Anon- I honestly wish that something that exciting(Not that it is a good thing) would come along.

Wax- Really?
Hmmm....

I suggest the "Faces Of Death" series; there is very real footage out there of very real (or would reel be better termed) people out there that died on camera. If that is your sort of thing.

And there are lessons to be learned from watching human beings die.
One is that Hollywood isn't very good at reality.
Another is that there is an extremely fine line between survival and certain... lack of survival.
If an actor had hung himself on the set of this particular movie I would not find it very "exciting" nor of particular interest. It is a proven Urban Myth and in some ways that makes it more interesting than if it were fact.

Actually, much of Faces of Death, aside from the stock news footage, was manufactured.