A Wonderful Munchkin from Oz

By Michael J. Mooney Fri., May 8 2009 at 8:31 AM

Categories: Celebrities, Sports, The Arts

Illustration by Mike Gorman

He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan. He came down to Jupiter every year to watch them train for the new season. And while he was here, he never failed to entertain the crowd with his yarns about Judy Garland, the Wizard of Oz, and even Al Capone - whom he said he was asked to sing for as a young boy in Chicago.

News yesterday that Mickey Carroll, one the last surviving munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, died in his sleep at 89-years-old.

Photo by Jennifer Silverberg, Riverfront Times

Carroll in 2007

I met Carroll during the 2008 spring training. While watching Albert Pujols and eating hot dogs, we sat in the sun and discussed how Judy Garland recruited him to Munchkinland, how his voice was the one screaming "Doorothee!" during the twister scene, and how much he enjoyed coming to Florida for the winters: "Anything beats shuffling a driveway 20 degrees below zero," he said in his speedy, high-pitched voice. I still have the photo he autographed for me on the wall of my cubicle--Carroll had a stack of Wizard of Oz photos with him everywhere he went and he often wore a button from the movie's 50th anniversary.

Which stories were true and which were embellishments isn't important - that is one of those benefits afforded the few who outlive the other participants of history.

Meeting him is one of those odd moments in life that I'll never forget. Carroll was one of those fantastic trivia questions come to life, and he embraced it. "You make one movie your whole life, and it happens to be a hit," he joked. "Go figure."