Mickey Carroll (Mickey Carroll)

Mickey Carroll

Actor. He was one of the Munchkins in the movie classic “The Wizard of Oz”. A versatile entertainer, he had multiple roles as a Munchkin. He was the town crier, he was a marching soldier and he was one of the fiddlers that escorted Dorothy down the yellow brick road. In addition, actress Clara Blandick as Auntie Em wasn’t yelling Dorothy’s name to director Victor Fleming’s satisfaction, so he asked Carroll to do it and they dubbed his voice over Blandick’s. One little known fact is that Carroll attended school with both Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Carroll was 21 years old at the time “The Wizard of Oz” was filmed and was only paid $125 a week. As a young child he took dance lessons at the Fox Theater in St. Louis and met Jack Haley who became a lifelong friend. Haley convinced Carroll to go with him to Hollywood. Some of Carroll’s earliest roles was as “Mickey” for a few episodes of the “Our Gang” series, and he was one of several voice actors in radio that played the bellhop in the Phillip Morris tobacco commercials. He was about to go to work for Disney studios as a voice actor when the Munchkin role became available. Because of his quick wit, Carroll was also a successful speech writer for both Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Throughout the years, Carroll and many of the other surviving Munchkins made personal appearances across the country, never tiring of telling tales of their days as a Munchkin. In 2007 the Munchkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Carroll died peacefully in his sleep. (bio by: Ron Moody)  Note: Age 89

Born

  • July, 08, 1919
  • USA

Died

  • May, 05, 2009
  • USA

Cemetery

  • Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum
  • Missouri
  • USA

2746 profile views