There's that bird again!

OK then. . .one more Oz video, and I promise to shut up. Though we haven't quite resolved the controversy over the Suicidal Munchkin in  The Wizard of Oz, we're closing in on a solution. Conspiracy theorists swear they see a munchkin swinging from a noose in the background of the sprightly "We're Off to See the Wizard" quickstep number. And I've seen it, believe me I've seen it. It was way weird and it really did look like something swinging, even if it was only a sandbag.

Then these other clips of the same scene started showing up that had something else in place of the so-called dead munchkin.  If you really looked at it, it was obviously a giant bird of some kind stretching its wings out. Bizarre, but that's what it looked like.

So now Oz afficionados are combing every frame of the movie to find evidence of That Bird. And here it is! Right at the beginning of the Tin Man's song, one of my personal faves because I loved how he had to be oiled, you see a giant bird madly flapping its wings between Dorothy and the Tin Man. It's only on for a second, but if you watch for it it's totally obvious.

So which came first. . . dead midget or flapping crane?
Which one is real, and which one is photoshopped? Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier to photoshop a swinging dead body than a bird?

But that just raises another issue: what the hell is a tin man? I mean. . . a scarecrow. A lion, yes. Maybe even a munchkin, coz there are lots-a short people around. But who'd make a guy outta tin, I ask you. In the original book he was the Tin Woodman, but that doesn't make me feel too much better.

As for that bird, who knew? I don't remember no dern-toon-derrin' birds in Wizard of Oz. I need to watch the whole thing again and do a bird count.

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Munchkin Suicide Debunked: IT'S A BIRD!

Good morning, people. I've found the answer to the munchkin suicide riddle in The Wizard of Oz. Someone actually found a scene where a very large bird is wandering around loose on the set. It looks gigantic, like some sort of dinosaur, which I guess is creepy enough. The woman on the video calls it a "peacock", but it's much too tall for that (peacocks go sideways rather than up), like a crane of some sort. It has a long neck and a very wide wingspan which you can clearly see in the background scene. Its head dips up and down and it partially turns. Now, I have no idea why they let birds wander around loose like this, probably leaving gigantic birdie-poops all over the set, or whether there were any other critters around that we just haven't ever focused on. I'd have to watch it again and be on "critter alert". It'd be interesting! Maybe there's a bandicoot having sex in the background or something.

(but I found this also, just now: Wiki sez there might be something going on:)

Hanging Munchkin Suicide Rumor
An urban legend claims that, in the 1939 film, a Munchkin can be seen committing suicide (hanging by the neck from a prop tree and swinging back and forth) far away (left) in the background, while the Tin Man, Dorothy, and the Scarecrow are singing "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!" and skipping down the Yellow brick road into the distance. However, what is mistaken for a Munchkin can be seen to be a large bird (possibly an emu or a crane) spreading its wings; there is a black tip on the wings. However there are many thoughts thats the bird was editted into the videos and DVDs upon realisation at the view. There are known to be two clips of the scene, one with a shadow that looks like the bird and another that looks like the hanging munchkin <sup>[42]

We'll try to avoid analyzing all the spelling and grammar imistakes in this article - it's likely one of those entries of questionable validity. But the truth is, I DID see two clips that were very different from each other. The video where the speed slows down to a near-crawl shows what looks eerily like a small maybe-human figure, or else a sack of cement, hanging and swaying back and forth. Now the hanging camp is saying the bird was photoshopped in later to cover the macabre view (and to avoid dragging everyone back into the studio for a retake). But that leaves the mystery of the large emu or crane or whatever, bumbling around on the set in earlier scenes. My bet is still with the bird.</sup>

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The Wizard of Oz: Little People, Big Suicide

Alrighty then! Having scouted around amongst the hundreds of Wizard of Oz clips with dangling little people, I've found some pretty convincing truth that what we see in the background is a giant bird wandering around loose on the set, dipping its head to eat something and then stretching its wings out. The more you look at it, the more you see it.

The one I posted yesterday was just weird, as if they had somehow altered the image to look like something swinging back and forth. I think it had been doctored to match the urban/Hollywood myth about the suicidal munchkin.

I found another video that I will also post, in which we actually see the bird in another scene! I want to watch the whole movie again: probably there are lots of weird creatures wandering around to add atmosphere.

http://members.shaw.ca/margaret_gunning/betterthanlife.htm