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“Let’s follow the Yellow Brick Road!” The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Judy Garland as Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion, played by Bert Lahr, in the original movie version of L. Frank Baum’s classic, The Wizard of Oz.
dRUNKeN MIdGeTs
Art also worked as a laborer at the studios, because he got into the union. Sometimes, I used his card so I could work there, too. When the union discovered there were two of us, people went crazy, but I finally got my own card.
I became a grip, working part time at Universal and MGM. It didn’t start out as regular employment, more like I was on call, but pretty soon it became steady. The two most incredible movies I worked on were “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Gone With The Wind.”
At first, I was a laborer and I helped build the Yellow Brick Road. I remember drunken midgets tumbling around on the half-built road. Then, I got a job as a grip. It was my responsibility to push the cameramen when they were shooting. During a dance sequence, you were right there. So, I saw Dorothy and everyone else dancing down the Yellow Brick Road. I also remember the burning of Atlanta, during “GWTW.” It was very exciting to be at the studios, working on major movies. They always needed help, and I was always grateful for the work.