Price: $200.00

Meinhardt Raabe Munchkin Coroner from The Wizard of Oz Autographed Signed 8x10 Photo COA DECEASED

~~Great looking 8x10 autographed photo signed by "Munchkin Coroner"...Meinhardt Raabe from the classic movie..."The Wizard of OZ".

Like all of our autographs, this is an authentic, hand signed autograph and not a pre-print.

This is a classic autographed print from a classic movie.  If you are a SERIOUS "Wizard of Oz" fan, this would make the perfect addition to your collection.

The word, "MCVIKES" will not appear on your photo.  This autographed print was placed inside a plastic page, the label was placed on top of the plastic page and this print was then scanned.  If you buy it, you will like it.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia...

Meinhardt Frank Raabe (September 2, 1915 – April 9, 2010) was an American actor.[1][2] One of the last surviving Munchkin-actors in The Wizard of Oz, he was also the last surviving cast member with any dialogue in the film.

Raabe was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, and in later life resided at Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida. He died at a medical center in nearby Orange Park, Florida, on April 9, 2010, at the age of 94.[3] Raabe graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1937, with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. He later went on to get his MBA at Drexel University.

At about 107 cm (3 1/2 feet) tall,[2] he played the role of the coroner in The Wizard of Oz in 1939. Raabe, however, went uncredited in the role, which lasted only 13 seconds.[4] In the film, the coroner confirms the death of the Wicked Witch of the East, with Raabe's lines being:
As coroner, I must aver I thoroughly examined her And she's not only merely dead She's really, most sincerely dead!
These lines, like most of those delivered by the Munchkins, were dubbed over with the speeded-up voices of other performers. In addition to his role in the film, Raabe worked for many decades as a spokesman for Oscar Mayer, where he was known as "Little Oscar, World's Smallest Chef". He traveled in the first Wienermobile, produced in 1936.

Post-Oz

Raabe joined the Civil Air Patrol during World War II. During this time, he served as a pilot, flying fire and lake patrol missions as well as serving as a ground instructor. [5] After the war he earned an a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin and, years later, a master's degree in business administration from Drexel University. He married a cigarette girl who was his height, Margaret Marie Raabe (1915–1997).[6] They were married for 50 years until her death in a car accident in 1997, in which he was also injured.[7]

Raabe published an autobiography, Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road. (ISBN 0-8230-9193-7). As of 2007, he lived alone at the Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida.[8][9]

Raabe appeared in an October 2005 episode of Entertainment Tonight with eight other surviving Munchkins, and he made a guest appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show on April 11, 2005. On November 21, 2007, he appeared with six other surviving Munchkin actors, including Jerry Maren, at the unveiling of a Hollywood Star for the Wizard of Oz Munchkins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On September 19, 2009, he appeared on National Public Radio program Weekend Edition Saturday.[10]

Raabe still made occasional appearances at Wizard of Oz conventions and celebrations across the country. In 2008 he was honored by the International Wizard of Oz Club with the organization's L. Frank Baum Memorial Award.

He died at the age of 94 on April 9, 2010, at the Orange Park Medical Center in Orange Park, Florida, of a heart attack. He was cremated, and his ashes were given to his family or friend. A memorial service was held for him in the town of Farmington, in Washington County, Wisconsin, on April 20, 2010.[11]

Lifetime guarantee in regards to this autographed photo which also comes with a COA from Gearhart Enterprises, Inc. Member of the UACC. UACC Registered Dealer #RD189.