Last surviving Wizard of Oz Munchkin dies at 94, reviving debate over set’s reputation

Elaine Merk Binder, one of the eight children who danced and sang as Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, has died at age 94. The Colorado-born performer was eight years old when filming began in 1938, and her death was confirmed Monday by her daughter, Annette Phillips. Binder was among the eight Munchkins who performed on the Yellow Brick Road in the 1939 classic.

The death rekindles discussion of a controversial chapter in Oz production. Sid Luft, Judy Garland’s husband during the film’s filming period, wrote in his 2017 biography that Garland was repeatedly molested by some Munchkins during the eight months of production. Luft described “the men were naughty. They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small,” and said an assistant director was assigned to keep the actors in line. Garland herself spoke of the difficult environment, noting she was a teenager navigating a high-profile role; Luft’s account has been cited in discussions of the era’s treatment of Garland and the actors involved.

Mervyn LeRoy, the film’s producer, recalled a chaotic atmosphere after filming each day, describing “fights and orgies and all kinds of carryings on” with Culver City police often called to the hotel to keep the situation from escalating. Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion, wrote in his memoir that many Munchkins earned a living through panhandling, pimping and whoring, and warned that assistants were tasked with guarding the actors against potential danger as some wielded knives. The anecdotes illustrate a broader public debate about the Oz production, which has long been the subject of sensational and contested tales.

Binder herself spoke about her audition for MGM in 1938, recalling it as a daunting moment for a girl entering a major studio. She said she and the other performers were added to the Munchkin troupe after producers determined that the Little People needed more athletic believability, and she described the fear and excitement of that first big on-camera opportunity. The Munchkin corps, many of whom were German refugees fleeing the Nazis, were housed and transported with a level of supervision that differed markedly from the rest of the cast.

The financial arrangements for the Munchkins were modest by Hollywood standards. They were paid roughly $50 a week, a sum that was widely cited as below what other film-school or studio-backed talent could command at the time. A significant portion of earnings reportedly went to Leo Singer, a manager who controlled a large troupe of touring actors and who had secured the Munchkin contract for MGM. The production also staggered social dynamics around the actors, who were often treated like juveniles rather than fully grown performers, a dynamic that fed into long-standing questions about how adult staff and celebrities interacted with the on-set community.

Binder later pursued higher education, declining a teenage contract offer from Paramount and earning degrees in music and education. She also studied computer science and theology, working later as a computer consultant for the University of Southern California and for First Interstate Bank.

When The Wizard of Oz was released in Britain in 1940, censors gave it a certificate deemed “for adults only,” a reflection of the era’s sensitivity to the film’s imagery and the industry’s evolving norms. The enduring fascination with the film’s production history has kept discussions about the Munchkins’ legacy alive, with surviving cast members offering retrospective perspectives on a living memory that intersects entertainment, labor, and ethics.

Elaine Merk Binder’s death marks the passing of one of the last living links to a cast whose on-screen whimsy continues to endure even as the broader lore surrounding their real-life experiences remains deeply debated. As researchers, journalists and fans revisit the era, they balance reverence for the film’s cultural impact with a cautious acknowledgment of the complex, at times troubling, reality behind the curtain.