Munchkin misbehavior or fake news?

In an ABC news report, freelance writer Gary Nunn tracked down Jerry Maren, a 98-year-old former actor who played a munchkin in the "Wizard of Oz" and asked if he molested Judy Garland.

The claim of molestation came from Sid Luft, the late Garland's late husband in a re-released book due to come out in September: "Judy and I: My Life with Judy Garland."

Luft wrote: 

"The'd make Judy's life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress . . . The men were 40 or more years old. They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small."

Maren is the last remaining munchkin above ground and lives in somewhere in the U.S. but his location was not revealed in the article. He is the last living person who can respond to the allegation and has the right to be heard, but apparently nobody but Nunn has tried to contact him.

The #MeToo movement must agree that anyone accused of such a vile act deserves to respond when being accused of sexual misconduct.

Garland was 16 when the film was made in 1939.

Nunn write: 

"But the public also has a right to know if Maren wants to respond to these new allegations. If he wants to refute them, he ought to be given the chance. Otherwise, when future generations Google them, this story will forever tarnish their name."

It was Maren--a "Lollipop Guild" munchkin--who handed a lollipop to Dorothy. He was the little guy who is personally implicated in the molestation. Even if he wasn't guilty of the allegation, his name is already dirtied with the reporting, some of which was so inaccurate, that some media falsely reported that he died in 2013, giving credence to Trump's accusation about the existence of fake news.

Garland had previously claimed the munchkins were "drunks" who liked to party all night. She claimed the police rounded them up in butterfly nets.

In response to the "drunken" allegations, Maren said Toto (the dog) was paid more than the munchkins and that they couldn't get drunk on the meager salary of $50 a week.

Nunn spoke to several little people familiar with the story. Mark Povinelli, president of the Little People of America said, "I contacted a friend close to Jerry Maren. Unfortunately, due to Jerry's health, he hasn't been in a condition to give an interview for a while now." He added that Maren did not want to give any more attention to the allegations.

A longtime friend of Maren, Philip M. Potempa, a diarist for The Chicago Tribune Media Co. apparently refutes the new allegations. He told Nunn, "I spoke with a buddy of mine who has written a few books on the munchkins. From what he advised me, there's no merit to any of these allegations and it's an attempt at further promotion for the book."

Money can make people do disgusting things. Nunn believes that there is the possibility that Maren was "thrown under the bus" by "a dead man talking about his ex-wife."


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