The Munchkin cast for MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz” leaves Times Square, November 5, 1938
Movie history in the making! On November 5, 1938, 28 of the Munchkin cast of “The Wizard of Oz” left Times Square in New York on a chartered bus for Culver City. Naturally MGM couldn’t waste a publicity opportunity so they added a billboard to the side of the bus to be read by Americans as they traveled coast to cast en route to LA where they were put at the Culver Hotel, just down the street from the studio. During this era, the train from New York to California took 5 days so imagine how long this bus took!
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This was most likely their route, and probably took a couple of weeks:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway#1928.E2.80.9330_routing
They may have switched to Route 66 in Chicago. In fact, I’d tend to think so…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66
Actually, they left NYC — as noted — on November 5th and arrived in Culver City late on November 10th, having stopped overnight at hotels along the way. All of this is detailed (and illustrated via further photos and MGM paperwork) in THE WIZARD OF OZ: AN ILLUSTRATED COMPANION TO THE TIMELESS MOVIE CLASSIC (New York: Metro Books, 2009). I coauthored that book with Jonathan Shirshekan, and I add this reference only because the volume has long been out of print — and I may thus (hopefully!) be absolved of turning this into a plug. 🙂 Most familiar of the pictured little people is Jerry Maren, then 18; he’s wearing a sweater and a tie and can be seen in the window under the “TER” in “CHARTERED.” He was then just days away from being cast as the center member of “The Lollipop Guild,” who — later in December — presented Dorothy with a token of their affection on-camera.
Thanks for that extra narrative, John. As always, it’s great to hear from you.
Thank YOU for taking the information in the manner in which it was intended. 🙂 There’s so much (to use Judy Garland’s word) “hooey” out there about Oz that I hoped clarification and specifics might be of interest to someone. Again, I’m grateful!
I’m all about more information and accurate information. And when it comes to this subject, ain’t nobody knows more’n you!