Karl Slover
Encyclopedia
Karl Slover was a Slovak-born American actor best-known as one of the munchkin
actors in The Wizard of Oz
(1939). Only three other munchkin performers remained alive at the time of Slover's death.
, Slovakia
(then Prakfalva, Kingdom of Hungary
). Diagnosed at an early age with pituitary dwarfism, Slover was barely two feet tall by his eighth birthday. Dwarfism was not a family trait; his father stood six feet six inches, and his mother was just a few inches shorter. Slover's father went to great lengths to make Slover taller, including taking him to Hungary
where doctors fixed stretchers to his arms and legs.
where he joined another traveling show. It wasn't long before Slover began appearing as midgets in films like The Terror of Tiny Town
, Block-Heads
, Bringing Up Baby
, and They Gave Him a Gun.
Slover was working in Hawaii
when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood, where 'little people' were needed for an upcoming film called The Wizard of Oz
. At the age of 21 and standing just 4 feet 4 inches, Slover played the parts of four munchkin
s in the movie; the first trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and was among those who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road".
After filming Oz, Slover began working for the 'Original World Famous Singers Midget Show' where he sang and danced throughout the United States
. When the show ended in 1942, Slover joined the Royal American Carnival in Tampa, Florida
. At this time he took the last name Slover, the last name of his stage manager.
's birthday at the Judy Garland Museum & Birthplace in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
. In November 2007, Slover joined seven other surviving munchkins in Hollywood where honorary mayor Johnny Grant unveiled a star dedicated to the munchkins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
Slover died on November 15, 2011, at age 93. He was a lifelong bachelor and resided in Dublin, Georgia
. At the time of Slover's death, three other munchkin actors were still alive from Oz: Jerry Maren
, Margaret Williams Pellegrini
and Ruth Robinson Duccini
.
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
actors in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
(1939). Only three other munchkin performers remained alive at the time of Slover's death.
Early years
Slover was born as Karl Kosiczky on September 21, 1918 in PrakovcePrakovce
Prakovce is a village and municipality in the Gelnica District in the Košice Region of eastern Slovakia....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(then Prakfalva, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
). Diagnosed at an early age with pituitary dwarfism, Slover was barely two feet tall by his eighth birthday. Dwarfism was not a family trait; his father stood six feet six inches, and his mother was just a few inches shorter. Slover's father went to great lengths to make Slover taller, including taking him to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
where doctors fixed stretchers to his arms and legs.
Career
When Slover was just nine years old, his father sent him to work for a traveling midget show based out of Berlin, Germany. After working with the show for several years, Slover moved to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he joined another traveling show. It wasn't long before Slover began appearing as midgets in films like The Terror of Tiny Town
The Terror of Tiny Town
The Terror of Tiny Town is a 1938 American film produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield, and starring Billy Curtis. It is the world's only musical Western with an all-midget cast....
, Block-Heads
Block-Heads
Block-Heads is a 1938 comedy film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down and Unaccustomed As We Are , was Roach's final film for MGM, and is remembered as one of...
, Bringing Up Baby
Bringing up Baby
Bringing Up Baby is an American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and released by RKO Radio Pictures....
, and They Gave Him a Gun.
Slover was working in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood, where 'little people' were needed for an upcoming film called The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. At the age of 21 and standing just 4 feet 4 inches, Slover played the parts of four munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s in the movie; the first trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and was among those who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road".
After filming Oz, Slover began working for the 'Original World Famous Singers Midget Show' where he sang and danced throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. When the show ended in 1942, Slover joined the Royal American Carnival in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. At this time he took the last name Slover, the last name of his stage manager.
Later years
Slover remained very active in his later years and participated in several celebrations related to The Wizard of Oz. Every June, Slover attended festivities celebrating Judy GarlandJudy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
's birthday at the Judy Garland Museum & Birthplace in Grand Rapids, Minnesota
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,764 people, 3,446 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,057.8 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile...
. In November 2007, Slover joined seven other surviving munchkins in Hollywood where honorary mayor Johnny Grant unveiled a star dedicated to the munchkins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
Slover died on November 15, 2011, at age 93. He was a lifelong bachelor and resided in Dublin, Georgia
Dublin, Georgia
Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 16,201. The city is the county seat of Laurens County.-History:The original settlement was named after the city Dublin, Ireland....
. At the time of Slover's death, three other munchkin actors were still alive from Oz: Jerry Maren
Jerry Maren
Jerry Maren is an American actor and one of only three confirmed surviving dwarf munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The other two surviving munchkin cast members are Margaret Williams Pellegrini and Ruth Robinson Duccini, making Maren the last surviving male Munchkin from the...
, Margaret Williams Pellegrini
Margaret Pellegrini
Margaret Pellegrini is an American actress and one of three surviving munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz., the other two being Jerry Maren and Ruth Robinson Duccini. She was born as Margaret Williams in Tuscumbia, Alabama...
and Ruth Robinson Duccini
Ruth Duccini
Ruth Duccini is an American actress and one of the last three surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the other two being Jerry Maren and Margaret Williams Pellegrini. Her role in the film as a Munchkin villager was uncredited...
.