A moment with a Munchkin...Jerry Maren!

photo: Alan Mercer

Jerry Maren was born Gerard Marenghi in Boston, Massachusetts. He acted in The Wizard of Oz playing a member of the Lollipop Guild, handing the lollipop to Dorothy Gale. When Jerry acted in The Wizard of Oz he stood three foot four inches.
After The Wizard of Oz Jerry continued acting and appeared in many movies and television shows (including a walk-on role in an episode of Seinfeld "The Yada Yada"). Some of these appearances were in the Our Gang comedy shorts, the Marx Brothers At The Circus (1939) and as an ape in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
In the 1950s Maren worked as a Little Oscar for the Oscar Mayer Company and as Buster Brown in television and radio commercials. Later he joined his friend Billy Barty in organizing Little People of America. Maren has also portrayed Mayor McCheese and The Hamburglar in commercials for McDonald's.
In the late 1970s he was the dapper little man on The Gong Show, heralding each show's big finish with an onslaught of confetti as Milton Delugg's band played "Hoop Dee Doo".
Jerry Maren continues to occasionally act in movies and television shows as well as traveling the country appearing at Wizard of Oz festivals and autograph signings. He and his wife, Elizabeth, currently reside in southern California.
AM: Hello Jerry, you are so wonderful to meet. You are so nice to everyone.

JM: I am the lollipop kid from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’

AM: This is so exciting to talk to someone from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’

JM: It is so nice to talk to you.

AM: How long has it been since the ‘Wizard of Oz’ has been out?

JM: We are celebrating the 70th Anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’

AM: You must have been a teenager then.

JM: I started filming it when I was only seventeen years old. Judy was only fifteen but she was an absolute angel.

AM: Do you make your living primarily off selling your autograph?

JM: Oh no I have property and other ventures but this helps a lot.

AM: Do you enjoy meeting your fans?

JM: Oh I LOVE people. I never get tired of meeting fans of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’

AM: When is your birthday?

JM: January 24, 1920. I am eighty-nine years old now.

AM: You look amazing.

JM: Well thank you. You are very kind. I take care of myself. I like to play golf about once a week.

Jerry Marin in 'The Wizard Of Oz' at the age of 17