Ozma Baum Mantele

Chesterton, Indiana's annual WIZARD OF OZ parade (as well as their many Oz-themed festivities) provides the backdrop for I MARRIED A MUNCHKIN, Tom Palazzolo's study of the life and career of Mary Ellen St. Aubin. Self-described as "normal, but little," Mary Ellen details her early start in show business as a performer in an all-dwarf vaudeville act, her brief appearance in 1946's THREE WISE FOOLS, her 1948 marriage to former Munchkin Parnell St. Aubin and their subsequent retirement from entertainment to run a bar (called the Midget Club) in the South Side of Chicago. Two other former Munchkins (Margaret Pellegrini and Clarence Swensen) briefly appear among the day's revelry. Also included is a postscript (shot some time after the initial film) featuring Mary Ellen briefly describing the original size of her role in THREE WISE FOOLS, which originally featured a line and an ill-fated "flying" effect. - Tom Fritsche

The first part tells of the life and works of L. Frank Baum, along with his career as a writer and filmmaker, centering on the creation of Oz. This portion continues with the effect of Oz after his death, with novelties, dolls, radio, stage, and screen adaptions, and advertising gimmicks based on his work, culminating with MGM's Wizard of Oz (1939). While discussing some of the major alterations between the book and the film, such as MGM making Baum's real-life adventure a dream. The second half is about interpretation of Oz by other artists, including Helen Kish, Barry Moser, Barry Mahon, Evelyn Copelman, Robert Tonner, Robin Woods, Michael Hague, Lizbeth Zwerger, Pavel Arsyenov, and Charles Santore. The documentary concludes with an analysis of Baum's work and its profound effect on American culture.