Manhandled by Munchkins? Judy Garland Molested on 'Wizard of Oz' Set, Book Claims
Was Judy Garland molested by munchkin actors when she was 16 during filming of The Wizard Of Oz? That's the claim in a soon-to-be published book by her late third husband Sid Luft.
"They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress," Luft wrote in Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland. "They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small."
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According to reports, Luft’s book does not name the actors who allegedly molested Garland.
Luft, who died in 2005, and Garland were married in 1952. Following their divorce in 1965, Garland married two more times.
She died in 1969 at 47 due to an overdose in England.
In a 1967, the actress appeared on The Jack Parr Show where she laughed about working with the munchkins. She said nothing about being molested.
“They were drunks,” she said, “They got smashed every night and they'd pick 'em up in butterfly nets.”
Over the decades, rumors have circulated about the munchkins’ rowdy behavior. The 120 little people in the film stayed in three bedrooms at The Culver Hotel during the filming, where there were reportedly a lot of drunken shenanigans.
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Luft had started writing his memoir after he divorced Garland. He passed away before he finished the manuscript. About a year ago, it was discovered in his archives.
Judy and I: My Life With Judy Garland will be released next month.
In a statement to Inside Edition, Joey Luft, the son of Judy Garland and Sid Luft, said: "All my life people have written about my mom Judy Garland. Most of them didn’t even know her. This book is about the story my dad always wanted to tell. It’s their story, the real story. Finally told in a way that gives people the insight of who my parents really were that could only be told by my dad because he lived it. When you look at pictures of my mom and me you can see how much she loved me.When you see pictures of my mom and dad you can see how much my dad loved my mom. The book tells intimate stories, but it really is a true Hollywood love story."
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