Her film career came to a halt a few years after “The Wizard of Oz” when her family moved from Hollywood to the countryside nearly 100 miles away. “It was my big chance for stardom,” Bruno said with a laugh, although by then she’d already appeared on the big screen, notably in 1937’s “The Hurricane” with Dorothy Lamour, and also danced with her brother in Hawaiian-themed films (their mother was part Hawaiian). The scene was cut and refilmed after an agent for the diminutive adult actors protested that child Munchkins weren’t contracted for any feature shots.
The girls were part of the crowds gathered in scenes and peeking out from thatched-roof Munchkin huts only the adult Munchkin actors had speaking roles and close-ups.īruno was one of four girls selected to appear in a nest as Munchkin hatchlings, dozing and yawning in oversized cracked eggs. “We were little bodies in the background,” she said. A few child Munchkins are still around to share their memories, Bruno emphasizes. When Jerry Maren passed away at age 98 (he was the Lollipop Guild member who welcomed Garland to Munchkinland), he was presented as the final adult Munchkin to die. She took amused exception to news reports last year that the world’s last living Munchkin had died. I can’t get my arms around that.”īruno, who stands 5 feet, 1 inch tall, is one of the film’s few surviving cast members. It was an incredible part of my childhood experience for me and that’s all it was, until I realized in my forties it was a highly beloved film and I was a part of film history.
“There’s no movie idolized like ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It’s the most-watched movie in the world.”īeing in the film is “like two tracks. Fans range from children to senior citizens, many remarking that generations of their family adore the film. The letters are so heartfelt and so beautiful,” Bruno said. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios movie was among the first filmed in Technicolor, with considerable artistry and special effects for the era.Įven today, 80 years after the film’s premiere, Bruno still finds handwritten fan letters and autograph requests in her mailbox on a quiet cul-de-sac in El Verano, where she lives with her husband, former KTVU cameraman Craig Scheiner. She was one of about 10 young girls of average height who sang and danced with more than 100 little people in the bright and colorful Munchkinland in the beloved 1939 movie.īruno is a Stanford University graduate who raised three sons, earned three Emmy Awards as a KTVU television news reporter in Oakland, and established the popular Hula Mai dance program in Sonoma in her retirement years.īut to legions of “The Wizard of Oz” fans, her most enduring achievement came at age 7, when she was cast in the film starring a teenage Judy Garland as a Kansas farm girl traveling along the Yellow Brick Road to meet the powerful Wizard of Oz after her home was displaced in a whirling cyclone. “Oz has been a presence in my life, my whole life, a huge presence,” said Bruno, who turned 88 earlier this month. 57 for all-rounders.A childhood role in a treasured film classic during the Golden Age of Hollywood didn’t define Betty Ann Bruno’s life, but being a Munchkin in “The Wizard of Oz” has been a joyful claim to fame. Josephine Nkomo made the biggest gains in the rankings across all disciplines after scoring 164 runs and scalping four wickets in the series.
Playing their first ODI series since achieving official status in April earlier this year, several Zimbabwe players made their presence felt in the rankings for the very first time. There was a lot of movement in the ODI rankings after the recently-concluded series between Zimbabwe and Ireland. Georgia Wareham, who finished with three wickets and 23 runs in the three games, jumped 14 spots to a career-high No. 12.Īshleigh Gardner broke into the top 10 to occupy the 10th spot in the all-rounders' rankings, thanks to her fine display with the ball that saw her finish the series as Australia's leading wicket-taker. India's Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the series with five wickets in two innings, rose to No. Molineux scalped three wickets in the series at an economy of 5.60 that helped restrict India to below-par scores in the last two games. Mooney's teammate Sophie Molineux too made significant gains in the latest rankings update, breaking into the top 10 for bowlers after climbing 12 spots to No.9. Mooney was originally not part of the squad but came in as a replacement for Rachael Haynes', who had to bow out owing to an injury. Australia batter Beth Mooney has displaced Shafali Verma at the top of the ICC T20I Rankings for batters after a stunning display with the bat in Australia's twin victories over India.Īfter the first T20I was washed out, Mooney returned with scores of 34 and 61 as Australia completed an 11-5 multi-format series win over India.