Meinhardt Raabe - Munchkin, Little Oscar, Dies

"As Coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!"

That line just about every kid who grew up in America can recite from the 1938 film classic, The Wizard of Oz and just saying it I can picture the little man who played the coroner, but I never knew his name.

Meinhardt Raabe was the actor who delivered that classic line, and he died yesterday at 94.  Raabe was uncredited in the film as were most of the little people referred to as "Singer's Midgets" since many came from that performance group.  He never mad another film, but went on to become "Little Oscar" for the Oscar Mayer meat company and traveled across the country in the famous "Wienermobile", a giant hot dog shaped car.

I remember meeting him as a child and receiving a Wiener Whistle from him.  Unfortunately that s long gone.

Rest in peace Mr. Coroner.