Priscilla Montgomery Clark, a Munchkin in ‘Wizard of Oz,’ Is One of the Last Surviving Stars

Lauren Novak November 30, 12:01 pm

THE WIZARD OF OZ, from left: Billie Burke as 'Glinda', Judy Garland as 'Dorothy', 1939 — Everett Collection

With all of the buzz surrounding the new movie Wicked, we cannot forget the equally popular and classic film The Wizard of Oz. While most of the stars from the beloved 1939 movie have all passed away, a few remain, including 95-year-old Priscilla Montgomery Clark, who played one of the Munchkins. She was only 9 years old at the time and was one of the young girls cast to round out the cast of over 100 Munchkins.

She admitted of her career, which also includes It’s a Wonderful Life and Our Gang, “I never wanted to be an actress. I always loved dancing and that was a big part of my childhood. I didn’t have an agent, but I was lucky to be cast in several films that miraculously have survived over time.”

THE WIZARD OF OZ, Producer Mervyn LeRoy, star Judy Garland and director Victor Fleming posing with actors, on set, 1939.

Everett Collection

If you’re hoping to spot Clark in the crowd, you can. In the Munchkinland scene, Glinda directs Dorothy to “follow the yellow brick road,” and Clark can be seen standing next to Glinda, briefly looking directly at the camera.

THE WIZARD OF OZ, from left, Jackie Gerlich, Jerry Maren, Harry Earles, 1939

Everett Collection

She recalls about appearing in the film, “At that age, I noticed the costumes and the gowns, as any girl my age probably would. I vividly remember standing near Billie Burke [Glinda] in that beautiful pink, sparkly gown with her jeweled crown — and Judy Garland’s deep red shoes. In the lights, everything glistened. And the set with the tiny houses was massive and glorious. It took your breath away.”

THE WIZARD OF OZ, Margaret Hamilton, 1939

Everett Collection

However, it wasn’t always beautiful. She also remembers the day that Margaret Hamilton [Wicked Witch of the West] got injured during a scene when a trap door malfunctioned and she got badly burned. She shared, “All of a sudden a loud siren went off in the sound stage and there were a lot of men rushing to that area in a panic. I’ll always remember that. We found out that her face and hands were burned, and she left filming and returned, like a trouper, a few weeks later.”

These days, Clark’s days are a lot slower in her 90s, but she said that she still receives fan mail from all over the world and added, “People have told me in such heartfelt letters how the film has affected them. It really touches me.”