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Revision as of 00:18, 7 June 2018 by Rms125a@hotmail.com (talk | contribs) (updated)(diff) â Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision â (diff)| Ruth Duccini | |
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| Born | Ruth L. Robinson (1918-07-23)July 23, 1918 Rush City, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | January 16, 2014(2014-01-16) (aged 95) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress; riveter |
| Years active | 1939, 1981 |
| Known for | Last surviving female adult Munchkin from 1939 film The Wizard of Oz; penultimate surviving Munchkin |
| Spouse |
Fred Duccini
(m. 1943; died 1994) |
Ruth L. Duccini (nÊe Robinson; July 23, 1918 – January 16, 2014) was an American actress, who became the penultimate surviving Munchkin from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Her role in the film as a Munchkin villager was not credited. Her most recent appearances were when she and the other surviving Munchkins were presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 21, 2007, and attending the premiere of the film's 75th anniversary at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. She also was seen in Under the Rainbow (1981) and Memories of Oz (2001).
While Duccini could not recall in 2013 what she earned filming Oz, the Munchkin village actors were paid $125 a week during filming ($2706 adjusted for inflation). She said of her World War II work: "The one thing that I'm most proud of, during the Second World War, I worked on airplanes in a defense plant. I was a Rosie the Riveter. I'm really proud of that."
Duccini made the news again when Baroness Thatcher died, and critics of the former British premier tried to propel "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" onto the chart to celebrate her passing. Duccini and Jerry Maren (who would become the last surviving Munchkin) said it was "'terrible' that the song had been hijacked", insisting the song was never to be used in such a way.
Death
Duccini died of natural causes in Las Vegas, aged 95, on January 16, 2014.
By June 2018, following the death of Jerry Maren at age 98, only two performers (stunt doubles) who appeared in the film (Caren Marsh Doll and Ambrose Schindler) are known to still be alive.
References
- Excerpt from Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014 (with birth name and career details), books.google.com; accessed June 6, 2018.
- "Duccini and other surviving Munchkins receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". USA Today. November 21, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- ^ Ramin, Setoodeh (August 3, 2013). "Meet Ruth Duccini, a Munchkin From 'The Wizard of Oz'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Mickey Carroll, A Munchkin From The 1939 Classic Film 'The Wizard Of Oz', Dies At 89". Access Hollywood. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- "Munchin fury at Maggie Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead". Thesun.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
- Potempa, Philip (January 16, 2014). "Final female 'Oz' Munchkin Ruth Duccini dead at 95". Chesterton News. Retrieved January 17, 2014.