Hymie Lichtenstein (April 15, 1904 – December 28, 1999), better known as Harry Monty, was a Polish-American actor,

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

actor and stuntman, whose most notable role was as a

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in ...

and a winged monkey in the '' Wizard of Oz''.

Early life

Monty was born April 15, 1904 in Dallas, Texas to Frank and Lydia Lichtenstein, who had immigrated from Poland in the 1890s. He had three brothers.Lichtenstein, Hymie (obituary), ''The Los Angeles Times'', December 30, 1999, page 26
/ref>

Career

Monty began his career in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, and appeared in various films from the 1930s to the 1970s, often uncredited. He appeared in '' Wizard of Oz'' in 1939 as a Munchkin, and also as one of the Winged Monkeys. He later said he considered his role as a Munchkin to be the most important of all his roles on stage and film in his 50-year career. His other film roles were in movies including '' Hellzapoppin''', ''

The Court Jester ''The Court Jester'' is a 1955 musical-comedy, medieval romance, costume drama film starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker. The movie was written, produced, and directed by Melvin Frank and Norma ...

'', ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'', '' Papillon'', a production of ''Swiss Family Robinson'', ''Three Ring Circus'', '' Hello, Dolly!'', and as a rotoscope reference actor in the 1978 animated film ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

''. He worked as a stunt double for many child actors, and did all of

Margaret O'Brien Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is an American film, radio, television, and stage actress, and is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Beginning a prolific career as a child actress in feature ...

's stunt work.Harmetz, Alijean, ''The Making of the Wizard of Oz'', page 203, Chicago Review Press, 2013
/ref> In addition, Monty served as a stuntperson in the films ''Tarzan Finds a Son!'', ''

Bad Bascomb Wilbur D. Bascomb Jr. is an American bass guitarist. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb, who played with Erskine Hawkins and Duke Ellington. Career In the 1970s, Bascomb worked with James Brown(1974),River of No Return ''River of No Return'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by Frank Fenton is based on a story by Louis Lantz, who borrowed his premise from the 1948 Italia ...

'', and ''

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

''. Monty also appeared in the television series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'', '' Bonanza'', '' Bewitched'', and ''

H.R. Pufnstuf ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the Hanna-Barbera program ''The Ba ...

''.

Death and burial

Monty died on December 28, 1999, at age of 95. After a private funeral service he was buried at Shearith Israel Memorial Park in Dallas.

Filmography

*'' Wizard of Oz'' (1939) – Munchkin Soldier / Winged Monkey (uncredited) *'' Hellzapoppin''' (1941) – Midget Taxi Driver (uncredited) *'' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' (1942) – Midget in Pool (uncredited) *''

Tarzan's New York Adventure ''Tarzan's New York Adventure'' (also known as ''Tarzan Against the World'') is a 1942 black-and-white adventure film from Metro Goldwyn Mayer, produced by Frederick Stephani, directed by Richard Thorpe, that stars Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen ...

'' (1942) – Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Ghost Catchers ''Ghost Catchers'' is a 1944 American comedy horror film. Ole Olson and Chic Johnson are nightclub owners, helping their neighbors rid an old house of ghosts. Their club's headwaiter Jerry (Leo Carrillo) is really a gangster trying to scare off th ...

'' (1944) – Midget (uncredited) *''

See My Lawyer ''See My Lawyer'' is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Edmund Hartmann and Stanley Davis. It is based on the 1939 musical ''See My Lawyer'' by Richard Maibaum and Harry Clork. The film stars Ole Olsen, Chi ...

'' (1945) – Strong Man / Chauffeur (uncredited) *''

George White's Scandals ''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fi ...

'' (1945) – Box Gag (uncredited) *'' An Angel Comes to Brooklyn'' (1945) – Midget Musician (uncredited) *'' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1946) – Midget Page Boy (uncredited) *'' Crack-Up'' (1946) – Midget in Arcade (uncredited) *''

Alias the Champ ''Alias the Champ'' is a 1949 American crime film directed by George Blair and written by Albert DeMond. The film stars Robert Rockwell, Barbra Fuller, Audrey Long, James Nolan, John Harmon, Sammy Menacker and Joseph Crehan. The film was rel ...

'' (1949) – Giant Killer (uncredited) *'' Invaders from Mars'' (1953) – Mutant (uncredited) *''

River of No Return ''River of No Return'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. The screenplay by Frank Fenton is based on a story by Louis Lantz, who borrowed his premise from the 1948 Italia ...

'' (1954) – Young Man (uncredited) *''

3 Ring Circus ''3 Ring Circus'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was shot from February 17 to March 31, 1954, and released on December 25 by Paramount Pictures. The supporting cast ...

'' (1954) – Circus Midget Clown (uncredited) *''

'' (1955) – One of Hermine's Midgets (uncredited) *''

The Flying Fontaines ''The Flying Fontaines'' is a 1959 American film about trapeze artists. It stars Michael Callan. Plot Cast *Michael Callan as Rick Rias *Evy Norlund as Suzanne Fontaine * Joan Evans as Jan Fontaine *Rian Garrick as Bill Rand *Joe De Santis as ...

'' (1959) – Clown (uncredited) *'' Mysterious Island'' (1961) – (uncredited) *'' How the West Was Won'' (1962) – Pirate (uncredited) *'' The Brass Bottle'' (1964) – Midget Gong Man (uncredited) *''

Our Man Flint ''Our Man Flint'' is a 1966 American spy-fi comedy film that parodies the ''James Bond'' film series. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr (from a story by Hal Fimberg), and starred James Coburn as maste ...

'' (1966) – Minor Role (uncredited) *''

'' (1968) – Child Ape (uncredited) *'' Hello, Dolly!'' (1969) – Midget (uncredited) *'' Papillon'' (1973) – (uncredited) *''

'' (1978) – (voice) *''Hometown U.S.A.'' (1979) – Bellhop *'' Americathon'' (1979) – Act

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monty, Harry 1904 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American Jews Actors with dwarfism American actors with disabilities American male film actors American male television actors American people of Polish-Jewish descent American stunt performers Jewish American male actors Vaudeville performers