Where did Elaine Merk Binder appear in 'The Wizard of Oz'? Details explored as actress dies at 94

The late Elaine Merk Binder played one of the munchkins in the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. The information about Merk was shared by her daughter, Annette Phillips. She revealed that her mother appeared in The Wizard of Oz when they were performing the song Come Out, Come Out. Merk, along with eight other munchkins, was singing and dancing in the film.

Elaine can be seen on the steps of the second little house, right before the cast begins the next performance, Off to See the Wizard. In the film, she was wearing a dark green dress and a hat. Merk was only 8 years old when she joined the cast of The Wizard of Oz, and celebrated her birthday on the MGM set as well.

As reported by TMZ, Elaine was probably one of the last munchkin actors to have passed away. The cause of death is yet to be revealed, as the actress passed away at 94 years old.

What did Elaine Merk Binder say about auditioning for The Wizard of Oz?

During an interview, Elaine Merk Binder expressed how she felt after she auditioned for the film. She said:

"I tried out for the 'Wizard of Oz' Munchkins. For me it was scary. It was my first big call for girls from a major studio... I was relieved when Bud told the dance director, 'She’s O.K.' I did not have to perform like the others did. And they selected me as one of the eight who would both dance and sing. We learned later that they had added girls to the Little People because they had the mistaken impression that the Little People were not athletic."

However, this is not Binder's first movie gig. Before appearing on The Wizard of Oz, she was also a part of Our Gang shorts. While the last film the actress appeared in was Nothing Sacred.

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Elaine Merk Binder's journey in Hollywood began at just 8 years old when she joined the iconic cast of The Wizard of Oz as one of the munchkins. Her passing at 94 marks the end of an era, as she was among the last surviving munchkin actors from the classic film.

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