Jerry Maren Dies At 98

Above, Jerry Maren is shown holding the Electrolux ray gun. 

Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin of the Wizard of Oz (1939) and a mole man in Superman and The Mole Men (1951) has died.

Fox News reported:

Jerry Maren, born Gerard Marenghi, the last living munchkin from the “Wizard of Oz” has died, his niece told Fox News. 

Stacy Michelle Barrington confirmed his death to Fox News, saying he died more than a month ago but the family decided to hold off on sharing the news with the media. She heard of her uncle's passing through an aunt and cousin. 

“I wish I had grown up with him and had spent more time and being around him growing up," she told us. "I’m grateful to have had such important people in my family. Uncle Jerry would want the legacy of the 'Wizard of Oz' to continue.” 

The 98-year-old actor died at a nursing care facility in San Diego, Calif. 

I met Maren at a Hollywood Collectors Show about 15 years ago and obtained his autograph on a poster similar to the one above.

To read more, go here.

Goodies At Creature Features

Above, Creature Features monster store in Burbank. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tonight, I was at Creature Features in Burbank for an exhibit reception of "The Art of King Kong, featuring William Stout".

Creature Features store carries many monster-related items such as magazines, model kits, toys, artwork, music, videos, books and other great goodies.

Here's a sampling on what they have available for monster fans:

Above, Karloff and Lugosi, together again. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, The Wizard of Oz items. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, flying monkeys! Oh, no! Photo by Brant Elliot.

Above, Hedorah and a gremlin. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, King Kong merchandise. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, a nice Moguera. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Godzilla merchandise. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Brant Elliot checks out magazine racks. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, that's not my ex-fiancee. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Halloween 2012

Photo: Universal Pictures, 1948.

Back in the 1960s, one Halloween tradition was to watch Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

KNXT-Channel 2 (now known as KCBS) in Los Angeles used to have an afternoon movie program called "The Early Show."  It came on somewhere around 3:00 or 4:00 PM.

Above, Bud and Lou meet Frankenstein at the 2011 
Monsterpalooza Museum.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Every Halloween, "The Early Show" played Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. It was the perfect movie to get kids in the Halloween spirit before heading out for trick or treating after dinner.

Above, the "Wizard of Oz" characters didn't fare too well at this Tarzana residence.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some people in the neighborhood used to go all-out on Halloween and set up mini-haunted houses with monsters, spider webs and blacklights (these were the days before blacklight posters were in vogue in the late 1960s).

Above, someone met a dead end in Tarzana.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today, very few kids (in comparison to the numbers who went out when I was a kid) go out for trick or treating.  It is just too risky these days with real-life monsters out there.

So, in keeping with the old tradition, I'll be watching Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein today.