Munchkin's big read

It was a big part for such a small person. Meinhardt Raabe had the privilege of announcing the Wicked Witch of the East was dead in screen classic The Wizard Of Oz.

The 1.4m (4ft 7in) actor was the munchkin coroner in the 1939 musical, which starred Judy Garland as Dorothy.

He proclaimed: 'As coroner, I must aver, I thoroughly examined her; And she's not only merely dead, She's really, most sincerely dead!'

Now 89, Mr Raabe has published his acting memoirs.

Memories Of A Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down The Yellow Brick Road describes what it was like to be on the set - a world of mushroom-shaped houses, painted backgrounds and, of course, the yellow brick road.

Mr Raabe was working as an accountant and decided to take a leave of absence when he heard that MGM Studios was hiring as many short people as possible for a new film starring Garland.

'I thought, "Well, this might be a unique experience",' said Mr Raabe, who is the oldest of the nine Oz munchkins still living.

Mr Raabe said appearing in the film didn't transform his life, but did increase his confidence and helped him build a career in public speaking.

He also believes the success of the film helped eliminate derogatory terms for short people. 'Since the picture, we've all become munchkins,' he said.

Mr Raabe, who lives in a retirement community in Florida, wrote the book to spread the message that he's brought to schoolchildren as a public speaker:

'There's a job for everybody. It's just a matter of working hard and watching out for the right spot.'