News Brief: Only One Man and Woman Munchkin Still Alive

The passing of Margaret Pellegrini got a short but well-placed obituary in newspapers. And a tiny but eye-catching flash via TV news...because...

She was one of the LAST OF THE MUNCHKINS. Now only one man and one woman are left.

Sad, huh? That we live in such a fucked up world that we mourn MUNCHKINS? That what we find most comforting is so far...far...far...in the past? In the merry old land of fictional OZ? No relation to the country that is having typhoons and a koala bear shortage?

In this fairy tale world we don't live in, surviving munchkins JERRY MARIN and RUTH DUCCINI would wed.

Some would say it couldn't last (Marin is 93, Duccini is 95). But it would bring SUCH tears of joy to SO many unhappy people...people who long for their childhood. People who wish they could eat a lollipop in public without feeling silly. People who wish they could be a member of the Lollipop Guild...or journey to Oz and have a platonic relationship with Dorothy. Or the Cowardly Lion. Or the Tin Man. Or a particular Munchkin.

I haven't glimpsed more than a minute or two of "The Wizard of Oz" in a cat's age. Or two. Can't imagine sitting through the whole thing again for any reason. How nice for those who still find this particular fantasy so appealing (as opposed to Pixar movies, Harry Potter and Dr. Who, HBO soft-porn sword-and-magician shows, Batman batshit, Marvel hero hooey...). Some people can be in the land of OZ, and not double-track Johnny Rivers singing, "OZ are you won't live to see tomorrow..."

Too bad reality interferes. Like the death of Margaret Pellegrini. Or the truth about the endangered Munchkin-performer species; only two are left, and they can't breed, and despite Sergey Brin's fondest wishes, won't be made into hamburger meat for him to clone and make available to short-order cooks.

The last word comes not from author Frank Baum on this sad and mournful day. Not from Jerry Maren or Ruth Duccini or Paul Simon. I flash to Flip. Flip Wilson, dead comedian:

"The cost of living is going up and the chance of living is going down."

Even in the Merry Old Land of Oz.