![]() These molded figurines–complete with foamlike wings and a pipe cleaner for a tail–were suspended on wires, much as the actor/monkeys were, and flown along at the same time to create the illusion of a large army of evil beasts. The rest of the illusion was created by dangling little rubber, painted monkeys about eight inches in length. As soon as it was settled they were back in the air on black cables which were invisible during the filming. It must have been quite a picture– twelve monkeys sitting on chairs with their arms folded and legs crossed arguing with the director over money. To get the matter settled the monkeys went on strike. The director assumed it was per day, and kept telling monkeys to keep swooping, while the Flying Monkeys thought it was $20 per swoop. They were to be paid $20 for swooping, but there was a misunderstanding about the number of swoops were to be paid. One terrifying moment was when a Flying Monkey swooped down and grabbed Toto, Dorothy’s little dog. They had a harness around them and strung them up on wires. Those who played the brown flying chimps mostly were too tall to play a Munchkin. Veteran Hollywood midget stuntman Harry Monty was one of the actors who played both a Munchkin and a Flying Monkey. The wings were motorized so they would flap while the monkeys were airborne. Only a few of the more athletic midgets were asked to don the monkey make-up and costumes fitted with battery-powered wings. For the most part the monkeys were not played by the same small actors as the munchkins. squealing servants of the Wicked Witch are the stuff of nightmares. I think for children the goblinlike Flying Monkeys. Many years later I purchased a pair of bronze candle holders in the shape of flying monkeys, and I am not allowed to use them when she is around. My youngest daughter was one of those children. The Winged Monkeys in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz served at the pleasure of the Wicked Witch of the West and terrorized Dorothy and her companions, and thousands of small children watching the big screen throughout the country.
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