His lack of height was a concern to him; a local theater manager who sympathized with his worries managed to contact Meinhardt Raabe, who was "Little Oscar", the spokesman for the Oscar Mayer company.
Seven surviving Munchkin actors attended the ceremony, including Mickey Carroll, Ruth Duccini, Jerry Maren, Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, Karl Slover and Clarence Swensen.