Judy Garland 'sexually harassed by Munchkins' on The Wizard of Oz set, claims ex-husband's memoir

The actress was 17 at the time

Upon landing in the Land of Oz in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was helped along the yellow brick road by the Munchkins. While appearing innocent on-screen, behind the scenes, things were all-but savoury.

A newly discovered memoir by Judy Garland’s ex-husband claims the actress - who was 17-years-old when filming - was sexually harassed by those playing the Munchkins.

“They would make Judy’s life miserable on set by putting their hands under her dress,” Sid Luft - who died in 2005 - wrote, according to People. Garland and Luft married in 1952, had two children, and divorced in 1967.

“The men were 40 or more years old,” he continued. “They thought they could get away with anything because they were so small.”

Rumours have long been held that the Munchkins “had sex orgies in the hotel” with producer Mervyn LeRoy having “to have police on just about every floor."

Before her death in 1969, Garland described the actors’ behaviour at the time, saying: “They were little drunks. They got smashed every night, and they picked them up in butterfly nets."

Margaret Pellegrini - who played one of the Munchkins - commented on the drinking in 2009, telling The Independent: "There were a lot of them who liked to go out and have a few drinks, but nothing got out of hand. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves. There was no rowdiness or anything like that, and those stories are very upsetting.”

Jerry Maren, who sang in the Lollipop Guild that welcomed Dorothy to Oz, said: "There were a couple of kids from Germany who liked to drink beer. They drank beer morning, noon and night, and got in a little trouble. They wanted to meet the girls, but they were the only ones.”