Feature: Top Ten Movies Starring Midgets
Critical Critic: sasori | Published on: July 10, 2007 |
Filed under: Feature
While watching a television show titled Little People, Big World I got to wondering how many midgets are working in Hollywood. How many of their roles were actually any good? What I thought would be any easy list to churn out was a lot harder to compile than it should have been.
Criteria: No Christmas movies (that would be too easy); Midget(s) in major role or important to overall movie experience; Can’t be something other than a person (no form altering costumes, i.e. Ewoks, R2-D2); Same midget can’t be used twice.
| 10 |  |
Jackass: The Movie Midget: Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuña Initially, I wasn’t convinced I should add this to the list. It’s really just a compilation of crazy stunts from the television show. But then I remembered that fat guy chasing Wee Man around on city streets and I laughed. Every time I see that sketch I crack-up; this movie wouldn’t be the same without him. |
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| 9 |  |
The Man with the Golden Gun Midget: Hervé Villechaize Every Bond film has a memorable villain with a henchman. This one had Scaramanga along with his small pal Nick Nack. It’s not the best Bond Movie ever made, but it is the only one with a midget causing people grief! |
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| 8 |  |
Willow Midget: Warwick Davis This is probably the best action-fantasy movie in which a dwarf plays the lead role. My first inclination was to add him due to his role in Leprechaun, but then I remembered how bad that movie was (I’m amazed there are 5 sequels to it)! Willow is a must see for all D&D fans. |
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| 7 |  |
Freaks Midget: Harry Earles Exploitation film at its finest. It’s about circus freaks and other carnie folk. Can there be a better combination? Hell no, since the movie is 75 years old and still banned in Sweden! | |
| 6 |  |
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Midget: Angelo Rossitto He was the tiny guy (The Master) sitting on the shoulders of The Blaster. They turned pig shit to power for Bartertown. This would be the best of the Mad Max series if it weren’t for the casting of Tina Turner. |
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| 5 |  |
The Wizard of Oz Midget: Various Does this movie require a description? If you haven’t seen it, then you just need to get sucked into a tornado. It’s a classic that everyone should see at least once. |
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| 4 |  |
Time Bandits Midget: Various From the warped minds of Monty Python. Only these guys could envision a movie about little guys jumping to different periods in time (with a stolen time/space map) to steal stuff and cause general havoc. A very funny movie. |
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| 3 |  |
Poltergeist Midget: Zelda Rubinstein This movie scaried the shit out of me when I was a kid. Adding this spooky midget to clear the house of poltergeists and retrieve the little girl from the other side was pure genius. She was more frightening than the ghosts! |
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| 2 |  |
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Midget: Various Here is another movie that doesn’t require a description. These little green and orange dudes gave me nightmares for weeks (even though they weren’t supposed to be scary). References to this movie can be found everywhere (Wonka candy, Veruca Salt, etc.). One of Gene Wilder’s crowning achievements. |
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| 1 |  |
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me Midget: Verne Troyer Mini Me. Those two words just bring a smile to my face. This is single handedly the funniest movie ever made that stars a midget. Pure comic genius. |
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I know, you’re going to tell me that I’ve missed several hundred movies with small folk in them. Why not clue me in? I need something to waste my Netflix subscription on.
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About: sasori When I'm not sleeping, I'm doing something else that closely resembles sleep. |
tiny tim posted a response on: July 10, 2007 | Reply
tasteless.
Techsplorer posted a response on: July 10, 2007 | Reply
See, I can add (a reference to your Spam Protection, in case you’ve been using it so long you forgot what you’ve set up). Okay, enough rambling.
First time commenter here (obviously, or I’d know how long you’d been asking folks simple math questions), and I wanted to list two you might want to get from Netflix: Under The Rainbow (with Chevy Chase, the truly excellent Billy Barty, and many more little people) and Foul Play (again with Chevy and Billy; do I detect a trend here?), and
Andy posted a response on: July 10, 2007 | Reply
What about Leprechaun? Or better yet, Leprechaun in the Hood?
Andy posted a response on: July 10, 2007 | Reply
Oops, didn’t see Warwick Davis already on the list. I’m dumb.
Jan Ice posted a response on: July 11, 2007 | Reply
What about Beetlejuice from Bubble Boy? He’s a freaky little guy that’s hard to forget.
blogcabins posted a response on: July 12, 2007 | Reply
Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent would have to be my only addition, as Elf is not allowed.
Frank Wolk posted a response on: July 12, 2007 | Reply
Would Danny DeVito be considered a dwarf? If so, there are plenty of movies to pick from to add to this list.
stubsy posted a response on: July 15, 2007 | Reply
Lord of the rings should be number 1 I reckon they had a dwarf
sasori posted a response on: July 15, 2007 | Reply
I am not familiar with those movies. I’ll have to rent them. I’m not the biggest Chevy Chase fan . . .
I didn’t see that movie either. Did it have a full theatrical release?
Nope. He’s just very short and squat.
I had initially put this movie in the list. While I’m sure there are a few dwarves running around in it, I had to remove it because all the main characters are normal sized people made to look small with baggy clothing and camera trickery.
Skinny posted a response on: July 21, 2007 | Reply
How about “Twin Peaks”? That little guy talking backwards gave me a lot of nightmares…
(I just checked, he appears in the “Twin Peaks” movie as well, not only the series.)
darkbhudda posted a response on: July 22, 2007 | Reply
Terror of Tiny Town. All midget western.
For Yu’r Height Only. A Filipino James Bond style movie where the lead is a midget.
sasori posted a response on: July 24, 2007 | Reply
I didn’t realize there was a Twin Peaks theatrical release. I thought it was just a television series.
I has actually thought of Terror of Tiny Town. I didn’t see it so I wasn’t sure whether I needed to take it seriously (more of just a parody kind of film). I’ve never heard of For Yu’r Height Only, so I never considered it.
Techsplorer posted a response on: July 24, 2007 | Reply
The Twin Peaks theatrical release was called, if I remember correctly, Fire Walk With Me. I really wanted to see that until I talked to people who had.
Oh, well…
Atomic Popcorn posted a response on: November 6, 2007 | Reply
Willow was an AWESOME film !
Stefanie posted a response on: November 6, 2007 | Reply
Exploitation or not, now I’m dying to see Freaks. I’m a horrible person.
David posted a response on: January 25, 2008 | Reply
station agent is a must, as is under the rainbow.
consider Return of the Jedi (though they’re all wearing ewok costumes) for the simple volume of it. work for a tremendous number of folks with dwarfism.
snow white, if you like animation.
phil posted a response on: March 16, 2008 | Reply
I noticed your midget film round up
you missed out.
Freaks ( 1932)
Little Cigars (1973)
Foul Play (1978)
FOR YOUR HEIGHT ONLY (1980)
Phntmbanana posted a response on: March 16, 2008 | Reply
well I happen to see freaks as 7
phil posted a response on: March 16, 2008 | Reply
Oppps sorry,
But i bet you didnt think of
For Your Height Only as it is truly amazing bit of rubbish
its a james bond midget film, But instead of 007 its 00
phil posted a response on: March 16, 2008 | Reply
Oh yeah i forget also
terror of tiny town, which is a all midget cast western, If you take away the jokes that they can walk under the saloon doors etc, It has a very good plot line