Frank "Buddy" Ebsen

I've been a union man since I was a member of the Chorus Equity in New York in 1928, so I was well aware of the fact that you had to have union protection. When I came to Hollywood and signed for a picture, I became a member of SAG. It was automatic for me. I was in a position where I negotiated the terms of my working conditions, but I could see how the rank and file benefitted tremendously as a result of SAG, economically in the whole spectrum of employment. When I was cast as the original Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939), I almost disappeared over the rainbow because of the poisonous aluminum dust in my silvery make-up. It cost me a big medical bill. If that happened today, the Guild would have taken care of it. SAG, long may they wave.