Buddy Ebsen as the Tin Man,
before being replaced by Jack Haley.
His silver makeup for the man of tin
Mixed white facepaint with toxic metal dust.
He wore the color and he breathed it in.
Tinseltown’s magic takes the toll it must.
It was a close thing, but he didn’t die.
(Jack Haley, who replaced him in the part,
Suffered severe infection of the eye
Playing the silvered man who wants a heart.)
Actors who risk playful lives to thrill us
May on occasion show us truthfully
That if our real selves might aim to kill us,
So does everyone we pretend to be.
Chris O'Carroll
If you have any thoughts about this poem, Chris O'Carroll would like to hear them
