Bertha "Betty" Danko (September 19, 1903February 3, 1979) was an American stuntwoman and stunt double. She doubled for many leading actresses of the 1930s and 1940s, but is best known for having doubled for Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. During the filming of the skywriting scene, a pipe attached to the Witch's broomstick exploded, landing Danko in the hospital with a serious leg wound. Her career was cut short by a non-stunt accident in the late 1950s when she was struck by a car while waiting for a bus. She resided in a Hollywood bungalow for 50 years with her widowed mother. Early life She was born Bertha Danko in Newark, New Jersey, on September 19, 1903. Her father, John Danko, was a native of Germany while her mother, Mary Danko, was a native of Hungary. She had an older brother and sister. Danko was very athletic; in school she played right forward and also competed in high jump, winning several medals. Career Danko moved to Hollywood with her family in 1927. The Dankos had relatives living in Los Angeles and her father was convinced by their description of the city to sell their home and other real estate he owned in Elizabeth and move across the country. Danko intended to stay in California for a year earning money to pay for tuition at a chiropractic school back in New Jersey. But her first week in the city, she was approached in a store by a woman who asked her to accompany her to an outdoor film shoot that evening. At the shoot, one of the actors came over to the two and asked if they worked in film; the woman replied that they did. The man told Danko she would make "a good college type" for their next film and asked for her phone number. A few weeks later, Danko received a call to report for work on a film playing a member of a girls' basketball team. Someone on that film suggested she apply for more work at Hal Roach Studios, and her career as a stunt double began. Among the actresses she doubled for were Jean Arthur, Binnie Barnes, Joan Crawford, Irene Dunne, Madge Evans, Jean Harlow, Patsy Kelly, Elissa Landi, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Marie Prevost, Thelma Todd, Marie Windsor, and Blanche Yurka. Danko