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The It's late in the evening on October 21st, 1938 in Los Angeles, California.

Actor Buddy Ebson lies in bed at home, shuddering in pain.

His wife reaches to his side and tries to comfort him.

The buddy winses as he holds his hands out to her. They're trembling and curled into tight fists.

At age 30, Buddy is normally strong and healthy, but right now he feels like he's dying,

and he has no idea why. All day, Buddy has grown more uncomfortable, his head and hands wracked with pain.

But after going to bed, his condition quickly worsened.

Now he's struggling even to breathe.

And the ambulance his wife summoned a few minutes ago can't come soon enough.

Buddy's only two weeks into filming a new movie, The Wizard of Oz.

He plays a man made of tin, so he wears a silver-painted costume and makeup that makes his skin shine under the bright studio lights.

But ever since production began, his health has steadily deteriorated.

When the ambulance arrives, the paramedics assess Buddy's condition.

He tries to put on a brave face, but every breath is a struggle, and a searing pain is spreading across his chest.

The paramedics carry him out of the house on a stretcher and load him into the back of the ambulance.

As the vehicle pulls away from the curb, one of the paramedics puts an oxygen mask on Buddy's face. He

inhales, but the pain is getting worse. His hands and feet are cramping, and his lungs feel

like they're coated with mud. Every breath takes more and more effort. He desperately hopes that

...