Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called "Sanford and Bolger" and also did numerous Broadway shows on his own. He, like Gene Kelly, was a song-and-dance man as well as an actor. He was signed to a contract with MGM in 1936 and his first role was as himself in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). This was soon followed by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in Rosalie (1937). His first dancing and singing role was in Sweethearts (1938), where he did the "wooden shoes" number with red-headed soprano/actress Jeanette MacDonald. This got him noticed by MGM producers and resulted in his being cast in his most famous role, that of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Surprisingly, even though the film was a success, Bolger's contract with MGM ended. He went to RKO to make Four Jacks and a Jill (1942). After this, Bolger went to Broadway, where he received his greatest satisfaction. In 1953 he turned to television and got his own sitcom, Where's Raymond? (1953), later changed to "The Ray Bolger Show". After his series ended, Bolger made frequent guest appearances on TV and had some small roles in movies. In 1985 he co-hosted That's Dancing! (1985) with Liza Minnelli. Bolger died in 1987 at the age of 83. Interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, USA, in the Mausoleum, Crypt F2, Block 35.
Acted in
To Oz! The Making of a Classic
2009
as Self
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009
as Self (archive)
Judy Garland: By Myself
2004
as Self - Actor (archive sound)
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
2000
as 'Hunk' (archive footage)
The Dark Side of Oz
1995
as Hunk / Scarecrow (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
1994
as (archive footage)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
1990
as Self (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
1985
as Self - Host
The Whimsical World of Oz
1985
as Self
Peter and the Magic Egg
1983
as Uncle Amos (voice)
Annie
1982
as Sound Effects Man at Radio Station (uncredited)
The Runner Stumbles
1979
as Monsignor Nicholson
Just You and Me, Kid
1979
as Tom
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
1979
as Self
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
Battlestar Galactica
1978
as Vector
Three on a Date
1978
as Andrew
The Love Boat
1977
as Horace McDonald
The Love Boat
1977
as Andy Hopkins
Captains and the Kings
1976
as R.J. Squibbs
The Entertainer
1976
as Billy Rice
Baretta
1975
Little House on the Prairie
1974
That's Entertainment!
1974
as (archive footage)
Nanny and the Professor
1970
Omnibus
1967
as Self (archive footage)
The Daydreamer
1966
as The Pieman
The Hollywood Palace
1964
as Self - Host
The Judy Garland Show
1963
as Self
Back Stage Party
1961
as Self
Babes in Toyland
1961
as Barnaby
The Bell Telephone Hour
1959
as Self
The Bell Telephone Hour
1959
as Self - Host
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956
as Self
The George Gobel Show
1954
as Self
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954
as Self
Where's Raymond?
1953
as Raymond Wallace
General Electric Theater
1953
as Alfred Boggs
General Electric Theater
1953
as Stan Maylor
April in Paris
1952
as Sam Winthrop Putnam
Where's Charley?
1952
as Charley Wykeham
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
What's My Line?
1950
as Self - Mystery Guest
Make Mine Laughs
1949
as (archive footage)
Look for the Silver Lining
1949
as Jack Donahue
The Harvey Girls
1946
as Chris Maule
Stage Door Canteen
1943
as Ray Bolger
Four Jacks and a Jill
1942
as Nifty Sullivan, a Jack
Sunny
1941
as Bunny Billings
The Wizard of Oz
1939
as "Hunk" / Scarecrow
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
1938
as Self (uncredited)
Sweethearts
1938
as Hans
Rosalie
1937
as Bill Delroy
The Great Ziegfeld
1936
as Ray Bolger