Ray Bolger
Actor
Born January 10, 1904 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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.
Filmography
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
Hunk (archive footage)
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Self (archive footage)
Judy Garland: By Myself
Self - Actor (archive sound)
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
'Hunk' (archive footage)
Vaudeville
Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
Self (archive footage)
That's Dancing!
Self - Host
Peter and the Magic Egg
Uncle Amos (voice)
Annie
Sound Effects Man at Radio Station (uncredited)
The Runner Stumbles
Monsignor Nicholson
Just You and Me, Kid
Tom
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
Self
Heaven Only Knows
Simon
Diff'rent Strokes
Battlestar Galactica
Vector
Three on a Date
Andrew
Fantasy Island
Spencer Randolph
The Love Boat
Horace McDonald
Captains and the Kings
R.J. Squibbs
The Entertainer
Billy Rice
Donny & Marie
Self
Baretta
Little House on the Prairie
Toby Noe
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
The Partridge Family
Grandpa Fred Renfrew
Nanny and the Professor
Uncle Horace
Omnibus
Self
The Daydreamer
The Pieman
The Hollywood Palace
Self - Host
The Judy Garland Show
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
Backstage Party
Self
Babes in Toyland
Barnaby
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Bell Telephone Hour
Self
The All-Star Christmas Show
Self
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
Tony Awards
Self - Presenter
MGM Parade
The Wonderful World of Disney
Self
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Self
Where's Raymond?
Raymond Wallace
General Electric Theater
Alfred Boggs
April in Paris
Sam Winthrop Putnam
Where's Charley?
Charley Wykeham
The Red Skelton Show
'Mayor' Threadbare III
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self - Host
The Bob Hope Show
Self
What's My Line?
Self
Make Mine Laughs
(archive footage)
Look for the Silver Lining
Jack Donahue
The Harvey Girls
Chris Maule
Stage Door Canteen
Ray Bolger
Four Jacks and a Jill
Nifty Sullivan, a Jack
Sunny
Bunny Billings
The Wizard of Oz
"Hunk" / Scarecrow
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
Self (uncredited)
Sweethearts
Hans
Rosalie
Bill Delroy
The Great Ziegfeld
Ray Bolger