Ray Bolger
Acting • Born 1904-01-10 – Died 1987-01-15
Biography
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
68 credits
The Wizard of Oz
Movie • 1939
"Hunk" / Scarecrow
Just You and Me, Kid
Movie • 1979
Tom
Babes in Toyland
Movie • 1961
Barnaby
April in Paris
Movie • 1952
Sam Winthrop Putnam
The Harvey Girls
Movie • 1946
Chris Maule
That's Dancing!
Movie • 1985
Self - Host
The Great Ziegfeld
Movie • 1936
Ray Bolger
Rosalie
Movie • 1937
Bill Delroy
Sweethearts
Movie • 1938
Hans
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
Movie • 1979
Self
Look for the Silver Lining
Movie • 1949
Jack Donahue
Where's Charley?
Movie • 1952
Charley Wykeham
The Runner Stumbles
Movie • 1979
Monsignor Nicholson
Sunny
Movie • 1941
Bunny Billings
Four Jacks and a Jill
Movie • 1942
Nifty Sullivan, a Jack
The Daydreamer
Movie • 1966
The Pieman
The Entertainer
Movie • 1976
Billy Rice
Peter and the Magic Egg
Movie • 1983
Uncle Amos (voice)
That's Entertainment!
Movie • 1974
(archive footage)
Make Mine Laughs
Movie • 1949
(archive footage)
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
Movie • 2000
'Hunk' (archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
Movie • 1994
(archive footage)
Judy Garland: By Myself
Movie • 2004
Self - Actor (archive sound)
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
Movie • 1938
Self (uncredited)
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Movie • 1954
Self
Stage Door Canteen
Movie • 1943
Ray Bolger
The Whimsical World of Oz
Movie • 1985
Self
To Oz! The Making of a Classic
Movie • 2009
Self
Annie
Movie • 1982
Sound Effects Man at Radio Station (uncredited)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic
Movie • 1990
Self (archive footage)
Backstage Party
Movie • 1961
Self
Three on a Date
Movie • 1978
Andrew
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Movie • 2009
Self (archive footage)
The All-Star Christmas Show
Movie • 1958
Self
Heaven Only Knows
Movie • 1979
Simon
Oz
Movie
Self / Scarecrow (archive footage)
The Colgate Comedy Hour
TV • 1950
Self - Host
Little House on the Prairie
TV • 1974
Toby Noe
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Horace McDonald
Diff'rent Strokes
TV • 1978
Baretta
TV • 1975
Donny & Marie
TV • 1976
Self
General Electric Theater
TV • 1953
Alfred Boggs
The Hollywood Palace
TV • 1964
Self - Host
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
TV • 1956
Self
Where's Raymond?
TV • 1953
Raymond Wallace
Captains and the Kings
TV • 1976
R.J. Squibbs
The George Gobel Show
TV • 1954
Self
The Judy Garland Show
TV • 1963
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self
General Electric Theater
TV • 1953
Stan Maylor
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Andy Hopkins
What's My Line?
TV • 1950
Self - Mystery Guest
The Bell Telephone Hour
TV • 1959
Self
The Bell Telephone Hour
TV • 1959
Self - Host
Battlestar Galactica
TV • 1978
Vector
Fantasy Island
TV • 1978
Spencer Randolph
Nanny and the Professor
TV • 1970
Uncle Horace
The Partridge Family
TV • 1970
Grandpa Fred Renfrew
The Partridge Family
TV • 1970
Grandpa Walter Renfrew
Omnibus
TV • 1967
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
TV • 1962
Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV • 1962
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
TV • 1961
Self - Co-Host
The Wonderful World of Disney
TV • 1954
Self
The Red Skelton Show
TV • 1951
'Mayor' Threadbare III
The Bob Hope Show
TV • 1950
Self
MGM Parade
TV • 1955