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