Ray Bolger
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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
Credits
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
as "Hunk" / Scarecrow
Annie (1982)
as Sound Effects Man at Radio Station (uncredited)
That's Entertainment! (1974)
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Entertainment! III (1994)
as (archive footage)
That's Dancing! (1985)
as Self - Host
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
as Ray Bolger
The Daydreamer (1966)
as The Pieman
Babes in Toyland (1961)
as Barnaby
Rosalie (1937)
as Bill Delroy
Vaudeville (1997)
as Self (archive footage)
Stage Door Canteen (1943)
as Ray Bolger
Backstage Party (1961)
as Self
The Entertainer (1976)
as Billy Rice
The Harvey Girls (1946)
as Chris Maule
A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954)
as Self
Oz (—)
as Self / Scarecrow (archive footage)
Judy Garland: By Myself (2004)
as Self - Actor (archive sound)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic (1990)
as Self (archive footage)
Three on a Date (1978)
as Andrew
Sunny (1941)
as Bunny Billings
Four Jacks and a Jill (1942)
as Nifty Sullivan, a Jack
April in Paris (1952)
as Sam Winthrop Putnam
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression (2009)
as Self (archive footage)
Just You and Me, Kid (1979)
as Tom
The All-Star Christmas Show (1958)
as Self
Where's Charley? (1952)
as Charley Wykeham
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power (1938)
as Self (uncredited)
Sweethearts (1938)
as Hans
The Runner Stumbles (1979)
as Monsignor Nicholson
Heaven Only Knows (1979)
as Simon
The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (2025)
as Hunk (archive footage)
To Oz! The Making of a Classic (2009)
as Self
The Dark Side of the Rainbow (2000)
as 'Hunk' (archive footage)
Look for the Silver Lining (1949)
as Jack Donahue
Make Mine Laughs (1949)
as (archive footage)
Peter and the Magic Egg (1983)
as Uncle Amos (voice)
The Whimsical World of Oz (1985)
as Self
The Making of the Wizard of Oz (1979)
as Self