9
Ray Bolger
Born · January 10, 1904
Died · January 15, 1987 (83 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Bio
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.
To Oz! The Making of a Classic
Self
0.0
2009
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
Self (archive)
0.0
2009
Judy Garland: By Myself
Self - Actor (archive sound)
7.5
2004
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
'Hunk' (archive footage)
8.0
2000
The Dark Side of Oz
Hunk / Scarecrow (archive footage)
0.0
1995
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
6.9
1994
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
Self (archive footage)
8.3
1990
That's Dancing!
Self - Host
7.0
1985
The Whimsical World of Oz
Self
0.0
1985
Peter and the Magic Egg
Uncle Amos (voice)
3.0
1983
Annie
Sound Effects Man at Radio Station (uncredited)
6.5
1982
The Runner Stumbles
Monsignor Nicholson
6.8
1979
Just You and Me, Kid
Tom
5.5
1979
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
Self
0.0
1979
Diff'rent Strokes
(1 episode)
7.0
1978
Battlestar Galactica
Vector · (1 episode)
7.1
1978
Three on a Date
Andrew
1.0
1978
Fantasy Island
Spencer Randolph · (1 episode)
6.4
1978
The Love Boat
Horace McDonald · (1 episode)
6.3
1977
The Love Boat
Andy Hopkins · (1 episode)
6.3
1977
Captains and the Kings
R.J. Squibbs · (8 episodes)
8.3
1976
The Entertainer
Billy Rice
5.5
1976
Donny & Marie
Self · (1 episode)
6.5
1976
Baretta
(1 episode)
6.4
1975
Little House on the Prairie
(2 episodes)
8.0
1974
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage)
7.2
1974
Nanny and the Professor
(1 episode)
5.6
1970
Omnibus
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
7.5
1967
The Daydreamer
The Pieman
4.8
1966
The Hollywood Palace
Self - Host · (2 episodes)
4.5
1964
The Judy Garland Show
Self · (1 episode)
8.0
1963
Back Stage Party
Self
7.0
1961
Babes in Toyland
Barnaby
5.8
1961
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · (1 episode)
5.1
1961
The Bell Telephone Hour
Self · (1 episode)
7.0
1959
The Bell Telephone Hour
Self - Host · (2 episodes)
7.0
1959
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self · (2 episodes)
5.3
1956
The George Gobel Show
Self · (1 episode)
7.0
1954
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Self
8.0
1954
Where's Raymond?
Raymond Wallace · (60 episodes)
7.0
1953
General Electric Theater
Alfred Boggs · (1 episode)
6.0
1953
General Electric Theater
Stan Maylor · (1 episode)
6.0
1953
April in Paris
Sam Winthrop Putnam
4.9
1952
Where's Charley?
Charley Wykeham
10.0
1952
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self · (1 episode)
7.0
1950
What's My Line?
Self - Mystery Guest · (1 episode)
6.7
1950
Make Mine Laughs
(archive footage)
5.0
1949
Look for the Silver Lining
Jack Donahue
5.7
1949
The Harvey Girls
Chris Maule
6.4
1946
Stage Door Canteen
Ray Bolger
6.1
1943
Four Jacks and a Jill
Nifty Sullivan, a Jack
6.0
1942
Sunny
Bunny Billings
4.9
1941
Harold Arlen's Home Movies on set of The Wizard of Oz
0.0
1939
The Wizard of Oz
"Hunk" / Scarecrow
7.6
1939
Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power
Self (uncredited)
4.8
1938
Sweethearts
Hans
5.5
1938
Rosalie
Bill Delroy
5.5
1937
The Great Ziegfeld
Ray Bolger
6.2
1936