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