1904-01-10 ( 121 years old ) in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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.
Movies
Lynch/Oz
2023-05-15
To Oz! The Making of a Classic
2009-09-23
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression
2009-01-01
Judy Garland: By Myself
2004-02-25
The Dark Side of the Rainbow
2000-07-01
The Dark Side of Oz
1995-08-15
That's Entertainment! III
1994-07-01
That's Dancing!
1985-01-18
The Whimsical World of Oz
1985-01-01
Peter and the Magic Egg
1983-02-01
Annie
1982-05-21
The Runner Stumbles
1979-11-16
Just You and Me, Kid
1979-07-13
The Making of the Wizard of Oz
1979-01-01
Three on a Date
1978-02-17
The Entertainer
1976-03-10
That's Entertainment!
1974-06-21
The Daydreamer
1966-06-01
Backstage Party
1961-12-17
Babes in Toyland
1961-12-14
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954-09-28
April in Paris
1952-12-24
Where's Charley?
1952-05-20
Make Mine Laughs
1949-08-03
Look for the Silver Lining
1949-07-30
The Harvey Girls
1946-01-18
Stage Door Canteen
1943-06-24
Four Jacks and a Jill
1942-01-23
Sunny
1941-05-30
The Wizard of Oz
1939-08-15
Sweethearts
1938-12-30
Rosalie
1937-12-24
The Great Ziegfeld
1936-04-08
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