ay Bolger began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called Sanford and Bolger.
He, like Gene Kelly & Fred Astaire, 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 in 1937 by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in Rosalie.
His first dancing and singing role was in 1938 Sweethearts, 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?, 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! with Liza Minnelli.
Enjoy…. the humor of the acting will put a smile on your face, and his Tap dancing will brighten your day. Listen to the taps…marvel in the rhythm.