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 songanddance 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 redheaded sopranoactress 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 Bolgers 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 Wheres 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 cohosted Thats 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
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