Ray Bolger - wikipedia Ray Bolger Ray Bolger Bolger, c. 1942 Raymond Wallace Bolger ( 1904 - 01 - 10 ) January 10, 1904 Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S. January 15, 1987 ( 1987 - 01 - 15 ) ( aged 83 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death Bladder cancer Resting place Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Occupation Actor, singer, dancer Years active 1922 -- 1985 Known for Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz Spouse ( s ) Gwendolyn Rickard ( m. 1929 ) Raymond Wallace Bolger ( January 10, 1904 -- January 15, 1987 ) was an American actor, singer, and dancer ( particularly of tap ) of vaudeville, stage ( particularly musical theatre ) and screen, who started in the silent film era. He is best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in MGM 's classic The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ). He was also the host of his own television show, The Ray Bolger Show. Contents 1 Early life 2 Early career 3 The Wizard of Oz 4 Post-Oz film career 5 Broadway and television 6 Death and legacy 7 Filmography 8 Stage work 9 References 10 External links Early Life Bolger was born into a Roman Catholic family of Irish descent in Dorchester, Boston, the son of James Edward and Anne C. ( née Wallace ) Bolger. His entertainment aspirations evolved from the vaudeville shows of his youth. He began his career in a vaudeville tap show, creating the act `` Sanford & Bolger '' with his dance partner. In 1926, he danced at New York City 's legendary Palace Theatre, the premier vaudeville theatre in the United States. His limber body and improvisational dance movement won him many leading roles on Broadway in the 1930s. Eventually, his career would also encompass film, television and nightclub work. In 1932 he was elected to the theater club, The Lambs. Early career Bolger signed his first cinema contract with MGM in 1936, and although The Wizard of Oz was early in his film career, he appeared in other movies of note. His best known pre-Oz appearance was The Great Ziegfeld ( 1936 ), in which he portrayed himself. He also appeared in Sweethearts ( 1938 ), the first MGM film in Technicolor, starring Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald, and Frank Morgan. He also appeared in the Eleanor Powell vehicle Rosalie ( 1937 ), which also starred Eddy and Morgan. The Wizard of Oz Bolger as the Scarecrow Bolger 's MGM contract stipulated that he would play any part the studio chose. However, he was unhappy when he was originally cast as the Tin Woodman in the studio 's 1939 feature film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. The role of the Scarecrow had already been assigned to another dancing studio contract player, Buddy Ebsen. In time, the roles were switched. Bolger 's face was permanently lined by wearing the Scarecrow 's makeup. Post-oz film career Following Oz, Bolger moved to RKO Pictures. In 1941, he was a featured act at the Paramount Theatre in New York, working with the Harry James Band. He would do tap dance routines, sometimes in a mock - challenge dance with the band 's pianist, Al Lerner. One day during this period, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Bolger 's performance was interrupted by President Roosevelt 's announcement of the news of the attack. Bolger toured in USO shows with Joe E. Lewis in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and was featured in the United Artists wartime film Stage Door Canteen. In 1946, he returned to MGM for a featured role in The Harvey Girls. Also that year, he recorded a children 's album, The Churkendoose, featuring the story of a misfit fowl ( `` part chicken, turkey, duck, and goose '' ) which teaches children that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it `` all depends on how you look at things ''. Broadway and television Bolger in a publicity photo for The Bell Telephone Hour, 1963 Bolger 's Broadway credits included Life Begins at 8 : 40 ( 1934 ), On Your Toes ( 1936 ), By Jupiter ( 1942 ), All American ( 1962 ) and Where 's Charley ? ( 1948 ), for which he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and in which he introduced `` Once in Love with Amy '', the song often connected with him. He repeated his stage role in the 1952 film version of the musical. He also made April in Paris ( 1952 ) with Doris Day. Bolger appeared in his own ABC television sitcom with a variety show theme, Where 's Raymond ? ( 1953 -- 1954 ), renamed the second year as The Ray Bolger Show ( 1954 -- 55 ). He continued to star in several films, including Walt Disney 's remake of Babes in Toyland ( 1961 ). Bolger made frequent guest appearances on television, including the episode `` Rich Man, Poor Man '' of the short - lived The Jean Arthur Show in 1966. In the 1970s, he had a recurring role as the father of Shirley Partridge ( Shirley Jones ) on The Partridge Family, and appeared in Little House on the Prairie as Toby Noe and also guest starred on other television series such as Battlestar Galactica and Fantasy Island. In the late 1970 's, reaching back to his Irish roots, Bolger played in a commercial for Safeway Supermarket 's `` Scotch Buy '' brand. It covered many products ranging from canned food to paper towels to beer and cigarettes. Bolger popularized the jingle, `` Scotch Buy - taint fancy but it shore is good. '' His last television appearance was on Diff'rent Strokes in 1984, three years before his death. In his later years, he danced in a Dr Pepper television commercial, and in 1985, he and Liza Minnelli, the daughter of his Oz co-star Judy Garland, starred in That 's Dancing !, a film also written by Jack Haley, Jr., the son of Jack Haley, who portrayed the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him. He was a Roman Catholic, and a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California. Bolger was a staunch Republican who campaigned for Richard Nixon in 1968. Death and legacy Ray and Gwendolyn Bolger 's grave at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Bolger died of bladder cancer on January 15, 1987, in Los Angeles, five days after his 83rd birthday. He was interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City in the Mausoleum, Crypt F2, Block 35. He was survived by his wife of over 57 years, Gwendolyn Rickard. They had no children. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving main credited cast member of The Wizard of Oz. At Judy Garland 's funeral, Bolger was the only one of her Oz co-stars to be present. He joined Harold Arlen, the composer of `` Over the Rainbow '', and his wife Anya Taranda. They were reported as among the last remaining guests at the conclusion of the service. Whenever asked whether he received any residuals from telecasts of the 1939 classic, Bolger would reply : `` No, just immortality. I 'll settle for that. '' Bolger 's Scarecrow is ranked among the `` most beloved movie characters of all time '' by AMC and the American Film Institute. For his contributions to the film industry, Bolger received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The star is located at 6788 Hollywood Boulevard. Filmography Theatrical films Year Title Role Notes 1936 The Great Ziegfeld Ray Bolger 1937 Rosalie Bill Delroy 1938 The Girl of the Golden West Happy Moore ( scenes deleted ) 1938 Sweethearts Hans 1939 The Wizard of Oz Hunk / Scarecrow 1941 Sunny Bunny Billings 1942 Four Jacks and a Jill Nifty Sullivan 1943 Forever and a Day Sentry ( scenes deleted ) 1943 Stage Door Canteen Ray Bolger 1946 The Harvey Girls Chris Maule 1949 Look for the Silver Lining Jack Donahue 1952 Where 's Charley ? Charley Wykeham 1952 April in Paris S. Winthrop Putnam 1961 Babes in Toyland Barnaby 1966 The Daydreamer The Pieman 1979 Just You and Me, Kid Tom 1979 The Runner Stumbles Monsignor Nicholson 1982 Annie Sound Effects Man Uncredited 1985 That 's Dancing ! Himself - Host Documentary film Television Year Title Role Notes 1953 -- 55 Where 's Raymond ? Raymond ' Ray ' Wallace Lead role ( 61 episodes ) 1958 -- 59 General Electric Theater Stan Maylor / Alfred Boggs 2 episodes 1962 The Red Skelton Show Mayor Threadbare III Episode : `` The Mayor of Central Park '' 1962 The Little Sweep Storyteller Television film 1966 The Jean Arthur Show Wealthy Man Episode : `` Rich Man, Poor Man '' 1970 -- 72 The Partridge Family Grandpa Renfrew Recurring role ( 3 episodes ) 1971 Nanny and the Professor Uncle Horace Episode : `` South Sea Island Sweetheart '' 1976 The Entertainer Billy Rice Television film 1976 Captains and the Kings R.J. Squibbs Television miniseries ( Chapter I ) 1977 -- 79 The Love Boat Andy Hopkins / Horace McDonald 2 episodes 1978 Baretta Episode : `` Just for Laughs '' 1978 Three on a Date Andrew Television film 1978 -- 82 Fantasy Island Gaylord Nelson / Spencer Randolph 2 episodes 1978 -- 79 Little House on the Prairie Toby Noe 2 episodes 1979 Heaven Only Knows Simon Television pilot 1979 Battlestar Galactica Vector Episode : `` Greetings from Earth '' 1981 Aloha Paradise Harry Carr Episode : `` Best of Friends / Success / Nine Karats '' Peter and the Magic Egg Uncle Amos ( voice ) Television special 1984 Diff'rent Strokes Clarence Markwell Episode : `` A Haunting We Will Go '', ( final television appearance ) Stage work Broadway productions Year Title Role Theatre 1926 The Merry World Performer Imperial Theatre 1926 A Night in Paris Performer 44th Street Theatre 1929 Heads Up Georgie Alvin Theatre 1931 George White 's Scandals of 1931 Performer Apollo Theatre 1934 Life Begins at 8 : 40 Performer Winter Garden Theatre 1936 On Your Toes Phil Dolan III, Hoofer Imperial Theatre 1940 Keep Off the Grass Performer Broadhurst Theatre 1942 By Jupiter Sapiens Shubert Theatre 1946 Three to Make Ready Performer Adelphi Theatre 1948 Where 's Charley ? Charley Wykeham St. James Theatre 1951 Where 's Charley ? ( revival ) Charley Wykeham Broadway Theatre 1962 All - American Professor Fodorski Winter Garden Theatre 1969 Come Summer Phineas Sharp Lunt - Fontanne Theatre References Jump up ^ `` Family Search ''. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). ^ Jump up to : Fowler, Glenn ( January 16, 1987 ). `` Ray Bolger, Scarecrow in ' Oz ' Dies ''. The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Family Search ''. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ `` Family Search ''. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ `` Ray Bolger Biography ''. Filmreference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Jump up ^ `` About The Lambs ''. The Lambs, Inc. Retrieved March 8, 2018. Jump up ^ Harmetz, Aljean ( October 1, 2013 ). The Making of The Wizard of Oz. Chicago Review Press. p. 169. ISBN 978 - 1613748350. ^ Jump up to : Ray Bolger on IMDb Jump up ^ Lerner, Al ( 2007 ). Vamp ' Til Ready. BearManor Media. ISBN 978 - 1593930806. ( Subscription required ( help ) ). Jump up ^ Ray Bolger at the Internet Broadway Database Jump up ^ `` Where 's Raymond ?, The Ray Bolger Show ''. ctva.biz. Retrieved March 14, 2011. Jump up ^ `` 6 : 06 JUDY GARLAND ON `` WHAT 'S MY LINE '' tagcbs 17K views 5 : 04 Groucho Marx Roasts Johnny Carson Chantay Hyder 222K views 2 : 09 The Wizard Of Oz : Ray Bolger ( Scarecrow ) TheManThatGetsAway 69K views 2 : 14 Ray Bolger amazing elastic legs dance routine ( 1941 ) vintage video clips 47K views 3 : 00 JUDY GARLAND : DELETED SCARECROW DANCE WITH RAY BOLGER, THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939 Michele Bell 172K views 6 : 39 Stage Door Canteen - Ray Bolger sequence Dwight Mannsburden 19K views Safeway Supermarket Commercial feat. Bob Weir of the Greatful Dead - 1980s CoolOldVideos 24K views Entire Donny & Marie Osmond Show With Lucille Ball, Ray Bolger, Paul Lynde DavEvans066 28K views JOHNNY CARSON INTERVIEW ROBERT MITCHUM Jun 16 1978 Missy Logo 122K views Jack Benny Show with Groucho Marx VOA Television 7.3 K views WORTH IT S4 E8 $8 Toast Vs. $20 Toast BuzzFeedVideo 2.8 M views New JOHNNY CARSON INTERVIEW ANTHONY QUINN May 18 1983 Missy Logo 28K views Judy Garland & Ray Bolger : Tea for two ( The Judy Garland Show ) TheManThatGetsAway 18K views Lee Grant on her career 's brightest and darkest moments CBS Sunday Morning 26K views George Burns, Lucille Ball, Bea Arthur ◊ CBS On The Air ◊ 1978 fabtv 6.6 K views Ray Bolger 1978 Safeway Scotch Buy Commercial ``. YouTube. Retrieved 7 May 2018. Jump up ^ Lucy E. Cross. `` About Ray Bolger ''. Retrieved June 12, 2011. Jump up ^ Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated Archived October 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine., palmspringswalkofstars.com ; accessed September 26, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Our History ''. Church of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved September 26, 2014. Jump up ^ `` '' 1968 Presidential Race '' Republicans ``. The Pop History Dig. Retrieved March 8, 2018. Jump up ^ Ray Bolger at Find a Grave Jump up ^ Adelman, Gary ( 2008 ). `` Ray Bolger in The Wizard of Oz as the Scarecrow ''. Kansas Wizard of Oz ' N More. Retrieved June 5, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Ray Bolger ''. The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved March 8, 2018. Jump up ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence ( June 28, 1969 ). `` Judy Garland 's Funeral Draws Her Colleagues ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2017. Jump up ^ Albright, Jane ( 2008 ). `` Return to Oz & 50th Anniversary of MGM Film ''. The Oz Reference Library. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Greatest Movie Characters ''. www.filmsite.org. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` AFI : 10 Top 10 ''. www.afi.com. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Hollywood Walk of Fame - Ray Bolger ''. walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 29, 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ray Bolger. Ray Bolger on IMDb Ray Bolger at the TCM Movie Database Ray Bolger at AllMovie Churkendoose album ( mp3 ) `` Did these stories Really Happen '' by Michelle Bernier. Createspace Pub. 2010 ; ISBN 1 - 4505 - 8536 - 1 Awards for Ray Bolger New York Drama Critics Award for Best Male Performance in a Musical Alfred Drake ( 1943 ) Bobby Clark ( 1944 ) John Raitt ( 1945 ) Ray Bolger ( 1946 ) Bobby Clark ( 1947 ) Bobby Clark ( 1948 ) Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Paul Hartman ( 1948 ) Ray Bolger ( 1949 ) Ezio Pinza ( 1950 ) Robert Alda ( 1951 ) Phil Silvers ( 1952 ) Thomas Mitchell ( 1953 ) Alfred Drake ( 1954 ) Walter Slezak ( 1955 ) Ray Walston ( 1956 ) Rex Harrison ( 1957 ) Robert Preston ( 1958 ) Richard Kiley ( 1959 ) Jackie Gleason ( 1960 ) Richard Burton ( 1961 ) Robert Morse ( 1962 ) Zero Mostel ( 1963 ) Bert Lahr ( 1964 ) Zero Mostel ( 1965 ) Richard Kiley ( 1966 ) Robert Preston ( 1967 ) Robert Goulet ( 1968 ) Jerry Orbach ( 1969 ) Cleavon Little ( 1970 ) Hal Linden ( 1971 ) Phil Silvers ( 1972 ) Ben Vereen ( 1973 ) Christopher Plummer ( 1974 ) John Cullum ( 1975 ) George Rose ( 1976 ) Barry Bostwick ( 1977 ) John Cullum ( 1978 ) Len Cariou ( 1979 ) Jim Dale ( 1980 ) Kevin Kline ( 1981 ) Ben Harney ( 1982 ) Tommy Tune ( 1983 ) George Hearn ( 1984 ) No Award ( 1985 ) George Rose ( 1986 ) Robert Lindsay ( 1987 ) Michael Crawford ( 1988 ) Jason Alexander ( 1989 ) James Naughton ( 1990 ) Jonathan Pryce ( 1991 ) Gregory Hines ( 1992 ) Brent Carver ( 1993 ) Boyd Gaines ( 1994 ) Matthew Broderick ( 1995 ) Nathan Lane ( 1996 ) James Naughton ( 1997 ) Alan Cumming ( 1998 ) Martin Short ( 1999 ) Brian Stokes Mitchell ( 2000 ) Nathan Lane ( 2001 ) John Lithgow ( 2002 ) Harvey Fierstein ( 2003 ) Hugh Jackman ( 2004 ) Norbert Leo Butz ( 2005 ) John Lloyd Young ( 2006 ) David Hyde Pierce ( 2007 ) Paulo Szot ( 2008 ) David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish ( 2009 ) Douglas Hodge ( 2010 ) Norbert Leo Butz ( 2011 ) Steve Kazee ( 2012 ) Billy Porter ( 2013 ) Neil Patrick Harris ( 2014 ) Michael Cerveris ( 2015 ) Leslie Odom Jr. ( 2016 ) Ben Platt ( 2017 ) BIBSYS : 5074815 BNE : XX1648202 BNF : cb139301706 ( data ) GND : 134608011 ISNI : 0000 0000 6310 123X LCCN : n82036007 MusicBrainz : 987cdd3c - 65f2 - 4645 - bf1e - ed93197101e8 SNAC : w6th9tfm SUDOC : 067133002 VIAF : 46949136 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_Bolger&oldid=843541868 '' Categories : 1904 births 1987 deaths Catholics from Massachusetts American tap dancers American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male television actors Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from bladder cancer Donaldson Award winners American people of Irish descent Male actors from Boston Tony Award winners Vaudeville performers 20th - century American male actors 20th - century American singers California Republicans Eccentric dancers Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer contract players Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from April 2018 Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata Articles with IBDb links Webarchive template wayback links Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Use mdy dates from July 2011 Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014 Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Català Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Українська 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 29 May 2018, at 20 : 27. 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Question: who played the scare crow in wizard of oz
Answer: Raymond Wallace Bolger