Ray Bolger Tribute
I made a YouTube Account Dedicated to Ray Bolger! Please Sub to it!
http://www.youtube.com/user/RayBolgerx3
Ray Bolger is one of my greatest heros. I've loved him since I was a little girl. His talent is amazing, and I enjoy watching him. I appreciate his work like so many other from his time. I made this because there were zero Ray Bolger Tribute videos, and I thought this was a good opportunity to show my fandom. Most people my age only know him from the Wizard of Oz as The Scarecrow, but there are so many other things he was featured in. I also think who ever has danced, acted, met or knew him at all, is a lucky person. I would give anything to have known him.
Information Found Below At: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1528
Original name: Raymond Wallace Bulcao
Birth: Jan. 10, 1904
Death: Jan. 15, 1987
Actor. Born Raymond Wallace Bulcao in Dorchester, Massachusetts, son of James, a house painter, and Anne. In 1922 he made his stage debut with the Bob Ott Musical Comedy Repertory Company in Boston. He then moved to Vaudeville where he was half of a team called Sanford and Bolger. In 1926, he was spotted by vaudeville legend and star maker, Gus Edwards who hired him for the Broadway show 'A Merry World.' Numerous Broadway roles followed including the lead in the Rodgers and Hart 1936 classic 'On Your Toes.' The strength of that performance earned him a movie contract from MGM. His feature film debut was as himself in the film 'The Great Ziegfeld' in 1936. He was then cast in 'Rosalie' in 1937, and 'Sweethearts' in 1938. In 1939 he was assigned to the role of Tin Man in the production of 'The Wizard of Oz.' Dismayed at the limited mobility of the character, Bolger convinced producer Mervyn LeRoy to allow him to switch roles and play the Scarecrow. It was to become the role that he is most associated with. Surprisingly, MGM did not re-sign Bolger after the success of Oz, and he went to work for RKO where he starred in two films; 1941's 'Four Jacks and a Jill' and 'Sunny' before returning to Broadway to appear in Rodgers and Hart's 'By Jupiter.' From 1943 to 1945 he toured with the USO before returning to Hollywood to appear in 'Stage Door Canteen.' He reunited with co-star Judy Garland for 1946's 'The Harvey Girls.' In 1949 he returned to Broadway where he starred in 'Where's Charley?' for which he won a Tony Award as Best Actor. He recreated the role in the film version of the play in 1952 preserving his performance of 'Once in Love with Amy' which became his signature song. In 1953 he tried television starring in the sitcom, 'Where's Raymond?' which was later renamed 'The Ray Bolger Show, it ran until 1955. After a 1962 return to Broadway in 'All American,' for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, suitable roles became difficult to find. He did earn an Emmy nomination for his performance in 'The Entertainer' in 1976 and weathered hip surgery in 1984, after which he kept busy with work in retrospectives and guest roles on television including appearances in 'Love Boat,' 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Little House on the Prairie,' and 'Fantasy Island.' Bolger succumbed to cancer in Los Angeles five days after his 83rd birthday attended by Gwendolyn Rickard, his wife of 60 years. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6764 Hollywood Blvd. for movies and at 6834 Hollywood Blvd. for television.
Burial:
Holy Cross Cemetery
Culver City
Los Angeles County
California, USA
Plot: Mausoleum, Block 35, Crypt F2
Cause Of Death: Bladder Cancer
Enjoy the Video!
Song: Theme of FriendShip - Nicol's Piano