A gifted entertainer, Ray Bolger had a seven-decade career working in vaudeville and starring in movies, on Broadway, and on television. Bolger was also an avid golfer.
Photo of Bolger playing in 1978, courtesy of Pond5
Ray Bolger was a fixture at Pro-Am and celebrity golf events, most notably pairing up with 4-time PGA Tour winner Tom Shaw. Bolger and Shaw would play at the Indian Wells Country Club in California.
Bolger also stayed fit by maintaining an active lifestyle and exercising regularly at the New York Athletic Club. Fitness was required for what he often did on stage and screen — display a loose-limbed, high-energy, eccentric dancing style.
Bolger as The Scarecrow (photo courtesy HistoryForSale)
Bolger began his long career in the 1920s as a vaudeville star. By the 1930s, he had transitioned to the big screen, starring in notable films, including The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Rosalie (1937), Sweethearts (1938), Sunny (1941), Four Jacks and a Jill (1942), Stage Door Canteen (1943), The Harvey Girls (1946), Look for the Silver Lining (1949), April in Paris (1952), and Babes in Toyland (1961).
Starting in the 1930s and moving into the 1960’s, Bolger appeared simultaneously on Broadway, starring in productions like Life Begins at 8:40 (1934), On Your Toes (1936), Keep Off the Grass (1940), By Jupiter (1942), Three to Make Ready (1946), Where’s Charley (1948), and All-American (1962).
A lifelong sports fan, he loved playing a professor in the Broadway musical All-American (1962). As Professor Stanislaus Fodorski, Bolger observes that the sport of football is like a science, specifically applied engineering. After watching a game, the professor incorporates football strategies into his lessons, which win over his students and the dean.
While the play has been long forgotten, its feature song has lasted to this day. Bolger and co-star Eileen Herlie introduced Once Upon a Time, with its haunting melody and memorable lyrics.
“Once upon a time
The world was sweeter than we knew.
But somehow once upon a time
Never comes again.”
Lyrics by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (1962)
On television, Bolger starred in his own sitcom, titled Where’s Raymond (1953-1955). He appeared on many other television programs, including The Jean Arthur Show, The Partridge Family, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Little House on the Prairie, and Diff’rent Strokes.
Ray Bolger lived an extraordinary life. He died in 1987 at the age of 83.
