Raymond Wallace Bolger was an office boy at a bank when he was young.  He learned to tap dance from a night watchman at that bank.  Ray had starred in 3 films prior to signing with MGM.  He signed a contract with MGM in the mid 1930's, after many Broadway successes.  He had made sure from the onslaught at MGM that if they decided to make an OZ film, he would play the Scarecrow.  On March 15, 1938 it was announced that Ray would appear in The Wizard of Oz.  He went through several costume changes , but his make-up caused the most problems. It was a light mask of baked rubber designed to simulate burlap.  The mask didn't last for more than a day. Bolger went through over 40 masks during production.  Ray's contract with MGM expired as Oz was completed.  He planned to return to Broadway.  However, Ray continued to appear in MGM musicals, including 1946's "The Harvey Girls" alongside Judy Garland, and segued into television, appearing in his own series for three seasons. The actor received an Emmy nomination for his supporting role in 1976's "The Entertainer," a television version of John Osborne's powerful play.  Frequently throughout his later years, he visited children in hospitals.  Ray lived his last years in a nursing home, where he received a telegram from President Reagan on his 83rd birthday. He died at 83 years of age. He had cancer. 

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Wizard of OZ

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