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Ray Bolger Collection

The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Ray Bolger was a man with a wit sharp enough for adults and a soft side for children.

Ray Bolger

9 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 7 hours, 74 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
6 Audio CDs


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Play a sample episode from August 24, 1945:

"Ray Bolger Show with Frank Sinatra"



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Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Ray Bolger
(1904 – 1987)

Ray Bolger
Ray Bolger Wizard of OZRay Bolger is known to generations of Americans, a part of the very fabric of this nation's popular culture, due to his role as The Scarecrow in The Wizard of O. It's a great, if somewhat surprising or serendipitous, legacy for a vaudeville song and dance man who toiled away in small film roles in the 30's and 40's, and who would go on to record a children's album.

Born Raymond Wallace Bulcau in 1904, Ray stretched his long legs across the threshold into the world of show business at 18 with a repertory company in New England. From there it was vaudeville: Ray teamed with Ralph Sanford in an act called "Sanford and Bolger, a Pair of Nifties." Later, he would tell The Milwaukee Journal, "We weren't that nifty." And they didn't last long. Bolger became a solo act and then went into film.

He won notoriety with his breakout role in The Wizard of Oz and would later host a Summer replacement radio show sponsored by Rexall Drug Store.

Ray BolgerThis program, The Ray Bolger Show, is one of the highlights of the Ray Bolger Collection. On the Aug. 24, 1945 episode of the program, Ray welcomes no less a superstar than Frank Sinatra. The show opens with a lengthy comedy sketch that starts with a lonely, "No Girl" Ray in a diner trying to drown his sorrows in a marshmallow sundae. He exchanges a few mildly bawdy jokes with the soda jerk, to the scandalized groans of the audience. A girl comes in swooning from a recent Frank Sinatra concert, and Ray dances over to the home of "Old Blue Eyes" asking advice for doing well with the gals.

This eclectic collection also includes Bolger appearances on The Big Show (along with Tallulah Bankhead, Danny Kaye, and Gary Cooper), Fleischmanns Yeast Hour, Good News, and The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of O, broadcast in 1939, is a radio preview of the movie on which the announcer makes ample references to the book and the musical version that have come before. It showcases some of the musical numbers in the film, with Bolger crooning the famous "If I Only Had a Brain." It's a stunning historical document, taking us into the moment just before the film would become the cultural touchstone it now is.

Bolger was comical and versatile, a man with a wit sharp enough for adults and a soft side suitable for children. Check out this compilation of his radio appearances.

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    9 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 7 hours, 74 min
    9 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 7 hours, 74 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 9 shows – total playtime 7 hours, 1 minutes
    2. Big Show 510128 Ray Bolger, Gary Cooper.mp3
    3. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 330126 20th Centy Eugenie Leontivich.mp3
    4. Ft 540421 367 News Hawk.mp3
    5. Gn 390629 E083 Guests Stars From Wizard Of Oz.mp3
    6. Good News 371223 008 Rosalie.mp3
    7. Radio Hall Of Fame 441126 50 Two Mrs Carrols.mp3
    8. Ray Bolger Show 450824 Frank Sinatra.mp3
    9. Ray Bolger Show 450907 Dinah Shore.mp3
    10. Wizard Of Oz 1939 Judy Garland.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    9 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 7 hours, 74 min
    9 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    205 MB – total playtime 7 hours, 1 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 9 shows – 205 MB – total playtime 7 hours, 1 minutes
    2. Big Show 510128 Ray Bolger, Gary Cooper.mp3
    3. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 330126 20th Centy Eugenie Leontivich.mp3
    4. Ft 540421 367 News Hawk.mp3
    5. Gn 390629 E083 Guests Stars From Wizard Of Oz.mp3
    6. Good News 371223 008 Rosalie.mp3
    7. Radio Hall Of Fame 441126 50 Two Mrs Carrols.mp3
    8. Ray Bolger Show 450824 Frank Sinatra.mp3
    9. Ray Bolger Show 450907 Dinah Shore.mp3
    10. Wizard Of Oz 1939 Judy Garland.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    9 recordings on 6 Audio CDs. Total playtime 5 hours, 35 min
    9 recordings on 6 Audio CDs
    total playtime 5 hours, 35 min

    Ray Bolger Disc A001

    1. Wizard Of Oz 1939 Judy Garland
    2. Fleischmanns Yeast Hour 330126 20th Centy Eugenie Leontivich

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Ray Bolger Disc A002

    1. Good News 371223 008 Rosalie

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Ray Bolger Disc A003

    1. Gn 390629 E083 Guests Stars From Wizard Of Oz

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Ray Bolger Disc A004

    1. Radio Hall Of Fame 441126 50 Two Mrs Carrols

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Ray Bolger Disc A005

    1. Ray Bolger Show 450824 Frank Sinatra
    2. Ray Bolger Show 450907 Dinah Shore

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Ray Bolger Disc A006

    1. Ft 540421 367 News Hawk

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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