In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which actor played the Scarecrow?

Ray Bolger played the Scarecrow in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. His performance made the straw-stuffed traveler one of the movie’s most recognizable characters, especially through the Scarecrow’s comic movements, nervous energy, and desire for a brain.

Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Woodman, while Buddy Ebsen was set to play the Scarecrow. Bolger strongly wanted the Scarecrow role and successfully persuaded the production to switch their parts. Ebsen later left the film after an allergic reaction to the aluminum powder makeup used for the Tin Woodman, and Jack Haley replaced him.

The main Oz companions are often mixed up: Bert Lahr played the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley played the Tin Woodman, and Frank Morgan played several parts, including the Wizard. Bolger’s Scarecrow joins Dorothy, played by Judy Garland, on the journey to see the Wizard and eventually discovers that his supposed lack of intelligence is not what defines him. The character originated in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.