When warned that Hollywood had a habit of typecasting actors, Lahr replied, "Yeah, but how many parts are there for lions?"Īn original Cowardly Lion costume worn by Lahr in The Wizard of Oz is in the holdings of The Comisar Collection, which is also the largest collection of television artifacts and memorabilia in the world. The Cowardly Lion is the only character who sings two solo song numbers-"If I Only Had the Nerve", performed after the initial meeting with Dorothy, The Scarecrow, and The Tin Man in the forest, and "If I Were King of the Forest", performed while he and the others are awaiting their audience with the Wizard. Many of Lahr's scenes took several takes because other cast members, especially Garland, couldn't complete the scenes without laughing. Lahr contributed ad-lib comedic lines for his character. Lahr's lion costume was composed of lion fur and, under the high-intensity lighting required for Oz's Technicolor scenes, the costume was unbearably hot. Lahr was signed to play the role on July 25, 1938. Lahr's most famous role was that of the Cowardly Lion in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
In the 1944 musical comedy film Meet the People, Lahr uttered the phrase "Heavens to Murgatroyd!" later popularized by Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss.Ĭowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz
#Cowardly lion growl movie
Aside from The Wizard of Oz (1939), his movie career was limited.
#Cowardly lion growl series
When that series ended, he went to Hollywood to work in feature films. He signed with New York-based Educational Pictures for a series of two-reel comedies. Lahr made his feature film debut in 1931's Flying High, playing the oddball aviator he had played on stage. Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in the MGM feature film The Wizard of Oz, 1939 Later performances included Hotel Paradiso on Broadway and A Midsummer Night's Dream with a touring company in the 1950s. In 1939, he co-starred as Louis Blore alongside Ethel Merman in the Broadway production of DuBarry Was a Lady, receiving acclaim. Other musicals followed, notably Flying High (1930), Florenz Ziegfeld's Hot-Cha! (1932), and The Show is On (1936) in which he co-starred with Beatrice Lillie. Lahr's first major success in a stage musical was playing the prizefighter hero of Hold Everything! (1928–29). He played to packed houses, performing classic routines such as "The Song of the Woodman" (which he reprised in the film Merry-Go-Round of 1938). In 1927, he debuted on Broadway in Harry Delmar's Revels on November 28, 1927. He eventually received top billing, working for the Columbia Amusement Company. He quit school at age 15 to join a juvenile vaudeville act. Lahr began performing in minor parts on vaudeville stages at age 14. Navy during World War I as a seaman second class. 77 and Morris High School, although he left school at age 15. His parents were German-Jewish immigrants. He was the son of Augusta (1871–1932) and Jacob Lahrheim (1870–1947), an upholsterer. Lahr was born as Irving Lahrheim on August 13, 1895, at First Avenue and 81st Street, in the Yorkville section of Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. He was well known for his quick-witted humor and his work in burlesque and vaudeville and on Broadway.Įarly life, family and education He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the MGM adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (1939). Irving Lahrheim (Aug– December 4, 1967), known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian.
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