Bert Lahr

Fittingly known to be a "Leo" for his horoscope, 'Bert Lahr' (qv) is always remembered as the Cowardly Lion in (and the farmer "Zeke") _The Wizard of Oz (1939)_ (qv). But during his acting career, he has been known for being in burlesque, vaudeville, and Broadway.Dropped out of high school at the age of fifteen for a juvenile vaudeville act, Lahr worked his way up to the top billing of the Columbia Burlesque Circuit. When in Broadway, Lahr usually plays a comic actor in plays which he starred in such as the classic routine The Song of the Woodman, which he would later perform in _Merry-Go-Round of 1938 (1937)_ (qv).Aside from _The Wizard of Oz (1939)_ (qv), Lahr's movie career never caught on because his gestures and reactions were too broad. Lahr died in 1967.::rocknrollunderdawg