Fred Stone

the long version

"Fred Stone was one of America's most versatile and talented entertainers. Able to do anything and everything, from tightrope walking and acrobatics to song-and-dance, musical comedies, and straight drama, he was a fixture of the stage (and later screen) for half a century.". "Stone was born in a log cabin August 19,1873, in Valmont, Colorado, to a family that was part of the covered-wagon migration into the virtually unknown West. He joined a traveling circus at age 11, became a self-taught tightrope walker two years later, and performed on the variety stage in his later teens. At age 22, Stone met Dave Montgomery, with whom he performed for over twenty years, notably as the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Stone appeared in some 18 movies from 1918 to 1940, including such western classics as The Westerner and Trail of the Lonesome Pine."--BOOK JACKET.