Ridgely McClure "Ridge" Bond (July 12, 1922 – May 6, 1997) was an American actor, singer and businessman, who is best known for playing the role of Curly in the musical ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'' on Broadway and on tour. He retired from acting when the musical closed in 1954, and entered the insurance business.

Life and career

Bond was born in

McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester is the county seat of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The population was 18,363 at the time of the 2010 census, a 3.4 percent increase from 17,783 at the 2000 census,Shuller, Thurman"McAlester" profile ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History an ...

. He attended the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

, where he played a leading role in the play ''

Green Grow the Lilacs Green Grow the Lilacs is a folk song of Irish origin that was popular in the United States during the mid-19th century. The song title is the source of a folk etymology for the word ''gringo'' that states that the Mexicans misheard U.S. troops si ...

'', which was later adapted as ''Oklahoma!''. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. After his discharge, he joined the Broadway cast of ''

'' in 1946, soon taking over as Curly for

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

,"Oklahoma Memories: Official State Song"
Oklahoma Historical Society, March 24, 2012, accessed July 31, 2014 and, according to ''Deseret News'', he played the role of Curly for the longest period of any actor during the original Broadway production.
''Deseret News'', March 30, 1993. He then toured with the show and played the role in the 1951 and 1953 Broadway revivals. He reportedly performed this role 2,600 times during his career. He was also the only Oklahoma native to play the role.
''Tulsa World'', May 9, 1997 In 1953, Bond was instrumental in assisting Oklahoma state representative (and later Governor)

George Nigh George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...

to promote the show's

title song A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

in becoming the Oklahoma

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

. After ''Oklahoma!'' closed in 1954, Bond retired from acting and joined American Family Life Insurance Co. as a district coordinator in its

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

office. He continued in the insurance business.

Honors

In 1991, Bond was the recipient of the Lynn Riggs Award, presented by Rogers State University. In 1993, the Oklahoma Heritage Association named Bond an Ambassador of Goodwill. Bond's likeness, in character as Curly (along with Laurie), was featured on the U.S. postage stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of ''Oklahoma!'' Also in 1993, Bond was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame."Musical Actor to Be Honored With Hall of Fame Award"
''Oklahoman'', November 7, 1993

Family life

Bond married restoration artist Maxine Vincent (1921–2008) on September 25, 1943.Photo of Bond's grave
/ref> They were married for 54 years, and had two children, musician and sound engineer Geoffrey Bond and Pamela Bond-Simmons."Maxine Vincent Bond Obituary"
Obitsforlife.com, accessed July 31, 2014 He died in

, Oklahoma, in 1997, aged 74. He and his wife are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Notes

References

External links

*
The Ridge Bond Archive Home PagePhoto of Bond as Curley
with Patricia Northrop as Laurey

* ttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=74927414 Photo of Bond's grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Ridgely 1922 births 1997 deaths People from McAlester, Oklahoma American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male voice actors Male actors from Tulsa, Oklahoma 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American singers Businesspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma 20th-century American male singers United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American businesspeople University of Tulsa alumni