Will Rogers

For other uses, see Will Rogers (disambiguation) and William Rogers (disambiguation).

Will Rogers
Cherokee name: ᏫᎵ ᏗᎦᏘᏍᏗ
Rogers in 1922
Honorary Mayor of Beverly Hills[1]
In office
December 21, 1926 - December 23, 1926
Preceded bySilsby Spalding
Succeeded byPaul E. Schwab
Personal details
Born
William Penn Adair Rogers

(1879-11-04)November 4, 1879
near Oologah, Indian Territory
DiedAugust 15, 1935(1935-08-15) (aged 55)
North Slope, Alaska Territory, U.S.
Cause of deathAirplane crash
Resting placeWill Rogers Memorial in Claremore, Oklahoma
NationalityCherokee Nation
United States
Spouse
Betty Blake
​
(m. 1908)​
Children4, including Will Rogers Jr. and James Blake Rogers
Occupation
  • Actor
  • vaudevillian
  • cowboy
  • columnist
  • humorist
  • radio personality
Nickname"The Cherokee Kid"

William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma), and is known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son".[2] As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"),[3] and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns.[4] By the mid-1930s, Rogers was hugely popular in the United States for his leading political wit and was the highest paid of Hollywood film stars. He died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.[5]

Rogers began his career as a performer on vaudeville. His rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, which in turn led to the first of his many movie contracts. His 1920s syndicated newspaper column and his radio appearances increased his visibility and popularity. Rogers crusaded for aviation expansion and provided Americans with first-hand accounts of his world travels. His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that found general acclaim from a national audience with no one offended.[6] His aphorisms, couched in humorous terms, were widely quoted, for example, "I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat."

Will Rogers caricature on a print advertisement for the film Down to Earth, from The Film Daily, 1932

One of Rogers's most famous sayings was "I never met a man I didn't like"[7] and he even provided an epigram on this famous epigram:

When I die, my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on gravestones, is going to read: "I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I dident [sic] like." I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved.[8]

  1. ^ Cunningham, Marie (August 15, 2010). "This Day in Beverly Hills History: Will Rogers, City's First Honorary Mayor, Dies at 55". Patch.
  2. ^ Curtis, Gene (June 5, 2007). "Only in Oklahoma: Rogers statue unveiling filled U.S. Capitol". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  3. ^ "RSU and Will Rogers Museum to Discuss Possible Merger" (Press release). Rogers State University. April 18, 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
  4. ^ Schlachtenhaufen, Mark (May 31, 2007). "Will Rogers grandson carries on tradition of family service". OkInsider.com. Oklahoma Publishing Company. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
  5. ^ Video: Man of the Year 1935: Will Rogers. Man of the Year (TV Show). 1945. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Ben Yagoda (2000). Will Rogers: A Biography. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. xiii, 190. ISBN 9780806132389.
  7. ^ Keyes, Ralph (2006). The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-312-34004-9.
  8. ^ 1930, in Paula McSpadden Love, The Will Rogers Book (1972), pp. 166–67