Sarah McNeal is a multi-published author of time travel, paranormal, western, contemporary and historical fiction. Her stories may be found at Publishing by Rebecca Vickery and Prairie Rose Publications.
The
Wonderful and Beloved Will Rogers
Of all the
western cowboys I admire, Will Rogers is at the top of my list. I remember him
as a rope twirling, quiet talking, funny man. He was so much more than the Mark
Twain of rope wranglers.
Birthplace of Will Rogers
Known as "Oklahoma's
Favorite Son", Rogers was born on the Dog Iron Ranch to a prominent
Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma) near present
day Oologah. The house he was born in had been built in 1875 and was known as
the "White House on the Verdigris River". His parents, Clement Vann
Rogers (1839–1911) and Mary America Schrimsher (1838–1890), were both of part
Cherokee ancestry. Rogers quipped that his ancestors did not come over on the
Mayflower, but they "met the boat". His mother was quarter-Cherokee
and a hereditary member of the Paint Clan. She died when Will was 11, and his
father remarried less than two years after her death. He was the youngest of
eight children and named for the Cherokee leader, Col. William Penn Adair. Only
three of his siblings survived into adulthood: Sallie Clementine, Maude Ethel,
and May (actually, Mary).
His father,
Clement, was a leader in Cherokee society. Clement was a Cherokee judge, a
Confederate veteran and served as a delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional
Convention. Rogers County, Oklahoma is named in honor of Clement Rogers. He
served several terms on the Cherokee Senate. Clement Rogers achieved financial
success as a rancher and used his influence to help soften the negative effects
of white acculturation on the tribe. Clement had high expectations for his son
and wanted him to be more responsible and business-minded. Will, on the other
hand, was more easygoing and oriented toward the loving affection offered by
his mother rather than the harshness of his father. The personality clash
increased after his mother's death, and young Will went from one venture to
another with little success. Only after Will won acclaim in vaudeville did the
rift begin to heal, but before a full reconciliation, Clement died in 1911.
Will was a
good student and an avid reader of The New York Times, but he dropped out after
the 10th grade. He later claimed he was a poor student, saying that he
"studied the Fourth Reader for ten years". He was much more
interested in cowboys and horses, and learned to rope and use a lariat.
Rogers'
vaudeville 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 was appreciated by a
national audience, with no one offended. His aphorisms, couched in humorous
terms, were widely quoted: "I am not a member of an organized political
party. I am a Democrat." Another widely quoted Will Rogers comment was
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the
facts."
Rogers and a
friend went to Argentina in 1901 to start a ranch, but it failed. His friend
returned to the United States and Will went to South Africa where he joined
Texas Jack’s Wild West Show. Texas Jack wasn’t much of a roper, but he proved
to Will, showmanship is more about how you perform than actual skill. With
gratitude for all that he’d learned, Will quit the circus and went to Australia.
Texas Jack gave him a reference letter for the Wirth Brothers Circus there, and
Rogers continued to perform as a rider and trick roper, and worked on his pony
act. He returned to the United States in 1904, appeared at the St. Louis
World's Fair, and then began to try his roping skills on the vaudeville
circuits.
A Young Will Rogers before 1900
Sometimes
fate intervenes and changes a person’s life. On a trip to New York City, Rogers
was at Madison Square Garden when a wild steer broke out of the arena and began
to climb into the viewing stands. Rogers roped the steer to the delight of the
crowd. The feat got front page attention from the newspapers, giving him
valuable publicity and an audience eager to see more. Willie Hammerstein, father
of later songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II, came to see his vaudeville act, and
signed Rogers to appear on the Victoria Roof (literally on a rooftop) with his
pony. For the next decade, Rogers estimated he worked for fifty weeks a year at
the Roof and at the city's numerous vaudeville theaters.
Rogers
described these early years at the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Columbia
Theater in New York City. "I got a job on Hammerstein's Roof at $140 a
week for myself, my horse, and the man who looked after it. I remained on the
roof for eight weeks, always getting another two week extension when Willie
Hammerstein would say to me after the Monday matinee, 'you're good for two
weeks more'... Marty Shea, the booking agent for the Columbia, came to me and
asked if I wanted to play burlesque. They could use an extra attraction... I
told him I would think about it, but 'Burlesque' sounded to me then as
something funny." Shea and Sam A. Scribner, the general manager of the
Columbia Amusement Company, approached Rogers a few days later. Shea told
Scribner Rogers was getting $150 and would take $175. "'What's he
carrying?’, Scribner asked Shea. 'Himself, a horse, and a man', answered
Shea." Scribner replied, "'Give him eight weeks at $250'".
In 1908,
Rogers married Betty Blake (who died in 1944), and the couple had four
children: Will Rogers, Jr., Mary Amelia, James Blake, and Fred Stone. Will Jr.
became a World War II hero, played his father in two films, and became a member
of Congress. Mary became a Broadway actress, and Jim was a newspaperman and
rancher; Fred died of diphtheria at age two. The family lived in New York, but
they managed to make it home to Oklahoma during the summers. In 1911, Rogers
bought a 20-acre ranch for $500 an acre near Claremore, Oklahoma, which he
intended to use as his retirement home.
In the fall
of 1915, Rogers began to appear in Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. The variety
revue began at midnight in the top-floor night club of Ziegfeld's New Amsterdam
Theatre, and drew many influential as well as regular customers. By this time,
Rogers had refined his act to a science. His monologues on the news of the day
followed a similar routine every night. He appeared on stage wearing his cowboy
outfit, casually twirling his lasso, and said, "Well, what shall I talk
about? I ain't got anything funny to say. All I know is what I read in the
papers." He then made jokes about what he had read in that day's
newspapers. The line "All I know is what I read in the papers" is
often incorrectly described as Rogers' most famous punch line, when it was, in
fact, his opening line.
His run at
the New Amsterdam ran on into 1916. Rogers' increasing popularity led to an
engagement on the more famous Ziegfeld Follies. By this time, Rogers' act was
strictly physical, a display of daring riding and clever tricks with his
lariat. He discovered that audiences identified the cowboy as the archetypical
American which was probably enhanced by Theodore Roosevelt's image as a cowboy.
Audiences loved his frontier style and Oklahoma twang. Once on Broadway, he
moved into satire by transforming the "Ropin' Fool" into the
"Talkin' Fool". Once when President Woodrow Wilson was in the
audience, he improvised a "roast" of presidential policies that had
Wilson, and the entire audience, in stitches and proved his remarkable skill at
off-the-cuff, witty commentary on current events. The rest of his career he
built around that skill.
Rogers
branched into silent films for Samuel Goldwyn's company Goldwyn Pictures. He
made his first silent movie, Laughing Bill Hyde, filmed in Fort Lee, New
Jersey, in 1918. His early films were mostly made near the major New York
performing market, so Rogers could make the film, yet still rehearse and
perform in the Follies. He eventually appeared in most of the Follies, from
1916 to 1925.
Once he
signed a three year contract with Goldwyn, at triple the Broadway salary, Rogers moved west. He bought a ranch in
Pacific Palisades and set up his own production company. Even though he wrote
most of his own cards for his silent films, silence was not his great talent.
In 1923, he worked for one year for Hal Roach and made 12 pictures. After that
he did not return to movies until the 'talkies' began in 1929. His first sound
film, They Had to See Paris, gave him the opportunity to show his real
talent—talking. He played many roles depicting small town, rustic characters. Among
the great talents he worked with in his 21 movies were Lew Ayres, Billie Burke,
Richard Cromwell, Jane Darwell, Andy Devine, Janet Gaynor, Rochelle Hudson,
Boris Karloff, Myrna Loy, Joel McCrea, Hattie McDaniel, Ray Milland, Maureen
O'Sullivan, ZaSu Pitts, Dick Powell, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson,
Mickey Rooney, and Peggy Wood. His favorite director was John Ford. He was
directed three times by John Ford.
Will Rogers star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
His voice was
so familiar, he mostly just played himself without makeup, and threw in ad-libs
when he felt the need. The clean moral tone of his films led to various public
schools taking their classes, during the school day, to attend special showings
of some of them.
Will Rogers, "politician"
Will Rogers
even got involved in politics—sort of.
Naturally, Rogers thought all campaigning was hogwash. To prove the
point he mounted a mock campaign in 1928 for the presidency. His only vehicle
was the pages of Life, a weekly humor magazine. Rogers ran as the
"bunkless candidate" of the Anti-Bunk Party. His only campaign
promise was that, if elected, he would resign. Every week, from Memorial Day
through Election Day, Rogers caricatured the farcical humors of grave campaign
politics. On election day, he declared victory and resigned.
Here are a
few of his campaign issues:
When asked
what issues would motivate voters? Prohibition: "What's on your hip is
bound to be on your mind".
Asked if
there should be presidential debates? Yes: "Joint debate — in any joint
you name".
How about
appeals to the common man? Easy: "You can't make any commoner appeal than
I can".
What does
the farmer need? Obvious: "He needs a punch in the jaw if he believes that
either of the parties cares a damn about him after the election".
Can voters
be fooled? Darn tootin': "Of all the bunk handed out during a campaign the
biggest one of all is to try and compliment the knowledge of the voter".
What about a
candidate's image? Ballyhoo: "I hope there is some sane people who will
appreciate dignity and not showmanship in their choice for the presidency".
What of ugly
campaign rumors? Don't worry: "The things they whisper aren't as bad as
what they say out loud".
Will Rogers
had many talents. Not only did he read voraciously, but he was also a writer.
From 1922 to 1935, he wrote a weekly column for The New York Times titled "Slipping the Lariat Over". He
also wrote frequent articles for the famous, Saturday Evening Post. His favorite topics were about being
neighborly, avoiding foreign influences, democracy and aviation. Like his good
friend, General Billy Mitchell, he felt the United States needed a military air
force. He published a book of wisecracks and began writing humor books with
regular frequency.
He continued
making personal appearances and made radio broadcasts in which he won the
hearts and admiration of the American people as he poked fun with charming wit
at the issues of the day, prominent people, and most especially, politicians.
Keeping a neutral point of view, he became friends with politicians of both
parties. He became to the hearts of Americans, the new Mark Twain, just as Bob
Hope became the new Will Rogers using humor to poke fun at politicians and
issues.
Will Rogers standing on the wing of a seaplane with Wiley Post in front of the propeller. August 1935. Last picture ever taken of Will Rogers.
Will became
an advocate for the aviation industry and was friends with the famous aviator,
Charles Lindbergh. He wanted America to embrace commercial aviation the way
Europeans did and wrote many articles in his newspaper column. He emphasized the
safety record, speed, and the convenience of commercial transportation to
influence political opinion.
The famous
aviator and fellow Oklahoman, Wiley Post, was working on modifications for a
plane to fly from the West Coast to Russia with the idea of a mail and
passenger air route. He applied special floats on the landing gear to enable
the plane to land on lakes in Alaska and Russia. Will visited Wiley while he
was making his modifications on his aircraft and asked Wiley to fly him to
Alaska to research new material for his newspaper column. The floats Wiley
originally ordered didn’t arrive in time, so he used a type for a larger plane
which made the heavy nosed plane even heavier in the nose. After making a test
flight in July, in early August of 1935, Wiley and Will left Lake Washington in
Seattle in the Lockheed Orion-Explorer and made several stops in Alaska. Will
typed away on his typewriter while Wiley flew the plane. They left Fairbanks on
August 15 after they signed and mailed a special flag belonging to the South
Coast Corinthian Yacht Club and headed out for Point Barrow, Alaska. The
weather turned bad and they were uncertain about their position so they landed
in a lagoon to get directions. On takeoff, the engine failed at low altitude
and the plane plunged into the lagoon, sheared off the right wing, and finally,
inverted in shallow water. Will and Wiley died instantly.
Will Rogers monument of Rout 66 western terminus
Many years
before his death, Rogers had written his 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 didn’t
like.’ I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved.” No
one else could have written a better epitaph.
If you would
like to know more about Will Rogers, here are a few links and places where you
can find him:
The Official
Will Rogers Website
The Will
Rogers Memorial Museum and Birthplace Ranch in Claremore, Oklahoma
Will Rogers
Memorial Museum
Magnificent
museum of native limestone overlooking the city of Claremore and honoring famed
humorist and philosopher Will Rogers (1879-1935)
• Learn about life, wisdom and humor of Will Rogers, Cherokee cowboy
• Experience his passion as a family man, trick roper, actor, and philanthropist
• Marvel at his saddles, art, memorabilia
• Hear his voice on radio replays
• Stroll the beautiful sunken garden
• Research in our vast library and archives
• Watch one of his 71 motion pictures
Learn more about
• Learn about life, wisdom and humor of Will Rogers, Cherokee cowboy
• Experience his passion as a family man, trick roper, actor, and philanthropist
• Marvel at his saddles, art, memorabilia
• Hear his voice on radio replays
• Stroll the beautiful sunken garden
• Research in our vast library and archives
• Watch one of his 71 motion pictures
Learn more about
Will Rogers
Birthplace Ranch
Rambling
scenic drive leads to birthplace house of Will Rogers and historic 400-acre
ranch
• Wander the grounds and enjoy the view of beautiful Lake Oologah
• Step into the two-story house built in 1875
• View the log-walled room in which Will Rogers was born
• Pet the goats and burros grazing around the 1879-era barn
• Picnic under the shade trees while watching the longhorn cattle roam the living history ranch
Learn more about
• Wander the grounds and enjoy the view of beautiful Lake Oologah
• Step into the two-story house built in 1875
• View the log-walled room in which Will Rogers was born
• Pet the goats and burros grazing around the 1879-era barn
• Picnic under the shade trees while watching the longhorn cattle roam the living history ranch
Learn more about
Will Rogers
Plays Daily in Claremore
See schedule
Helpful Information
- Hours | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
Sunday through Saturday
(closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) - Main Number | 918.341.0719
Toll-Free | 800.324.9455
Tours | 918.343.8113
Special Events | 918.343.8113
Research | 918.343.8124
Birthplace Ranch | 918.275.4201 - Will Rogers Memorial Museum
1720 West Will Rogers Blvd.
Claremore, OK 74017 - Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch
9501 East 380 Road
Oologah, OK 74053
Statue of Will Rogers and his horse, Soapsuds
Will Rogers
memorials and statues are present throughout the United States, especially in
the west. It would be quite an adventure to seek them all out and visit them.
The best memorial of all is in the hearts of Americans.
(Please note: all photographs are from public domain, Wikipedia)
You may find Sarah J. McNeal and her books at the following places:
