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Will Rogers: The Cowboy Philosopher
Smarter in sixty minutes.Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning. Concise and elegantly written non-fiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each.Will Rogers, 1879 to 1935, born William Penn Adair was an American stage and film actor, vaudeville performer, and newspaper columnist, known primarily for his humour and social commentary, and is significant in that he was a Cherokee citizen born in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). During Rogers’ long career he made over 70 films and wrote more than 4,000 newspaper columns. Rogers was born in 1935 and was raised and worked on his parents' ranch The Dog Iron Ranch in the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory. Rogers' cowboy rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, a series of vaudeville shows in the early 20th century, these in turn led to Rogers’ motion picture success, both in silent films, like The Headless Horseman and One Glorious Day (both released in 1922), and ‘talkies’, like They Had To See Paris (1929) and So This Is London (1930). Rogers died in 1935 further pursing one of his greatest passions in life: aviation. He died along with famed aviator Wiley Post in a plane crash at Point Barrow, Alaska as their aircraft failed on take-off. Rogers, the humourist-philosopher, is still remembered today for his witty aphorisms and still widely quoted. Rogers’ tombstone reads ‘I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn’t like’, an epitaph Rogers’ wrote for himself and said of it: ‘I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved’.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2019
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June 30, 2020
Will Rogers was born in 1879 in Oologah, Oklahoma in the middle of Cherokee Indian territory. His parents were wealthy Cherokee ranchers. Will was an intelligent, but highly independent young man. Despite his parents many efforts to get him to attend a good school, Will felt that school infringed too much on his freedom. He had become a good ranch hand with his father's herd.
Seeking open range land, he traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina and then to Johannesburg, South Africa. Spying an ad for the Texas Jack Wild West Show, he auditioned with his extensive skills in rope-work and was hired immediately. They gave him the name of The Cherokee Kid and this was his beginning in show business. He then moved on to Australia and comprised his role as The Cherokee Kid with the Wirth Brothers Circus.
Returning home in 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair gave him the platform to showcase his Cherokee Kid character. He added a horse named Teddy to his show and within a year he was showcasing his act in New York City. This is where he catapulted from mere entertainer to iconic figure. From here he took his act on the vaudeville circuit and performed it from coast-to-coast and back again. He noticed that the audience enjoyed his narration and humor. When vaudeville began to decline, he joined the Ziegfeld Follies for the next 10 years.
Eventually he signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and starred in a number of silent films. By this time he had become the most sought after and popular entertainer of the day. In 1922 he began a weekly newspaper column and around this time he also began appearing as a radio personality. His blend of calling it like it was and his equitable treatment of people resonated with all Americans.
After starring in 50 silent films he explored the innovation of talking films. By 1932, he was recognized as a top box office draw and one of the highest grossing movie stars, second to only Shirley Temple. Yet he refused to ever become anyone other than himself. He still always championed kindness, generosity, and compassion. He joined a Red Cross tour to work toward relief of a drought that swept through Arkansas and Oklahoma. He also traveled to the Mississippi River Valley in 1927 to help victims of flooding. In 1931, he traveled to Nicaragua to help victims of an earthquake.
He and a friend, renowned pilot Wiley Post, traveled on an excursion to Alaska in 1935. They were only 11 miles from their destination of Barrow when the plane's engine began to fail. They fell from the sky into the waters of the Walakpa River The plane inverted in the water and both men were killed.
The biggest factor of success in Will Rogers' life besides hard work, was his powers of observation. Throughout his extensive career, he had 71 movies, 6 books, and 3,600 print articles. He believed that everyone who had wealth ought to share it. The Will Rogers Institute has dedicated itself to serving humanity through medical research and assisting cancer patients.
Before reading this book, I knew very little about Will Rogers other than that he was a cowboy showman and film star who was known for witty and humorous quotes. Although it's a short book, I learned a lot more about Rogers and found it to be well written and a worthwhile read.
Seeking open range land, he traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina and then to Johannesburg, South Africa. Spying an ad for the Texas Jack Wild West Show, he auditioned with his extensive skills in rope-work and was hired immediately. They gave him the name of The Cherokee Kid and this was his beginning in show business. He then moved on to Australia and comprised his role as The Cherokee Kid with the Wirth Brothers Circus.
Returning home in 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair gave him the platform to showcase his Cherokee Kid character. He added a horse named Teddy to his show and within a year he was showcasing his act in New York City. This is where he catapulted from mere entertainer to iconic figure. From here he took his act on the vaudeville circuit and performed it from coast-to-coast and back again. He noticed that the audience enjoyed his narration and humor. When vaudeville began to decline, he joined the Ziegfeld Follies for the next 10 years.
Eventually he signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and starred in a number of silent films. By this time he had become the most sought after and popular entertainer of the day. In 1922 he began a weekly newspaper column and around this time he also began appearing as a radio personality. His blend of calling it like it was and his equitable treatment of people resonated with all Americans.
After starring in 50 silent films he explored the innovation of talking films. By 1932, he was recognized as a top box office draw and one of the highest grossing movie stars, second to only Shirley Temple. Yet he refused to ever become anyone other than himself. He still always championed kindness, generosity, and compassion. He joined a Red Cross tour to work toward relief of a drought that swept through Arkansas and Oklahoma. He also traveled to the Mississippi River Valley in 1927 to help victims of flooding. In 1931, he traveled to Nicaragua to help victims of an earthquake.
He and a friend, renowned pilot Wiley Post, traveled on an excursion to Alaska in 1935. They were only 11 miles from their destination of Barrow when the plane's engine began to fail. They fell from the sky into the waters of the Walakpa River The plane inverted in the water and both men were killed.
The biggest factor of success in Will Rogers' life besides hard work, was his powers of observation. Throughout his extensive career, he had 71 movies, 6 books, and 3,600 print articles. He believed that everyone who had wealth ought to share it. The Will Rogers Institute has dedicated itself to serving humanity through medical research and assisting cancer patients.
Before reading this book, I knew very little about Will Rogers other than that he was a cowboy showman and film star who was known for witty and humorous quotes. Although it's a short book, I learned a lot more about Rogers and found it to be well written and a worthwhile read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review