Broadway and Hollywood "Movies" (Jan - Dec 1932)

HOLLYWOOD MOVIES Atnoassador Will Rogers Americas Unofficial Diplomat By A. R. ROBERTS TO quote this world renowned good-will diplomat — “All I know is what I read in the papers.” And that’s where you must go to find out about Will Rogers. He is one of the most bashful men in the world and as modest as the well known violet. His is one of the most colorful careers of the age. He was born at Oolagah, in the then Indian Territory on November 4, 1879, and is exceedingly proud of his Indian ancestry. Will attended the William Hassell School at Neosha Missouri, and later went to the Kemper Military Academy at Boone ville. While working as a ranch hand he learned to ride and rope, and became expert at both. This, together with a natural ability to entertain people with his droll and whimsical comments was later to put his name in lights on Broadway. It was back in 1905 that Will decided that herding cows was not going to get him very far in the world and he determined to try vaudeville. His first appearance in New York was at Hammerstein’s Roof in that year. His act went over so big that he was soon in demand by all the leading booking agencies. As a result he made several tours on the “Big Time” circuits. No story of Will Rogers would be complete without mention of his family* for Will is essentially what we call a family man. He was married to Miss Betty Blake on November 25, 1908, at Rogers, Arkansas. Their friends claim that theirs is the most successful and happy marriage they know of. They have three children, Will, Jr., Mary and Jim. Will, Jr., following in the footsteps of his famous father, is now writing for a Texas newspaper. According to Will, “Ma,” as he affectionately calls Mrs. Rogers, is the “boss.” One interview with Betty Rogers, however, makes you realize that hers is not a home that needs a “boss.” Perhaps she does have to check up to see that Will keeps his appointments or files his manuscripts on time, but then most wives tell the same tale of husbands. After much persuasion, Flo Ziegfeld succeeded in getting him to join the “Follies.” He was a headliner overnight. Without any props but his lariat and his chewing gum he convulsed his audiences nightly. Not the least of his appeal was the patter he made up from events of the day as reported in the newspapers. Then, too, he used to pick out famous people in the audience and introduce them with some witty comment. One night in particular the house got a treat. Will’s scout reported that Dazzy Vance, the Dodger’s pitching ace, then at the height of his career, was one of the cash customers. Rogers failed to spot him in the orchestra or box, but figuring that he had somehow missed seeing him. proceeded with the introduction, mentioning whal good ball Vance had pitched that day. He asked the blond giant to stand up and meet some friends. You can imagine the laughter that followed when Dazz was spotted high up in the balcony in the only seat left when he got to the box-office. When the Night Frolics were opened some time later Will was again featured and continued to appear in Ziegfeld shows until the movies claimed him. Just a few seasons back when his friend Fred Stone was injured in an airplane crash, Will threw up what was reported to be a million dollar contract on the West Coast to come to New York and open in Stone’s part in “Three Cheers” as scheduled. He stayed right with the show, too, until it went on the road. There is an interesting sidelight to this good deed of Will’s. Charles Dillingham who produced “Three Cheers always sent Will his salary in the form of a signed check. Rogers filled in the amount. Neither would ever tell what the amount was, but it is safe to bet that it wasn’t as much as it would have been if the producer filled in the figures. Rogers was brought up in the Methodist faith and he says his mother wanted him to be a minister. Outside of lecturing from a pulpit that’s as near as he came to fulfilling her wish. Although he has had a large measure of success on both stage and screen, he prefers writing to any other form of work. He is the author of several books, among them the following : “Rogersisms” (1919), “The Cowboy Philosopher on the Peace Conference,” “The Cowboy Philosopher on Prohibition” (1919), “Rogersisms — What We Laugh At” (1920), “The Illiterate Digest” (1924), “Letters of a Self Made Diplomat to his President,” and “There’s Not a Bathing Suit in Russia” (1927). His only pets are horses — most of them polo ponies a sport of which he is very fond. He has a polo field on his ranch between Hollywood and Santa Monica and he and his young son play in competition. His taste in literature runs to newspapers and current periodicals. Some one asked him once if he ever read any fiction to which he replied, “Yes, the newspapers.” Although he claims he is not superstitious, he has a great habit of knocking wood. Will Rogers has the happy faculty of being perfectly at home, wherever he is or whomever he’s with. In spite of his popularity with the well-to-do, there is nothing he dreads