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Will Rogers

Will Rogers

Actor · 1879 – 1935 · Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)

William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor and one of the best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s. Known as Oklahoma's favorite son, Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was adored by the American people. He was the leading political wit of the Progressive Era, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star at the time. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed near Barrow, Alaska. His 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 readily appreciated by a national audience, with no one offended. His short aphorisms, couched in humorous terms, were widely quoted: "I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat." Rogers even provided an epigram on his most 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 like." I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved. Description above from the Wikipedia article Will Rogers, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies24

  • Movie7.3

    Mr. Skitch

    1933 · 3 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Tiptoes

    1927 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Hustlin' Hank

    1923 · 1 votes

  • Movie
  • Movie6.3
  • Movie7.7

    Uncensored Movies

    1923 · 3 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Happy Days

    1929 · 3 votes

  • Movie6.4

    Judge Priest

    1934 · 36 votes

  • Movie7.0

    So This Is London

    1930 · 2 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Golden Age of Comedy

    1957 · 14 votes

  • Movie5.2

    The Headless Horseman

    1922 · 9 votes

  • Movie6.3

    State Fair

    1933 · 28 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Doctor Bull

    1933 · 12 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Hollywood

    1923 · 3 votes

  • Movie10.0

    In Old Kentucky

    1935 · 1 votes

  • Movie
  • Movie6.0

    The County Chairman

    1935 · 2 votes

  • Movie7.5

    Steamboat Round the Bend

    1935 · 19 votes

  • Movie10.0

    The Strange Boarder

    1920 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Business and Pleasure

    1932 · 3 votes

  • Movie7.5

    Down To Earth

    1932 · 2 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Young as You Feel

    1931 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Cowboy Sheik

    1924 · 2 votes

  • Movie6.1

    A Connecticut Yankee

    1931 · 8 votes