This fifth and final volume of The Papers of Will Rogers traces the career of Oklahoma’s beloved entertainer during his most popular years and extends beyond his death in 1935. By 1928, the Oklahoma humorist and commentator had reached national prominence through his newspaper columns, silent films, sound recordings, books, philanthropic endeavors, and lecture tours. His fame, fortune, and influence, however, had yet to crest. This volume showcases a wide variety of documents, including correspondence with some of the most significant figures of the day, revealing Rogers’s rise to fame as the nation’s leading social and political commentator and as a hugely popular star of radio, stage, and film. Rogers’s multifaceted career ended abruptly when he and the famous aviator Wylie Post died in an airplane crash in northernmost Alaska. This documentary history of his final years includes transcripts of radio broadcasts, contracts, and business documents, as well as nearly two hundred telegrams and letters to family, friends, and notable public figures—the majority of which have never before been published. It also covers the aftermath of his fatal airplane accident: the certificate of death, a first-person account of his funeral, settlement of his estate, efforts to pay tribute to his memory, and unauthorized attempts to capitalize on his fame.
Horses, friends, ragtime music, and steer roping-those were the interests of the youthful Will Rogers as he came of age in the Indian Territory and traveled to the Southern Hemisphere in this first of six definitive volumes of The Papers of Will Rogers. By separating fact from legend and unveiling new knowledge via extensive archival research, this documentary history represents a unique contribution to Rogers scholarship and to studies of the Cherokee Nation West. Using many previously unpublished letters and photographs-together with introductions, notes, and biographies of his friends and relatives-volume one illuminates Rogers’s complex relationship with his father, his Cherokee heritage, his early education, first encounters with his future wife, Betty Blake, his voyage to Argentina, and his fledging years in Wild West shows and circuses in South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Coorespondence, performance reviews, and rare newspaper documents spotlight the singular experiences that shaped the young Rogers within the context of his family, his ethnic background, and historical events. No other book describes so provocatively and authentically the genesis of America’s most beloved and influential humorist.
These journals also provide insight into Dodge's character, with reports of his official duties as a military man and of several landmark events in his family life. Extensive commentaries and notes by Wayne R. Kime provide further detail, including a history of Cantonment North Fork Canadian River, a six-company post Dodge established and commanded in the region."--BOOK JACKET.
This third volume of The Papers of Will Rogers documents the evolution of Rogers's vaudeville career as well as the newlywed life of Will and Betty Blake Rogers and the birth of their children. During these years, the Rogerses moved to New York City, and after many years of performing with Buck McKee and horse Teddy, Rogers began a solo act in vaudeville as a talking, roping cowboy. He appeared on the same playbill with such performers as Fred Stone, Eddie Cantor, and Houdini, and his stage career expanded to include an appearance in the Broadway musical comedy "The Wall Street Girl." Volume Three ends with Rogers's successful transition from vaudeville to Broadway, on the brink of his breakthrough as a star of the Ziegfeld Follies.
Of the many books written about Will Rogers, none can have the immediacy, firsthand knowledge, and personal perspective of this account by his wife, Betty Blake Rogers. Her story is of Will Rogers, from wayward youth to international celebrity. Will was born in 1879 in the Cherokee nation of Indian Territory, near what is now Oologah, and died in 1935 with Wiley Post in an airplane crash in Alaska. The period witnessed the passing of the frontier and the arrival of the air age, and Will Rogers became a unique part and interpreter of it all. "The book offers a ’unique insight’ into the Oklahoma cowboy who became a worldwide celebrity. Betty Rogers understood Will as no one else could, and her book amplifies the importance of a homegrown philosopher who captured the spirit of the American experience. Cowboy, showman, homespun pundit-Will left his mark in many ways, each of which is carefully developed in the book’s twenty-two chapters. Most notable, however, is Mrs. Rogers’s treatment of her husband’s character. Behind the facade lay a complex man who, despite his lack of formal education, had a grasp of modern psychology and world politics. Equally at home with cowboys and presidents, Will accepted both as human beings engaged in the larger arena of life, whether in the wide open spaces of Oklahoma or the confines of Washington....For those who would know Will Rogers in a familiar way, there is no better book than this reprint." Arizona and the West. "The best of all the books on the best of all the homespun philosophers as seen through the eyes of his wife." Midwest Book Review. "Folksy, detailed and loving, it offers a timeless glimpse at a real American hero of his time-and ours." American Way.
In the early years of his performing career, Will Rogers was a vaudeville performer of limited prominence. Around the age of thirty-five, however, this Oklahoma cowboy philosopher shed his role as local stage entertainer and moved toward fame as a Broadway star and nationally beloved humorist. This documentary history, volume four in the definitive five-volume Papers of Will Rogers, reveals Rogers’s personal and professional transformation during what may have been the most productive period of his diverse career. Between 1915 and 1928—the years covered by this volume—Rogers developed his unique monologues of topical humor, sampled the relatively new medium of radio, and pursued a career in silent films. He also tried his voice in sound recordings, witnessed his work as a writer reach millions of readers of daily newspapers, became one of the most sought-after speakers on the dinner circuit, and embarked on a three-year tour of the nation’s lecture halls. In addition to Rogers’s personal correspondence with family members and friends, editors Steven K. Gragert and M. Jane Johansson present more than one hundred letters and telegrams to and from people Rogers touched both inside and outside public life, including prominent figures in politics, show business, literature, industry, government, publishing, and the arts. Much of this material, gleaned from private collections, interviews, manuscripts, and sound recordings, has never before been published.
A collection of Rogers' writings and observations includes selections from his weekly articles and previously unpublished excerpts from his notes and correspondence
Fred Rogers's gentle spirit and passion for children's television takes center stage in this collection of interviews spanning his nearly forty-year career Nearly twenty years after his death, Fred Rogers remains a source of comfort and fond memories for generations who grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Over the course of his career, Rogers revolutionized children's television and changed the way experts thought about the educational power of media. But perhaps his most lasting legacy was demonstrating the power of simply being nice to other people. In this collection of interviews, including his fiery (for him) 1969 senate testimony that saved PBS and his final interview with Diane Rehm, Rogers's gentle spirit and compassionate approach to life continues to be an inspiration. An introduction by David Bianculli provides brilliantly contextualizes the interviews and offers a contemporary reading of Rogers's storied career.
Experience a timeless collection of wisdom on love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty from the beloved PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for more than thirty years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure. An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights—with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty—The World According to Mister Rogers reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us. Culled from Fred Rogers' speeches, program transcripts, books, letters, and interviews, along with some of his never-before-published writings, The World According to Mister Rogers is a testament to a man who served as a role model to millions—and continues to inspire us all with his legacy.
This book chronicles the life of Willie Rogers, Jr. and Pearlie Graham: Their birth, their growth and maturity, their marriage, their sibblings, their pain & sufferings but most of all their victories.
This critically acclaimed and award-winning collection of the best writings of one of America's most beloved and influential humorists includes Rogers's most popular speeches and newspaper columns. 16 pages of photographs.
A nostalgic return to Will Roger's America. Plus 100 photographs and exclusive interviews with some of Rogers' famous friends ... Wild-West shows and vaudeville, Hollywood, the silent movies and "talkies" and ... politics"--Jacket.
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