Robert V. Waldrop - Will Rogers Views the News: Humorist Ponders Current Events

Will Rogers Views the News

Humorist ponders current events

Copyright 2011, 2012 by Robert V. Waldrop.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0521-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4582-0522-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012913888

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Cover photo of Will Rogers courtesy of Will Rogers Memorial Museums in Claremore and Oologah, Okla., Steven K. Gragert, director, and Jennifer Holt, curator.

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Also written by
Robert V. Waldrop:

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Here you can find an inside look at newspaper people, what they do and how they do it; its really one of those memoir things, but with a focus on some remarkable people in the military, TV news and other activities

Contents

My first thought was to dedicate this book to all those who know and love Will Rogers and how he looked at the world, and the people and events in it. Okay, I still do. But I also dedicate this book to my loving wife, Mary, and to our children, Michael, Bryan and Jill all of whom have been very important in our lives, and who have greatly blessed me with their own humor and understanding.

My deepest gratitude goes to the Will Rogers Memorial Museums in Claremore and Oologah, Okla., and to their competent and friendly staff. In particular, I would like to thank Steve Gragert, museum director, and Jennifer Holt, museum curator, for their assistance. Invaluable resources were made available to me by them, especially through their Will Rogers DAILY TELEGRAMS , edited by James M. Smallwood and Steven K. Gragert, published by the Oklahoma State University Press, Stillwater, Okla., in 1978-79. The Telegrams were further revised and reprinted online at www.willrogers.com by the Will Rogers Memorial Museums in Claremore in 2008. In addition, the Museums provide considerable helpful materials concerning Will Rogers on its website, www.willrogers.com, including a special section Will Says, from which the writings of that name in this book were acquired. Additional writings by Will Rogers can be found under the heading of Writings of Will Rogers on the same website. Other materials are available by contacting the Museums directly. Many people have quoted Will Rogers over the years, often somewhat incorrectly, but the materials offers by the Will Rogers Memorial Museums are the genuine Will Rogers. Dates cited for quoted DAILY TELEGRAMS are the dates the TELEGRAMS were written by Will Rogers. It should be noted that Will Rogers did not always follow rules of grammar and capitalization in his writings.

Will Rogers, who enjoyed an astonishing career being just an ol Oklahoma country boy, was somewhat more complicated than that. He was a devout American patriot. He made fun of presidents and kings, congressmen and movie stars, bankers and bandits. But he never did it in a nasty way, a refreshing alternative to some of todays comedians.

He even made fun of his beloved native land, which at first was part of the Indian Territory and later became Oklahoma, but he was always a promoter of the United States.

Much of the published fun he had with prominent people of his day mostly in the 1920s and early 1930s is just as fresh and to the point as it was when he first unleashed his barbs. And that is really the backbone, the purpose, of this book. This is not just another biography of one of Americas greatest humorists; it is an effort to bring some people of today down to earth through Will Rogerss uncanny ability to let the air out of pompous balloons.

Will was a cowboy, a stage entertainer (rope tricks at first), then a vaudeville star and finally a movie star in both silent films and later in talkies. He also was a world traveler, welcomed in palaces and capitals everywhere. He also became a prolific writer, totaling literally millions of words in daily newspaper briefs and many articles.

His first newspaper articles appeared weekly through the McNaught Newspaper Syndicate. Then his daily Telegrams appeared first in the New York Times , and before long became Page One features in newspapers throughout the United States. He took whimsical looks at whatever was going on at the moment one of his biggest assets was that his telegrams were available the same day to all those newspapers, rather than appearing days later as other columnists often had to do.

He never took anything or anyone too seriously including himself. Often when he couldnt settle on some target, he would find something about himself to laugh about. He was famous for many things, including his own trademark comment, I never met a man I didnt like.

He never let anyone forget he was part Cherokee Indian, and a proud native of Oklahoma. The small city of Claremore forever was his city of cities. But he was not just an Oklahoman or part Indian he was a citizen of the world, claimed and acclaimed by peoples and nations everywhere.

He tried to appear as just that ol Oklahoma country boy, with an aw, shucks attitude, a drawl and very little education. Dont believe it. He had a shrewd insight into virtually everything, and many of his articles show his keen interpretation of some weighty matters. Nevertheless, his writings often show some awkward spelling and down-country way of expressing things all of which brought him closer to the people.

His comments on and analysis of a variety of subjects in this book offer both his quick wit and his almost hayseed way of saying some things. There is no effort to clean up his way of saying things; the occasional awkward spellings are the way he said and wrote things.

It would certainly be a mistake to attempt to say something better than Will Rogers said it.

So, lets take a look at what Will might say about some things today. (All quotes with dates included are from the Telegrams, unless otherwise cited.)

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I have read all presidential speeches on both sides up to now, and the winner is the man smart enough to not make any more. There is a great chance for a silent third party. (Aug. 17, 1932.)

One of Will Rogerss favorite targets was U.S. presidents. He teased the candidates when they were running for the office, and he lampooned those who succeeded in getting there.

He didnt spare the press, either, referring to an upcoming presidential talk: I am anxious to hear the comments in the press. Even if its good there is plenty of em wont like it, he can speak on the Lords supper and get editorials against it.

Never in our history was we as willing to blame somebody else for our troubles.