Will Rogers

William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, humorist, vaudeville performer, and actor.

Early life

Rogers was born on November 4, 1879 in Indian Territory, near the modern town of Oologah, Oklahoma , into a prosperous ranching family. His parents, Clem and Mary, both were of Cherokee descent. Throughout his youth, Rogers was enrolled in several private schools, none of which he stayed at very long. He was more passionate about roping, which he learned at a young age under the tutelage of Uncle Dan Walker, a freed slave that his father employed. After giving up on school, he spent his early adult years working on ranches in Texas and New Mexico. He eventually returned home to find his father had moved to Claremore and became a wheat farmer. He was unsuited for farming, and as more white settlers moved to Oklahoma at the turn of the century he realized that ranching was becoming a thing of the past. In 1901, Rogers decided to move to Argentina with a friend after hearing stories about a thriving ranching community in the country. They finally arrived in Buenos Aires in May 1902, however their stay was short lived. Rogers did not have enough money to invest in property and was handicapped because he did not speak Spanish, and decided to move to South Africa after only a few months. In South Africa, he encountered Texas Jack’s Wild West Show and after an impressive audition he was offered a job. In 1903 Rogers left Texas Jack, with a glowing recommendation, and traveled to New Zealand and Australia before returning to Oklahoma in April 1904.

Vaudeville years

Shortly after his arrival in the States, he sought to continue his performance career. He landed a role in the Mulhall Wild West Show at the St. Louis World's Fair and broke into the vaudeville scene with a roping performance on stage in Chicago. In 1905, he rejoined the Wild West Show in New York City where they performed at Madison Square Garden. During another entertainers performance a steer got loose and charged the audience. Rogers headed off the animal, redirecting it to the arena so it could be roped, a feat for which the "Indian Cowpuncher" received public acclaim. Rogers used his notoriety to jump start his vaudeville career, which began at the Union Square Theatre on June 12, 1905. He was booked for the supper show with minimal advertisement, however he overcame these obstacles with an act that culminated in him roping a pony on stage. He also demonstrated a knack for inserting his natural, wry humor into the show. His show became an instant success and his show moved to the biggest stages in New York. In the following years, his success continued as he performed on many of the larger stages on the east coast.

Amidst his continuing stage success and after several years of courtship, primarily through written correspondence, Rogers married Betty Blake on November 25, 1908 at Betty's home in Rogers, Arkansas.

In 1914, Rogers experienced a brief but successful tenure in the musical The Merry-Go-Round in London. With the outbreak of World War I, he returned to New York where he took a job performing at the Midnight Frolic, which was run by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. who was the producer of America's most famous vaudeville show, the Ziegfeld Follies. Taking his wife's advice, Rogers incorporated commentary into his show about stories he read in the newspaper. This marked an important turning point in Rogers' career. Early in Rogers' career, he viewed his performances as serious and resented the laughter of audiences, but he eventually learned to embrace his homespun humor. His success led Ziegfeld to invite him to join the Follies in 1916. Rogers, now working two shows a night in the same theater, had to begin coming up with two new routines each night. He excelled in his new role and would earn national acclaim and emerged as star. He would remain working with the Follies until 1926.