27. I Never Met a Trick Roper I Didn’t Like
Posted by route66gifts on July 30, 2009
There’s a new civil war brewing and it’s between Oklahoma and California over the rights to claim the memory of Will Rogers.
In Oklahoma, the Will Rogers Memorial Museums’ web site says “Will Rogers was an Oklahoma Indian, a cowboy, an entertainer, a movie and Broadway star, a writer, a speaker, a comedian, a philosopher and a world figure. Towering above all, Will Rogers was a good and decent man.”
In California the Will Rogers State Historic Park web site says “In the early 1930s, Will Rogers was the most popular and highest paid actor in Hollywood. From his start in vaudeville theater with a trick roping act, he rose to world-wide fame as a columnist, philosopher, radio personality, and movie star. During the 1920s, he bought land in Santa Monica, where he developed a ranch. Eventually, the Rogers’ owned 186 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in what is now known as Pacific Palisades. The ranch became the place where Will Rogers could relax with his family and friends, pursuing his favorite pastimes of riding and roping.”
So he started his career as an Oklahoma ranch hand who could do rope tricks and ended up as the best known entertainer and commentator in the country, living on a ranch in the hills of Santa Monica.
What’s the big deal about rope tricks? Watch this:
Some Will Rogers quotes:
“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.”
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
“I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.“
“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
“If the world comes to an end, I want to be in Cincinnati. Everything comes there ten years later.”
Jim and I visited his beautiful ranch in Santa Monica.
Ranch Tour
The ranch was a stupid rule against interior photos, so I can’t show you his living room or study.
More info about the Will Rogers State Historic Park – http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=626
More info about Will Rogers Memorial Museums in Oklahoma – http://www.willrogers.com/
