The Story of Will Rogers

This one is now out on DVD in the Warner Archives Collection. I saw this picture when it first came out - I was 11 at the time and I wanted to see if it held up in the ensuing 58 years, and I'm pleased to report it is just as entertaining and absorbing the second time around.

Such is not always the case. I did the same thing with "The High And The Mighty", and was disappointed at how trite and stagey the picture seemed when I saw it recently. But "Will Rogers" holds up, probably because it is a biography of a very famous American from the early part of the last century. Then as now, I was fascinated by what a dead ringer for his dad Will Rogers, Jr. was. I also think the movie benefited from a superior direction job.

Can I make one criticism? I didn't think Jane Wyman fit the part of a girlfriend/ wife from Oologah, Okla. She was too sophisticated, like a society chick from Riverside Drive who wouldn't bother with a bumpkin from Oologah. But that's just me.

In any case, this is worth buying and watching. I don't think it will be on TV any time soon as there are two scenes of Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson performing in blackface. Can't upset the PC crowd, you know.

This is an amazing tale of a person who lived and made his claim to fame in the early decades of the 20th century. There were so many apt points he made about politics that are spot on about our current political world. We could sure use someone like him now to take a bite out of the polarization we have now about political issues. He maintained that we all care about each other and that as long as we have that the U.S. will never go down. We could definitely benefit from such ideas today. Great movie, great cast. Will Rogers Jr. portraying his dad. Jane Wyman as the love of his life. Great family and feel good movie. I viewed it on TCM, if you get the chance, don't miss it!

If The Story Of Will Rogers did not exactly stick close to the facts it certainly captured the spirit of the man who in his time was America's beloved entertainer. Will Rogers was in fact more than an entertainer, he was a shrewd and trenchant observer of the political and social scene. We could use a dose of his wisdom today.

Will Rogers, Jr., who as a dutiful son was the custodian of his father's legacy plays the role of his father and you'll swear it was the real Will. Of course one can see the real Will Rogers in any number of fine films he made for Fox. The film is based on his widow's memoirs and she is played by Jane Wyman so the Rogers family had a tight control on this one.

It was quite true that Rogers took a long time to find himself, he was something of a rebellious kid who did not take to school. Clem Rogers, his father is played by Carl Benton Reid and he was a power in the Cherokee Indian councils. All Will wanted to do was be a cowboy, but he had a knack for saying some real funny things off the cuff and eventually parlayed that into a vaudeville act and after that the Ziegfeld Follies and movies. And of course a newspaper column that a collection of will be a really shrewd observation of his times.

One thing that was a glaring error, Will Rogers was never put in nomination for president even as a favorite son. Governor William H. Murray of Oklahoma was in fact a presidential hopeful in 1932 and he would have been surprised at that turn of events.

Not to say that he wouldn't have made a good president. There is an underside to the Rogers legacy. The dark mirror image of Will Rogers who never met a man he didn't like is portrayed quite ably on the screen by Andy Griffith in A Face In The Crowd. Lonesome Rhodes would have said he never met a man he couldn't take.

One of the things that Rogers said that was quoted in this film was that this was the greatest country in the world, but taxes are the privilege you pay for living in it. I wish a lot more people would remember that today.

The Story Of Will Rogers and the films of Will Rogers provide an enduring legacy to a man who was a national treasure in his day and now.

I remember seeing this in Australia and I had just made my teens. Managed to see it a few times. I thought, then and still do now,it was entertaining and had a message. Of course how wonderful for a son to play his Dad ,and Jane Wyman a wonderful actress. The world has lost something when movies like this are seldom made. I will have to and search Amazon and bite the bullet and pay the freight for an old copy. Very hard to get now.I think the family keeps it hidden away. And the folksy, home spun little stories he spun were all gems in themselves. Home truths. Delightful barbs when he was talking about politicians and others in the spotlight. Said gently but painfully sharp. We need a will Rogers today.

Most biopics leave a lot to be desired...especially those made during the classic era in Hollywood. Too often the actual lives of these heroes have been changed in order to make them seem more cinematic....and lying and twisting the facts is pretty much par for the course. Some films don't even have much to do with the actual person they are portraying (such as "Night and Day" and "Words and Music").

In light of this, I was shocked that for the most part "The Story of Will Rogers" is mostly the actual life and career of the man! Now I am not saying it's perfect, as for example, Will's father had died long before and the film must have assumed the man was a zombie! But apart from that and a few small items, the film IS the life of Will Rogers.

To play the man, the studio did something unusual. First, they consulted with Rogers' widow (why they actually wanted to get the facts right is beyond me!). Second, they got Rogers' son, Will Jr., to play him. Now Will Jr. Didn't look exactly like his dad (I think he actually looked more like Chill Wills), but he was pretty close and captured the man pretty well.

Why do I think they got Rogers' life right? Well, I think two reason account for this. First, Rogers DID so many amazing things that there wasn't the same need to embellish it to 'spice it up'. Second, as Rogers was such a public figure, had they NOT stuck to the facts, folks would have noticed.

So, overall it's a very good film and an excellent overview of the actor/humorist's life. Well worth seeing.