Rogers’ great grandson tells the truth behind his Hollywood career Cowboy Dream
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At the time of his death, 30’s star Will Rogers was Hollywood’s most paid actor, but all he really wanted was to become a cowboy, according to his great grandson, Jennifer Rogers Etchevelly.
“I think the Hollywood scene paid the bill for Rogers Ecch Every, who lives in Oklahoma, from his great grandfather, known as “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son.”
“And he signed with Fox to make some films, but he couldn’t finish the deal, but he went on a trip, went to the ranch, played polos, cranked them so he could do something.”
Rogers owned a 186-acre ranch in Pacific Palisard, California. I burned out in January In a fire in Los Angeles.
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At the time of his death, 30’s star Will Rogers was Hollywood’s most paid actor, but all he really wanted was to become a cowboy, according to his great grandson, Jennifer Rogers Etchevelly. (American Stock/Getty Images)
“I don’t think his passion was a movie star,” Rogers Ech Every said. “His passion was being with people.”
Rogers was the highest-paid actor who made over 70 films. He died in a crash on a plane 1935, 55 years old. However, he is also an author and newspaper columnist with over 40 million readers a day, and has written six books.
“I don’t know when the man went to sleep,” joked Rogers Ech Every. “But he just wanted to see everything. He wanted to go, and even make a movie, he paid the bill.”
Watch: Star Will Rogers in the ’30s was “the highest wage actor” during the plane crash, but that wasn’t his passion
Despite being friendly with celebrities such as Clark Gable and Walt Disney and hobnobbing with the president, kings and queens, Rogers Ecchi Every says he was “a normal person.”
“And I never forgot where he came from in Oklahoma,” she said. “He never forgot he’s a cowboy. All he ever wanted was a cowboy. And I think he’s just sticking to his roots, and then he went from cowboy to No. 1 box office star on a ranch in Oklahoma.
“I never forgot where he came from in Oklahoma. He never forgot that he was a cowboy.”
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Will Rogers was close to astronaut Charles Lindbergh. (Getty)
She said when her grandfather returned to his ranch, “He was dad, he wasn’t Will Rogers, and he was his father, closing it all.
Rogers started in the entertainment business on trick rope at the Wild West Show in Texas before being hired by the Geefeld Follies in New York.
“As he said, he entertained the audience with trick ropes while the girl was transforming into nothing, and he was told not to say words,” she said.
Wil Rogers with his wife and children in 1934. (American Stock/Getty Images)
She once ruined the trick he had joked about, “Hey, sorry, I got all my feet through one side,” the audience laughed, and he quickly burned that laugh.”
Rogers Ecchi Every said it was “the moment when he knew he could entertain people.”
Watch: The ’30s star went to Hollywood after making an off-cuff comment while playing trick ropes at a live show
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Soon after that, he got the role of teasing the US president and others, citing what he read in the newspaper, and talking until famous people came to his show, always sold out.
“And that just connected from there,” Rogers Ecchi Every said. “And he eventually signed for the film and moved to California.”
Before Roosevelt became president, Rogers was with Franklin Roosevelt at a 1932 Democratic rally. (Getty)
Aside from appearing in dozens of silent films and talkies, including “The Connecticut Yankee” and “The Steamboat Around Bend” with Maureen O’Sullivan, Rogers was also an avid flight enthusiast who was friends with aviator Charles Lindbergh.
Rogers with Milna Roy in Connecticut Yankee. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
After the infamous Lindbergh’s baby invitation And murder, Rogers invited the aviators To ensure that families staying at his California ranch can have privacy.
“Of course, the media was on top of that,” explained Rogers Ecchi Every. “So he took them and stayed there, and they stayed there. And I didn’t know exactly when they were there, but they spent quite a bit of time there when it was all going on.”
Rogers won an Academy Award in 1934. (New York Times Co./Getty Images)
Rogers died in an Alaska crash in August 1935 while investigating mail routes with Oklahoma astronaut Wiley Post. “We’ve closed the world, not just the US,” Rogers Ech Every said.
“At the time of his death, he was not only the most famous in America, but the most famous in the world. Everyone knew who he was, and he visited every country. He was an informal humanitarian in the United States.”
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“Oklahoma’s favorite son” always wanted to be a cowboy, said Will Rogers’ great grandson. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Keeping Rogers’ memories alive, Rogers Ecchi Every said she was caught up in a family business and that older people told her that they remember being a child when Rogers died.
“And they said to me, ‘That’s the only time I’ve ever seen my father cry. They were devastated.
Watch: Star Will Rogers of the early 30s never forgot his cowboy roots in Oklahoma, says great grandson
He was a “normal person,” but Rogers frequently entertained celebrities on California ranches.
While writing notes in 1920, Rogers played for Lasso. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Betty, Rogers’ widow, donated his ranch and land to the state in 1944, becoming Rogers State Historical Park.
She said she took over the role of Rogers’ family representative years ago.
Will Rogers and Bill “Bo Jungles” Robinson do dance steps together in the scene from the 1935 film “Old Kentucky.” (Fox/Getty Images)
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“I want to live up to his legacy. I have two children and two grandchildren. If it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t know who Rogers is,” she said.
“It’s a little easier in Oklahoma. He’s Oklahoma’s favorite son, and there’s nothing here that’s not named after him. But you’re out of the state and a little more challenging.”