At the time of his death in 1935, Will Rogers hosted the number one radio show in America, had a daily column that ran in over 400 papers, and was the number one male box office star for three years running. In the course of a career that included both Texas Jack’s Wild West Show and the Ziegfeld Follies, Will Rogers invented the American stand-up comic. Using his trick roping skills to punctuate his delivery, Will Rogers’ folksy humor set
the groundwork for everyone from Bob Hope to Johnny Carson to David Letterman.
Rogers was born on a ranch near the town of Oologah in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). His mother was 1/4 Cherokee and his father 3/8 Cherokee and Will used to say, “I never got far enough in arithmetic to figure out what that made me.”
His observations on government, the economy, and society are as timely now as when he first made them. On his political affiliations: “I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” Of the Stock Market Crash: “If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” Concerning taxes: “The Republicans now, they are accusing the Democrats of raising taxes. This upsets the Republicans because if Democrats do most of the tax raising, the Republicans do most of the tax paying.”
Famous for the statement, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” Will Rogers is the quintessential image of the common man.
Two shows will take place on Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. in the Prairie Arts Center Theater. Reserved tickets are $20 and are available by calling Theresa Cotter at 815-646-4635.
Proceeds from these performances will go toward the Prairie Arts Council’s required 25% of the costs associated with the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) upgrades. The other 75% of the cost was covered by the Energy Efficiency Grant that was awarded through the North Central Illinois Council of Governments. This grant represents 75% of the cost of completely replacing the highly energy inefficient HVAC heating and air conditioning systems in both the gallery and the theater of the PAC.