Will Rogers: The Most Important Comedian You've Never Heard Of

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ความคิดเห็น • 96

  • @rogers112869
    @rogers112869 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Hi Katie, so glad to see your video.....our family is much appreciated of you supporting the legacy of my great-grandfather.

    • @rogers112869
      @rogers112869 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@KatieMears Yeah def a rare one. Good job on the video!

    • @nickb839
      @nickb839 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Craft was perfected.

    • @genevievehawkins9856
      @genevievehawkins9856 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      This is wonderful.

    • @genevievehawkins9856
      @genevievehawkins9856 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      How cool that is your great grandfather

  • @jenniferetcheverry1051
    @jenniferetcheverry1051 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Hello Katie, My name is Jennifer Rogers and James who commented yesterday is my brother. I received your link through The Will Rogers Memorial, which I am an active board member.
    This is such a great thing you have done. Thank you!!! As I know how much time and effort goes into such a project. Let me know if you are ever in the LA area or near Claremore. Would love to see you get a behind the scene tour of Will Rogers State Historic Park or the WR Memorial. Keep up the great work of preserving American History.

    • @barbaramcspadden8655
      @barbaramcspadden8655 16 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      Hey cuz. ❤ Will Rodgers married one of my dad's cousins.

  • @laurap5181
    @laurap5181 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve learned about Will Rogers!!! As his great-great-great niece, I grew up hearing all kinds of stories about what a wonderful man he was!!! Thank you for letting others know about his wit, charm, and talent.

  • @DJK-cq2uy
    @DJK-cq2uy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thanks. Cool to hear a young person like you speak highly of an American icon. Peace

  • @thomascaldwell7004
    @thomascaldwell7004 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Ms. Mears, I just discovered this wonderful video of yours about Will Rogers life. My wife and I are on a driving tour thru Missouri/Oklahoma and tomorrow we'll be visiting the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore. Your video was the best intro I could have asked for! Thank you!

  • @airborneggopher
    @airborneggopher 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I used a quote today. Didn't know who said it... turns out it was Will Rogers. I didn't know much about him so I went to YT and found this video. Thanks for this great video!

  • @Mic-Mak
    @Mic-Mak 4 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this channel is criminally, CRIMINALLY underrated. Keep up the good work! I love it.

    • @bramlackman-mincoff6616
      @bramlackman-mincoff6616 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I don’t think it’s so much underrated as it is just very niche. It still doesn’t get enough appreciation though.

    • @Mic-Mak
      @Mic-Mak 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@bramlackman-mincoff6616 I hear you but I follow a ton of video essayists who create content on topics I was never interested in before, and they've grown to 10, 50, 100 thousand subscribers. I know that the fact that Katie doesn't post consistently enough makes her less discoverable but still. I have all ths confidence that her channel will grow. It's just too good.

  • @l.luther1014
    @l.luther1014 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Till today, all I knew of Will Rogers was The Will Rogers Institute and that he was a cowboy. Thank you Katie for your solid research, beautifully presented and tapping into your grandmother’s memories. The fondness in her voice is proof of how important this man was to American families in the past. Well done!

  • @EricCoop
    @EricCoop 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Will Rogers lives forever!

  • @ocean6947
    @ocean6947 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I am a distant relative of Will Rogers, your video is great

  • @garymears8982
    @garymears8982 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    So glad you released this - I knew so little about Will Rogers’ impact on America. And Mammaw’s first-person recollections are priceless. Thanks Kate - so good!!

  • @andrewkoastephens4090
    @andrewkoastephens4090 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I am so glad you paired him up with Mark Twain. If those two fellas didn’t exist my grandfather wouldn’t have quoted anyone except maybe, my mother. “You know what my daughter said?”
    Also, I always make a mental note when someone is the youngest child of a big family; I’m one too!!

  • @TWilsonF4s
    @TWilsonF4s 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks so much for this. I knew of Will Rogers because I had parents who were born in the teens and I would hear his quotes all the time from them. I also saw many clips of him when I was a kid, usually on channel 17 (the Superstation). My favorite quote is; "it's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for". Another favorite is; "even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

  • @Keyspoet27
    @Keyspoet27 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I'm happy to note that my parents and grandparents were huge fans of Will Rogers, and I was beyond blessed to see James Whitmore's one man show, Will Rogers USA, at the Los Angeles Music Center in the early 1970s.
    You could hear an audible murmer, toward the end of the show, when Whitmore, as Rogers, began talking about his upcoming trip to Alaska with Wiley Post. We were, as one, warning him not to go.
    I just recently ordered the CD version of Will Rogers USA, despite still having the original vinyl, that we purchased after seeing it live. It is that good.
    And you're absolutely correct in that the majority of his comedy is still as relevant today as it was in the 20s and 30s. One of my favorite Will Rogers quotes: "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat."
    RIP Will Rogers and Wiley Post. Thank you for everything.

  • @john-rodgerna5955
    @john-rodgerna5955 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks so very much. 😎🐉❤️🔥. You ROCK!
    John Rodger 🔥

  • @patrickt6642
    @patrickt6642 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I'm in my 50s buy can remember watching his old movies and heard my parents talk about him.

  • @LeNomEstYves
    @LeNomEstYves 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Our airport in OKC is named after him. He's obviously not forgotten here.

  • @EricCoop
    @EricCoop 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Will Rogers is my hero!

  • @byardnick
    @byardnick 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This was such a delight to watch!

  • @kiasax2
    @kiasax2 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Siyo Katie!!
    I've enjoyed your video many times. It's just super.
    Being a Cherokee American too, my NDN grandparents taught me about Will Rogers when I was 4. That's 60 years ago now.
    Wado for your video. You're as charming as you described Will Rogers.
    My wife and I would be proud to have a granddaughter like you.
    Be well!

  • @EzraTillman1
    @EzraTillman1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I really enjoyed this! It's so cool to learn about such an influential Native American. I especially valued hearing the personal experience of your Grandmother.

  • @jaymack7795
    @jaymack7795 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    you did a great job presenting him...

  • @he2548
    @he2548 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Huge fan of Will Rogers for so many reasons (humor, pithiness, "humanitarian work" (he would never have called it that, I think) and really enjoyed your video. It's refreshing to see that you know of him.

  • @ph8768
    @ph8768 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Great to learn about an early American comedian, KM!

  • @janicekustera1171
    @janicekustera1171 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I thoroughly enjoyed this. Having grown up in Oologah, I know a lot of his history, or so I thought. You managed to highlight some things I never knew and expanded on those I did. I have always been a fan of Will. I usually introduce myself by saying I am from Oologah, Oklahoma - the birthplace of Will Rogers. It's a way to honor his memory for those that knew of him and an opportunity to educate those who haven't. Keep up the good work. I hope you continue to spread the word of Will's contributions to this country.

  • @stevemcdonald1033
    @stevemcdonald1033 2 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I don't think Will Rogers will ever be forgotten. But it's sad that he died in such a preventable airplane crash. He was flying with his friend, Wiley Post, on what would have been an around-the-world trip, in a single-engine pontoon plane. Wiley Post was known for modifying his airplanes and not always in a way that would have been approved by their manufacturers. He wanted this plane to have more power and speed and so he managed to fit a much larger and heavier engine into it. It flew okay when the engine was running, but when the engine quit just after they'd taken off from the water at Pt. Barrow, Alaska, the excess weight pulled the nose down and nothing Post could do with the controls would pull it up. They crashed going almost straight down and both were killed. We should all be thankful and glad that we had Will Rogers for 55 years and because of movie film and audio recording, we still get to see him and listen to his wisdom, which always stays pertinent no matter how much time has passed.

  • @he2548
    @he2548 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just re-watched this. Excellent as ever. Great job on your presentation and I continue to have so much respect for this amazing man. He is an inspiration.

  • @guely55
    @guely55 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I only knew him by pictures in books or some old footage. Yesterday I bought a DVD collection of him and today was looking for some more information. This video was great! Greetings from Stockholm!

  • @ICU-mw7su
    @ICU-mw7su 11 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Wonderful subject matter & a great video, thanks!

  • @gigtrek3926
    @gigtrek3926 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As for me I've always known about W Rogers, from my parents. Today I had a thought that I should get more informed about the guy. This vid was very good for that, so thanks.

  • @RandoPandaSmiles
    @RandoPandaSmiles 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Fantastic video!

  • @JonWBurnett
    @JonWBurnett 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    And something in comedy that has made me feel warm during the pandemic is listening and laughing to Robert Klein’s “Child of the 50’s” routines with my sixteen year old son!

  • @marcdenton2996
    @marcdenton2996 ปีที่แล้ว

    Will River is undoubtedly ‘the greatest’. What a loss to those who do not know him.

  • @jaymack7795
    @jaymack7795 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    there will never be another...

  • @LarryNemecekTrekland
    @LarryNemecekTrekland 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Katie! I just stumbled onto your channel but especially this video.
    I have loved my native fellow Okie since junior high, became a huge fan and buff, and when I moved to L.A. became a tour docent at Will's historic ranchhouse and ranch state park (and yes we love Jennifer (commented already). I am now on the Foundation board that helps to support the state park.
    Here's why I love your video: it's FRESH EYES from SOMEONE UNDER 60! 😄 And yet, YOU GET IT. Everything about Will that I had stood back and seen in the big picture ... to try to convey to modern audiences ... you bullet-point here. Including how he died and JUST missed the media modernizing, making him more immortal to short-attention-span modern audiences.
    It is SO validating to see anyone else, fresh and unconnected and from across the country GET not only why Will was a genius (and IS a genius), but why it matters. And to realize we have to do more to connect him to modern audiences so, yes, he doesn't fade away.
    For years I would just say "He sounds like he was talking YESTERDAY!" and expect people to be amazed and impressed. But I've realized nobody cares, because they have more than enough pundit comedians NOW, why care about a 30s guy? So, now I say that Will proves that no crisis we go through is really all that new and scary; we've BEEN HERE BEFORE, and likely have answers and attitudes if we just pay attention (and catch history).
    Anyway, THANKS for this video. I realize your whole channel is comedy and history, but this one especially is amazing to have it come out of nowhere. Sorry for the long ramble, but I am sharing with our L.A. docents and likely the docents at our sister site, the Will Rogers Memorial and Museum in Claremore, OK.
    And if you EVER come to L.A. and need a tour, please yes give a holler. (Oh, and if you can: try to catch the audio, or video, of James Whitmore;' one-man show, WIll Rogers USA. Anytime from the 70s through the early Aughts).

  • @controlclerk
    @controlclerk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'll just comment from time to time. Help with the algorithm. Great video.

  • @JakeWeddle
    @JakeWeddle 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is amazing. I never knew about will rogers. Your doing great work and deserve more subs

  • @pablo6733
    @pablo6733 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    You are awesome Katie, I really love your essays.
    Comedy fans (myself included) often compare it to an artform - which it is - but then never actually do the work to think and analize it further. Good film and literature criticism have done incredible things to enrich my experience with the works I love and I always regretted that there wasn't something comparable for stand-up; so I really apreciate what you are doing and hope that you'll continue to grow and find an audience for what you are doing. I'm sure there's more of us out there.
    Hugs from Ecuador!

  • @hipdeep
    @hipdeep 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Will and Mark and Katie and Nancy ... really good. Made us all feel really warm!

  • @duncanthompson957
    @duncanthompson957 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video, and I love your Gran! A lovely addition. Yup, a great video... brought a tear to my eye.

  • @anthonygowland8363
    @anthonygowland8363 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video from someone that looks far too young to be so wise... important story beautifully told. I can't wait to view your other episodes..x

  • @preapple
    @preapple ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video thanks!

  • @user-bi4xk3bu1d
    @user-bi4xk3bu1d 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    My aunt Burnice and uncle Ken Roger's. My uncle Ken is Will cousin. This is cool. ❤

  • @HMinot
    @HMinot 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I see that his performance of A Connecticut Yankee (by Twain) is here on TH-cam!

  • @starlingwatch3921
    @starlingwatch3921 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hi Katie, thank you for this video. Your thoughts and opinions are delightful. You remind me of when my parents would have an open house on Sunday mornings for anyone who was in town - kind of a French salon. If you're ever in San Francisco I'd be glad to invite you to a table friends. I'm looking forward to what my subscription to your channel brings. -Frank

  • @grantcanada1
    @grantcanada1 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I am so pleased you made this piece - I believe WR is one of the most important Americans ever. If it wasn't for Climate Change, I would do a major biography on Mr. Rogers. He was huge and his passing was one of the worst things to happen - the country was devastated.

  • @samuelr.6046
    @samuelr.6046 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great grandfather right there!

  • @johnschuh8616
    @johnschuh8616 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    A huge booster of the Aviation industry. He was paying for the Wiley Post flight and insisted on going on the trip. Very dangerous business. Jimmy Doolittle, lived to be 96 despite his courting of danger, the rare thing known as an “old, bold aviator”. Look him up, too.

  • @blackcatamaran
    @blackcatamaran 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I decided today I needed to talk about Will Rogers with my Theatre Appreciation class. I was trying to find a video source to support my lecture when I found your video. Good research and good job! I'm sharing my favorite quote even though nowadays I'd be less gender specific:
    "There are three kinds of men: ones that learn by reading, few who learn by observation, and the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves."

  • @PoetryETrain
    @PoetryETrain 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I always find the cool stuff... This is cool stuff...

  • @nickscip8523
    @nickscip8523 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks so much for making these! Your genuine interest and passion for comedy carries the video

  • @declup
    @declup 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Can we list comedians who are the youngest of a large family?
    I can think of Will Rogers, of course, and Stephen Colbert. Anybody else?

  • @MattBanwart
    @MattBanwart 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks so much for making these!

  • @thomasnisley7196
    @thomasnisley7196 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I agree

  • @marvel096
    @marvel096 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What an amazing and informative video!! I really enjoyed it. I’ve never heard about this important figure, I was just reading a book titled Radical Hollywood and he was mentioned next to Charlie Chaplin and it seemed odd to me that I’ve never heard about him. So sad to learn about his untimely death. But I’m glad to learn about his achievements, such an important Native American figure too! I wish he was more well known nowadays.

  • @CrazyTallComic
    @CrazyTallComic 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love these in-depth video essays so much. Comedy has such a rich history and it’s great to have someone shedding light on some of its lesser known players. Have you considered doing a video about Tom Lehrer? I would love to hear your take on the godfather of American musical comedy.

  • @duncanthompson957
    @duncanthompson957 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hey Hello! Great to see you back! Could you possibly make the excellent text-based asides/on-screen footnotes a little bigger? Just that they're a little too small for tablets (and I guess phones). Speaking of footnotes, you really must read 'Seymour, An Introduction', a novella by J.D. Salinger, if you haven't already. As a scientist of, lover of, and communicator about comedy, you would love the footnotes/asides with which Seymour: An Introduction is hilariously littered (some are pages long). It is partnered with the equally brilliant 'Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters!'.

  • @dabearcub
    @dabearcub ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice Marine Layer sweater.

  • @JonWBurnett
    @JonWBurnett 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This episode felt to me like you’re taking your brilliant show to a whole new level. More comedy history please! Especially with bonus commentary from if not your grandmother, then another trusted elder voice. Your editing with archive footage et al was superb too. 👏👏👏👏🍿❤️
    Groucho?
    Uncle Millie?
    Jackie Gleason?
    Ernie Kovacs?
    Steve Allen?

    • @JonWBurnett
      @JonWBurnett 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      *Uncle Miltie! (Dam autocorrect. Milton Berle - duh.)

  • @neatchipops3428
    @neatchipops3428 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent, Katie, thanks. If you never saw "Will Rogers: Look Back in Laughter," than I envy your ability to view it for the first time, if you can find it. It's from 1987, and 'hosted' by Robin Williams.

  • @hesitationblues9629
    @hesitationblues9629 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Nice video, Katie!

  • @MrBobVick
    @MrBobVick 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Outside of Lawton OK is an old gold mine town called Mears, no gold but one can get the best hamburger in OK there.

  • @genevievehawkins9856
    @genevievehawkins9856 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    16:56 yeap!!!! Happening today!

  • @RHack1
    @RHack1 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The MSG story is, essentially, a true story.

  • @nickb839
    @nickb839 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I like Robin Williams.

  • @user-mz5by7wf1e
    @user-mz5by7wf1e 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hey, Katie. I just found your channel. We went to highschool together. I'm glad to see you're doing well

    • @user-mz5by7wf1e
      @user-mz5by7wf1e 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KatieMears It's Quincy; we were in 'Tale of 9...' together

    • @user-mz5by7wf1e
      @user-mz5by7wf1e 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KatieMears Yo

    • @user-mz5by7wf1e
      @user-mz5by7wf1e 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KatieMears Thanks-tho, things are pretty rough where I'm at-now. If you're free, I'll tell you all about it

    • @user-mz5by7wf1e
      @user-mz5by7wf1e 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@KatieMears But, I understand, sorry; Anyway--Nice channel; I'll be subscribed from now on!

  • @solox5853
    @solox5853 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I am his great grand child. We have a lot of freemasons in our family, the family dynamic is weird.

  • @hemmy1975
    @hemmy1975 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hes my family :)

  • @caseyunrein2077
    @caseyunrein2077 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I found my way here from "Parting the waters" by Taylor Branch reference on pg. 51 where the NAACP under Wilkins conducts a protest telegram series against Rogers, NBC and sponsors for using the word "nigger" four time in his premier broadcast. Not the same take as the one proposed in this video. All interesting. Thanks!

    • @ICU-mw7su
      @ICU-mw7su 11 วันที่ผ่านมา

      That was the common language of the day.

  • @Bob-vl8tq
    @Bob-vl8tq 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    👍

  • @jorjicostava8649
    @jorjicostava8649 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    He’s my 5th cousin

  • @deerobinson557
    @deerobinson557 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Amazing job of telling Will Rodger's story, but please understand, Will Rodger ideas and philosophy were that of an Indians, not a cowboy. Even though Will isn't running around with feathers in his hair, he is still an Indian, not a cowboy.

    • @ICU-mw7su
      @ICU-mw7su 11 วันที่ผ่านมา

      He was both.

  • @jeffreyrainey1015
    @jeffreyrainey1015 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    You didn't think anyone would watch a video about Roy Rogers. :)

  • @jayoutdoors1534
    @jayoutdoors1534 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ad city.

  • @debbiedebbie9473
    @debbiedebbie9473 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Will Rogers = Robin Williams

  • @basednative271
    @basednative271 ปีที่แล้ว

    AN INJUN, A GOD DAMN INJUN WAS THE MOST FAMOUS AND INFLUENCIAL COMEDIAN EVER!

  • @solox5853
    @solox5853 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    looking good katie cutie but try to wear more revealing clothes so viewers can be more alert/awake

  • @bibisanchez3313
    @bibisanchez3313 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    His mother looks like she can be part Indigenous. Father looks like he just stepped off the Mayflower. At best he looks a quarter native to the Americas, but okay. We’ll pretend.

    • @kalburgy2114
      @kalburgy2114 26 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      "My people didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat." -- Will Rogers

    • @ICU-mw7su
      @ICU-mw7su 11 วันที่ผ่านมา

      There are many very light 1/2 Cherokee. Some even have blue eyes & white/ blonde hair!

  • @jayrad8321
    @jayrad8321 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    you're awesome. this is fascinating! thank you for sharing.