Humorist Will Rogers was one of the most famous and beloved Americans of his time. His persona was that of a simple Everyman who employed common sense and clever good humor to view and comment on politics, lifestyles, and the American scene.

Rogers, part-Irish and part-Cherokee, was born in the Colagah Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. He quit school in 1891, became a cowboy in the Texas Panhandle, and performed with a traveling Wild West Circus. He first appeared on the New York stage in 1905 and became a full-fledged star on Broadway (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1) in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1916 (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1). Rogers soon appeared in motion pictures, debuting in Laughing Bill Hyde (1918). His popularity grew with the introduction of sound films in the late 1920s. Now, he could entertain moviegoers...