The NEW BERN
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VOLUME 10
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1967
NUMBER 81
Reaction to the columa on
New Bern, written by Will Rog
ers a third of a century ago,
convinces us that his brand of
humor would be as popular to
day as It was way back when.
Shirley Temple, now 40 and
running for Congress, was Just
a tiny tot when she co-starred
In a movie with Will, but the
two got along gloriously to
gether.
It was Shirley, consplclously
small among the adult digni
taries, who unveiled the plague
of him in Hollywood's Rogers
Memorial Hall. Facing the
crowd as she drew the cord,
she said, “I loved him, too."
Will made a fortune from his
shy smile, drawling manner of
speech, and witty observations,
but be was no miser. With
out fanfare, he donated huge
sums to countless charities.
He thought nothing of flying
thousands of miles to raise
funds for disaster victims. And
It will hardly surprise you to
learn that he was a soft touch
for every cowboy and ranch-
hand who came to Hollywood in
search of fame, and sought
him out.
Rogers was first and last a
cowboy himself, an honest to
goodness one, and he never
tried to act above his rais
ing. The last Christmas of his
life bis wife gave him a trac
tor for the ranch he loved so
well.
His foreman later told of
seeing the tractor pushed to
one side, and seventy-five cow
hands plowing and grading a
plot of ground. Asked why he
wasn’t making use of the trac
tor for the job. Will said, "But
tractors don’t have to eat.’’
Will didn’t start out as a
wisecracking entertainer. His
stock in trade was a rope twirl
ing act that earned him his
hoecakes in circuses and on the
vaudeville stage.
Only fellow performers, out
of public view, were treated
to samples of his rare wit in
those early days. None of them.
It seems reasonable to assume,
dreamed he would become a
world figure.
It has been said that Rogers
fed his first wisecrack to an
audience at Tony Pastor’s, a
New York night spot of con
siderable fame. Nearing the
end of his act, he wiped his
forehead after completing a dif
ficult twirl and confided, "Spln-
nln’ a rope is fun, if your
neck ain’t in it.’’
Will was the gent who came
up with the oft quoted remark
that "The United States has
never lost a war or won a
conference.’’ It was inspired by
President Woodrow Wilson’s
generosity at the post-World
War peace parley, but the words
still ring true In troubled times
like these.
On one of countless trips
abroad, he wrote, "I must tell
you about Venice. Say, what
a fine swamp that Venice, Italy,
turned out to be. I stepped
out of the wrong side of a
Venice taxicab and they were
three minutes fishing me out.
"I got seasick crossing an
alley. If you love to have
someone row you In a boat
you will love Venice. But
don’t try to walk or they will
be searching for you with
grappling hooks.’’
Everyone was fair game for
(Continued on page 8)
NEW BcSN CRAVEN COUNTY
PUBLIC LIBRARY
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QUITE A PAIR — Will Rogers (see Looking Glass)
seems to have been talked into a trance by a very
young Mickey Rooney, but you can bet your life Will
wasn't missing a word. Both were established movie
stars when the photo was snapped. At the time, Rogers
hadn’t written the hilarious column about New Bern
that appeared in last week’s issue of The Mirror.
Rooney probably still doesn’t know it, but like the
famed humorist he too was linked in a limited sense
to the State’s historic First Capital. Mickey’s father,
Joe Yule, played the role of Jiggs when “Maggie and
Jiggs” graced the stage of New Bern’s Athens Theatre
many moons ago. Yule was a natural for the celebrated
cartoon character created by George McManus to de
light those who reveled in the Sunday funnies. It
really is a little world, isn’t it?