Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Plates
- Author’s Note
- Introduction
- 1 The Final Frontier
- 2 The Cherokee Kid
- 3 The Vaudeville Romance
- 4 Follies and Frolics
- 5 The Celluloid Cowboy
- 6 An Age of Publicity
- 7 The American Soul
- 8 Politics is Applesauce
- Plates
- 9 The Unfunny Business of Trying To Be Funny
- 10 The Private Man
- 11 The Little Fellow and the Great Depression
- 12 Man in Motion
- 13 The Man Talkies Were Invented For
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Notes
- Index
13 - The Man Talkies Were Invented For
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
- Frontmatter
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Plates
- Author’s Note
- Introduction
- 1 The Final Frontier
- 2 The Cherokee Kid
- 3 The Vaudeville Romance
- 4 Follies and Frolics
- 5 The Celluloid Cowboy
- 6 An Age of Publicity
- 7 The American Soul
- 8 Politics is Applesauce
- Plates
- 9 The Unfunny Business of Trying To Be Funny
- 10 The Private Man
- 11 The Little Fellow and the Great Depression
- 12 Man in Motion
- 13 The Man Talkies Were Invented For
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Chapter Thirteen examines Rogers’ emergence in the 1930s as one of Hollywood’s most popular movie stars. The development of "talkie" films provided an opportunity for showcasing perhaps the most popular person in America in every facet of his talent: folksy appearance, verbal dexterity, homespun wit, unpretentious but shrewd sensibility. Fox Films signed him to a contract, and from 1929 to 1935 he starred in a series of popular films that combined his trademark humor with common-man characters struggling with, and overcoming, pressing trials and challenges. These populist films often touted the virtues of rural and small-town life, hard work, plain-spoken morality, and community loyalty. Rogers made a trio of such films with famed director John Ford. The humorist became such a popular movie star and celebrity that he was judged to be Hollywood’s top box office attraction in 1934. Rogers’ success as a "talkie" movie star provided the capstone of his career and cemented his status as an American folk hero.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Citizen CowboyWill Rogers and the American People, pp. 347 - 381Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024