10th EMERGENCY CLOWN NOSE® Pick / #next364 #rednose

Will Rogers in ECN

The 10th Emergency Clown Nose® pick of the Holiday Season is Will Rogers.  In this series I’m exploring the noble as well as ignoble clown.  Each day through Christmas look for posts to my blog, www.LloydBrant.com, of a different public figure that either delighted in playing the clown, or that the public has unfortunately chosen to paint as a clown.

Will Rogers is also part of my special series of historical figures that dedicated their lives to changing the world through the wisdom of humor. Rogers first gained notoriety as a trick roper when he roped a wild steer escaping into the audience in a wild-west circus playing Madison Garden in NYC. He was immediately picked up by big-time vaudeville. The first time he talked on stage was after was advised to introduce a complicated rope trick for a better audience response, but the response from the New York audience was laughter at his slow Oklahoma drawl. Rogers quickly cashed in on his unexpected gift for comedy. His homespun humor spoke simple truths that made you laugh even if the barb was directed at you.

The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers: “There are three kinds of men: The ones that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

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