AMERICA’S GREAT LOSS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1935, Page 7

AMERICA’S GREAT LOSS

AVIATOR AND HUMORIST BOTH NATIONAL FIGURES Messrs. Rogers and Post were two of the greatest and most popular of American citizens. Will Rogers was more than a fine actor; he was a national humourist whose crisp articles were published daily by nearly 400 newspapers. Wiley Post twice held records for round the world flights and was America’s greatest aviator. He was a North American Indian. Will Rogers was the most popular and highest paid film actor in the United States, a position he held for a number of years. His sly wit and homely philosophy made him the foremost humorist of America, and with his frequent appearances on the stage and screen and before the microphone and his daily observations in the Press he became a national figure. He was the personal friend of Presidents and statesmen and was a sort of unofficial ambassador between the United States and foreign countries. Mr. Rogers made several visits to Russia during the Soviet regime. Will Rogers had been well-known in his country for a number of years, chiefly through the medium of the screen, both in silent and talking films. In America, however, screen acting was only one of his occupations, and his daily comments on the political situation in the States and trend of everyday affairs won him millions of readers. Prior to the last Presidential election there was some talk of Mr. Rogers being nominated for that position. On the screen Will Rogers portrayed the typical small-town American citizen. His characters ran very much to pattern —the country doctor, the county chairman, the village philosopher, or the kindly and understanding judge. The

same kindly, traits, modesty, humility, honesty, and yet a definite shrewdness were always to be found in his screen characters. MOST NATURAL ACTOR. Will Rogers was perhaps the most natural actor on the screen. He walked through his parts with perfect ease and complete lack of self-consciousness, often introducing lines which were never intended and yet, by reason of their humour, were never deleted. Among the many films in which Will Rogers is best remembered are; “A Connecticut Yankee," "Lightning," ‘‘Dr. Bull,” “Judge Priest," “The County Chairman,” “Life Begins at Forty," “Handy AndjV “State Fair,” etc. His latest picture was “Doubting Thomas.” Will Rogers began his career in a circus as a cowboy with a lariat. As such he visited Australia some years before the war.

Mr. Post sprang into fame in 1931 when he and the Australian, Mr. Harold Gatty, set out in the Winnie Mae in a recordbreaking round the world flight. The adventure was attended with' complete success, for the journey was accomplished in eight and a-half days. The navigator on the trip was Mr. Gatty, Within the space of two years Mr. Post, who was blind in one eye, set out on a solo effort in a record-breaking dash round the world, and he was successful in lowering the previous record, and received a great ovation on his return to New York, and advanced to world fame.

Last year Mr. Post was one of the early entrants for the epic flight from England to Australia (the Melbourne centenary) and with Mr. Gatty made tests in stratosphere flying, but the short time available did not permit very exhaustive tests to be made, and the success anticipated was not realised and Mr. Post withdrew his entry from the flight. His companion in adventure, Mr. Gatty, passed through New Zealand recently on his way to Australia. During the last twelve months Mr. Post made several attempts at making a stratosphere record, hoping to use the stratosphere for trans-American flights, but his efforts failed.