The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-19
WILL ROGERS
DOES HIS BIT
FOR CHILDREN
Pays His Own Expenses and
Adds $3.50 as Gift to
Hospital.

To the lively strains of Tara
Ra-B oom-T-Yea," sung by the Ar
thur Jordan Conservatory Choir,
Americas goodwill ambassador,
William Penn Adair Rogers, ambled
on to the stage at the National
Guard Armory last night to explain
to a packed house Of cheering listen
ers, lust now thing was"
Mr.. Rogers, brought here by the
Junior League in its drive to raise
funds for the occupational therapy
division of the James Whitcomb
Riley Hospital for Children, had
busy late afternoon and night be-
fore he finally rushed with Chief
Mike MorriSsey, his guard and COM
panion all during his visit, for the
train which took him, lariat and all,
back toward New York.
Delayed IN arriving because his
train was involved in a crossing
crash fatal to two women autoistS,
the humorist was met at the Union
Station by a welcoming party and
taken to the Statehouse, where in
the packed House chamber, he
kidded the legislators and joshed
Gov. Paul v. McNutt.
Pays His Own Expenses
Then he visited the hospital.
There, his quick greetings and ia
miliar, broad grin brought delighted
shouts to the i'll and crippled chill
dren.
1t was obvious that Mr.. Rogers
was touched. That he had been
deeply affected was made apparent
when, later, he refused the $500
and expenses for which his con-
tract called, and, in addition, wrote
his personal check for $3.50 and
handed it to Mrs. Lesh to be applied
to the hospital fund.
Just before his Armory appear
ance, Mr.. Rogers was host to a
dozen Indianapolis newspaper men
at the Claypool, reminiscing with
them and asking them questions on
the local political situation.
This Is the Governor
The 55-year- humorist and
stage and screen star launched his
two-hour TRADE of fun and frolic
at the Armory by acknowledging the
presence of Gov. McNutt, who SAL
on his left throughout the perform
ance and figured prominently IN
Rogers anecdotes.
Turning to the crowd after shak-
ing hands with the Governor, Will
said, This is the Governor, folks"
This tremendous crowd gives me
an idea of the unemployment sit
uation here in Indiana" the eX-
cowboy continued, "but as long as
you're all good Democrats and are
on the relief rolls its alright"
Will told how, many years ago,
he visited Indianapolis with vaude-
vile troupes, with Houdini the
magician, and finally as the star of
the Ziegfeld FollieS. He recalled
his first trip to the city in 1901
when he arrived here as a men,
Der of booming party" on spe-
cial train from Oolagah, Indian
Territory, Oklahoma, his home
town, where they had just struck
oil and were attempting to get in
habitants for the town.
He's Never Seen Mae!
How he got into vaudeville where
he had "a darn good act because
there wasn't no talk in it," formed
the basis for another tale by Mr..
Rogers, and then he asked the crowd
just what they would like to hear
him talk about. Some one men
toned the movies.
well, here's a good one," Will
chuckled. "All these years I've been
in Hollywood and I amt never seen
Greta Carlo. But that isn't so
bad; it's the fact that I haven't seen
Mae West yet; that's what breaks
my heart"
The subject matter switched to
aviation and Will told how Jimmy
Doolittle asked him to fly across the
continent recently on the flight by
which Doolittle broke the trans
continental record. Then he relat-
ed how Wiley Post has invited him
to fly across the country at an alti-
tude of approximately $4,000 feet
at an estimated speed Of $50 miles
an hour.
I'D do it, but you have to go in
a sort of tin can, and I can't imag-
inc myself locked up in one of those
oxygen things for seven hours with
out getting to say a word" Will
complained.
He Touches on Huey
Will said that as soon as possible
he IS going down to Louisiana and
see just what this Huey Long stu
alton isl
"Of course, he got his original
idea from you," Will said, indicat-
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