Polo match honors ‘cowboy philosopher’ Will Rogers

Will Rogers, the “cowboy philosopher” who became a film and radio star and delighted the country with his humorous sayings, was killed in a plane crash 75 years ago.

But his legacy has lived on, and on Sunday, the anniversary of his death, hundreds of people flocked to Will Rogers Historic State Park in Pacific Palisades for a polo match in his honor.

FOR THE RECORD:
An article in Monday’s LATExtra section about a polo match in Pacific Palisades honoring humorist Will Rogers said the event was held at Will Rogers Historic State Park. The park name is Will Rogers State Historic Park.

“He came from nothing and came out and lived the American dream and was a great unifier to the country,” said David Judson, 41, of Highland Park. “Everybody loved what he stood for.”

Judson was among those who attended a champagne brunch fundraiser to benefit the Will Rogers Ranch Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the park. Partygoers in straw hats mingled under white canopies. They sipped mimosas and strained for a glimpse of actor Dennis Quaid, who tossed out the first ball for the polo match. Those who didn’t nab a $100 ticket to the brunch watched the match from the opposite side of the field, some with picnic baskets and their own afternoon cocktails.

The highlight of the event came just after 2 p.m. when five World War II trainer jets roared in formation across the sky, drawing applause and cheers from the crowd.

The foundation had planned the flyovers to take place at the same time as other flyover events taking place above Rogers’ birthplace in Oklahoma and at the site of his death near Barrow, Alaska. Organizers said it was a fitting tribute for a man who crusaded for the United States to expand its aviation efforts and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1977.

“He truly was a pioneer in our military having an Air Force,” said Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, a co-founder of the foundation and Rogers’ great-granddaughter.

An entertainer and actor known for his ability to make controversial subjects humorous to a wide audience, William Penn Adair Rogers was born in 1879 in Indian Territory in what is now known as Oologah, Okla. He was one of eight children and learned early on how to work a lasso and became fascinated with cowboys after seeing Buffalo Bill at the World’s Fair in Chicago.

As a young man, Rogers joined the vaudeville circuit and gained a following for his roping tricks and monologues featuring quips about daily news reports and politics. “All I know is what I read in the papers,” he would say in his Southern twang.

After a stint with the Ziegfeld Follies where he captured the attention of politicians and celebrities, Rogers went on to make dozens of films, appeared on radio broadcasts and wrote columns for the New York Times and the Saturday Evening Post. At one point he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.

Rogers married Betty Blake and the two had three children. Their Santa Monica Mountains home featured polo fields, stables and riding trails designed by Rogers himself. In August 1935, he hoped to gather inspiration for his columns by joining his pilot friend Wiley Post on a flight over Alaska. Their plane crashed near Barrow, and both men were killed.

Upon Betty’s death in 1944, the Rogers property was willed to the state of California.

Situated above the polo field, the home was opened for tours. Polo trophies abound in the sprawling ranch house, and the high-ceilinged living room still smells of cedar. In the newly renovated gift shop, where bandannas and movie posters are for sale, the walls are plastered with quotes for which Rogers was famous. “What constitutes a life well spent?” reads one. “Love and admiration from your fellow men is all that anyone can ask.”

corina.knoll@latimes.com